But if we had to choose between the two brands, who wins the challenge? Which the best Chinese smartphone brand? In the following lines, we will try to answer this question, showing you both the strengths and weaknesses of both manufacturers so that we can choose our next smartphone with an Android operating system well.READ ALSO: Best Chinese Smartphone Brands
Huawei vs Xiaomi challenge: who wins?
In addition to indicating the characteristics of each manufacturer mentioned, we will also show you the best smartphone currently on the market for both, so that you can also compare the datasheets of both and immediately choose our new phone after drawing the necessary conclusions.
Pros and cons of Huawei
While Samsung was collecting sales and was the only rival of Apple’s iPhone, Huawei was making converts among the young and the very young thanks to cheap phones, with an attractive design, with very good performance in all conditions of use and a complete operating system. from every point of view. Now, years later, Huawei has become a giant in the sector and dominates practically any sales segment, relying on a very large following of loyal and always new, updated, and powerful phones.
Among the advantages of Huawei in fact we certainly mention the optimization of the operating system, very close in terms of characteristics to the work done by Apple on the iPhone, also thanks to proprietary Huawei hardware (in fact the CPU of the Huawei is produced in house and is not present on any other Android phone) and al really excellent photographic sector (for years one of the best).
To this value, we combine a very satisfying user experience, good battery life on any smartphone (compared to the competition), and all the main innovative features always at hand.
Currently, the only known real flaw is the lack of the Google Play Store on all new Huawei phones released on the market. The company is paying for the US government’s obstruction against it and Google, to comply with the new federal laws, cannot offer its services on Huawei phones (Android is open source so it can still be used without problems). In response, Huawei has launched its personal store (AppGallery) where there are many apps, but we are not yet on the levels offered by the Google Play Store.
If we are aiming for a Huawei then we must take into account the possible absence of some important app for our needs or purposes, or install other more provided alternatives such as the stores seen in the guide Alternatives to Play Store to download Android apps without Google account.
Do we want a Huawei despite the limitations? In this case, the smartphone with the best quality/price ratio is without a doubt Huawei P40 Lite, available on Amazon for less than € 200.
On this smartphone, we find a 6.4 “HD screen, proprietary octa-core processor, 6 GB of RAM, 128 GB of expandable internal memory, quadruple rear camera 48 + 8 + 2 + 2 MP, artificial intelligence for automatic shots, and operating system Android Open Source 10.0 with AppGallery ready to use.
Pros and cons of Xiaomi
Xiaomi also followed a similar path to that of Huawei, first becoming a reference point among technology enthusiasts and, thanks to word of mouth and the quality of the products, it has become one of the most important smartphone manufacturers, with very captivating advertising on TV. and on billboards.
The merits of Xiaomi are numerous: Android operating system modified and optimized beyond belief (with integrated Google Play Store), user experience similar to the iPhone (but we can always change launcher if we want something different), fast execution speed for apps and games, constant and significant updates (with new functions integrated even on smartphones from 2 or 3 years ago) and a good battery life.
Among the flaws of Xiaomi, we find a photographic sector that is not up to Huawei (even if things are improving in the last period), biometric unlocking systems (fingerprint and face recognition) not always reactive, and some features not yet integrated on all phones (for example NFC is still overlooked on low-end phones, for no apparent reason).
If we want a Xiaomi we advise you to focus on the Redmi Note 9 Pro, available on Amazon for less than 250 €.
This phone boasts a 6.67 “IPS DotDisplay screen, latest generation octa-core processor, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of expandable internal memory, 64MP Quad Camera with integrated artificial intelligence, 5020mAh battery, and Android 10 operating system.
Conclusions
Choosing between the two brands at the moment is a fairly forced choice in favor of Xiaomi (which could soon take its place at the top of the ranking of best-selling phones), given that Huawei has suffered a heavy blow with the removal of the Google Play Store. However, if you are looking for a level smartphone, it is still worth focusing on Huawei, and immediately learning how to install APKs, as it might be the only way to get your favorite app.
To find other interesting phones from the two manufacturers mentioned, we recommend that you read our guide’s Best Xiaomi smartphones (Redmi and Mi) at advantageous prices is The best Huawei and Honor smartphones to buy today.