Stardew Valley for Android is a game worth getting hyped about!

One of the most celebrated indie gaming releases in recent years, Stardew Valley will arrive on mobile later this month — available for iOS on Oct. 24th and coming to the Google Play Store sometime later.

What is Stardew Valley?

If you’ve never heard of or played Stardew Valley before, it’s basically a farming simulator built atop a robust 16-bit open-ended RPG that lets you play and develop your character and farm as you choose. The story begins with your character’s arrival in Pelican Town, where you have decided to take over your grandfather’s simple family farm.

What makes Stardew Valley such a joy to play is the freedom granted to the player to make the game your own. If you focus on building up your farm, the game is mostly about crop and resource management, which will certainly scratch a certain itch for mobile gamers given how popular that genre of RPG is on mobile — but with Stardew Valley, there’s so much more for the player to explore.

Between planting and harvesting your fields, you can work to level up your character’s skills with different tools by going fishing or foraging in the woods, head to town to socialize and build relationships with the townsfolk (and even get married, if you chose), or go off on a more traditional combat-based RPG adventure complete with quests to complete and monster-infested mines to explore.

Is this the full game or a version that’s “enhanced for mobile”?

According to the developer’s blog post, mobile gamers can expect the full version of Stardew Valley on their phones, albeit without the co-op multiplayer available on PC and console editions. The only differences are the expected changes to the UI, which have been rebuilt for touchscreens to include tweaked menus and newly designed touch controls.

Will I be able to transfer over my farm from the PC version?

Yes, you will reportedly be able to transfer your Stardew Valley progress from the Windows, MacOS, or Linux versions of the game, although if you’ve played the game with mods applied you might find some compatibility issues when transferring your data over.

When is it coming to Android?

No date has been set for an Android release, but the iOS version is coming on October 24, so we’ll get a good sense of how well the game plays on mobile before it hits the Google Play Store.

The iOS version of Stardew Valley is available to preorder for $7.99 with no in-app purchases, and we’ll expect similar pricing once the game comes to Android.

Android Gaming

• Best Android games
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• Best action games for Android
• Best RPGs for Android
• All the Android gaming news!

The YouTube Android app now has a public beta

YouTube started as a simple video site, but today it’s much, much more.

YouTube is so much more than cute cats and mindless pranks; it’s where millions come for education, information, and live, late-breaking news. YouTube streams more than just Google keynotes; it streams important political debates and allows users to stream from almost anywhere in the world with an internet connection. It’s important to understand YouTube and how to use it, and whether you’re just looking to watch your videos without Autoplay plaguing you or you’re looking to turn your feed into a legitimate cord-cutter cornucopia of enticing entertainment, we’re here to help you get it done.

The latest YouTube for Android news

October 17, 2018 — The YouTube Android app now has a public beta

Google’s been known to test out experimental features quite often with the YouTube app, and for people that don’t care about those and just want their app to work, that can get a bit irritating at times. In an attempt to hopefully have a new testing ground for upcoming features, there’s now an official beta program for YouTube’s Android app.

Similar to other apps on the Play Store that have public betas, you can head to the link below, click “Become a Tester”, and you’ll be all set and ready to go.

It’s unclear if Google will completely stop testing new features in the main version of the app, but if you want to stay on the pulse of what’s going on with YouTube, be sure to get yourself enrolled with this.

Sign up for the YouTube beta

September 5, 2018 — YouTube for Android finally rolls out its dark theme to all users

YouTube’s website and iOS app have had dark themes for months, but YouTube’s Android app is finally catching up! After months of testing and teasing, the dark theme has rolled out to all users starting today. The change does not accompany an app update; it is a server side change that has appeared for most users when they close and re-open the app or reboot their phone. Here’s how to turn on YouTube’s dark theme on your phone.

All the big details

Finding your way around

First things first: let’s find where we find videos on YouTube and how we start curating our content so that YouTube’s algorithms can start working to bring us more of what we want. Want to get started with YouTube? Start here.

How to use YouTube for Android

Managing YouTube

YouTube can run away with you (and your mobile data) if you don’t keep it in check. From managing what kinds of content can pop up in your results to what networks you use to stream in HD, these are settings you can use to keep YouTube manageable.

How to manage the YouTube app for Android

Saving YouTube videos

See a fun video that you want to watch later? We’ve all been there. Here’s how to save videos for later — and to save them for watching offline, depending on where you live.

How to save videos in YouTube for Android

Managing your YouTube history

We all search for things we’d rather not fess up to. We stumble upon videos we wish we hadn’t seen. It’s okay, you don’t have to burn your digital identity — we just need to clean up our YouTube histories.

How to pause and clear your YouTube history

Uploading videos

Making the jump from consumer to creator on YouTube is a breeze. Here’s how to get videos from your Android phone onto YouTube. Getting them on the front page, however, is another matter entirely.

How to upload videos to YouTube

Taming YouTube’s annoyances

Like any site or product, there are ways that YouTube can annoy and irritate. Luckily, here’s the way to stop some of the more visible annoyances on the app.

Best tricks to fix YouTube’s most annoying features

Signature Devices offer the best YouTube experience on Android

Piggybacking on the Note 9’s announcement, Google ushered in a new program called “Signature Devices.” Signature Devices are Android phones that YouTube deems as offering the best possible YouTube experience around thanks to their screen size, resolution, HDR support, and more.

This is a list that’s constantly growing, and for the time being, these are the phones that are currently part of it:

• Samsung Galaxy Note 9
• Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium
• HTC U12+
• OnePlus 6
• LG G7 ThinQ
• Xiaomi Mi 8
• Sony Xperia XZ2
• Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact
• Nokia 8 Sirocco
• Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S
• Samsung Galaxy S9 / S9+
• Google Pixel 2 / 2 XL
• Huawei Mate 10 Pro
• Samsung Galaxy Note 8
• LG V30
• Samsung Galaxy S8 / S8+

How to sign up for YouTube Premium

As great as YouTube is on its own, the app’s made even better when you sign up for YouTube Premium.

YouTube Premium gives you access to a heap of extra features, including the ability to download videos for offline viewing, not having to ever watch ads, access to all YouTube Originals content, and more. If you want to give the service a shot, it costs $11.99/month and signing up takes just a couple minutes.

How to sign up for YouTube Premium

How to get the most out of Premium

Once you’re signed up for YouTube Premium, you’ll want to make sure you tap into everything it has to offer!

It can be easy to overlook all of the benefits that come with your Premium subscription, so let us help you get the absolute most out of your money.

How to get the most from YouTube Premium: Top tips and tricks

Updated August 21, 2018: Added a new section for YouTube’s Signature Devices list.

Store 128GB of data with SanDisk’s $22 Ultra Fit USB 3.1 Flash Drive

So much space in a tiny device.

SanDisk’s 128GB Ultra Fit USB 3.1 Flash Drive is down to $22.49 on Amazon. That puts it $8 below the price of its little USB 3.0 brother and marks one of the best prices we’ve ever seen. This flash drive normally sells for around $30 on average.

This high-speed USB 3.1 flash drive features read speeds up to 130MB/s. You could transfer a full-length movie to it in less than 30 seconds. It’s compatible with laptops, car stereos, game consoles, and more. More than 640 users over at Amazon reviewed this flash drive with 4.1 out of 5 stars collectively.

See on Amazon

Huawei verzint nieuwe geheugenkaart: Nano Memory Card (NM)

Blijkbaar vond Huawei de microSD-geheugenkaartjes die inmiddels gemeengoed zijn te groot en komt met een eigen kleinere standaard: Nano Memory. De geheugenkaartjes werden samen met de Mate 20-serie aangekondigd.

De NM-geheugenkaart heeft hetzelfde formaat als een nanoSIM-kaart; een kleine rechthoek met missend hoekje. De kaart dook op in de presentatie over de Mate 20 en Mate 20 Pro en specificaties ontbreken nog. Er lijkt in ieder geval een kaart te komen met een capaciteit van 256 GB met een snelheid van 90 MBit/s. Er gaan geruchten dat er ook een variant van 128 GB komt. Een echte noodzaak voor een kleinere kaart is er niet; beide kaarten zijn erg klein. Echter, door hetzelfde formaat als een simkaart passen beiden nu op elkaar in plaats van naast elkaar. Met de contactpunten naar buiten steek je hem terug in het toestel.

Steek Huawei’s NM-geheugenkaart bovenop de nanoSIM in het toestel

Het introduceren van een nieuwe geheugenkaartstandaard levert problemen op, dat heeft Sony wel bewezen. Die hield lange tijd vol aan haar eigen Memory Stick Micro (M2) kaartjes om in 2009 alsnog over te stappen op microSD. Daarvoor kwamen SD, miniSD, Reduced Size MMC en zelfs CompactFlash-kaarten nog voor bij telefoons. We hebben er een hele lade vol mee liggen. Wij zitten dus niet echt te wachten op weer een nieuw formaat. Een nieuwe standaard is mogelijk duurder omdat er simpelweg minder fabrikanten van zijn. De consument lijkt er dus niet op vooruit te gaan. Hoeveel de NM-kaarten moeten kosten zal blijken; we zijn ze nog niet tegengekomen. Er daar ligt meteen een ander probleem; kom er maar eens aan. Huawei had er misschien beter aan gedaan de geheugenkaartslot helemaal weg te laten; geheugen kost vandaag de dag niet veel meer en we slaan steeds meer op in de cloud.

Ember Temperature Control Mug Adds Support for Apple Health, Exclusive Colors Now Sold in Apple Stores

Ember today announced that its temperature control mugs will now sync with Apple’s Health iOS app, allowing users to track their caffeine consumption throughout the day alongside other Health app statistics. The updated Ember app introduces this Health integration, with features like setting a maximum caffeine intake measurement for the day that will warn users when they near the limit.

The company explains that users will also be able to use the Health app’s information to understand how their caffeine consumption affects other data tracked in Health, like heart rate and sleep patterns. Version 3.0 of the Ember iOS app [Direct Link] is available to download now on the iOS App Store.

“As a design-led brand, we are committed to delivering world class innovation that is as human and intuitive as possible. The updated Ember app with the Apple Health feature will give consumers a simple, easy way to track their caffeine consumption during the day, in order to make more informed decisions about what they are drinking. It’s one more step Ember is taking to provide the best experience for coffee and tea lovers.”

Ember’s mugs allow the user to set a precise drinking temperature to ensure that their coffee or tea remains at the perfect level of heat. Both the Travel Mug and Ceramic Mug support caffeine tracking, favorite drink presets, and integration with the Health app. The Ceramic Mug maintains the ideal drinking temperature for one hour (or all day if set on the charging coaster), while the Travel Mug maintains temperature for two hours (and similarly for all day on a charging coaster).

The Ember iOS app syncs to the mugs, allowing users to set their desired temperature, receive notifications when the temperature is reached, create and customize temperature presets, set timers when making tea, and more. Up to three mugs can be paired with the app at once.

Additionally, Ember announced that its mugs will be available in select Apple stores starting today, in countries including the United States, Canada, Europe, Hong Kong, Macao, and Singapore. Apple will also gain the new Ember Travel Mug ($149.95) in white as an exclusive on Apple.com and in Apple Stores in the U.S. and Canada. The Ember Ceramic Mug ($79.95) in black will be sold as an exclusive in select Apple stores across Europe, the U.S., Canada, Hong Kong, Macao, and Singapore and on Apple.com.

Tag: Ember
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iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max to Launch in Additional Countries Starting October 26

Apple today announced that the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR will be available to customers in additional countries and territories between Friday, October 26 and Friday, November 2.

Availability information:

• iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max pre-orders begin Friday, October 19 at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time, with availability beginning Friday, October 26 at 8:00 a.m. local time, in Chile, Colombia, Malaysia, and Thailand.
• iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max will be available in South Korea and more than 10 additional countries on Friday, November 2.
• iPhone XR will be available in Israel beginning Thursday, November 1.
• iPhone XR will be available in Armenia, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Macau, Maldives, Myanmar, Ukraine, and Vietnam beginning Friday, November 2.

As a reminder, iPhone XR pre-orders begin Friday, October 19 at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time in the United States and more than 50 countries, with deliveries to customers and in-store availability beginning Friday, October 26.

The new iPhones can be ordered through Apple.com, or purchased at an Apple Store or authorized resellers where available.

Related Roundups: iPhone XS, iPhone XRBuyer’s Guide: iPhone XS (Buy Now), iPhone XR (Caution)
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Skydio’s R1 Drone Expands to Apple Stores, Can Now Be Controlled via Apple Watch

Earlier this year, drone company Skydio introduced its first product, the self-flying R1 drone camera with advanced automation and tracking capabilities.

The R1 was designed to be the first fully autonomous drone, able to work without the need for a person controlling its every movement. Prior to today, using the R1 was as easy as tapping a few buttons in the Skydio iPhone app, and now it’s getting even easier.

As of today, the R1 can be directed through a newly introduced Apple Watch app that provides one-tap controls and directives right on your wrist.

The Skydio Apple Watch interface provides quick access buttons to set the R1 to follow you or a friend as well as options for doing tricks and stopping flight. While there are no manual controls available via the wrist, the R1 operates largely on its own. If you do want to control it manually, you’ll need to do so through the iPhone app.

MacRumors was able to give the R1 and the new Apple Watch app a try ahead of its launch, and it’s as simple as Skydio describes. The R1 detects people in front of it, and with just a tap, it can be set to follow you, where it records everything you’re doing as a sort of flying personal camera or photographer.

The R1 is a hands-off action cam replacement that’s fantastic for hiking, biking, skiing, and similar activities where you might want to capture action-oriented video without the hassle of controlling a drone.

What’s great about the R1 is that it has complex built-in obstacle avoidance capabilities. We wove it through trees and watched as it artfully dodged trunk after trunk with skill that even some advanced drone pilots would be unable to match.

The R1 is able to avoid obstacles because it’s outfitted with 13 cameras that can see in every direction and identify objects like trees, people, cars, and more, using that information to decide what to do and what to avoid.

Once you set the R1 to auto follow mode, it basically flies itself, and there are some neat tricks that Skydio has programmed into it, such as the Boomerang that sends it flying forwards and backwards to capture a unique video shot.

The Apple Watch app offers up little thumbnails of the people around so you can set it to follow someone (or yourself), and it uses the Digital Crown in a unique way — a twist of the knob rotates the direction of the drone.

Because it flies on its own, the R1 can do a series of neat little tricks, most of which are executable from the wrist. There are options for Dronie, Rocket, and Orbit, for example.

A Dronie starts close and then zooms out and up for a birds-eye view of a scene, while a Rocket shot starts close and then zooms straight up. An Orbit shot, as the name suggests, spins around you slowly. The Apple Watch app also includes a feature to return the drone to back to its starting place at the iPhone and shut it down, so you can get a full flight from the wrist.

Skydio’s R1 basically flies itself and it needs so little interaction that it’s simple to use right out of the box, even for those who have no drone piloting experience. All it takes is an iPhone for setup and it can be controlled with nothing other than the Apple Watch.

The R1 is excellent at obstacle avoidance, but it’s still a drone and an expensive one at $1,999, so there are rules to follow. It can’t be flown in windy conditions, and its cameras aren’t able to detect thin branches as we learned during a crash, so caution needs to be exercised.

Skydio is continually improving the R1 drone with new features and further autonomous research. It’s out of the price range of most people who would use it casually at this point in time, and it’s not the most portable at the size of a pizza box, but the technology is worth paying attention to because this kind of autonomy could be the future of mass-market drone usage in a few years time.

Along with introducing a new Apple Watch app for controlling the R1, Skydio has additional news. Starting today, the R1 is available on the Apple online store and at select Apple retail locations. It can also be purchased from the Skydio website.
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Apple’s Latest Mac Mini Turns Four Years Old Ahead of ‘Pro-Focused’ Refresh Expected Later This Month

The latest Mac mini, introduced on October 16, 2014, is four years old as of this week. For emphasis, it has been 1,462 days since the portable desktop computer was last updated, according to the MacRumors Buyer’s Guide.

The current lineup, still sold on Apple.com, features five-generation-old Intel dual-core Haswell processors with clock speeds up to 3.0GHz. Other tech specs include up to 16GB of LPDDR3 RAM, up to 1TB of flash storage, and the choice of Intel HD Graphics 5000 or Intel Iris integrated graphics. Prices start at $499.

The good news is that the long wait for an update may be coming to an end, as two reliable sources in Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Apple scoopster Mark Gurman both expect a new Mac mini to be released later this year.

Kuo didn’t have a lot of information to share on the Mac mini, but he said a processor upgrade is expected. Gurman revealed more ambitious plans, claiming that the Mac mini is set to receive a “professional-focused upgrade,” with new storage and processor options likely to make it “more expensive” than previous models.

It’s unclear if the Mac mini will be redesigned, but the new processor options will hopefully include quad-core options at the very least.

Apple is expected to unveil the new Mac mini at a media event later this month, alongside new iPad Pro models with Face ID, updated iMac models, and an all-new MacBook or MacBook Air at the low end of its notebook lineup.

The big question: when will Apple hold its rumored October event? With invites yet to be issued to the media, and with Apple CEO Tim Cook in Belgium next Wednesday, the most likely date for an October event at this point is Tuesday, October 30, two days before its fourth quarter earnings results.

There’s a very slim chance that invites go out today or tomorrow for an event next Wednesday or Thursday, with or without Cook appearing on stage, but Apple likely wants the spotlight to be on the iPhone XR until it launches Friday, October 26.

Related Roundup: Mac miniBuyer’s Guide: Mac Mini (Don’t Buy)
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Huawei Mate 20 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy Note 9: Flagship fight

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Following the flurry of awesome flagships like the Pixel 3 XL, Samsung Galaxy Note 9, and iPhone XS Max making their way to store shelves, Huawei is releasing its latest contender. Though the Huawei Mate 20 Pro is a little late to the game, it packs some incredible specs.

So how does the Huawei Mate 20 Pro compare to Samsung’s latest darling, the Galaxy Note 9? We put the two smartphones to the test to find out.

Specs

Huawei Mate 20 Pro 
Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Size
157.8 x 72.3 x 8.6 mm (6.22 x 2.85 x 0.34 inches)
161.9 x 76.4 x 8.8 mm (6.37 x 3.01 x 0.35 inches)

Weight
189 grams (6.66 oz)
201 grams (7.09 ounces)

Screen size
6.4-inch AMOLED display
6.4-inch Super AMOLED display

Screen resolution
3,120 x 1,440 (538 pixels-per-inch)
2,960 x 1,440 pixels (516 pixels-per-inch)

Operating system
Android 9.0 Pie
Android 8.1 Oreo

Storage space
128GB
128GB, 512GB

MicroSD card slot
No – features proprietary Nano Memory Card
Yes

Tap to pay services
Google Pay
Google Pay

Processor
Kirin 980
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845

RAM
6GB
6GB, 8GB

Camera
Triple sensor 40MP and 20MP and 8MP rear, 24MP front
Dual sensor 12MP rear, 8MP front

Video
2,160p at 30 frames per second, 1,080p at 60 fps, 720p at 960 fps
2,160p at 60 frames per second, 1,080p at 240 fps, 720p at 960 fps

Bluetooth version
Bluetooth 5.0
Bluetooth 5.0

Ports
USB-C,
USB-C, Headphone Jack

Fingerprint sensor
Yes (In-display)
Yes (back)

Water resistance
IP68
IP68

Battery
4,200mAh
4,000mAh

App marketplace
Google Play Store
Google Play Store

Network support
TBD
T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint

Colors
Emerald Green, Midnight Blue, Twilight, Pink Gold, Black
Ocean Blue, Lavender Purple, Midnight Black, Metallic Copper

Price
1,049 Euros (around $1,220)
$1,000

Buy from
Huawei
AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, Amazon, Samsung

Review score
Hands-on
4 out of 5 stars

Performance, battery life, and charging

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Looking for power? You’re in luck because the Huawei Mate 20 Pro and Samsung Galaxy Note 9 have plenty to spare.

Inside the Huawei Mate 20 Pro you’ll find the Kirin 980 processor along with 6GB of RAM. Storage comes in at 128GB with an option to add an additional 256GB via a proprietary Nano Memory Card. Overall, Huawei claims you’ll see a 20 percent speed improvement with the Kirin 980 chip compared to its predecessor along with a 40 percent increase in power efficiency.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 has a Snapdragon 845 processor with 6GB of RAM for the 128GB storage configuration and 8GB of RAM for the 512GB option; if neither option provides enough storage, you can always add 512GB of storage via the Micro SD card slot. Either way, Samsung’s found a winning combination as it’s one of the highest scoring phones ever in our benchmark testing.

In terms of battery capacity, the Mate 20 Pro has a slight edge at 4,200mAh compared to the Note 9’s 4,00mAh battery. We’ve not had a chance to put the Mate 20 Pro to the test just yet, but Huawei typically fares better in overall battery life compared to Samsung.

What really seals the deal for this category however is charging. On the Galaxy Note 9 you’ll find the fairly standard Quick Charge 2.0 along with Qi wireless charging at 7.5W. Comparatively, the Mate 20 Pro features super fast charging via its 40W adapter along with Qi wireless charging and reverse wireless charging, meaning it can charge up another phone wirelessly.

We’re tentatively giving this round to the Huawei’s Mate 20 Pro. In addition to what’s reported to be a beefier processor and more efficient battery, it also has more innovative charging options. We’ll put the Mate 20 Pro through the wringer in our review and update this section if necessary.

Winner: Huawei Mate 20 Pro 

Design and durability

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

It goes without saying that you expect great specs on a flagship smartphone, but aesthetics and durability certainly can’t be ignored. Both Samsung and Huawei make gorgeous phones, so let’s see how these two compare.

On the front of the Huawei Mate 20 Pro you’ll find a curved 6.4 inch screen with the ever popular notch at the top of the phone and slight bezel at the bottom. Flip the phone over and the first thing you’ll notice is the camera module; it’s square and a little awkward, especially when compared to the Huawei P20 Pro. And on the Midnight Blue and Emerald Green versions of the Mate 20 Pro the glass has been etched into what Huawei calls a Hyper Optical pattern to minimize fingerprints on the phone and add extra grip. If that’s not your forte, the other three color options have the traditional glass back.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is a traditional glass sandwich. On the front there’s a curved 6.4-inch screen with minimal bezels. The back is pretty nondescript with a dual camera setup and fingerprint sensor.

In terms of durability, there’s not much difference between the phones. Both are constructed of hardened glass and feature an IP68 rating to protect against water and dust. For either phone, you’ll definitely want to invest in a case.

In the end, both phones have their own unique design aesthetic that makes them each appeal to different people. And durability is a wash, so we’re calling this round a tie.

Winner: Tie 

Display

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

When it comes to exquisite displays, you can’t go wrong with either the Huawei Mate 20 Pro or the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. In fact there are more similarities than differences between the two phones for this category.

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro has a notched, 6.39-inch OLED display with a resolution of 3,120 x 1,440 pixels. The aspect ratio for the phone is 19.5:9. The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 has a 6.4-inch OLED display with a resolution of 2,960 x 1,440 pixels. The aspect ratio is similar at 18:5, but the Mate 20 Pro’s screen is slightly wider because of the notch.

This round is a tie. You can’t go wrong with either display and we believe most people will not notice any real difference between the two.

Winner: Tie

Camera

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Huawei and Samsung have some of the best smartphone cameras on the market. But who wins when you pit the Mate 20 Pro against the Galaxy Note 9?

On the Huawei Mate 20 Pro, you’ll find a triple camera module with 40, 20, and 8-megapixel lenses. Huawei used a 27mm wide angle lens for the primary camera with an f/1.8 aperture. The secondary 16mm Ultra Wide Angle lens has an f/2.2 aperture, while the tertiary camera has an 80mm telephoto lens with an aperture of f/2.4 and Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). The front-facing camera comes in at 24 megapixels with an f/2.0 lens.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9, on the other hand, has a 12 megapixel dual camera array. What’s most exciting about the Note 9, though, is the f/1.5-2.4 variable aperture that allows you to get great shots in any light. The front camera on the Note 9 is no slouch either, coming in at 8 megapixels with a wide f/1.7 aperture.

Right now, we’re giving Huawei the win for this category. Huawei’s flagships have historically had excellent cameras and we believe the Mate 20 Pro will continue in that tradition. That said, we still need to do more camera tests on the Huawei Mate 20 Pro and will update this category if needed.

Winner: Huawei Mate 20 Pro 

Software and updates

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Both the Huawei Mate 20 Pro and Samsung Galaxy Note 9 are Android phones, but neither ship with a stock version of the OS. Instead Samsung and Huawei ship with custom skins that are meant to enhance user experience.

On the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, you’ll find Android 8.1 Oreo with the heavily customized Samsung Experience laying over it. While some of the customization is nice, there are a lot of pre-installed apps that take up a lot of space.

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro ships with Android 9.0 Pie under the EMUI 9 skin. Although Huawei’s EMUI skin is not perfect, it’s more refined than previous iterations.

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro takes this round. For the most part we’re giving it the win because it ships with Android 9.0 Pie while the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 ships with Android 8.1 Oreo. Huawei has also committed to bi-monthly software updates for its Mate and P series in the past, and we expect it to continue the tradition with the Mate 20 Pro; Samsung has not made such a commitment.

Winner: Huawei Mate 20 Pro 

Special features

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

One thing that sets the Huawei Mate 20 Pro and Samsung Galaxy Note 9 apart from their competition is the abundance of special features. Both phones offer some unique features that are hard to come by on other phones and make them incredibly interesting.

A few features set the Huawei Mate 20 Pro apart from the pack. First off, the Mate 20 Pro is Huawei’s first phone to ship with a 40W charging adapter. With the adapter you can charge the phone from zero to 70 percent in just 30 minutes. The phone also supports wireless charging, and can actually be used to reverse charge other Qi compatible devices you may have — a first for smartphones.

In addition to face unlock on the Huawei Mate 20 Pro, there’s also an in-display fingerprint sensor. While most users will probably opt for the secure facial authentication feature, its nice to have multiple options.

On the other hand, the defining feature of the Samsung Galaxy Note line is the S Pen, and for 2018 it got a lot better. In addition to drawing and taking notes, the S Pen is now a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) device that works as a remote for your camera and even PowerPoint presentations when the Galaxy Note 9 is in DeX mode. Speaking of DeX mode, Samsung has incorporated this wonderful feature into the Note 9 and it only requires a cable now. With DeX you can quickly attach your phone to an external monitor (with a USB-C to HDMI adapter) to create a desktop computing environment.

There’s also Samsung’s digital assistant, Bixby, built into the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. For the most part it’s a more limited version of Google Assistant, however it does play well with other Samsung smart devices. Samsung also has Intelligent Scan, which lets you unlock the phone and apps with your iris and face.

Both phones have awesome features that are hard to find on other phones, but the Note 9 has the edge here.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Price

Both the Huawei Mate 20 Pro and Samsung Galaxy Note 9 are flagships phones, and carry the hefty price tag that comes along with the latest technology. While U.S. pricing has yet to be announced, the Huawei Mate 20 Pro will sell in Europe for 1049 euros (around $1,220). The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 starts at $999.

Overall winner: Huawei Mate 20 Pro

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

When all is said and done, you can’t go wrong with either of these phones. But since this is a specs comparison, we have to give the crown to the Huawei Mate 20 Pro.

In addition to having a beefier processor and battery, the Mate 20 Pro also offers impressive advancements like 40W charging and reverse wireless charging. And we’d definitely be remiss if we didn’t take the camera module into consideration. The Huawei P20 Pro produced some of the best photos we’ve ever seen from a smartphone.

Editors’ Recommendations

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Best alternative USB-C headphones for Google Pixel 3

Google bundles a pair of USB-C earbuds in the box with every Pixel 3 and 3 XL purchase, and the sound quality on offer is pretty decent, all things considered. However, if you’re looking for something with a bit more oomph, there are a few options around.

Perfect for Pixels

Libratone Q Adapt

Libratone’s Q Adapt are the best option right now if you’re looking for USB-C earbuds. The earbuds are designed for the Pixel, they’re rated IPX4 for water-resistance (so they’re good for workouts), and come with a dedicated button for Google Assistant. You also get a variety of eartips and the ability to select the level of noise isolation.

$149 at Amazon

A great alternative

Essential HD earphones

The Essential HD earphones combine great sound quality with a tangle-free design that makes them easy to carry. The single-button in-line remote can be used to receive phone calls or invoke Google Assistant, and they’re certified for hi-res audio.

$64 at Amazon

Tune out the world

Xiaomi Mi ANC Earphones

Xiaomi’s USB-C earbuds continue to be a great option in this space. Like the Essential HD, Xiaomi’s earbuds are also certified for hi-res audio, and they also feature a titanium-plated metal chamber. The cable is more durable, however, and you get better noise isolation.

$68 at Amazon

There isn’t a lot of variety if you’re in the market for USB-C earbuds, with audio manufacturers instead focusing on the wireless space. However, if you’re not willing to make the switch to Bluetooth audio just yet, then the Libratone Q Adapt is a great choice for your Pixel 3 or 3 XL. They’re the only earbuds currently available under the Made for Google program, and the sound quality combined with IPX4 sweat resistance along with customizable noise isolation makes them worth the $149 asking price.