Samsung Galaxy S9 vs. Honor 10 vs. OnePlus 6 - Flagship AI Smartphones Comparison

Since we are on to continuous innovations, the Artificial Intelligence or most commonly called as "AI" Each has varying strengths and they mirror the future of smartphones.

Let the AI-powered smartphones battle begin!

The Samsung S9 highlights the Korean smartphone brand's latest 64-bit Exynos 9810 octa-core processor. While the Honor 10 boasts of its AI camera technology, unique design, long battery life, and affordability despite being a flagship smartphone. OnePlus 6 launched a flagship smartphone for competitors to beat with.

All of these smartphones is AI-powered. But which of them fits for you? Read on our side-by-side comparison of the three below!

Samsung Galaxy S9 vs. Honor 10 vs. OnePlus 6 Specs

Device	Samsung Galaxy S9	Honor 10	OnePlus 6
Display	5.8-inch WQHD Super AMOLED 2960 x 1440 resolution w/ Curved Infinity Display and Gorilla Glass 5 protection at 568 ppi	5.84-inch FHD+ IPS 2244 x 1080 resolution w/ 3D curved glass and Gorilla Glass protection at 426 ppi	6.28-inch FHD Optic AMOLED 2280 x 1080 resolution w/ 2.5D curved screen and Gorilla Glass 5 protection at 402 ppi
CPU	2.9GHz 64-bit Exynos 9810 octa-core processor	2.36GHz 64-bit Kirin 970 octa-core processor w/ NPU and i7 co-processor	2.8GHz 64-bit Snapdragon 845 octa-core processor
GPU	Mali-G72 MP18	Mali-G72 MP12	Adreno 630
RAM	4GB	4GB	6GB/8GB LPDDR4X
ROM	64GB expandable via microSD card up to 256GB	128GB	64GB/128GB/256GB UFS 2.1
Back Camera	12MP (f/1.5 / f/2.4) w/ Dual Pixel, OIS, multi-frame, and dual tone LED flash 12 MP f/1.7 RGB + 12 MP f/2.4 telephoto lens w/ Dual Pixel, Dual OIS, multi-frame, and dual tone LED flash	16MP f/1.8 RGB + 24MP f/1.8 monochrome sensor w/ PDAF, CAF, depth, and dual tone LED flash	16MP f/1.7 IMX519 sensor + 20MP f/1.7 Sony IMX376 sensor w/ PDAF, 2x zoom, OIS, EIS, and LED flash
Selfie Camera	8MP f/1.7 w/ AF, wide angle lens, and screen flash	24MP f/2.0 w/ A.I. face beauty	16MP f/1.7 IMX371
Battery	3,000mAh w/ fast charging and wireless charging	3,400mAh w/ 5A Super Charge	3,300mAh w/ Dash Charge 4A
OS	Android 8.0 Oreo w/ Samsung Experience 9.0	Android 8.1 Oreo w/ EMUI 8.1	Android 8.1 Oreo w/ Oxygen OS 5.1
Connectivity	WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), 3G, HSPA+, LTE Cat 18, Bluetooth 5.0, OTG, NFC, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, dual SIM (hybrid)	WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), 4G LTE Cat 18, Bluetooth 4.2 LE, OTG, NFC, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, dual SIM (nano + nano)	WiFi, 4G LTE Cat 16, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, GPS, A-GPS, dual SIM
Sensors	Pressure, accelerometer, barometer, gyro, geomagnetic, hall, HR, proximity, light	Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic, pressure	Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic
Others	Fingerprint sensor, IP68 rating, fast wireless charging, USB Type-C, UHQ 32-bit / DSD support, dual AKG stereo speakers, Colors: midnight black, lilac purple	Fingerprint sensor, face unlock, IR Blaster, AK4376A HiFi DAC, USB Type-C, Colors: phantom blue, black	Fingerprint sensor, face unlock, daily water resistance, USB Type-C, Colors: midnight black, mirror black, silky white
Dimensions	154.81 x 75.03 x 7.89 mm	149.6 x 71.2 x 7.7 mm	155.7 x 75.35 x 7.75 mm
Weight	150 g	153 g	179 g
Price	PHP 45,990	PHP 23,990	PHP 30,990 (6GB RAM/64GB ROM), PHP 33,990 (8GB RAM/128GB ROM), PHP 37,490 (8GB RAM/256GB)

Camera

Dual or single camera?

For the rear cameras, Samsung S9 features a 12MP (f/1.5 / f/2.4) with Dual Pixel, OIS, multi-frame, and dual tone LED flash.

Honor 10 sports a 16MP f/1.8 RGB + 24MP f/1.8 monochrome sensor with PDAF, CAF, depth, and dual tone LED flash.

While the OnePlus 6 carries a 16MP f/1.7 IMX519 sensor + 20MP f/1.7 Sony IMX376 sensor with PDAF, 2x zoom, OIS, EIS, and LED flash.

Dual cameras!

Samsung S9 has a variable aperture camera. It can move from f/1.5 to f/2.4 depending on the lighting condition. This means pictures taken should look sharper, have less image noise, and handle extreme lighting situations better.

Honor 10 has the most number of camera modes among the three! It has the unique artist mode, 3D creator, document scan, 3D panorama, and many more! You would be surprised at how interesting and fun the camera modes this smartphone has. It even has one of the most robust pro mode found on a smartphone.

Its AI camera has “semantic image segmentation” smarts that allow its AI camera to separate multiple objects in a single image to improve each element of the scene. It can also detect more than 500 scenarios in 22 categories and scene-specific parameter.

OnePlus 6 has a lot more manual modes but lesser than the Honor 10 has. The pro mode allows for manually selecting the following: ISO 100 to 3200, white balance in Kelvin, shutter speed 1/8000th of a second to 30 seconds, focus and exposure compensation. It has AI-powered cameras too.

But let's find out how they did in these samples!

Rear Camera Samples

Scene 1 - Daylight

Samsung Galaxy S9 daylight

Samsung Galaxy S9 was able to capture the scene with the most accurate color. It also has a nice exposure and sharpness. It is safe to say that S9 aced the daylight scene.

Honor 10 daylight

Honor 10 was able to capture the daylight scene well. Its AI-powered camera adjusted the brightness of direct sunlight that made the photo more natural.

But, OnePlus 6 has fine sharpness and exposure. Its AI-powered rear camera focused more on the color of the leaves of the trees and the buildings.

All of the three smartphones did well in this scene. 

Scene 2 - Daylight HDR

Samsung Galaxy S9 HDR

Samsung Galaxy S9's shot doesn't seem an HDR photo at first, but it has the best color accuracy among the three.

Honor 10 HDR

Honor 10's HDR is comparable with the shot of OnePlus 6. They both sharpened the image, with nice exposure.

OnePlus 6 HDR

OnePlus 6 shot on this scene can easily be told by someone that it is set on HDR. It has nice exposure and sharpness.

Scene 3 - Close-up

Samsung Galaxy S9 close-up

Samsung Galaxy S9 aced this scene in terms of color accuracy. And it was able to deliver a soft blur to focus the flower.

Honor 10 close-up

Honor 10's close-up shot is again, comparable with the OnePlus 6. The photo looks gloomy but its AI-powered camera optimized the shot more making the color of the flower here close to its true color which can be found on the S9's shot.

OnePlus 6 close-up

OnePlus 6 was able to blur the leaves leaving the flower focused. However, it made the color gloomy, making the photo look dull. Maybe its AI-powered camera detected the dark color of the leaves more, hence making the colors darker than they are.

Scene 4 - Indoor Food

Samsung Galaxy S9 indoor food

We are trying to put focus on the minced onion chives of the Ramen here. With a combination of indoor artificial and sunlight, Galaxy S9 got the nice colors, but it awkwardly blurs the egg.

OnePlus 6 indoor food

For some, OnePlus 6's shot on this scene is better. But it has a blur on the onion chives and lacks a bit of exposure.

Honor 10 indoor food

Honor 10 has the best shot in this scene! It didn't blur the egg and the rest of the Ramen. Thanks to its AI-powered camera, this shot has nice exposure and color accuracy.

Scene 5 - Lowlight

Samsung Galaxy S9 lowlight

Galaxy S9's take on this scene looks pinkish. The color of the bulbs, which is orange, was failed to be achieved.

Honor 10 lowlight

Honor 10 has a lot better shot on this scene compared to S9. It has nice colors, exposure, and sharpness. The AI-camera of the Honor 10 makes this photo the best for the lowlight scene.

OnePlus 6 lowlight

OnePlus 6 was able to deliver a nice lowlight shot, thanks to its AI camera. However, it lacked a bit of color accuracy when compared with the Honor 10. But still, it has nice exposure and sharpness.

The rear camera of the three smartphones was able to deliver nice shots! They also have different expertise in each of the scenes. The AI-camera of the Honor 10 and OnePlus are doing a great job during the take of these photos.

Selfie camera battle!

For the selfie camera, the Samsung S9 sports an 8MP f/1.7 with AF, wide angle lens, and screen flash.

The Honor 10 features a 24MP f/2.0 with A.I. face beauty.  Honor 10 also has the AI Bokeh effect, 3D portrait lighting that includes Soft Light, Butterfly Light, Theater Light, and Classic Light.

While the OnePlus 6 carries a 16MP f/1.7 IMX371 sensor. It has the usual portrait mode, panorama, etc.

All of the three has face beauty, portrait modes, and are AI-assisted.

But who do you think will win? Let's check out!

Selfie Camera Samples

Scene 1 - Daylight Selfie

Samsung Galaxy S9 daylight selfie

Samsung Galaxy S9 has a soft take on a daylight selfie. It looks beautified although it's not. But overall, it has nice exposure and colors.

Honor 10 daylight selfie

Honor 10's daylight selfie looks overexposed due to too much lighting. Its AI-powered selfie optimized and focused more on putting much lighting and and brightening the face of the subject.

OnePlus 6 daylight selfie

OnePlus 6's daylight selfie has the truest color with very nice exposure. Its AI-powered camera focused on capturing the natural colors of the subject without optimizing the lighting.

Scene 2 - Indoor selfie

Samsung Galaxy S9 indoor selfie

Samsung Galaxy S9's indoor selfie looks beautified. But it has nice colors and exposure. And personally, I prefer S9's indoor selfie among the three.

Honor 10 indoor selfie

Honor 10's take on indoor selfie looks more beautified than S9's. The AI camera gave a soft take on the selfie leaving the subject with unblemished face and dynamic colors.

OnePlus 6 indoor selfie

OnePlus 6's the most beautified among the three although beautification is turned off. Its AI camera put so much emphasis on beautifying the subject.

Scene 3 - Portrait/Bokeh selfie

Samsung Galaxy S9 portrait selfie

The portrait selfie of the Samsung S9 misses out on focusing the subject. It blurred some parts of my face although it's bokeh is still acceptable.

Honor 10 portrait selfie

It is evident that Honor 10's portrait selfie has a deep blur. Overall, Honor 10's AI camera delivered a nice bokeh selfie with nice exposure.

OnePlus 6 portrait selfie

OnePlus 6 has the truest color in this scene among the three. Its AI camera optimized a deep background blur, nice sharpness, and exposure.

Scene 4 - Lowlight selfie

Samsung Galaxy S9 lowlight selfie

Samsung Galaxy S9's lowlight selfie is grainy. Although it was still able to capture a nice selfie with ample lighting. The subject looks a but pinkish as well.

Honor 10 lowlight selfie

Honor 10's lowlight shot is also grainy. Its AI camera optimized on having a nice color accuracy and an excellent lighting even though it is clear that the subject has a dark background.

OnePlus 6 lowlight selfie

The grains on the photo is not that evident, it is the clearest lowlight selfie among the three with nice color accuracy and exposure. But its AI camera missed on giving a nice lighting.

All of the smartphones are nice selfie shooters and were able to capture clear photos. They all have unique takes on each and every selfie scenes.

For videos, Samsung S9, Honor 10, and OnePlus 6 can capture up to 2160p at 60 fps.

But Samsung S9 has the best stabilization among the three. You'd be surprised how this smartphone can do on videos.

OnePlus 6 has also improved its stabilization since its predecessor the 5T.

Honor smartphones have poor stabilization in videos. But it's nice to note that Honor 10 has improved on this.

Main Camera - Samsung S9 = Honor 10 = OnePlus 6

Selfie Camera - OnePlus 6 > Honor 10 > Samsung S9

Videos - Samsung S9 > OnePlus 6 > Honor 10

Build Quality/Design

View at the back of the phones

The Samsung Galaxy S9 looks very much like the S8. It is still sandwiched between stunning glass and metal design and IP68 water and dust resistance rating. It has a Gorilla Glass 5 protection on top.

Slim profiles!

For the Honor 10, the Chinese smartphone brand made their very own eye-catching Phantom Aurora Glass Design with different gradient color shades. They claimed that it has 15 layers of 3D glass. If the Phantom Aurora Glass back is too flashy for you, the Honor 10 has a Midnight Black and Phantom Grey colors available too.

Metal and glass!

But, it is really prone to fingerprint smudges that you wouldn't want to take off your protective case. It has a Gorilla Glass protection above. 

OnePlus 6 addressed the generic hardware design used the brand's past flagships by having a three rear body different designs. For the Mirror Black variant we have, the OnePlus 6 has a ceramic-like reflective back. It is safe to say that it almost replicates the design of the Samsung Galaxy S9.

Samsung S9 is an instant stunner since it has an "edge" infinity display. It's the only smartphone among the three that has such unique display. S9 has a nice grip but has a tendency of slipping so might as well always have a protective case.

Honor 10's unique Aurora Glass Design is an eye-catcher. The light reflects at the back of the smartphone. 

OnePlus 6's big size makes it have the best grip among the three.

In a personal perspective, Samsung Galaxy S9 has most attractive, and has the nicest ergonomics among them. But the OnePlus 6 has the most comfortable grip without a case. 

It is nice to note that the three flagship smartphones have not ditched the headphone jack. It is a good news for high-end gamers as they don't have to choose between charging and playing with headphones on!

The three smartphones have fingerprint scanners and slim profiles.

Build Quality/Design - Samsung S9 > Honor 10 > OnePlus 6

Display Quality

With or without notch?

The Samsung Galaxy S9 boasts of its 5.8-inch WQHD Super AMOLED with Curved Infinity Display and Gorilla Glass 5 protection. You would definitely have an immersive experience with its infinity Super AMOLED display. And it's nice to note that it's really something 'owned' by the Samsung S9 over the other two.

With or without notch?

Meanwhile, the Honor 10 sports a 5.84-inch FHD+ IPS with 3D curved glass and Gorilla glass protection. It has a bigger screen with S9 by inch. The FHD+ is okay, it does give a nice viewing experience but not as immersive with the S9's.

OnePlus 6 features a 6.28-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with 1080p crispiness. Its over 6-inches screen is HUGE. The FHD+ AMOLED screen is a nice combination with its big screen.

Given that the Samsung S9 has a WQHD Super AMOLED display, it has the best colors, sharpness and has the best viewing angles since it has the so-called "curved infinity display".

Although the Honor 10 has an FHD+ screen only, it is the smartphone among the three that can go the brightest even under direct sunlight.

Only the Samsung Galaxy S9 has no notch. But the Honor 10 and OnePlus6 has the option to hide their notches if you want to.

All three has 10 points of multitouch.

Display - Samsung S9 > OnePlus 6 > Honor 10

Audio Quality

All of the smartphones have single loudspeaker at the bottom. 

Samsung S9 is equipped with a higher-end HiFi chip for headphone audio. Therefore, it is the loudest and clearest among the three. 

Honor 10 can keep up with Samsung's loudspeaker. 

On the other hand, OnePlus 6 does not carry the stereo speaker most flagships have. But it still produces a loud maximum volume.

You can also enjoy playing music over headphones with good details and quality. The S9+ has support UHD audio quality.

The microphone quality for calls is equally clear. 

Audio - Samsung S9 > Honor 10 > OnePlus 6 

Battery Life

Samsung Galaxy S9 battery benchmark

Samsung Galaxy S9 has 3,000mAh battery inside. Although it has the least capacity on paper, it scored a total of 8 hours and 6 minutes. S9 lasts a whole day of usage on a single charge.

Charging time is less than 2 hours using Samsung's adaptive fast charger. It is also compatible with a wireless charger.

Honor 10 battery benchmark

Honor 10 is packed with the 3,400mAh battery and has the biggest capacity among the three. It scored a total of 12 hours and 29 minutes on our battery test.

It can last a whole day of using over WiFi, LTE, a bit of gaming, and the usual calls and texts. Overtime, Honor 10 being an AI powered smartphone will study your usage of the smartphone and will optimize it accordingly to conserve your battery. 

Charging time using Huawei Super Charge technology is under 1.15 hours.

OnePlus 6 battery benchmark

Although it is packed with 3,300mAh battery, the OnePlus 6 only got 5 hours and 55 minutes on our battery test. But on actual usage, it can still last you a whole day. In our full review, we went out at 8AM with 100 percent charged OnePlus 6 and got home with 10 to 15 percent of battery by 8PM. 

Charging time is only one hour, without heating up, using their Dash charger!

Battery - Honor 10 > OnePlus 6 > Samsung S9

Performance 

Samsung Galaxy S9 benchmark scores

Samsung Galaxy S9 is equipped with the new 64-bit Exynos 9810 octa-core processor with A.I. capabilities built under the 10 nm FinFET process.

S9 is simply one of the most powerful in the world today!

It also features one of the highest GPU around, the Mali-G72 MP18. The smartphone is coupled with 4GB RAM 64GB of expandable storage.

Add caption

Honor 10 is packed with 2.36GHz 64-bit Kirin 970 octa-core processor with NPU and i7 co-processor. It features the Mali-G72 MP12 GPU. It runs on the Android 8.1 Oreo with EMUI 8.1 skin.

Honor 10 was able to launch and run apps simultaneously without lagging!

It is also nice to highlight that this smartphone still has the IR Blaster remote control placed on the top. Honor also added the "industry-first" front-placing ultrasonic fingerprint sensor which is located under the glass and makes another security option besides face unlock.

OnePlus 6 benchmark scores

OnePlus 6 is one of the few smartphones under USD 600 with Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, and RAM that starts at 6GB up to 8GB RAM and storage that starts at 64GB up to 256GB. 

OnePlus 6 is a beast when it comes to performance!

Samsung S9's added AI Bixby is directly competing Apple's iPhone. Its Bixby is not only now smarter, more refined, and reactionary, but it is also gaining new and improved features including real-time translations and a richer use of AR with Bixby Vision.

Honor 10 has also added its very own AI Kirin 970 processor with its own NPU to handle AI tasks. Its machine learning studies the way you use your smartphone to optimize your experience. For example, if you have a running background app, the AI will shut it down. Honor also promised that the smartphone would not have any slow performance for 18 months, but instead, will be delivering a smooth and speedier browsing because of the AI. It also improves the performance of the phone's battery over time. 

For OnePlus 6, its AI is doing its job on the smartphone's camera to create a better Portrait Mode. And just like the Honor 10, the OnePlus 6 has AI camera function too.

Although all of these smartphones have given us easy and fun experience, the best UI goes to the OnePlus 6. Among the three, OnePlus 6 has the cleanest icons and the easiest to locate applications.

All of the three were able to run 3D games with an ease. They all have a speedy fingerprint sensor, snappy face unlock, LTE, Bluetooth, and WiFi connection. GSM signal for basic calls and text won't be a problem as well.

Honor 10 has the speediest face unlock among the three.

Speed - OnePlus 6 > Samsung S9 > Honor 10

Gaming - OnePlus 6 > Samsung S9> Honor 10

Features - Samsung S9 = Honor 10 = OnePlus 6

Samsung S9 advantages - Water and dust resistance, Super AMOLED display, speedy performance, UHQ, nice cameras, no notch, wireless charging, AI-powered Bixby

Honor 10 advantages - Unique design, steady performance, long battery life, under-glass fingerprint sensor, loud audio, AI-assisted cameras, affordability

OnePlus 6 advantages -  Big screen, beast performance, dash charge, dual rear cameras

Verdict

All of these AI-powered smartphones have different strengths and they are all mirror to the future of the smartphone world. 

Opt for the Samsung S9 if you're looking for an immersive display, smartphone without a notch, wireless charging, and nice cameras for PHP 45,990.

Get the Honor 10 if you want a long battery life, loud audio, AI Camera, flashy design, and a flagship smartphone that's pocket-friendly for PHP 23,990.

Consider the OnePlus 6 if you need a beastly performance for gaming, big screen, and nice cameras for PHP 30,990 (6GB RAM + 64GB ROM).

Do you agree with us?

For our Samsung S9 impressions: Meet Samsung Galaxy S9, The compact powerhouse?

For our Honor 10 First impressions: Meet Honor 10, The most affordable flagship in the Philippines yet!

For our OnePlus 6 review: OnePlus 6 Review: Still the Flagship Killer?