Huawei Mate 50 Pro vs. Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max: A Head-to-Head Flagship Battle
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing seamless performance, a mature software ecosystem, and consistently excellent camera results, the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max emerges as the winner. However, the Huawei Mate 50 Pro offers compelling fast-charging capabilities and a unique aesthetic, appealing to those seeking Android flexibility and a different design language.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Huawei Mate 50 | Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - International | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66 - A2894, A2896 |
| 5G bands | - | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A2894, A2896 |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE | HSPA, LTE, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / CDMA2000 / LTE | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41 - China | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A2895 | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2022, September 06 | 2022, September 07 |
| Status | Available. Released 2022, September 28 | Available. Released 2022, September 16 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | - | Glass front, glass back, stainless steel frame |
| Dimensions | 161.5 x 76.1 x 8 mm (6.36 x 3.00 x 0.31 in) | 160.7 x 77.6 x 7.9 mm (6.33 x 3.06 x 0.31 in) |
| SIM | · Nano-SIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time; International)· eSIM + eSIM (8 or more, max 2 at a time; USA)· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM (China) |
| Weight | 202 g / 206 g (7.13 oz) | 240 g (8.47 oz) |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 2m for 30 min) | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 min) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Huawei Kunlun Glass | Ceramic Shield glass |
| Resolution | 1224 x 2700 pixels (~442 ppi density) | 1290 x 2796 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.7 inches, 108.9 cm2 (~88.6% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.7 inches, 110.2 cm2 (~88.3% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | OLED, 1B colors, 90Hz | LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (typ), 2000 nits (HBM) |
| - | Always-On display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x3.19 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.75 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510) | Hexa-core (2x3.46 GHz Everest + 4x2.02 GHz Sawtooth) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8475 Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 4G (4 nm) | Apple A16 Bionic (4 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 730 | Apple GPU (5-core graphics) |
| OS | EMUI 13 (International), HarmonyOS 3.0 (China) | iOS 16, upgradable to iOS 26.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | Nano Memory (uses shared SIM slot) | No |
| Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM | 128GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 512GB 6GB RAM, 1TB 6GB RAM |
| UFS 3.1 | NVMe | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Laser AF, color spectrum sensor, LED flash, panorama, HDR | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) |
| Single | 13 MP, f/2.4, 18mm (ultrawide) | 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", PDAF, OIS (unconfirmed) SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Triple | 50 MP, f/1.4-f/4.0, 24mm (wide), PDAF 12 MP, f/3.4, 125mm (periscope telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom 13 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), PDAF | 48 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.28", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS 12 MP, f/2.8, 77mm (telephoto), 1/3.5", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF TOF 3D LiDAR scanner (depth) |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 1080p@960fps, gyro-EIS | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, 10-bit HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), ProRes, stereo sound rec. |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR, panorama | HDR |
| Single | 13 MP, f/2.4, 18mm (ultrawide) | 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
| 35mm jack | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| 32-bit/384kHz audio | - | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE | 5.3, A2DP, LE |
| Infrared port | Yes | - |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (L1), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5), NavIC (L5) | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.1, OTG, Display Port 1.2 | Lightning, USB 2.0 |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, barometer, compass | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| BDS Satellite Message (sending only) | Ultra Wideband (UWB) support Emergency SOS via satellite (SMS sending/receiving) | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 66W wired 50W wireless 5W reverse wireless | Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless (MagSafe) 15W wireless (Qi2) - requires iOS 17.2 update |
| Type | Li-Po 4460 mAh | Li-Ion 4323 mAh (16.68 Wh) |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Black, Silver, Purple, Orange | Space Black, Silver, Gold, Deep Purple |
| Models | CET-AL00, CET-LX9 | A2894, A2651, A2893, A2895, A2896, iphone15,3 |
| Price | About 720 EUR | € 530.79 / $ 489.81 / £ 446.75 |
| SAR | - | 1.15 W/kg (head) 1.07 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | - | 0.99 W/kg (head) 0.98 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | - | Endurance rating 121h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | - | -24.3 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 955884 (v9) GeekBench: 5423 (v5.1) GFXBench: 54fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Huawei Mate 50
- Significantly faster wired and wireless charging (66W/50W)
- Android OS with extensive customization options
- Unique and distinctive design aesthetic
- Limited to 4G connectivity
- Software ecosystem less mature than iOS
- Potential concerns regarding app availability due to geopolitical factors
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
- Industry-leading performance with the A16 Bionic chip
- Mature and polished iOS ecosystem
- Excellent camera system with refined image processing
- Slower charging speeds compared to the Mate 50 Pro
- Less customization options in iOS
- Higher price point
Display Comparison
The iPhone 14 Pro Max boasts a significantly brighter display, reaching a measured 1760 nits, ensuring excellent visibility even in direct sunlight. While the Mate 50 Pro’s display specs aren’t provided, Huawei typically employs OLED panels with excellent color accuracy. The iPhone’s infinite (nominal) contrast ratio, inherent to OLED technology, delivers deeper blacks and more vibrant colors. The iPhone 14 Pro Max also benefits from ProMotion, an adaptive refresh rate technology (LTPO) not explicitly mentioned for the Mate 50 Pro, contributing to smoother scrolling and animations.
Camera Comparison
Both devices excel in photography and videography, but approach it differently. The iPhone 14 Pro Max’s camera system is renowned for its computational photography prowess, delivering consistently accurate colors and excellent dynamic range. While specific sensor details aren’t provided, Apple’s image processing pipeline is highly refined. The Mate 50 Pro, while lacking detailed sensor information, is known for its variable aperture technology, allowing for greater control over depth of field. The iPhone’s video capabilities are also best-in-class, with ProRes video recording options. The absence of 5G on the Mate 50 Pro could impact quick uploads of large video files.
Performance
Apple’s A16 Bionic, fabricated on a 4nm process, features a hexa-core CPU with two high-performance Everest cores clocked at 3.46 GHz and four efficiency Sawtooth cores. This architecture prioritizes single-core performance, crucial for responsive app launches and fluid multitasking. The Huawei Mate 50 Pro utilizes the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 4G (also 4nm), an octa-core processor. While the Snapdragon offers strong multi-core performance, the A16 Bionic consistently outperforms it in benchmarks and real-world tasks. The iPhone’s advantage is further amplified by its optimized software and tighter hardware-software integration. The Mate 50 Pro’s 4G limitation is a significant drawback for users in areas with robust 5G infrastructure.
Battery Life
Both the Huawei Mate 50 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max achieve an endurance rating of 121 hours, indicating comparable overall battery life. However, their charging approaches differ dramatically. The Mate 50 Pro supports blazing-fast 66W wired charging, capable of replenishing the battery significantly faster than the iPhone’s wired charging (50% in 30 minutes with PD2.0). It also offers 50W wireless charging and 5W reverse wireless charging. The iPhone 14 Pro Max relies on 15W MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging (requiring iOS 17.2), which are slower but convenient. The Mate 50 Pro’s charging speed is a clear advantage for users who frequently need to top up their battery quickly.
Buying Guide
Buy the Huawei Mate 50 Pro if you need exceptionally fast 66W wired and 50W wireless charging, prefer the Android operating system with its customization options, and value a distinctive design. Buy the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max if you prioritize a polished user experience, industry-leading performance thanks to the A16 Bionic, and a robust app ecosystem with long-term software support.