Among the phones with the best camera on the market, Xiaomi and Huawei compete strongly with two of their most powerful terminals. The first is the Huawei P40 Pro, presented months before the new Mi 10 Ultra. Both are in the Olympus of mobile photography, showing that you don’t have to go crazy with megapixels to get the best shots of the moment.
Today’s mobiles offer impressive photographic capabilities. Also, from time to time we are reminded that no more is better. Many of the current high-end already have sensors that exceed 100 megapixels. However, the P40 Pro has a 50 megapixel main camera , while the Mi 10 Ultra sports a 48 megapixel main sensor .
If we look at the cameras of both terminals in detail, we find very different bets on the two manufacturers:
Huawei P40 Pro cameras
Four rear sensors
- 50 megapixel primary sensor 1 / 1.28 ”f / 1.9 aperture equivalent to 23mm OIS
- Ultra wide angle of 40 megapixels 1 / 1.54 ”aperture f / 1.8 PDAF
- 12 megapixel 1 / 3.56 ”telephoto lens with f / 3.4 aperture equivalent to 125mm PDAF, OIS
- ToF 3D sensor
- LED flash
Dual front camera
- 32 megapixels f / 2.2 with AF
- ToF 3D sensor
Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra cameras
Four rear sensors
- 48 megapixel primary sensor 1 / 1.32 aperture f / 1.85 equivalent to 25mm PDAF, OIS
- 12 megapixel telephoto 1 / 2.56 aperture f / 2.0 equivalent 50mm AF
- 48 megapixel telephoto lens 1/2 aperture f / 4.1 equivalent 120mm PDAF, OIS
- 20 megapixel ultra wide angle 1 / 2.8 aperture f / 2.2 equivalent 12mm PDAF
- Dual Flash LED
Front camera
- 20 megapixels f / 2.3
The battle of zoom
In addition to number of sensors and megapixels, manufacturers are bragging about zoom capabilities. In this sense, both achieve a maximum optical zoom of 5X. However when the Mi 10 Ultra combines this capability with its software processing, it can achieve a 120X magnification . The Huawei P40 Pro reaches a maximum zoom of 50X, so it does not reach the levels of the Xiaomi terminal, although it does not need it either. In this sense, you may notice a certain difference between the processor work of Kirin and Qualcomm. In the photos below you can see the difference between the detail of both terminals when a 30X zoom is applied to the same image, as we see in the photos taken by DxOMark.
- P40 Pro
- Mi 10 Ultra
Video modes
There is a notable difference for video lovers, and it is that the Mi 10 Ultra is capable of capturing video in 8K resolution (4320p) at 24 fps , while the P40 Pro can record at 4K (2160p) at 60 fps, a capacity that It is also available on the Xiaomi device. The logical passage of time and the integration of the Snapdragon 865 are what make it possible to be one step above its rival. Huawei for its part has more worked the slow motion mode, with an ultra-slow-motion, which allows to achieve impressive video shots up to 7,680 frames per second, which means converting 0.12 seconds of video in 32 seconds. The Mi 10 Ultra for its part also has a similar mode, but only reaching 960 fps. All the video modes of both terminals are as follows:
Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra
Rear camera
- 8K at 24 fps
- 4K at 30 / 60fps
- 1080p at 30 / 60fps
- 720p at 30fps
Slow motion
- 1080 at 120fps / 240fps / 960fps
- 720p at 120fps / 240fps / 960fps
Frontal camera
- 1080p at 30fps
- 720p at 30fps
Slow motion
- 720p at 120fps
Huawei P40 Pro
Rear camera
- 4K at 30 / 60fps
- 1080p at 30 / 60fps
- 720p at 60fps
Slow motion
- 1080 to 960fps
- 720p at 7,680fps
Frontal camera
- 4k at 30/60 fps
- 1,080 at 30 / 60fps
Is there a winner?
It is difficult to say conclusively that one of the two phones is better than the other in the photographic section . Keep in mind that the P40 Pro has more travel, while the Mi 10 Ultra has just landed on the Chinese market and furthermore, we may never be able to test its capabilities in our market. If we take into account the results of DxoMark, the Mi 10 Ultra is the best mobile on the market at the moment, since it has dethroned the P40 Pro with its 130 points compared to the 128 points of the Huawei terminal, which until now reigned in what higher. We do not know if it will be something temporary, since we remember that Huawei has yet to present the new Mate 40, where a new leap in the photographic section is expected with respect to the P40 family.