Switching from LG or Samsung... things to know!

Klanbo

Well-known member
Aug 10, 2014
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If like me you've currently got an LG or Samsung (currently have an S9+) but are tempted by the Mate 20 Pro, there are a few things I think you'll miss, which I'm noticing after 2 days of getting the Mate 20.

Always on Display - sure it's got one, but IMO not as good as Samsung. You can't customise the look, not a massive deal. BUT, no third party app notifications on the AOD, like WhatsApp or Nest. I find being able to see what notifications I've got just by glancing at the screen very useful, at my desk at work for instance.

Lock screen notifications - so they disappear once you've unlocked the screen, never to be seen again, a Huawei feature apparently. I can get used to this, but I selected the option to unlock on face recognition without having to swipe first - meaning I'll rarely see those notifications (as it unlocks so bloody quickly). I've gone back to the swipe to unlock option so at least I get to read on the lock screen before it detects my face and unlocks. Not bad, just different.

Rear Cameras - I missed the wide angle from my LG G6 since upgrading to the S9+, so was excited to see this on the Mate 20, along with all the other modes. But although the photos seem to have better colour on the Mate 20 Pro (the S9 always ends up a bit yellow unless you have a lot of light), the video is not as good. It's choppy and not as clear, bit surprised after all the positive reviews I've read. Don't get me wrong, it's good but I prefer video on the Samsung.

Front camera - what's with the skin smoothing, it's too much! Can take very detailed shots but applies way to much beautifying!

Email App - so the default LG one was never that great, but Samsung's default mail app is actually pretty good. Surprised to see no push notifications for Gmail on the Huawei app, Hotmail has it though. Will have to go back to a 3rd part app like Bluemail, despite security concerns.

That's all so far, loving every other aspect of the phone. The under display fingerprint reader isn't really reliable enough to use on its own, but face unlock is very good thankfully. Still a cool feature though and nice to be able to unlock on a table without picking it up or hovering my face awkwardly above the phone :-)

Also, the screen is lovely, cooler whites then Samsung which I prefer and brighter too. Sound isn't quite as loud as the S9+. Oh, and the phone seems ridiculously fast!

In summary, the featureless always on display, shaky video and selfie skin smoothing is making me consider selling the Mate 20 Pro and sticking with my S9+. Perhaps the points I've mentioned won't bother you, but perhaps worth knowing before you pull the trigger on the most expensive Android phone yet!
 
Interesting feedback. I was thinking about picking up the phone to play with the cameras. I have the Note 9 now and figured the Mate would product better pictures (not that I have anything to complain about with the Note).

How do you think the cameras compare between the two with regards to still photos? Also, I assume battery life is far better on the Mate?
 
Thanks for that! I have an s8 and was thinking about this for an upgrade. The email app was one of my key questions as the stock Samsung email app is the best Android email app I've used (I've tried them all), so I am a bit weary about the change due to that - I use email a lot for work!

The big appeal for me is battery, my s8 struggles to last a day and if I know I'm not near a charger for a long time I put it into battery saver. I would like to not have to be concerned about that. The mate has a great battery....but so does the note, debating which I should get.
 
Interesting feedback. I was thinking about picking up the phone to play with the cameras. I have the Note 9 now and figured the Mate would product better pictures (not that I have anything to complain about with the Note).

How do you think the cameras compare between the two with regards to still photos? Also, I assume battery life is far better on the Mate?

Assuming the Note 9 is similar to the S9+ (which I think it is), I wouldn't say the pictures are always better on the Mate, but the addition of a wide angle camera is such a bonus. Colours seem more accurate on the Mate, although that doesn't always translate to "pleasing on the eye". I actually think the Samsung captures more detail when you zoom in, but on the down side it sometimes comes out with a yellow hue. The AI on the Mate seems to deal with motion better too, I.e. less blur from moving objects.

All in all though, coming from a Note 9 I don't think you'll see it as an upgrade, it's just different....swings and roundabouts! I think the Samsung is more consistent but the Mate is more versatile and has the potential to take better shots.

But yes, battery life seems much better, despite the fact that I have the Snapdragon variant of the S9+ which is apparently the better of the two in that regard.

I should mention that I haven't received the firmware update yet, which apparently improves the camera and adds some more AI functions. Maybe that update improves the camera overall, I'm currently on version 9.0.0.108
 
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Always on display and Bluetooth volume sync are the only negatives I have found Vs the Samsung, otherwise the M20 Pro is imo better in every way.
 
Thanks for that! I have an s8 and was thinking about this for an upgrade. The email app was one of my key questions as the stock Samsung email app is the best Android email app I've used (I've tried them all), so I am a bit weary about the change due to that - I use email a lot for work!

The big appeal for me is battery, my s8 struggles to last a day and if I know I'm not near a charger for a long time I put it into battery saver. I would like to not have to be concerned about that. The mate has a great battery....but so does the note, debating which I should get.

I've not used the standard S8, only the S8+. Didn't really see much of an improvement in battery with the S9+, if any and I expect the Note 9 isn't much better. The Mate does seem a definite improvement in the battery department but if you're coming from an S8, I expect the S9+ or Note will also be a big improvement.

Oh, and as for email....I agree that Samsung is good, I have also tried all of the other big alternatives out there. I did like Bluemail but heard lots of negative things security wise and just don't get on with Gmail.
 
Haven't even tried the Bluetooth volume syncing, will give it a go and see if I get the same issue too, thanks!
 
Haven't even tried the Bluetooth volume syncing, will give it a go and see if I get the same issue too, thanks!
Hey, have you tried out its desktop mode yet? Would be really interested to hear how it compares to Dex mode?
 
no gmail notifications??? whaaaaaaatttt??
That cant be right. I believe its he battery saving default option from huaweii phones, but you can turn those on in the settings (not sure where, but those with a p20 or p20 pro should be able to direct you)

If like me you've currently got an LG or Samsung (currently have an S9+) but are tempted by the Mate 20 Pro, there are a few things I think you'll miss, which I'm noticing after 2 days of getting the Mate 20.

Always on Display - sure it's got one, but IMO not as good as Samsung. You can't customise the look, not a massive deal. BUT, no third party app notifications on the AOD, like WhatsApp or Nest. I find being able to see what notifications I've got just by glancing at the screen very useful, at my desk at work for instance.

Lock screen notifications - so they disappear once you've unlocked the screen, never to be seen again, a Huawei feature apparently. I can get used to this, but I selected the option to unlock on face recognition without having to swipe first - meaning I'll rarely see those notifications (as it unlocks so bloody quickly). I've gone back to the swipe to unlock option so at least I get to read on the lock screen before it detects my face and unlocks. Not bad, just different.

Rear Cameras - I missed the wide angle from my LG G6 since upgrading to the S9+, so was excited to see this on the Mate 20, along with all the other modes. But although the photos seem to have better colour on the Mate 20 Pro (the S9 always ends up a bit yellow unless you have a lot of light), the video is not as good. It's choppy and not as clear, bit surprised after all the positive reviews I've read. Don't get me wrong, it's good but I prefer video on the Samsung.

Front camera - what's with the skin smoothing, it's too much! Can take very detailed shots but applies way to much beautifying!

Email App - so the default LG one was never that great, but Samsung's default mail app is actually pretty good. Surprised to see no push notifications for Gmail on the Huawei app, Hotmail has it though. Will have to go back to a 3rd part app like Bluemail, despite security concerns.

That's all so far, loving every other aspect of the phone. The under display fingerprint reader isn't really reliable enough to use on its own, but face unlock is very good thankfully. Still a cool feature though and nice to be able to unlock on a table without picking it up or hovering my face awkwardly above the phone :-)

Also, the screen is lovely, cooler whites then Samsung which I prefer and brighter too. Sound isn't quite as loud as the S9+. Oh, and the phone seems ridiculously fast!

In summary, the featureless always on display, shaky video and selfie skin smoothing is making me consider selling the Mate 20 Pro and sticking with my S9+. Perhaps the points I've mentioned won't bother you, but perhaps worth knowing before you pull the trigger on the most expensive Android phone yet!
 
If like me you've currently got an LG or Samsung (currently have an S9+) but are tempted by the Mate 20 Pro, there are a few things I think you'll miss, which I'm noticing after 2 days of getting the Mate 20.

Always on Display - sure it's got one, but IMO not as good as Samsung. You can't customise the look, not a massive deal. BUT, no third party app notifications on the AOD, like WhatsApp or Nest. I find being able to see what notifications I've got just by glancing at the screen very useful, at my desk at work for instance.

Lock screen notifications - so they disappear once you've unlocked the screen, never to be seen again, a Huawei feature apparently. I can get used to this, but I selected the option to unlock on face recognition without having to swipe first - meaning I'll rarely see those notifications (as it unlocks so bloody quickly). I've gone back to the swipe to unlock option so at least I get to read on the lock screen before it detects my face and unlocks. Not bad, just different.

Rear Cameras - I missed the wide angle from my LG G6 since upgrading to the S9+, so was excited to see this on the Mate 20, along with all the other modes. But although the photos seem to have better colour on the Mate 20 Pro (the S9 always ends up a bit yellow unless you have a lot of light), the video is not as good. It's choppy and not as clear, bit surprised after all the positive reviews I've read. Don't get me wrong, it's good but I prefer video on the Samsung.

Front camera - what's with the skin smoothing, it's too much! Can take very detailed shots but applies way to much beautifying!

Email App - so the default LG one was never that great, but Samsung's default mail app is actually pretty good. Surprised to see no push notifications for Gmail on the Huawei app, Hotmail has it though. Will have to go back to a 3rd part app like Bluemail, despite security concerns.

That's all so far, loving every other aspect of the phone. The under display fingerprint reader isn't really reliable enough to use on its own, but face unlock is very good thankfully. Still a cool feature though and nice to be able to unlock on a table without picking it up or hovering my face awkwardly above the phone :-)

Also, the screen is lovely, cooler whites then Samsung which I prefer and brighter too. Sound isn't quite as loud as the S9+. Oh, and the phone seems ridiculously fast!

In summary, the featureless always on display, shaky video and selfie skin smoothing is making me consider selling the Mate 20 Pro and sticking with my S9+. Perhaps the points I've mentioned won't bother you, but perhaps worth knowing before you pull the trigger on the most expensive Android phone yet!

Very informative. Thanks for sharing the info.
 
no gmail notifications??? whaaaaaaatttt??
That cant be right. I believe its he battery saving default option from huaweii phones, but you can turn those on in the settings (not sure where, but those with a p20 or p20 pro should be able to direct you)
Ofc there is gmail notfications.
Its like you say, u have to allow most apps in the settings not to safe battery. No problem at all.
298e7c0336b8a7a7e5b000051b857cf7.jpg
 
I've not used EMUI before, and I'm awaiting my device being delivered tomorrow with the Australian Pre-Orders,

Is it possible to get a version of that screenshot in English?
 
Hey, have you tried out its desktop mode yet? Would be really interested to hear how it compares to Dex mode?

I never used DEX but had a quick go with the desktop mode as it came up as an option when screen sharing. Kind of cool and send better for viewing photos on the TV, didn't explore much at all though unfortunately.
 
I didn't say no Gmail notifications, I said no "push" notifications for Gmail - only provides the option to sync periodically, for example every 15 minutes. I seriously thought all mail apps did push notifications these days.

Anyway, sold the Mate 20 as a company who doesn't see the benefit of having notification icons on the always on display and launches a phone with lots of the advertised features missing (I'm talking about the AI ones), plus unacceptably bad video.....is not for me.

Such a shame as they got so much right, especially with the hardware. Will probably buy again once they sort out the software - which probably won't be too long.
 
Some of those things sound awful, coming from a Pixel 2. No WhatsApp notifications on the AOD? What the?
 
Couple things I missed from LG when switched to Mate 10 Pro were good AOD and super wide angle mode. Mate 20 Pro got it now but the AOD definitely still lacks.
 
I didn't say no Gmail notifications, I said no "push" notifications for Gmail - only provides the option to sync periodically, for example every 15 minutes. I seriously thought all mail apps did push notifications these days.

Anyway, sold the Mate 20 as a company who doesn't see the benefit of having notification icons on the always on display and launches a phone with lots of the advertised features missing (I'm talking about the AI ones), plus unacceptably bad video.....is not for me.

Such a shame as they got so much right, especially with the hardware. Will probably buy again once they sort out the software - which probably won't be too long.

This makes no sense whatsoever, I have Push Notifications working just fine on my Mate 20 Pro, I get emails same time as my iPad, MacBook Air and Galax Note8.
 
Push notifications? What is this, 2010? A top of the line, late-2018 smartphone cannot handle Gmail push?
 
Push notifications? What is this, 2010? A top of the line, late-2018 smartphone cannot handle Gmail push?
Like I said, pure nonsense. I have had Gmail and Exchange Emails on Push on the Mate 20 Pro, I had the same setup on the Mate 10 Pro last year.

No such thing as it not having push notifications, that is pure and utter rubbish. It's all down to setup of the mailbox.

My personal Outlook didn't allow push, but my old works Exchange allowed push setting. The Gmail app has push as standard.