Huawei's 2014 Mate 7 device was the first way the company proved it had the skills and resources to create a premium smartphone that could compete on the same level with giant players in the mobile market. Ever since, Huawei has continued to raise the bar with their biggest highlight being the partnership with Google to launch a new Nexus handset.On one hand, the Nexus 6P is shows off Huawei's exceptional hardware capabilities combined with Google's smooth stock operating system, and as a result it received praise as one of the best flagships on the market. Whereas, the launch of the Mate 8 redefined the Mate 7 design while also providing the same impressive flagship performance.So how do the two Huawei devices compare?
Design Comparison
At a glance, both flagships look similar with a premium built metallic design that makes the two devices easy on the eye. The Asymmetrical design on the Mate 8 feels identical to the Mate 7, but the circular camera and the fingerprint sensor at the back add a more modernized look.Whereas, the Nexus 6P stands out from its predecessors. At the back, it features a fingerprint scanner, along with a camera and its accessories. In addition, the handset comes with its own special features that you won't find on the Mate 8 like a Type-C USB port, and front-facing speakers.In terms of dimensions, the Mate 8 has 6-inches of display which makes it wider, while the Nexus 6P is much taller due to its front facing speakers. Despite the screen size differences, there weights and sizes are similar.
Display Comparison
Compared to Mate 8's 1080p IPS display, the QHD AMOLED display completented on the Nexus 6P definitely performs better. If you prefer a larger screen, then between the two the Mate 8 wins with its 6-inch screen.Resolution, isn't Nexus 6P's only advantage, its AMOLED display means deeper blacks, more vivid, saturated and vibrant colors along with a range of brightness to give comfort during daylight viewing. The Nexus 6P also provides environmental display technology.Huawei Mate 8 makes up for the lack of a QHD resolution with its JDI-NEO display technology. Generally, the Mate 8 comes with the best 6-inch 1080p display on the market, this means better gaming and media content viewing experience.
Performance Comparison
Despite being under the same manufacturer, the two handsets are bundled with different SOC packages.The Nexus 6P is equipped with an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 clocked at 2GHz along with an Adreno 430 GPU and a RAM of 3GB. The Snapdragon 810 works impressively well thanks to the Android 6.0 Marshmallow preloaded on the Nexus 6P.On the other end, the Huawei Mate 8 packs an octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 950 processor, backed by a GPU of Mali-T880 with a RAM of 3GB or 4GB in some models.
Hardware Comparison
Like the current Nexus handsets, the two Huawei-made devices feature fingerprint sensors at the back.Both handsets come in two variants in terms of internal storage one with 32GB and the other with 64GB, with the Nexus 6P also adding an iteration of 128 GB which will be useful for intensive users, especially with the lack of a microSD slot. The Mate 8 features a microSD storage which also serves a slot for a second SIM. Also the choice of storage option will determine what RAM the device is bundled with, either a 3GB or 4GB.In terms of audio, the Nexus 6P's front-facing speaker design offers an awesome sound experience, compared to the speakers mounted at the bottom of the Mate 8.Both phones come with the standard batch of connectivity features such as NFC and radio capabilities that can be used anywhere in the world, as well as compatibility with all the major mobile network carriers in the market.In the battery department, the Nexus 6P is bundled with a 3,450 mAh battery and Google adopts a Type-C USB standard which means faster charging. You can also take advantage of the Doze mode to last the power even longer.On the other end, the Mate 8 boasts a much larger 4,000 mAh battery capacity and its EMUI lets you know the power hogging apps with an option of blacklisting them in the optimizer to save a little extra juice. The Mate 8 can allow up to 2days of battery life with typical usage. It also comes with its own fast charging abilities with an half hour of charging lasting you a full day of use.
Camera Comparison
The Mate 8 features a 16 megapixel main camera with optical image stabilization whereas the Nexus 6P packs a 12.3 MP rear shooter without the OIS.
Software Comparison
The Android 6.0 Marshmallow software can be found on both smartphones, meaning they have similar features such as the Google Now Tap, and Android Pay capabilities.Which of these two Huawei flagships is better? Let us know in the comments.
