The Honor 10 is one of the new breed of computational imaging phones. The original Nokia 808/1020 and then the 950 range took this to mean oversampling and PureView zoom, then the likes of the Google Pixel took 'computational' to mean shooting everything with multiple exposures and then processing the heck out of them to remove noise and increase clarity - PureView phase 2, if you like.
Now, the Honor 10 (and similar devices in the future) are certainly not 'PureView', but they do take computational photography to new levels, applying 'AI' to recognise what you're taking a photo of - a sunset, a dog, a bunch of flowers, a person, a group of people, and then 'do the right thing' in terms of lighting, exposures, colour compensation or enhancement, HDR blending, etc. The results of all this are a little 'super real', as I noted in my look at the Samsung Galaxy S9 camera - it's as if the photos produced by modern phones are taken in an ideal world where everything's colourful and bright and cheery - no place for natural greys and gloom!
But on with the tests - you'll be able to judge for yourself. All photos below were taken with the AI mode 'on', and then it decides whether to kick in with enhancement or not.
Notes:
- The Honor 10 doesn't have OIS, instead going for 'high quality electronic image stabilization (EIS)', which works surprisingly well. I guess chipsets are now fast enough that they can do real time frame alignment for data coming off the sensor. What a time to be alive, eh?
- The Honor 10 was set to 16MP at 4:3, the native resolution of the main RGB camera - there's a 24MP mode too, using detail from the monochrome sensor and then colourising it from the lower resolution RGB data, but this isn't the default and is something of a kludge. Maybe I'll look at that another time. The Lumia 950 was used in its native 20MP 4:3 mode, i.e. no oversampling or other purifying of images, but maximum optical detail.
- Note that the Honor 10 JPGs routinely include two images, i.e. embedding the 'original' before AI enhanced it. So don't be surprised by some of the file sizes!
- All photos were taken handheld on full 'auto' on both phones, unless stated otherwise, and with the phones handheld. Mimicking real life users.
Let's pit the results against each other, using our Famed Interactive Comparator (FIC). All 1:1 crops are at 900x500 for comparison, but see the links for full versions.
| Note that the interactive comparator below uses javascript and does need to load each pair of images. Please be patient while this page loads, if you see a pair of images above each other than you've either not waited long enough or your browser isn't capable enough! You ideally need a powerful, large-screened tablet or a proper laptop or desktop. This comparator may not work in some browsers. Sorry about that. On Windows 10 Mobile, use the 'AAWP Universal' UWP app, which handles the comparator very competently (see the tips in the app's help screens). |
Test 1: Sunny shrubbery
Perfect lighting and masses of detail, plus it's err.... flowers, which the Honor 10 should be able to do something with! Here is the scene, as presented by first the Lumia 950 and then the Honor 10, in a comparator, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the whole images (there's a 1:1 comparison below too, don't worry):
Essentially these photos are identical. Maybe the Lumia has slightly less processing, but I'm no going to dock any points either way. A perfectly decent snap.
Microsoft Lumia 950: 10 pts; Honor 10: 10 pts
In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 and Honor 10, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, again use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Down at the pixel level it's a different story, with poorer dynamic range from the Honor 10, accompanied by dramatic over-sharpening. About the same as we saw with the Huawei P20 Pro recently. And all a bit ugly.
Microsoft Lumia 950: 10 pts; Honor 10: 7 pts
Test 2: Sunny landscape
Perfect lighting again and plenty of detail on the clock tower to capture. Here is the scene, as presented by first the Lumia 950 and then the Honor 10, in a comparator, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the whole images (there's a 1:1 comparison below too, don't worry):
Some differences this time round, with a slight yellow cast from the Lumia (as is typical), but with the trees over-green from the Honor 10. Honours (pun intended) even all round?
Microsoft Lumia 950: 9 pts; Honor 10: 9 pts
In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 and Honor 10, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, again use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
The greenery in the shot is again a problem for the Honor 10, and the combination of sharpening and noise reduction also makes a bit of an ugly mess of all the stonework. In contrast, the Lumia does a terrific, almost perfect job, in terms of detail, spoiled again only by the over-yellow cast.
Microsoft Lumia 950: 9 pts; Honor 10: 7 pts
Test 3: Same clock tower, but at 2x zoom (or so)
The 'or so' is for the Lumia, because there's no UI technique for accurately requesting 2x zoom - it's just guesswork. And yes, the Lumia is going to be terrible at zooming, it's the 950's weakest area. But I have to test it, to be fair, not least because the Honor 10's two cameras give it a degree of 'hybrid zoom'. Here is the zoomed scene, as presented by first the Lumia 950 and then the Honor 10, in a comparator, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the whole images (there's a 1:1 comparison below too, don't worry):
At web resolution here, you can't really see the issues at the pixel level from the Lumia, but the green of the tree is just.... distracting from the Honor 10. Which is a shame, since it gets so much else of the scene right.
Microsoft Lumia 950: 9 pts; Honor 10: 9 pts
In case you want to grab the original images from the zoomed scene, to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 and Honor 10, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, again use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
While the Honor 10's hybrid zoom is by no means perfect, the artefacts are at least within some level of control, while those in the Lumia shot are just horrible when looked at this closely. 'Interpolative zoom' isn't a phrase in the Lumia 950's vocabulary, clearly.
Microsoft Lumia 950: 7 pts; Honor 10: 9 pts
Test 4: Dandelion macro
Come on, who can resist snapping a lone and full dandelion like this? Here is the scene, as presented by first the Lumia 950 and then the Honor 10, in a comparator, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the whole images (there's a 1:1 comparison below too, don't worry):
There's not much to choose between the snaps here, both are excellent. The Honor 10 saturates its colours a bit more, but otherwise full marks to each.
Microsoft Lumia 950: 10 pts; Honor 10: 10 pts
In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 and Honor 10, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, again use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
If I'm being very picky, the sharpening routines in the Honor 10 do make a mess of some of the individual fibres, but the difference between the two is no more than a 'point' in my book.
Microsoft Lumia 950: 9 pts; Honor 10: 8 pts
Test 5: HDR and atmosphere
Strong sunlight coming in through the window plus detail and mood in a shady church. A set of lighting challenges for the software to work out and balance exposures, etc. Here is the scene, as presented by first the Lumia 950 and then the Honor 10, in a comparator, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the whole images (there's a 1:1 comparison below too, don't worry):
Slightly different exposure blends here. The Lumia 950 gets greater dynamic range from the HDR and gets the colours more accurate, but I can't help but like the warm ambience of the Honor 10's snap. It's more... welcoming, and captures the scene as I'd like to remember it, even it's a little 'enhanced'.
Microsoft Lumia 950: 9 pts; Honor 10: 10 pts
In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 and Honor 10, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, again use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Not much to choose between the two crops, given the aforementioned better dynamic range of the 950 in this scene. I'm going to give the extra point to the Lumia for this reason, but both phone cameras can be proud here.
Microsoft Lumia 950: 10 pts; Honor 10: 9 pts
Test 6: Indoor gloom
Inside a church, relatively low light and few windows. Here is the scene, as presented by first the Lumia 950 and then the Honor 10, in a comparator, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the whole images (there's a 1:1 comparison below too, don't worry):
Both great photos, though the extra 'enhancement' by the Honor 10's software does impress - it has a 'pop' that's clearly slightly artificial but one is still drawn to the warmer colours and sharper detail. The Honor wins here, I'll admit, even though the Lumia 950's shot is closer to what my eyes saw.
Microsoft Lumia 950: 9 pts; Honor 10: 10 pts
In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 and Honor 10, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, again use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Down at the pixel level, the Honor 10 wins again - yes, the image is clearly sharpened and artificial, but I can genuinely see more real world detail as a result - quite a bit more in this case, with the intricate stone carvings on the altar. All quite surprising.
Microsoft Lumia 950: 7 pts; Honor 10: 9 pts
Test 7: Almost too dark to see
In the dimmest part of the church, unlit and in deep shadow, is this altar. To my eyes, making out detail was a struggle. To modern camera phones, gloom is turned into daylight, it seems, though! Here is the scene, as presented by first the Lumia 950 and then the Honor 10, in a comparator, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the whole images (there's a 1:1 comparison below too, don't worry):
I can't remember a competing phone at this price point doing anywhere near as well as the Lumia 950 here - yet the result speaks for itself. Under far, far, far gloomier lighting than either phone camera suggests, both snaps are utter miracles. As a guide, here's a mock-up of the light levels to my own eyes:
Microsoft Lumia 950: 10 pts; Honor 10: 10 pts
In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 and Honor 10, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, again use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Down at the pixel level in these conditions, the limits of software stabilisation versus OIS start to show and, despite an impressive achievement to get this far, the Honor 10's images are noisier and less detailed than the Lumia's.
Microsoft Lumia 950: 10 pts; Honor 10: 8 pts
Test 8: Flash testing
No party shot this time(!), but I did have a nice vase of flowers, shot at about a metre, in complete darkness. Here is the scene, as presented by first the Lumia 950 and then the Honor 10, in a comparator, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the whole images (there's a 1:1 comparison below too, don't worry):
If anything, the Honor 10 blew out this photo - it's too bright and some of the flower colour is lost, while the Lumia manages perfect colours, thanks in part to the 'Dynamic Flash' system that blends a flash illuminated photo with a shot taken straight afterwards without flash, in an attempt to better expose everything. In fact, although this did help, heading into Windows Photos, I noticed that even on the 'all-flash' setting on the slider, the Lumia 950's shot was still not as blown out as the Honor 10's attempt. So there are other factors at work here too - shutter speeds, image processing, and so on.
Microsoft Lumia 950: 10 pts; Honor 10: 8 pts
In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 and Honor 10, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, again use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Down at the pixel level, exposure aside, there's good detail from the Honor 10 here, with the noise reduction just starting to ruin the texture of the petals. The Lumia 950 image is still really, really impressive, though, and wins out overall.
Microsoft Lumia 950: 9 pts; Honor 10: 8 pts
Test 9: Night time
My standard night and low light test. Here is the scene, as presented by first the Lumia 950 and then the Honor 10, in a comparator, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the whole images (there's a 1:1 comparison below too, don't worry):
It's hard to fault either phone camera here - the Lumia turns night into day better, but the Honor 10 strikes a nice balance between representing reality (much darker) and presenting something usable.
Microsoft Lumia 950: 10 pts; Honor 10: 10 pts
In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 and Honor 10, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, again use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Down at the pixel level, the Lumia 950's only slightly better, despite the Honor 10 not having OIS. Which is amazing if you think about it. We're in new territory here in terms of phone camera hardware and software. Still, a win is a win...
Microsoft Lumia 950: 9 pts; Honor 10: 8 pts
Verdict
Adding up the points gives us a relatively narrow win for the Windows phone:
- Lumia 950: 166/180
- Honor 10: 159/180
Now, I know that the Honor 10 has twin cameras and with newer sensors and a much faster chipset. But I still didn't think it would get as close to the 'champion' Lumia 950 as it did. So kudos to the competition yet again, they're closing - and in some cases, have closed - the gap on the imaging front.
At under £400 and with a cracking screen and other specs, plus many camera modes not tested here, if you don't mind Huawei's and Honor's take on Android then the Honor 10 is highly recommended as having perhaps the best mid-range phone camera at the moment.
Comments welcome.
PS. See also my overall comparison between the Honor 10 and the Windows-powered Alcatel IDOL 4 Pro.