Huawei didn’t announce just one new flagship phone at MWC 2017. As well as the expected Huawei P10 it also announced the bigger, even higher spec Huawei P10 Plus.
This is a real top-end device, with a likely high price and fit to compete with anything else we’re likely to see in early 2017.
But just how much difference does that plus in the name make? And which phone is best for you? We’ll answer that first question and help you figure out the second one with a full rundown of the key specs and features of each handset, paying particular attention to where they differ.
Huawei P10 (145.3 x 69.3 x 7mm) vs Huawei P10 Plus (153.5 x 74.2 x 7mm)
The Huawei P10 Plus is basically just an oversized Huawei P10 from a design perspective. They both have a slim 7mm thick metal unibody, and are the same general shape, with a fingerprint scanner below the screen on the front and a fairly plain back.
The only real differences are in their dimensions and weight, with the Huawei P10 Plus coming in at 153.4 x 74.2mm and 165g, while the Huawei P10 is a slightly more manageable 145.3 x 69.3mm and 145g.
The range of colours they’re launching in also differs slightly. The Huawei P10 will be available in Mystic Silver, Rose Gold, Graphite Black, Dazzling Gold, Dazzling Blue and Greenery, while the Huawei P10 Plus is launching in Ceramic White, Dazzling Blue, Dazzling Gold, Graphite Black, Mystic Silver, Rose Gold and Greenery – though note that not all colours will necessarily be available in all regions anyway.
Huawei P10 (5.1-inch 1080 x 1920) vs Huawei P10 Plus (5.5-inch 1440 x 2560)
This is the single biggest difference between the two phones, as while the Huawei P10 has a 5.1-inch 1080 x 1920 display, the Huawei P10 Plus has a 5.5-inch 1440 x 2560 screen. That’s both bigger, of course, but also sharper, giving it a pixel density of 540 pixels per inch, while the Huawei P10’s screen is just 432 pixels per inch.
It’s a difference that’s just about noticeable, and puts the Huawei P10 Plus more in line with phones like the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. Of course, not everyone wants a screen that big, and the standard P10 is certainly easier to operate with one hand.
Huawei P10 (octa-core Kirin 960 4GB RAM) vs Huawei P10 Plus (octa-core Kirin 960 4/6GB RAM)
Whether the Huawei P10 Plus has more power than the Huawei P10 depends on which version you opt for, as there are models with either 4GB or 6GB of RAM.
The 4GB model matches the Huawei P10 for RAM, and both models have the same chipset as the Huawei P10, namely an octa-core Kirin 960 one, with four cores clocked at 2.4GHz and four running at 1.8GHz. Though not as big a name as Snapdragon this is a flagship chip, so both the P10 and P10 Plus have plenty of power.
Huawei P10 (20MP and 12MP rear 8MP front-facing) vs Huawei P10 Plus (20MP and 12MP rear 8MP front-facing)
At first glance you might think the Huawei P10 and Huawei P10 Plus have the same camera setup, after all, they both have a 20MP and 12MP pairing on the back, and an 8MP snapper on the front, but the apertures of the rear cameras differ.
On the P10 you’re looking at f/2.2, while on the P10 Plus it’s f/1.8 – which means more light can get at the lens on the P10 Plus, allowing it to capture more image data. This is always helpful, but especially beneficial when shooting in low light.
Otherwise, they’re similarly skilled, able to combine an RGB and monochrome image for a more detailed final shot, and using optical image stabilisation to keep it free of blur.
Huawei P10 (3200mAh 32/64GB 4G) vs Huawei P10 Plus (3750mAh 64/128GB 4G)
The Huawei P10 has a respectably sized but not massive 3200mAh battery, while the Huawei P10 Plus has a huge 3750mAh juice pack.
Of course, it’s also got a larger, sharper screen to drive, but that’s bigger than the batteries in most similarly sized phones, so we’re expecting long life out of the P10 Plus. The P10 will hopefully last a while too, but is unlikely to go quite as long between charges. Both phones support fast charging.
Memory comes in at 32 or 64GB in the Huawei P10, and 64 or 128GB in the Huawei P10 Plus, with both phones also sporting a microSD card slot with support for cards of up to 256GB.
Connectivity options on the two include Wi-Fi, 3G, 4G, Bluetooth 4.2 and NFC.
Neither phone is out yet, but we’re likely to see them in UK stores before the end of March. It’s also unknown how much they’ll cost, but we do have the price in Euros, which works out at 649 Euros (around £550) for the Huawei P10, and 699 Euros (roughly £600) for the Huawei P10 Plus.
Don’t expect the UK price to exactly match that, but it’s likely to be in that ballpark. Contract pricing meanwhile will probably start at roughly £30 per month for the Huawei P10 and maybe a couple of pounds extra for the P10 Plus.
The Huawei P10 Plus is a better phone than the Huawei P10 in a number of small but important ways, including a tweaked camera, a bigger battery, more storage and the potential for more power. Of course, it’s the larger, sharper screen that’s the main difference.
Remarkably, the P10 Plus also doesn’t seem like it’s going to cost much more – though exact pricing is yet to be confirmed. If the prices are similar then the P10 Plus is clearly the better option unless money is particularly tight, or you like the idea of a smaller screen.
But the Huawei P10 still looks to be a strong phone in its own right, and well worth considering.
