Lumia 950 XL and (Xiaomi) Redmi Note 10 Pro cameras
Let's start with a few specs:
| Lumia 950 XL (2015) | (Xiaomi) Redmi Note 10 Pro (2021) |
|
Dedicated two-stage shutter button/launch key 20 MP (PureView oversampled to 8MP usually) |
Cameras: 108 MP, f/1.9, 1/1.52", dual pixel PDAF, outputting 12MP |
Which - as with the far more expensive Mi 11 - 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 higher resolution array (though not optically stabilised on the Redmi), 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.
The Redmi Note 10 Pro is actually a better match for the 950 XL and for comparison than the more premium Xiaomi, since here the output is at 12MP, i.e. the pixels are nono-binned rather than quad-binned. So around 9MP at 16:9, compared to the true 8MP oversampled on the Lumia.
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 a favourite watery beauty spot. Here is the overall scene:
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 XL and Redmi Note 10 Pro (in default 9MP 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 Redmi Note 10 Pro, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
So much greenery and natural detail is crying out for my Lumia 1020 or iPhone 12 Pro Max, but the Lumia 950 XL is having to do. A healthy degree of sharpening without totally overdoing it - and matched by the Redmi, though an extra noise reduction pass by the latter rather smears the finer detail. A narrow Lumia victory.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 10 pts; Redmi Note 10 Pro (2021): 9 pts
Test 2: Daylight landscape, zoomed
The same scene but using 2x zoom. The Lumia smart crops into its 20MP sensor and then applies some software zoom on top. In theory, the 108MP sensor on the Redmi should offer 2.5x pure lossless zoom, but there's an issue. With many of these modern high megapixel sensors, certainly at the budget end of the phone world, they're not RGB, they're constructed in blocks of 4 - or, here, 9 - pixel sections. The idea is to deliver less noisy low light shots by averaging out noise from individual pixel sites within each block - and this is indeed delivered. But there's no way to use the high resolution to zoom in the same way as the old Nokia PureView devices did. So zooming here on the budget Redmi here involves the software taking the 12MP output and zooming in software from there. Which is crazy, if you ask me.
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 XL and Redmi Note 10 Pro (in default 9MP 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 Redmi Note 10 Pro, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
As a result of the terrible zoom workflow, the Redmi's shot is pretty awful. Software zoom plus noise reduction means a blocky and indistinct photo. The Lumia has some genuine lossless zoom and this is enough, even with the legendarily terrible zoom algorithms, to give it a win here, despite artefacts galore.
With both phone cameras being pretty rubbish at zoom though, I won't do more zoom testing, I think. It's just a recipe for disappointment.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 7 pts; Redmi Note 10 Pro (2021): 6 pts
Test 3: An artificial landscape
OK, less nature, more straight lines - here are some distant flats. Here is the overall scene:
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 XL and Redmi Note 10 Pro, 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 Redmi Note 10 Pro, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
A narrow Lumia win here, with purer edges and less sharpening. But the Redmi's shot is pretty good, you have to look very, very closely to see erroneous edges that should be straighter. Or at trees which should have slightly more smaller branches. Yes, the Lumia warms and saturates the scene a little too much, but the effect is good for a sunny shot, as here.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 10 pts; Redmi Note 10 Pro (2021): 9 pts
Test 4: HDR scene
A favourite subject, but this time shot into bright scene, to test the HDR capabilities of each camera system. Here is the overall scene:
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 XL and Redmi Note 10 Pro (in default 9MP 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 Redmi Note 10 Pro, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Both HDR shots are excellent, but the warmer Lumia shot looks more real to me - or maybe I'm just more attuned to Lumia colours now! But the Xiaomi/Redmi image is definitely on the cool side. Thankfully, sharpening and edge enhancement are lower than in (e.g.) Samsung shots (to shame but one maker!)
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 10 pts; Redmi Note 10 Pro (2021): 9 pts
Test 5: Macro time
Some delicate little buds of spring blossom. You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 XL and Redmi Note 10 Pro, for your own analysis.
Here are scaled shots, from the Lumia 950 XL and then the Redmi Note 10 Pro, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Both excellent, and I can't separate them. Colours, depth of field, ease of capture (both first time), top marks all round!
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 10 pts; Redmi Note 10 Pro (2021): 10 pts
Test 6: Trying again, macro no.2
A full dandelion in the sun. You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 XL and Redmi Note 10 Pro, for your own analysis.
Here are scaled shots, from the Lumia 950 XL and then the Redmi Note 10 Pro, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
A cooler result from the Xiaomi, but I'm not sure it warrants docking a point. It could even be argued that it's more accurate and that the Lumia's snap is too warm. I'm not going to argue though, I'm just giving out top marks again - these phone cameras are proving hard to split overall so far.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 10 pts; Redmi Note 10 Pro (2021): 10 pts
Test 7: Colour accuracy, macro no.3
A tricky flower to get right in the past, and so it will prove here. You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 XL and Redmi Note 10 Pro, for your own analysis.
Here are scaled shots, from the Lumia 950 XL and then the Redmi Note 10 Pro, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Not 'cooler' in this case from the Xiaomi, but actually wrong - the correct colour for this flower is full on purple, whereas it's far more blue here from the Redmi Note 10 Pro. Focus and detail are similar in both, but the Lumia's superior algorithms absolutely nail the colour.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 10 pts; Redmi Note 10 Pro (2021): 9 pts
Test 8: Very low light
Deliberately trying to make life as hard for the phone cameras as possible - my glasses cabinet in an unlit room, with just light hitting the other end via the hallway. Here is the overall scene, looking a lot lighter here than it did to my eyes:
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 XL and Redmi Note 10 Pro, for your own analysis. Note that I let the Redmi Note 10 Pro use its 'night mode', meaning about a three second batch of exposures, which then get aligned and combined. You know the drill by now.
To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 XL and then the Redmi Note 10 Pro, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Although the Redmi's image is too red, the absence of digital noise is striking. That's what a dozen exposures combined can do, while the Lumia's single long exposure, even with PureView oversampling, just can't cope. The Lumia gets the wood colour right, but this is an easy win overall for the Redmi Note 10 Pro.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 7 pts; Redmi Note 10 Pro (2021): 9 pts
Test 9: Night time, outdoors
My standard suburban night test. Here is the overall scene:
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 XL and Redmi Note 10 Pro (in default 9MP mode at 16:9), for your own analysis. I let the Redmi use its 'night mode' again, as that's what it's for.
To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 XL and then the Redmi Note 10 Pro, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Despite the three seconds of night mode allowed on the Redmi, the single long (1/4s) exposure on the OIS-equipped Lumia 950 clearly wins out here, with genuine colours and noise is under control. Having said that, it's impressive what software can do and one should remember that the Redmi Note 10 Pro is unashamedly a budget smartphone. Who'd have thought that something at the £200 level in the Android world would be competing with the mighty Lumia 950 in low light?
Although the margin is a couple of points, I'm docking the Lumia 950 XL a point here, since its usual low light Achilles heel of focussing reared up here and the shot above was try no. 2 - attempt no. 1 was blurred and focussing clearly hadn't worked. The second time round, I tapped to focus on the white garage in the distance, but that's something of an advanced technique.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 8 pts; Redmi Note 10 Pro (2021): 7 pts
Verdict
For the record, the scores add up as:
- Lumia 950 XL (late 2015): 82 pts (/90)
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro (2021): 78 pts
Which represents a very credible score from the cheap Xiaomi, perhaps the specs and value-pick from this year's Android crop - so far. At just over £200 this manages to compete well with the classic Lumia 950 camera, plus it also offers an ultra-wide snapper, not tested here. So perhaps add a few points for that, for sheer flexibility.
It all comes down to zoom, really. The higher priced Mi 11 also lacks a telephoto, mind you, but that has more horsepower and a larger physical sensor and optics, so can do passable 2x zoom. But there are a huge number of mid-priced and flagship contenders in 2020/2021 that have genuine telephoto lens systems, ranging from 2x to 10x (periscope) - and if you want decent zoom then look elsewhere.
If you can live without zoom though then you can't go far wrong with the Redmi Note 10 Pro - the value proposition is stunning while not really missing in any other area.