The world of smartphones is very much over saturated these days. So with that in mind, I pitted the latest release from Samsung against two of Huawei's newest products to see which one would come out on top.
Without pointing out the obvious, that Huawei still doesn't have access to Google's apps, it still runs a version of Android and isn't too dissimilar to Samsung's OS.
So with that in mind, I tried the Samsung S25+ as well as the Huawei Nova 13 Pro and the Max X6 foldable.
I have always had an issue with Samsung when it comes to its devices, purely because of the bloatware it tends to pre-load onto them. However, for the first time in years, I'm actually not bothered by it because the S25+ is of such high quality that I had forgotten all about it. The S25+ is the mid-range phone of Samsung's latest generation, and although it's priced at £999, it packs a punch for the price.
The 6.7inch screen is a thing of beauty, and the cameras – always a selling point for Samsung – outshine the other two phones I tested alongside it.
It comes with a 12mp ultra wide, a 50mp wide-angle and a 10mp telephoto. All of which provide crisp, clear and as natural of a smartphone photo as you could wish to capture.
I was a little disappointed with the batter life, however, as it only packs a 4,900mAh battery. This left me needing to recharge before the evening most days, which was a little bit of a downer considering competitors at the same price – hello, OnePlus 13 – have 6,000mAh batteries and last more than a full day at power use.
However, you know with Samsung you're buying quality built to last, and a phone which will give you everything you need and more.
So while it loses a few points on battery, it was almost faultless everywhere else. I'm giving it an 8.5 out of 10.
The Huawei Nova 13 Pro is an intriguing device. I love the look, I love the cameras, I love how simple it is to use, but I still can not get over the lack of Google. This is something Huawei will forever be tarnished with, yet its devices are excellent.
It has barnstorming features, like 12gb ram, a 5,000MaH batter and 100w charging, A stunning LTPO OLED 1b colours HDR 120hz screen, and three excellent cameras. It's ability to last all day without charging despite a battery not far off the Samsung is impressive, and I'll give credit where credit is due, it's Android-like Harmony OS is actually pretty good – I guess I'm just a creature of habit.
You can buy the phone directly from Huawei, as not many shops or carriers sell them directly these days, but it's worth the investment if you want something different that also looks stunning.
I'm giving this an 8/10
Ahhh, another foldable. I have tried many of these, and am yet to be bowled over by it – but this one was pretty close. I'll get the obvious big talking point out of the way first: Yes, there is a crease and yes you can see it.
That pretty much comes with the foldable territory these days, so it's something we should all probably get over. However, the device is so well made and well thought out. The pearlised back panel is subtle yet stylish, and the camera module – while big – does fit with the look overall.
It folds up to be roughly the same thickness as any leading non-foldable smartphone, and when open measures 7.93inches.
It has a 2440x2240 resolution, which might not mean much to the non-techy readers among you, but it looks out of this world with very dark blacks and very bright colours. Watching a film on this was actually a job, especially with 1,800 nits of peak brightness.
It also had a 3D liquid-cooling module and I found that no matter how much I put it through its paces, it didn't get hot, although a little warm at times.
It has a bigger batter than the previous two phones mentioned, but at 5,110mAh, it still lasted roughly the same time as the Nova Pro because it is powering two screens. Where I found the biggest win for this compared to other foldables was the camera.
It has a 48mp telephoto macro, a 40mp ultra-wide and a 50pm ultra aperture camera – all of which combine to give you the best photos of any smartphone I've tried recently.
This surprised me, as I'm used to foldables not really giving you much by way of camera quality. So for this alone, I'm giving it a 9/10. For me, this is the new top player in the foldable market.
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