Late last month, Huawei unveiled its flagship smartphone for the first half of 2019 — the P30 Pro. The phone comes with a new 40MP SuperSpectrum sensor with RYYB sub-pixel layout for improved low-light imaging performance. This new sensor is coupled with OIS and a wider f/1.6 aperture. A combination of these improvements makes the P30 Pro an absolutely low-light camera beast, with its performance being notably ahead of the iPhone XS.

The Google Pixel 3 was handily beating the iPhone XS in low-light imaging performance with its Night Sight mode. The Huawei P30 Pro, however, is in a different league altogether. Its camera can literally see in the dark and it makes the iPhone XS low-light photos look downright embarrassing.

What’s even more impressive is that the Huawei P30 Pro quad-camera setup offers a level of versatility that’s unmatched by the iPhone XS. The 20MP ultra-wide angle shooter let’s one capture scenes with a whole new perspective, while the 5x optical and 10x hybrid zoom on the P30 Pro let’s one capture photos that were simply not possible before from a smartphone.

This does not mean the Huawei P30 Pro’s camera is perfect. The video recording capabilities of the phone are not as good as the iPhone XS and the camera’s dynamic range is not up to the mark as well. The iPhone XS also manages to capture realistic photos, while the P30 Pro’s color reproduction is completely off the mark. The iPhone XS also manages to take better Portrait photos than the P30 Pro. Even the front 32MP camera of the Huawei P30 Pro leaves a lot to be desired, with relatively poor dynamic range and color reproduction.

Interestingly, as the comparison video above shows, the ultra-wide angle shooter on the P30 Pro is not as wide as the Galaxy S10 which is able to capture more details.

Overall, it looks like the P30 Pro manages to set a new benchmark for low-light smartphone imaging but it comes with its own set of compromises. The dynamic range of the camera is simply not as good as the iPhone XS or the Galaxy S10 and its color reproduction leaves a lot to be desired.

We Want to Hear From You

What do you think about the P30 Pro’s camera performance? Are you willing to trade in a bit of dynamic range and color reproduction for better low-light photos and videos? Do you think Apple really needs to step up in the camera department?