Huawei has been making a big push at the top end of the smartphone market and now it has another offering - the Mate S.
So how does its new smartphone stack up against a flagship device like the iPhone 6S Plus?
DESIGN
The Mate S features a brushed alloy body, topped with Gorilla Glass. Its curved back and chamfered edges make it comfortable in the hand. It's not a small phone, but it isn't unwieldy. It measures 2.65mm at its thinnest point and 7.2mm at its thickest point.
At 149.9mm x 75.3mm, it is smaller than the iPhone 6s Plus (158.2mm x 77.9mm x 7.3mm). Both have 5.5-inch displays.
The iPhone 6S Plus is no slouch in the design department. It also features an alloy body, and its design incorporates soft edges for more comfy use. It may have attracted scorn for looking identical to the iPhone 6, but it feels sturdier than its predecessor.
Winner: Tie. Both have great designs.
DISPLAY
The 5.5-inch AMOLED display on the Mate S delivers dark blacks and crisp whites with vivid colours. Viewing angles are good, and it is bright enough for use on one of Wellington's rare sunny days. Huawei opted for a 1080p display with a pixel density of 401ppi. The lack of a QHD display might be a minus, but going FHD equates to better battery life.
The logic of this wasn't wasted on Apple either. They've also chosen the same resolution. Apple opted for LCD which doesn't quite deliver the same contrast levels. However, colour accuracy is quite good.
Winner: Huawei, due to its energy efficiency and contrast/colour capabilities.
PERFORMANCE
Both phones are powerful computing devices. While both smartphones offer 16GB base capacities, the iPhone doesn't have storage expansion. The Mate S can take up to 128GB of Micro SD card storage.
The Huawei Mate S uses a HiSilicon Kirin 935 octa-core processor. This consists of a quad-core 2.2GHz processor and quad-core 1.5GHz processor. You'd be mistaken for thinking that it'd smoke Apple's A9 CPU after glancing at its specs. Boasting more cores and clocking in at a higher clock speed, it's a muscular piece of silicon. The Apple A9 is no slouch either. Benching both devices saw the A9 just outperform the HiSilicon Kirin 935.
Winner: Apple. When it comes to processing grunt, the iPhone 6S wins. The performance gap isn't huge, and the expandable storage of the Mate S does make it more versatile.
CAMERA
Camera sensors are a specification that phone shoppers often focus on.
The Huawei Mate S is well appointed on the photography front. It has a 13MP image sensor, optical image stabilisation, a two-tone flash and zippy autofocus. On the downside, it doesn't record 4K video.
The iPhone 6s Plus comes with a 12MP sensor, but is otherwise comparable to the Mate S camera specifications. Optical image stabilisation is present and it has a dual tone. Its autofocus is also responsive. The 6s Plus can shoot 4K video. Apple's camera software did, however, feel "janky" compared to the shooter app on the Mate S.
Winner: Apple (by a hair) thanks to its 4K video shooting.
FINGERPRINT SENSOR
Smartphones contain a huge amount of personal information. Keeping that information secure is vital. Passwords, PIN numbers and unlock patterns are guessable. Fingerprints are harder to spoof.
The Mate S comes with a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. Its location is where most users will find their fingers when they pick up the phone. In use, its sensor was less flummoxed by wet hands or finger movement on the sensor.
Huawei has also added fingerprint sensor gestures. These allow the user to use the sensor to take photos, scroll, or pull down the notification drawer.
The iPhone's fingerprint sensor is on its front. I'd often find my damp dabs confused it.
Winner: Huawei. Fingerprint sensor accuracy and functionality makes the Mate S a dab hand with prints.
BATTERY LIFE
CPUs are becoming more energy efficient and software optimisation is helping too. Demand for slimmer phones has seen manufacturers shrinking batteries. . The iPhone 6S Plus has a 2750mAh battery and the Mate S has a 2700mAh battery.
Apple's iOS 9 now features a Power Saving features, which extend battery life, equating to just over 11 hours. The Mate S has similar capabilities which delivered just over 12 hours.
Winner: Huawei: With typical use, the Mate S edged ahead of the Apple 6s Plus.
PRICE
While smartphones offer more value than ever, price is a huge consideration for buyers. The 64GB iPhone 6S Plus isn't cheap at £655.96 from Giffgaff . The Huawei Mate S is just a shade more affordable, retailing for ££379.99 from Carphone Warehouse. Both phones do offer a lot of functionality for the price.
Winner: Huawei, which just pips Apple 6S at the pricing post.
VERDICT
Comparing Apple and Huawei highlights just how close both devices are with specifications and price. Huawei's price, battery life, display and fingerprint sensor saw it ahead of Apple in four out of seven categories. While Apple's camera and CPU outshone Huawei, both tied when it came to design.
Huawei has come a long way. They've crafted a phone that gives one of the world's best-selling flagships a real run for its money. Both are well designed and either is a solid choice.
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