With four cameras on the back, Huawei is hoping that the P30 Pro has the imaging skills to take on the Galaxy S10 Plus' mere three cameras. But how well do these phones take photos of architecture, food and low-light situations? When you're wandering the beautiful streets of Paris, which of these two phones will you want by your side? 

I took both of the new phones through the City of Lights to see which is the superior shooter.

Willow tree

Both phones have captured a vibrant image underneath this willow tree but the P30 Pro took much more detail in the shadows from the tree trunk itself.

Notre Dame

This wide shot of Notre Dame is a bit punchier on the S10 Plus, and the phone's wider-angle lens captured more of the scene compared to the P30 Pro.

But it's the zoom that really sets these two phones apart.

Zoom, zoom, zoom

While the S10 zoom's 2x zoom helps close in on the details of the building, it's no match for the P30 Pro's 5x optical zoom or its huge 10x hybrid zoom, a mix of digital and optical, which let me get right up close to the Notre Dame's front. Even if I digitally cropped into the S10 Plus's zoomed shot of the building so it matches the Huawei's zoom, it loses so much information that all the details become rather mushy. The P30 Pro's zoom keeps a lot of that detail, resulting in a much crisper shot.

It's genuinely impressive that a phone camera is able to achieve this level of zoom and still produce a usable image.

Wingspan

Later on, I found this cormorant drying off its wings, and again this is where the P30 Pro's zoom comes into its own.

I was able to zoom right into the bird and capture a dramatic wildlife image with the P30 Pro. The S10 Plus wasn't able to get near enough at all, even at its full 2x zoom.

Testing color capture

Exploring Paris with the phones was great fun and I started to notice the key differences in the ways these phones take photos. The S10's shots are much punchier, with highly saturated colors.

Eclair, anyone?

This image of a delicious eclair for example is vibrant when shot with the S10 Plus, but it has a much more natural look on the P30. Which you prefer is often down to taste.

Too much drama?

Personally I think some of the S10's shots add drama that isn't there on the P30 but overall I feel the S10 can be heavy-handed with the saturation.

A wide-angle look

Inside this shopping arcade I wanted to use the super wide-angle lenses of both phones to get a shot that captures all the detail in the floor and the glass roof. The S10 Plus played a blinder here, capturing tons of details in both the shadows and maintaining a rich blue sky above as well. The P30 Pro wasn't able to balance the exposure as well, resulting in a blown-out sky.

Low-light and night shots

The P30 Pro, like the P20 Pro and Mate 20 Pro before it, is apparently well equipped for low-light shots, so I was keen to see how the two phones stacked up when darkness fell.

In normal shooting mode, the P30's shot of these board games in a bar doesn't look much different from that of the S10 Plus. They're both bright, have good colors and don't suffer much from image noise.

The P30 Pro's night mode boosts shadows and adds more pop to the image. 

This old shop front has been captured fairly well on the S10 Plus, but again the P30 Pro's night mode wins out. The orange color cast in the scene is reduced, shadows are brighter and there's more clarity in the image. That helps bring out the details on the sign lettering and on the brickwork of the building.

We're not yet done

Similarly, the P30 Pro's night mode succeeds in getting the better shot of this vibrant restaurant front. The S10's shot isn't bad, but it lacks the brightness, detail and overall punch that the P30 Pro's night mode is able to achieve.

Will the real statue please stand up?

It's the same story with this statue...

...and on these nighttime street shots:

The S10 Plus is just no match for the P30's night mode.

Bringing the camera home

I'm delighted with the shots both phones have been able to take and it's difficult to declare an overall winner, as each phone has its strengths. The S10 Plus is better with HDR, it can balance bright skies and shadowy foreground better than the P30 Pro and its colors are certainly more punchy, if not a little over the top.

But the P30 Pro has two aces up its sleeves with the huge 10x zoom and the night mode, neither of which the S10 Plus is able to keep up with. Which phone is better for you will probably come down to which shooting style you prefer.

This is an early test and we'll be doing a lot more with both phones over the coming weeks, so keep your eyes peeled for more.