The fight should be closer than you might think. On the one hand we have a camera-specialist smartphone that's six years old, on the other we have one whose camera is almost incidental, yet which is brand new, so the sensor tech is more up to date and there's more processing power for doing fancy multi-frame modes. As I head into this test feature, I suspect the Lumia will win out, but there are no guarantees anymore.
Here's how the imaging specs and configuration line up:
| Microsoft Lumia 950 XL (2015) | Nokia XR20 (2021) |
|
Dedicated two-stage shutter button/launch key 20 MP RGB sensor (PureView oversampled to 16:9 8MP here) |
48 MP (Quad Bayer pixel-binned to 16:9 9MP here) |
As usual on this site, most 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: Sunny snap
Well, almost sunny. Hazy sun. The weather wasn't behaving itself during the test period, this is as bright as it got. Here is the overall scene:
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 and Nokia XR20, for your own analysis.
To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia and then the Nokia, 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 decent enough, even at the 1:1 level, but they're not perfect - you can tell, this close, that they're taken on a phone camera, for example, rather than a DSLR or a (e.g.) Sony Xperia 1 iii) - there's sharpening and edge enhancment. Slightly more so on the Nokia, but I'm not going to dock it a point. 9 each.
Lumia 950 XL: 9 pts; Nokia XR20: 9 pts
Test 2: Digging for gold (overcast landscape)
In overcast (and therefore more challenging) conditions, a shot of a distant digger (with the intention of making the next test a zoomed version of this). I made sure each phone camera was focussed on the digger, not on the right hand side fence, don't worry. Here is the overall scene:
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 and Nokia XR20, for your own analysis.
To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia and then the Nokia, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
The Nokia's version is slightly more processed, again, but still not enough to warrant a point difference - don't worry, zoom is next.
Lumia 950 XL: 9 pts; Nokia XR20: 9 pts
Test 3: Digger zoomed
Now, both phone cameras tackle zoom differently. The Lumia has 1.5x lossless zoom into its 20MP RGB sensor and then digital (lossy) zoom thereafter. While the Nokia XR20 in theory has a typical modern smart-crop zoom into its Quad Bayer 48MP sensor, but in practice wimps out of doing heavy computational work and just seems to scale up a crop of the default 9MP/12MP pixel-binned output. With predictably awful results.
You can grab the original zoomed photos from the Lumia 950 and Nokia XR20, for your own analysis.
To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia and then the Nokia, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Yeah. Umm... HMD, you might like to put a bit of effort into your imaging software here? This is just the lowest-tech, cheapest approach with an off the shelf pixel-binned sensor. Oh well. At least the Lumia doesn't pretend to want to zoom - the Nokia puts up a 'x2' control in the Camera UI, but this is absolutely best avoided.
Meanwhile the Lumia 950 XL's mixed-tech zoom actually looks quite good by comparison. Who'd have thought it?
Lumia 950 XL: 8 pts; Nokia XR20: 6 pts
Test 4: Distant detail
We'll try one more detail and zoom test. A complex road sign about 200m away. Here is the overall scene:
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 and Nokia XR20, for your own analysis.
To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia and then the Nokia, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Not too shabby from each phone camera. If anything, the XR20 edges ahead a little in terms of detail, helped by its algorithms being optimised for edges and so text (on signs, here) comes very naturally. But again, the two photos are pretty close. The Nokia applies a bit more HDR, but this is a personal taste thing anyway...
Lumia 950 XL: 9 pts; Nokia XR20: 9 pts
Test 5: Distant detail, zoomed
The same scene, but again zoomed - using the 2x control in the Camera UI on the Nokia and approximately the same with a 'swipe zoom' on the Lumia.
You can grab the original zoomed photos from the Lumia 950 and Nokia XR20, for your own analysis.
To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia and then the Nokia, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Again the noise, artefacts, and even colours, are massacred by the horrible digital zoom on the Nokia XR20, while the Lumia doesn't do a brilliant job, but at least it's only having to do an extra 0.5x digital zoom beyond its rather good underlying RGB sensor.
But enough. No more zoom tests. Neither phone is up to it, if I'm honest!
Lumia 950 XL: 8 pts; Nokia XR20: 6 pts
Test 6: Indoor, fluorescent lights
A close subject (about 1 metre) under indoor lighting. Loads of label detail in my local supermarket. Starting to challenge the cameras. Here is the overall scene:
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 and Nokia XR20, for your own analysis.
To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia and then the Nokia, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Despite the suitability of the Nokia's processing for text and edges, I do prefer the detail on the Lumia. But then again, the label should be white and it's yellowed, creamier in the Lumia's shot. So honours even.
Lumia 950 XL: 9 pts; Nokia XR20: 9 pts
Test 7: Gloomy, low light
Inside an old church, with almost no lighting in the central area - and a lot darker than the phone cameras make out. Lots of gloomy corners and deep shadow. Here is the overall scene:
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 and Nokia XR20, for your own analysis.
To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia and then the Nokia, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
In fairness, the Nokia XR20 doesn't do a bad job, but if you look closely the PureView RGB oversampling on the Lumia 950 XL is better. The Nokia's image, at the pixel level, has more noise, more artefacts, and less genuine detail.
Lumia 950 XL: 9 pts; Nokia XR20: 8 pts
Test 8: Detail in darkness
One of my standard tests - in the altar area of the church, there's a plaque high up on the wall in deep shadow. To the naked eye, it's hard to read any of it. But hopefully phone imaging can come to the rescue. Here is the overall scene, not centred on the plaque (left), to give you some context of just how much I was challenging the phone cameras:
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 and Nokia XR20, for your own analysis.
To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia and then the Nokia, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
As before, the XR20's version has truck loads of edge enhancement and this suits the text, while making a bit of a mess of the lion and horse graphics. While the PureView Lumia does its usual good job. In fact, considering what I was asking, handheld, both phone cameras did pretty well - the Nokia doesn't have OIS either, but modern imaging chipsets seem able to merge short exposures, aligning details to stop any blur.
Lumia 950 XL: 9 pts; Nokia XR20: 8 pts
Test 9: Detail in darkness (take 2 - night mode)
The same scene, but this time trying out the XR20's 'Night mode' (it's suggested in the UI automatically). I'll leave the 950 image the same, for comparison. You can grab the original photo from the Nokia XR20, for your own analysis.
To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia and then the Nokia, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Unrealistic, but you have to give some credit to what modern 'night modes' can do on phone cameras. A full four second 'exposure', handheld, auto-aligned in about two seconds to give the crisp result above. Very useful - possibly!
Nokia XR20: 2 extra bonus points
Verdict
For the record, the scores add up as:
- Lumia 950 XL: 70 pts (/80)
- Nokia XR20: 66 pts
Unsurprisingly, the phone camera with the proper RGB sensor and oversampling won out over the 'modern' Quad Bayer system. Which I still don't like - on ANY phone. It's somewhat telling that the best Android phone cameras (zoom excepted) mainly have lower resolution 1:1 RGB sensors - think Pixel, think Sony, think quite a few Samsungs.
Having said that, the Nokia XR20's camera is perfectly fine if you're not looking for really high quality images at the pixel level. The image processing is designed to please the man in the street looking at the photo on the phone screen. But it's not a Nokia of-old. Sadly.