Lumia 950 XL and Xiaomi Mi 11 5G cameras
Let's start with a few specs:
| Lumia 950 XL (2015) | Xiaomi Mi 11 5G (2020) |
|
Dedicated two-stage shutter button/launch key 20 MP (PureView oversampled to 8MP usually) |
108 MP, f/1.9, 1/1.33", PDAF, OIS |
Which is all very interesting, since the two are of similar vision for their main cameras, I contend. I'm going to largely ignore the ultra-wide and 'macro' cameras on the Xiaomi device, since they're more for fun use. But the main cameras use the same idea - pixel-binning in various forms from a PDAF, stabilised, higher resolution array, and then using smart-cropping into their sensors when some zoom is needed. The latter isn't that successful on either system compared to the telephoto approaches seen in many other smartphones over the last five years, mind you.
However, despite the overall similarity, the mismatch in numbers has caused headaches here in terms of getting comparisons that make sense on the page. Even at 16:9, the Mi 11 produces pixel-binned 20MP photos, which ideally should be compared to the usual 8MP PureView Lumia shots. But that sort of mismatch in resolution makes direct comparison of results almost impossible for the reader here. However, PureView mainly has effect in low light, when it's needed, whereas in good light there's little benefit, so the compromise I've attempted here (and documented as I go) is:
- In good light, run the Lumia 950 XL in its 16MP 16:9 mode, which compares better in framing with that 20MP 16:9 shot capability from the Mi 11.
- In low light, run the Lumia 950 XL in its 8MP PureView oversampled mode, and compare shots with 8MP resampled versions of the Mi 11 photos. It could be argued that I'm doing the Mi 11 a slight disservice here, but no one, even me, is going to pixel peep too harshly in low light, i.e. demand a full 20MP image from something at night.
As usual on AAWP, all photos were taken on full auto and handheld, as a regular user would do. No tripods or RAW editing sessions needed!
Let's pit the results against each other, using our Famed Interactive Comparator (FIC). All 1:1 crops are at 900x500 for comparison, though I've put up the originals, for you to download if you want to do your own analysis.
| 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: Daylight landscape
Lovely sun on one of my favourite church scenes. Here is the overall scene:
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 XL (in 16MP mode here, remember) and Xiaomi Mi 11 5G (in default 20MP mode at 16:9), for your own analysis.
To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 XL and then the Xiaomi Mi 11 5G, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Easy snaps, of course, but loads of good detail to get your teeth into. Both are pretty good, but the Xiaomi device adds a little extra noise reduction at the pixel level and this takes away some of the finer detail - see what your own eyes think.
It's fascinating to see non-PureView, full resolution shots from the Lumia 950 XL, but I have to say I'm impressed. In good light and if you need the resolution then it's absolutely worth a shot.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 10 pts; Xiaomi Mi 11 5G (2021): 9 pts
Test 2: Extreme HDR
Lit from another angle, shooting from the shade of a tree into the sun and with the side of the church almost in silhouette to the naked eye.
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 XL and Xiaomi Mi 11 5G, for your own analysis.
To look at the images here are scaled versions, from the Lumia 950 XL and then the Xiaomi Mi 11 5G, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Both excellent, the 950 XL gets closer to reality, but the Mi 11's version absolutely nails the HDR requirement in terms of detail in shadows. Top marks all round.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 10 pts; Xiaomi Mi 11 5G (2021): 10 pts
Test 3: Daylight landscape no.2
Some March sun and a detailed garage scene with lots to check out, the pumps are about 30m away. Here is the overall scene:
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 XL (in 16MP mode here, remember) and Xiaomi Mi 11 5G (in default 20MP mode at 16:9), for your own analysis.
To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 XL and then the Xiaomi Mi 11 5G, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Now, both are excellent photos, as you'd expect under perfect lighting. The 950 XL's image has some noise if you look very closely, though, shorn of its PureView capabilities here, while the Mi 11's shot is superbly pure and clear. Enough to warrant a 1 point win? Heck, yes. Just about.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 9 pts; Xiaomi Mi 11 5G (2021): 10 pts
Test 4: Daylight zoom
The same scene but zoomed by about 2x. I won't labour zoom testing in this feature because neither phone camera really excels here. The 950 XL has to use purely digital zoom, since its sensor is already maxed out by the 16MP shooting requirement in daylight in this article - and Lumia software zoom is as lousy as always. The Mi 11 use smart cropping into its large sensor, but the crudities of the Quad Bayer system really don't help it here in terms of detail.
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 XL and Xiaomi Mi 11 5G, for your own analysis.
To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops from the zoomed images, from the Lumia 950 XL and then the Xiaomi Mi 11 5G, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Both photos are heavily flawed at the pixel level, but again the Mi 11's attempt is better, because it has more information to work from. Yes, we'd all have liked to see what PureView RGB over-sampling could have done with a 108MP sensor, but sadly we never got the chance because Microsoft gave up on the whole phone development shooting match... Instead we're stuck with crude Quad Bayer set-ups like this, and software zoom isn't that good. But enough for another slender win.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 7 pts; Xiaomi Mi 11 5G (2021): 8 pts
Test 5: Spring blossom, PureView allowed
Some yellow blossom and buds, shot in bright sun at about 2m. This was my first shot of this feature in fact, and the Lumia was still set to '8MP', before I realised that framing would be so far different. However, here is the overall scene:
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 XL and Xiaomi Mi 11 5G (in default 20MP mode at 16:9), for your own analysis.
To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 XL and then the Xiaomi Mi 11 5G (here resampled down to 8MP, so that the comparator makes sense), just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Although the sheer purity of the yellow and the sky are beautiful in the Lumia 950 XL photo, the Xiaomi Mi 11 really isn't far behind - you can see why I think so highly of the Xiaomi image processing - it doesn't edge enhance the cr*p out of photos. Yes, its detail is a little more contrasty, but in fairness this is after my own extra downsampling stage, so I'm giving it some benefit of the doubt here. A score draw overall.
PS. Did you spot the moon?(!)
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 10 pts; Xiaomi Mi 11 5G (2021): 10 pts
Test 6: Arty HDR
An arty macro, trying to catch the sun streaming through some small pink flowers:
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 XL and Xiaomi Mi 11 5G, for your own analysis.
To look at the images here are scaled versions, from the Lumia 950 XL and then the Xiaomi Mi 11 5G, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
The 950 XL's shot is so-so, but the Mi 11 adds tasteful extra punch and is exactly what I wanted when taking the photo. Very impressive, plus the viewfinder/screen was much clearer under these tricky circumstances. Full marks.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 8 pts; Xiaomi Mi 11 5G (2021): 10 pts
Test 7: Capturing movement
Here the white flowers were being blown massively by the breeze, there was no way to wait for them to be still - yet with a 1/2000s exposure both phone cameras produced a decently crisp image.
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 XL and Xiaomi Mi 11 5G, for your own analysis.
To look at the images here are scaled versions, from the Lumia 950 XL and then the Xiaomi Mi 11 5G, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Not for the first time in this test, I'm struck by how well the Xiaomi's hardware and image processing does - and how similar the results are to the well known Lumia 950 XL. Could this be a viable modern replacement, in terms of directly matching the imaging strengths?
Both snaps are perfect here under very trying subject conditions - the breeze was making the flowers flutter by a good centimetre or so many times a second.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 10 pts; Xiaomi Mi 11 5G (2021): 10 pts
Test 8: Night church
My village church lit up at night but overall a dark scene, here obviously in 8MP PureView mode on the Lumia, obviously. Here is the overall scene:
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 XL and Xiaomi Mi 11 5G (in default 20MP mode at 16:9), for your own analysis.
To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 XL and then the Xiaomi Mi 11 5G (here resampled down to 8MP, so that the comparator makes sense), just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Ouch - this is tough to score, since both photos are so good - they're even decent (considering light levels) when seen close up here. The Lumia's detail is closest in lighting to what my eyes saw, but then the Mi 11's exemplary night mode (which kicks in automatically) brings detail and colour out in impressive fashion. Given that I'm doing the Mi 11 a disservice with the extra resampling I can't mark it down a notch, so a score draw here.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 10 pts; Xiaomi Mi 11 5G (2021): 10 pts
Test 9: Ultra-low-light
The unlit, gloomy facade of a closed shop. Really, really dim lighting conditions, here obviously in 8MP PureView mode on the Lumia, obviously. Here is the overall scene:
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 XL and Xiaomi Mi 11 5G (in default 20MP mode at 16:9), for your own analysis.
To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 XL and then the Xiaomi Mi 11 5G (here resampled down to 8MP, so that the comparator makes sense), just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Again the 'night mode' in the Mi 11 kicks in with multi-exposure combination, to great effect. Really impressive detail and even some colour extracted from near darkness. The Lumia's single 1/5s exposure gets a very passable shot, but it's not in the 2021 computational alignment league and this is a win for the newer Xiaomi.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 9 pts; Xiaomi Mi 11 5G (2021): 10 pts
Test 10: Indoor gloom
Let's try something indoors, here with dim lighting and loads of detail on the spine of my DVD collection. Again in 8MP PureView mode on the Lumia, obviously. Here is the overall scene:
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 XL and Xiaomi Mi 11 5G (in default 20MP mode at 16:9), for your own analysis.
To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 XL and then the Xiaomi Mi 11 5G (here resampled down to 8MP, so that the comparator makes sense), just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Again the 'night mode' in the Mi 11 kicks does really well. And with surprisingly little offensive artefacts or sharpening. It's as if one had taken the PureView output from the Lumia and bumped up exposure, contrast, and saturation in a photo editor. And all of that's a compliment, since it's done so well here.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 7 pts; Xiaomi Mi 11 5G (2021): 9 pts
Verdict
For the record, the scores add up as:
- Xiaomi Mi 11 5G 5G (2021): 96 pts (/100)
- Lumia 950 XL (late 2015): 90 pts
Which easily puts the Mi 11 into the rarefied strata of phone camera which top the Lumia 950 overall, even five years after the Windows phone's launch. I was hugely impressed by the image processing used, seemingly far more pure than that used by Samsung and even Apple's default algorithms. In fact, Xiaomi's photos were up with the quality of the iPhone 12 Pro Max's ProRAW in most conditions - and that's a £1200 smartphone.
Although this is a huge feather in the cap of the Mi 11 in particular, I wanted to note that Xiaomi's image processing is - obviously - just software and is largely available on cheaper phones in the range, too. True, the latter won't have such large sensors or lenses, but they will have the same sensible processing. So make sure a Xiaomi phone is on your radar when making your next buying decision.