vivo NEX 3 5G vs Huawei Mate 30 Pro 5G: A Head-to-Head Flagship Battle
| Phones Images | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing raw performance and a unique display experience, the vivo NEX 3 5G emerges as the slightly better choice. Its Snapdragon 855+ offers a proven track record, and the waterfall display remains visually striking. However, the Mate 30 Pro 5G’s camera system and wireless charging capabilities are compelling alternatives.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | vivo NEX 3 5G | Huawei Mate 30 Pro 5G |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41 - Global |
| 5G bands | 41, 78 NSA | 1, 3, 28, 38, 41, 77, 78, 79 NSA/Sub6 |
| Speed | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (5CA) Cat18 1200/150 Mbps, 5G (2+ Gbps DL) | HSPA, LTE, 5G (2+ Gbps DL) |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G | GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G |
| - | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41 - China | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2019, September. Released 2019, September | 2019, September 19. Released 2019, October 23 |
| Status | Discontinued | Discontinued |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 6), glass back (Gorilla Glass 6), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 167.4 x 76.1 x 9.4 mm (6.59 x 3.00 x 0.37 in) | 158.1 x 73.1 x 8.8 mm (6.22 x 2.88 x 0.35 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM |
| Weight | 218.5 g (7.72 oz) | 198 g (6.98 oz) |
| - | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 2m for 30 mins) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | - | Corning Gorilla Glass 6 |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2256 pixels (~363 ppi density) | 1176 x 2400 pixels, 18.5:9 ratio (~409 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.89 inches, 119.3 cm2 (~93.6% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.53 inches, 108.7 cm2 (~94.1% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Super AMOLED, HDR10 | OLED, HDR10 |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x2.96 GHz Kryo 485 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 485 & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 485) | Octa-core (2x2.86 GHz Cortex-A76 & 2x2.36 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4x1.95 GHz Cortex-A55) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8150 Snapdragon 855+ (7 nm) | Kirin 990 5G (7 nm+) |
| GPU | Adreno 640 (700 MHz) | Mali-G76 MP16 |
| OS | Android 9.0 (Pie), upgradable to Android 10, Funtouch 10 | Android 10, EMUI 10, no Google Play Services |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | Nano Memory (uses shared SIM slot) |
| Internal | 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM |
| - | UFS 3.0 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | LED flash, HDR, panorama | Leica optics, color spectrum sensor, dual-LED dual-tone flash, panorama, HDR |
| Triple | 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.72", 0.8µm, PDAF 13 MP, f/2.5, 52mm (telephoto), PDAF, 2x optical zoom 13 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide), PDAF | 40 MP, f/1.6, 27mm (wide), 1/1.7", PDAF, OIS 8 MP, f/2.4, 80mm (telephoto), 1/4.0", PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 40 MP, f/1.8, 18mm (ultrawide), 1/1.54", PDAF TOF 3D, (depth) |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, 720p@960fps, gyro-EIS | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, 1080p@960fps, 720p@7680fps, gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | LED flash, HDR | HDR, panorama |
| Single | Motorized pop-up 16 MP, f/2.1, 26mm (wide), 1/3.06", 1.0µm | 32 MP, f/2.0, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.8µm TOF 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | No |
| 35mm jack | Yes | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes |
| - | 32-bit/384kHz audio | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE | 5.1, A2DP, aptX HD, LE |
| Infrared port | - | Yes |
| NFC | No | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (L1), BDS (B1), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5) |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG | USB Type-C 3.1, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | Face ID, fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, barometer, compass |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 44W wired | 40W wired 27W wireless Reverse wireless |
| Type | 4500 mAh, non-removable | Li-Po 4500 mAh, non-removable |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Black, Blue | Black, Space Silver, Cosmic Purple, Emerald Green, Orange, Forest Green |
| Models | V1924A, V1924T, 1913 | LIO-N29, LIO-AL10, LIO-TL10 |
| Price | About 730 EUR | About 1440 EUR |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Audio quality | Noise -93.7dB / Crosstalk -93.1dB | - |
| Battery life | Endurance rating 110h | - |
| Camera | Photo / Video | - |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | - |
| Loudspeaker | Voice 70dB / Noise 73dB / Ring 72dB | - |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 388878 (v7), 497858 (v8) GeekBench: 11060 (v4.4) GFXBench: 37fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | - |
vivo NEX 3 5G
- Powerful Snapdragon 855+ processor
- Immersive waterfall display
- Fast 44W wired charging
- Waterfall display prone to accidental touches
- Camera system less versatile than Mate 30 Pro 5G
Huawei Mate 30 Pro 5G
- Versatile camera system with excellent low-light performance
- Wireless and reverse wireless charging
- Integrated 5G modem for potential efficiency gains
- Kirin 990 5G may exhibit thermal throttling under sustained load
- Software ecosystem limitations (due to US trade restrictions at the time)
Display Comparison
The vivo NEX 3 5G boasts a waterfall display, a design choice that minimizes bezels to an extreme degree. While the context data only provides a peak brightness of 610 nits, this was competitive for the time. The Huawei Mate 30 Pro 5G, while also featuring a curved display, doesn’t go to the same extreme. The infinite contrast ratio claimed by vivo suggests a high-quality OLED panel, but without specific color accuracy data, it’s difficult to definitively say which display is superior in terms of color reproduction. The NEX 3’s aggressive curvature, however, could lead to accidental touches, a potential drawback for some users.
Camera Comparison
Both phones feature capable camera systems, but the Mate 30 Pro 5G is generally regarded as having the more versatile setup. While the context data doesn’t provide specifics, the Mate 30 Pro 5G is known for its large 1/1.7-inch sensor and innovative image processing. The NEX 3 5G’s camera capabilities are less documented, but it likely focuses on a balance of photo and video quality. Without detailed sensor size and aperture information, it’s difficult to make a precise comparison, but the Mate 30 Pro 5G’s reputation for low-light performance and dynamic range gives it an advantage.
Performance
The core of the performance difference lies in the chipsets: Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855+ in the NEX 3 5G versus Huawei’s Kirin 990 5G in the Mate 30 Pro 5G. Both are 7nm processors, but the Snapdragon 855+ is known for its slightly higher clock speeds (2.96 GHz peak vs 2.86 GHz) and optimized GPU. The Kirin 990 5G, however, integrates the 5G modem directly onto the chip, potentially offering efficiency gains. The CPU configurations differ significantly; the NEX 3 utilizes a Kryo 485 architecture, while the Mate 30 Pro employs Cortex-A76 and A55 cores. Real-world performance will depend on software optimization, but the Snapdragon 855+ generally holds a slight edge in sustained gaming performance due to better thermal management.
Battery Life
The vivo NEX 3 5G boasts an endurance rating of 110 hours, suggesting solid battery life. The Huawei Mate 30 Pro 5G’s battery capacity isn’t specified, but its 40W wired charging is comparable to the NEX 3 5G’s 44W charging. However, the Mate 30 Pro 5G adds 27W wireless charging and reverse wireless charging, offering greater flexibility. While the NEX 3 5G’s endurance rating is good, the Mate 30 Pro 5G’s charging options provide a more convenient user experience.
Buying Guide
Buy the vivo NEX 3 5G if you need a phone that excels in gaming and multimedia consumption, and you value a truly bezel-less display. The Snapdragon 855+ provides ample power for demanding tasks. Buy the Huawei Mate 30 Pro 5G if you prioritize camera versatility, especially in low-light conditions, and appreciate the convenience of wireless charging and reverse wireless charging.