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MOBILE REVIEW

Huawei P20 Pro camera

review: Innovative
technologies, outstanding
results

Posted on March 27, 2018 by Lars Rehm

109 MOBILE

The Huawei P20 Pro is the Chinese

manufacturer’s latest Bagship smartphone, and
in terms of camera tech, is arguably the most
innovative device we’ve seen in quite some time.
A quick look at the device’s back plate reveals
that the P20 Pro is the Jrst smartphone to
feature a triple camera setup. However, Huawei
hasn’t simply slapped a third sensor and lens
onto its current dual-camera system. The new
model stands out among its peers in several
ways:

1. At 1/1.78″, the main camera’s sensor is

unusually large—approximately twice the size
of the Samsung Galaxy S9’s 1/2.55″ chip.
Despite a slightly slower f/1.8-aperture lens,
the RGB main camera sensor of the P20 Pro
captures approximately 20 percent more light
than the smaller sensors used in most
competing models. As with previous high-end
Huawei smartphones, the main sensor is
supported by a secondary monochrome
sensor which helps further increase photon
capture.
2. The main camera sensor uses a Quad Bayer
structure with a total pixel count of 40Mp. It
outputs data binned in 2 × 2 pixel units,
resulting in 10Mp image output.
3. With an equivalent focal length of 80mm, the
P20 Pro’s optically-stabilized tele-camera
offers a signiJcantly longer reach than the 2x
tele-modules in the latest iPhone or Samsung
Galaxy devices. This is possible because the
main camera in combination with the 20Mp
monochrome secondary sensor is already
capable of delivering decent zoom detail at a
2x zoom factor. As a consequence, the
engineers have been able to focus on
squeezing a longer reach out of the P20 Pro’s
tele-lens. The Tele also outputs 10Mp image.

The monochrome sensor in the camera setup

serves several purposes: it helps with depth
estimation for the simulated bokeh effect, and
the Jne detail and low noise levels of the
monochrome sensor improve image quality
when zooming and in low light.

The Huawei P20 Pro triple camera: The main

camera is at the center, the monochrome module at
the bottom (left in this image) and the tele at the top
(right).

Key camera speciJcations:

Triple camera setup

Main camera: 40Mp, 1/1.73″ RGB sensor with
Quad Bayer structure, f/1.8-aperture lens with
27mm equivalent focal length
Secondary camera: 20Mp, 1/2.78″
monochrome sensor, f/1.6-aperture lens with
27mm equivalent focal length
Tele-camera: 8Mp, 1/4.4″ RGB sensor, f/2.4-
aperture lens with 80mm equivalent focal
length, and optical image stabilization
Aperture mode default eq. focal length: 55mm
PDAF on main sensor
4K video (not default mode)
960 fps slow-motion video at 720p
6.1″ display, 2240 x 1080 resolution
Kirin 970 chipset

About DxOMark Mobile tests

tests: For scoring
and analysis in our smartphone camera reviews,
DxOMark engineers capture and evaluate over
1500 test images and more than 2 hours of
video both in controlled lab environments and in
natural indoor and outdoor scenes, using the
camera’s default settings. This article is
designed to highlight the most important results
of our testing. For more information about the
DxOMark Mobile test protocol, click here. More
details on how we score smartphone cameras
are available here.

Test summary
With an overall score of 109 points, the Huawei
P20 Pro sets a new benchmark for smartphone
cameras on DxOMark.com, outscoring all of its
closest rivals, such as the Apple iPhone X, the
Google Pixel 2, and the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
by a margin that is close to or higher than 10
points. Much of this is due to the Huawei’s
outstanding still image capabilities that earn it
an unprecedented Photo score of 114 points.
The large sensor in the main camera combined
with the B&W sensor allows for excellent low-
light performance and class-leading dynamic
range; the dedicated 80mm equivalent tele-lens
in combination with the high-resolution
monochrome chip, delivers the best zoom
performance we’ve seen on a smartphone to
date. The monochrome chip is also used to help
generate the P20 Pro’s excellent bokeh-
simulation.

And the P20 Pro is no slouch either in video

mode, thanks to class-leading image
stabilization, a good autofocus, and very low
noise levels. At 98 points, it just manages to
push the Google Pixel 2 off the number one spot
in the video ranking, making the P20 Pro the
best all-around mobile device for imaging that
money can currently buy.

Bright light

The Huawei P20 Pro delivers excellent image in

all bright-light conditions. Exposure is usually
spot-on and the dynamic range is one of the
widest we have measured on any smartphone,
making the Huawei ideal for shooting in dihcult
high-contrast situations. Images are sharp
across the frame, with pleasant textures and a
lot of detail. Noise is very well under control, too,
with virtually no grain visible in areas of plain
color, such as blue skies.

The P20 Pro’s autofocus system works reliably

and swiftly in all situations, and color rendering
is generally very pleasant, with only very
occasional orange or pink color casts
noticeable. We also observed a slight loss of
color saturation and some aliasing and halo
artifacts in some speciJc high-contrast scenes.

In bright light, the P20 Pro delivers excellent image

quality, with pleasant colors, good detail, and very
low noise levels.

Low light and Flash

Thanks to an unusually large (by smartphone

standards) 1/1.73″ sensor in its main camera,
the Huawei P20 Pro delivers class-leading low
levels of noise, making it the smartphone of
choice for any kind of photo and video shooting
in low light and indoor conditions. In the night
shot comparison below, you can see that the
Huawei sample shows better detail and
signiJcantly lower noise levels than the
competition from Apple and Google.

In addition, autofocus, auto white balance, and

exposure all operate reliably down to very low
light levels. It also maintains pleasant color
rendering when the light gets dimmer, making
the P20 Pro a very easy pick for any low-light
smartphone photographer.

Huawei P20 Pro

Apple iPhone X

Google Pixel 2

Huawei P20 Pro

Apple iPhone X

Google Pixel 2

Using the LED Bash on a smartphone is

generally a bad idea, but the Huawei P20 Pro’s is
the best Bash we have tested on a smartphone,
delivering good exposure and detail in a
repeatable fashion. Again, noise levels are very
low, making Bash use a real option on the
Huawei.

Zoom and Bokeh

The Huawei P20 Pro comes with a two-pronged

approach to zooming. A dedicated stabilized
zoom lens with a long 80mm equivalent focal
length takes care of the long-reach images,
while the main RGB sensor in combination with
a secondary high-resolution monochrome chip
is capable of delivering good zoom results at
medium-range (around a 50-60mm equivalent
focal length).

As a result, the Huawei P20 Pro excels in the

zoom category, delivering results that are a cut
above the rest. The detail in zoom images is
unprecedented for smartphones, especially for
medium- and long-range shots, and noise levels
are low in all light conditions, making the P20
Pro by far your best option if zooming is high up
on your list of priorities.

Wide-angle

Mid-range zoom

Long-range zoom

The Huawei P20 Pro delivers Jne details, even with

a 4x zoom factor (crop of the long range shot)

The Huawei P20 Pro’s zoom does not only

deliver great results in bright light. It also
performs remarkably well in indoor conditions,
as you can see in the sample images below. In
this test scene the P20 Pro delivers very good
detail at long range (8x).

Huawei P20 Pro – 1x shot

Crop from Huawei P20 Pro image

Crop from Apple iPhone X image

The monochrome secondary camera setup also

helps deliver very good results in bokeh mode.
Depth-estimation is very precise, resulting in
very good subject segmentation and only minor
artifacts. At default settings, the blur strength
and transition are pleasantly natural. In addition,
the Huawei also blurs the image areas in front of
the subject, getting you bokeh mode results that
are as close as it gets to a DSLR, and the best
for all current smartphones. In the scene below
the P20 Pro creates an overall very nice bokeh
effect. Only if you click through to the full
version of the image, some loss of Jne detail
and slight oversharpening become visible.

Huawei P20 Pro

Apple iPhone X

Google Pixel 2

In this comparison with the iPhone X you can

see that the Huawei P20 Pro’s depth estimation
in bokeh mode is very accurate. There are fewer
artifacts in the Huawei image then in the iPhone
X capture, which is most noticeable around the
subject’s hand.

Huawei P20 Pro

Apple iPhone X

Photo scores explained

With a total photo score of 114, the Huawei P20
Pro is currently the highest-ranked smartphone
for still image capture by quite a margin. The
overall Photo score is calculated from sub-
scores in tests that examine different aspects of
its performance under different lighting
conditions. In this section, we’ll take a closer
look at these image quality sub-scores.

Exposure and Contrast (93)

The Huawei P20 Pro does a very good job in

terms of exposure. Target exposure is spot-on in
most situations, even in very low light, and our
sample images show very good dynamic range
that is a touch better than for most of the direct
competitors. This is especially noticeable in
dihcult high-contrast lighting conditions in
which the Huawei is capable of preserving a lot
of detail in the bright parts of a scene.