Mate 9 vs V20. Which is better?

[Blues Fan]

I've been watching videos on the Mate 9 and it looks impressive. For $600 would it be worth selling the V20 and my S7 for it or wait for the S8? I like to switch phones a lot and I like the V20 but the Mate has a larger screen.

Opinions?

 

[talon1189]

I've been watching videos on the Mate 9 and it looks impressive. For $600 would it be worth selling the V20 and my S7 for it or wait for the S8? I like to switch phones a lot and I like the V20 but the Mate has a larger screen.

Opinions?

What would you rather eat? An apple or an orange?

 

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

Both are big beastly behemoths. However, if you're deciding between the 2, note the following pros and cons of the 2 in relation to each other.

LG V20
+ Higher-resolution display plus secondary ticker: May be useful for shortcuts and notifications without turning on the main display.
+ MIL-STD 810G rating: Great if you're the clumsy type.
+ Removable battery: May be useful if you're a heavy user and need to quickly swap batteries. It also charges quickly through Quick Charge 3.0.
+ Cameras : Huawei still has a better auto mode IMO, but the V20's manual mode is really where it shines, offering the user a plethora of controls and tools in order to capture or record the moment in clarity. Also has a wide-angle secondary camera which can be useful.
+ Headphones: No question. It's an outright beast.
- Battery life. It's not downright terrible but compared to the Mate, it's definitely a few steps back.
- Speaker: Meh. It's alright but nothing great.

Mate 9
+ Battery life: It's amazing. Very. One of the harder phones to kill in a single day.
+ Cameras: They're also very darn good. The dual sensors really do a nice job with dynamic range and you can great some great shots with it. The app is quite complex, however, and the video isn't on-par with the V20.
+ Size: Both this and the V20 are big, giant beastly behemoths, but somehow, the Mate 9 feels a little petite than its size would suggest thanks to the slightly curved back and slim bezels.
+ Speakers : Okay, they aren't the best, but they are pretty smart, with HTC-style high/low frequency balance when in portrait and an iPhone 7-like stereo setup when in landscape.
- Headphones : They're sorta mediocre, especially in comparison with the V20.
- EMUI : Much better than before, to the point where I can use it without any issue, but it still could use quite a bit of spit and polish to iron out some of the quirks.

 

[X1tymez]

I'm in same boat as you. The mate 9 is impressive for the price...

Mate 9 won't offer the same audio quality like V20, that's only feature I'll miss and carrier bloatware.

Good luck.

 

[jdfry15]

I've had the v20 for a couple months. Picked up the mate 9 last Friday from best buy. I really enjoy the mate 9 but it will probably go back. I think they will not update the phone very well and I may be paranoid but I worry a little about security with the mate. The camera is the main issue I have. Low light pictures are pretty awful on the mate 9. The auto mode cranks the ISO up a ton and makes the pictures look pretty bad. I've been a little underwhelmed with battery life too. I actually like the skin on the mate 9 more than I thought I would. The phone is fast the screen is great, but at the end of the day it's not really any faster than the v20. The v20 has really grown on me. If I didn't have the v20 I would keep the mate. I really enjoy it and it's really fast. I think it would be a great upgrade for a device a year or two old.

 

[jdfry15]

I've been watching videos on the Mate 9 and it looks impressive. For $600 would it be worth selling the V20 and my S7 for it or wait for the S8? I like to switch phones a lot and I like the V20 but the Mate has a larger screen.

Opinions?

The screen on the mate is pretty awesome, huge and little bezels. I love it. I've tried to sell my v20 on Craigslist a couple times and haven't had any luck. I may be wrong but it may be harder to get what you want for the v20.

 

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

I've had the v20 for a couple months. Picked up the mate 9 last Friday from best buy. I really enjoy the mate 9 but it will probably go back. I think they will not update the phone very well and I may be paranoid but I worry a little about security with the mate. The camera is the main issue I have. Low light pictures are pretty awful on the mate 9. The auto mode cranks the ISO up a ton and makes the pictures look pretty bad. I've been a little underwhelmed with battery life too. I actually like the skin on the mate 9 more than I thought I would. The phone is fast the screen is great, but at the end of the day it's not really any faster than the v20. The v20 has really grown on me. If I didn't have the v20 I would keep the mate. I really enjoy it and it's really fast. I think it would be a great upgrade for a device a year or two old.

From what I heard, the extra noise is actually intentional

 

[jdfry15]

From what I heard, the extra noise is actually intentional

I'm not an expert by any means. My wife has the iphone 7 plus, I've been using the mate 9 and v20. In most shots I've compared on my ipad pro the mate 9 pictures look the worst. There are some really cool features on the mate 9. I took some pictures last night of my daughter. The mate 9 in auto has the iso at 1000, the v20 was 400 and the iphone was 100. Just interesting how each one is that different.

 

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

I'm not an expert by any means. My wife has the iphone 7 plus, I've been using the mate 9 and v20. In most shots I've compared on my ipad pro the mate 9 pictures look the worst. There are some really cool features on the mate 9. I took some pictures last night of my daughter. The mate 9 in auto has the iso at 1000, the v20 was 400 and the iphone was 100. Just interesting how each one is that different.

You have to play around with manual settings to make it stand out.

Apparently, the higher ISO was designed to add more grain, not to brighten shots up as what OEMs usually do. This may be a decision on Leica's part as their engineers tend to prefer those type of shots.

 

[Morty2264]

Both phablets are great options, in my opinion! You can't go wrong with either. However, if I was in your shoes, I'd go with the Mate 9 at this present moment. Using a Huawei device has shown me how awesome the experience can be - I highly recommend devices from this manufacturer.

 

[pinkvikchick]

I just got a Mate after using the V20 for about 3 months. Camera is (in MY opinion) better on the Mate. I miss the tapping screen on/off thing on my mate.

I do not miss the battery on my LG, this Mate goes on forever. Plus, even though the screen is bigger on the Mate, the LG has a bigger footprint.

All in all, I miss some things on my LG but I like the Mate better. Now I need to sell my LG!!!

 

[race4life]

I thought about this move too but I think this is bad time to make the move. In the next few months there are going to be multiple phone launches that look very interesting. Not that the Mate 9 is not a good phone but I can tell by all your post you are into (like me) the new phones. You will get the Mate 9 and then they will announce the new LG, the new HTC, and the new Samsung. If you're curious about the phone, order it from Amazon, you could get it Friday, if you don't like it, return it.

Plus, I'm really enjoying the V20. Not sure what the Mate 9 has that the V20 doesn't. Sure a bigger battery, but you can't swap batteries. Just this morning, I forgot to charge my V20 overnight and when I woke up had 45% battery. Got my second battery, put it in and had 100% in about 30 seconds.

 

[jdfry15]

It's just like every device. There's are strengths and weaknesses. I have yet to find a perfect phone. There are things I love about the v20 and there are times I thing the mate 9 is much better. At least on my mate 9 the download speeds are not near as good as the v20. I can swap my sim between both same place and download speeds are about half what the v20 is. Upload speeds are pretty similar though.

 

[andrew_ackley]

It's just like every device. There's are strengths and weaknesses. I have yet to find a perfect phone. There are things I love about the v20 and there are times I thing the mate 9 is much better. At least on my mate 9 the download speeds are not near as good as the v20. I can swap my sim between both same place and download speeds are about half what the v20 is. Upload speeds are pretty similar though.

The note 7 was perfect. I'm sad

 

[Morty2264]

I just got a Mate after using the V20 for about 3 months. Camera is (in MY opinion) better on the Mate. I miss the tapping screen on/off thing on my mate.

I do not miss the battery on my LG, this Mate goes on forever. Plus, even though the screen is bigger on the Mate, the LG has a bigger footprint.

All in all, I miss some things on my LG but I like the Mate better. Now I need to sell my LG!!!

Ah yes, double-tap-to-unlock...

I miss that feature so much!

 

[Mike Dee]

In a v20 subforum the v20 wins

 

[Matty]

I've been watching videos on the Mate 9 and it looks impressive. For $600 would it be worth selling the V20 and my S7 for it or wait for the S8? I like to switch phones a lot and I like the V20 but the Mate has a larger screen.

Opinions?

D13H4RD2L1V3 gave a really nice pros and cons compassion here between the 2 devices but obviously thats going to have a little bit of 'IMO' included. I would say, if you own a V20 and a GS7 i don't think you will be getting any 'extra' value from the device. The Mate 9 is fantastic but not really worth the hassle of selling the other devices. I personally would wait for the GS8. It looks to be packing some really nice NEW features. Slimmed down bezels, and possible finger print sensor on the screen.

 

[Blues Fan]

D13H4RD2L1V3 gave a really nice pros and cons compassion here between the 2 devices but obviously thats going to have a little bit of 'IMO' included. I would say, if you own a V20 and a GS7 i don't think you will be getting any 'extra' value from the device. The Mate 9 is fantastic but not really worth the hassle of selling the other devices. I personally would wait for the GS8. It looks to be packing some really nice NEW features. Slimmed down bezels, and possible finger print sensor on the screen.

I probably will get the S8 Plus or S8 Edge, whatever they call the larger size. If they stick with the edges I hope it's like the Note 7 because the curves on the S7 Edge are just plain nasty. I hope it's a flat screen and similar in size to the V20 or Note 5. that way I can simply rip out the built in screen protector on the Defender. The S7 Edge defender it messes the case up if you do. IF they have an S8 Edge and the curves are too nasty I might stick with v20 and see what the Note 8 looks like in Sept.

I likely won't pre order this time though. If there is something wrong with the device it's a big hassle. I might wait a month and see if the phone is worth it.

 

[jdfry15]

I probably will get the S8 Plus or S8 Edge, whatever they call the larger size. If they stick with the edges I hope it's like the Note 7 because the curves on the S7 Edge are just plain nasty. I hope it's a flat screen and similar in size to the V20 or Note 5. that way I can simply rip out the built in screen protector on the Defender. The S7 Edge defender it messes the case up if you do. IF they have an S8 Edge and the curves are too nasty I might stick with v20 and see what the Note 8 looks like in Sept.

I likely won't pre order this time though. If there is something wrong with the device it's a big hassle. I might wait a month and see if the phone is worth it.

I'm with you, I can't stand the edges on the s7e. Loved the note 7. I think there will be a point Samsung will have all their phones with curves and no other option. I'm going to hold out and wait to see what the note 8 has.

 

[flyingkytez]

Both phones are behemoths. I don't think you'll be disappointed in both. It really comes down to what you're looking for.

The Mate 9:

PROS
- HUGE battery (4000 mAh)
- Bigger display
- Higher camera megapixels
- Dual cameras for better shots and blur effects
- Slightly faster CPU and better GPU


The V20:

PROS
- Superior audio and video recording (microphone recording is best in class)
- Full manual camera controls
- Dual front and rear WIDE angle lens (actually usable lens)
- Built in Hi-fi DAC (excellent audio experience)
- Removable and replaceable battery
- Second screen display
- Better display and resolution (higher pixel density)
- Lightweight build (thanks to aircraft grade metal)


If I had a choice, I'd pick the V20 because of the features (higher audio quality, better video recording, removable battery, second screen). I would not mind the Mate 9 because the price is affordable and the phone is a beast.