General Initial impressions & photo samples (CN ROM) - Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra

I've used my new Mi 11 Ultra (CN rom) for over 48 hours now and just wanted to say I'm very impressed so far. It's the first time I've used a Xiaomi device in over a decade and I previously had a Huawei P40 Pro for over a year. I ordered mine from TradingShenzhen and it took 9 days in total to land on my doorstep.
Screen: Amazing. Bright in sunlight, sharp, clear and just what you'd expect from an E4 screen. They weren't kidding when they said it can max out at 1700 nits if you really wanted to set it to that. Doesn't use a LTPO panel like the S21 Ultra does which would've made it even more power efficient but I suppose you can't have everything. Also, I wouldn't call the secondary screen a gimmick, but its features are certainly very limited at present so I've just put the default clock on and left it there.
Performance: Very fast. 12GB of LPDDR5 and the cooling system seem to be doing their job well as I remember Xiaomi pointing out that the SD888 runs hot on a lot of other devices in the market during their launch event.
I ran some benchmarks as shown below for curiosity and couldn't be happier with the numbers I was able to bench on it. I know real-world situations are more important but it's interesting to see the scores imho. I don't play a lot of games but I am a heavy social media user as well as happen to use my phone for work, so I do appreciate how snappy and quick everything is.
Cameras: One of the best I've seen to date, but sometimes I've noticed it's still not always consistent and reliable. Nonetheless the mains sensor captures a lot of detail due to its sensor size in almost all scenarios. You do get a really good natural bokeh effect too when shooting subjects up close, the ultrawide angle is incredibly wide at 12mm and Night mode shots are probably the best I've seen so far. The zoom is really great even though 10x optical would've been nice to have (even night mode zoom shots are decent due to its IMX586's 1/2" sensor size).
My housemate has an iPhone 12 Pro Max and I've found her phone to just be a bit more reliable and consistent. Occasionally I need to manually turn on HDR mode too as the AI won't toggle that on or maybe I'm just used to my previous phone's 'scene optimizer' feature automatically doing that for me and this behaviour of the Mi 11 Ultra is intended.
Another thing I've noticed is that camera module itself seems to get hot easily even just from taking photos. I'm not referring to taking shots back-to-back constantly or even recording videos and the shutter speed seems to have some minor 'lag' to it too which is hard to describe which is a bit annoying.
I'm hoping some software updates and optimizations will address this issue as we are still on very early firmware where none of the recent builds have specifically mentioned camera improvements from what I've noticed.
Call reception/signal: LTE, 5G and cellular speeds seem superior to my Huawei P40 Pro and when I try putting in my SIM to an IPhone 12 Pro Max, I get higher download speeds than that too. VOLTE and WiFi calling all working as intended for my carrier (EE).
Battery life: I still haven't fully stress tested it properly but the 5000mAh battery is looking good so far. Easily 7-8 hours (YMMV) SOT with 120hz, but at FHD+ due to personal preference. I didn't buy the official Xiaomi 67w wired charger as I already have a working 65w PD 3.0 from Amazon instead which works well (got over 75% in 30mins).
Build quality/feel: Love the ceramic rear back which you don't find on most flagships nowadays and even though it weighs a hefty 239g, it just screams quality to me as I'm used to big phones even though I have medium-sized hands. The camera bump is big and it's definitely going to be a dealbreaker or dealmaker for those who either like or dislike the look. I personally don't mind it since it's so unique looking.
Overall impressions: I'm a happy user (and customer!) and look forward to a couple of software updates which I hope will iron out a few issues/bugs I've encountered. The global version would've been cool to have but after spending several hours debloating, customizing and getting used to MIUI 12, it feels great and I've got no problems staying with the CN ROM since my carrier's bands are all supported on it and Google Pay is working too.
What I like
+ Beautiful and bright Samsung E4 panel with 120hz support
+ One of the faster SD888 phones out there with less throttling problems
+ First device to use the new Samsung GN2 main sensor and it captures so much detail
+ A huge battery with support for aftermarket PD 3.0 charging (I used a RavPower 65w charger)
+ Looks and smells premium and solid all-round with the Ceramic rear back and Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and back
+ MIUI 12 on the whole and its stock launcher is very speedy - I didn't need to replace it with Nova in the end
What I dislike
- Some annoying bugs/issues which I hope will be fixed soon: camera shutter button lags sometimes, the camera gets very hot quickly, my WiFi automatically goes to sleep after I turn off the screen despite turning off all battery optimization and restrictions under battery and app management settings and I can't record videos in the self-view of the secondary rear screen
- No 10x optical zoom (120x shouldn't be taken too seriously) - the 10x hybrid is still more than good enough for the most part
- Photos taken from the ultrawide's edges and corners are a bit soft and there's slightly more barrel distortion compared to my Huawei P40 Pro as well as my housemate's iPhone 12 Pro Max
- CN ROM had more junk than I expected - I had to use ADB/Fastboot Tools and SDK Platform Tools to debloat my phone and check which apps/processes were safe to remove and which were not
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Thanks for your initial review. How reliable is Xiaomi for updates - especially the camera lag & heating up of the cam module? Those are serious enough issues.

Thanks!
Can you please share sample images in 2X zoom?
I can't find any. I loved the 50mm lens on the Mi 10 Pro and was wondering how well this camera handles 2X.
Thanks!!!

shethsa said:
Thanks for your initial review. How reliable is Xiaomi for updates - especially the camera lag & heating up of the cam module? Those are serious enough issues.
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I've gotten about 3 updates since I bought it, mainly UI improvements and a few other quality of life changes. I'm also on the April 2021 Security patch already so I'm very happy with the pace so far.
The camera lag isn't too bad, I may have made it sound worse than it is as it doesn't always happen and seems to more of an animation/UI stutter than anything as it does end up taking the photo anyway.

Thanks for the thoughts. Great stuff.
The "shutter lag" has been discussed in a few videos, seems as you thought. It's an animation issue, the camera is actually taking the pictures quick enough.
Is there any other UK Sims you can try? Interested if the likes of ID and SKY will work with WiFi calling etc as they are the most limited usually.
Cheers.

mgbosshogg said:
Thanks for the thoughts. Great stuff.
The "shutter lag" has been discussed in a few videos, seems as you thought. It's an animation issue, the camera is actually taking the pictures quick enough.
Is there any other UK Sims you can try? Interested if the likes of ID and SKY will work with WiFi calling etc as they are the most limited usually.
Cheers.
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Click to collapse
Yes, you're right. The lag I'm seeing is not too much of a dealbreaker as I'm sure it can be fixed via an update.
I have a Vodafone UK SIM from my work iPhone I've tried it with too. Unfortunately, I don't get VOLTE or 4G+/LTE no matter what settings I try but I do get VOWIFI and 5G on it. It might be because of the firmware/modem settings from what I've heard which stops me from getting 4G+/LTE.
I also tried a BT SIM too but as that piggybacks on to EE's network, I do get VOLTE, VOWiFi, 4G+/LTE without any issues.

galr said:
Thanks!
Can you please share sample images in 2X zoom?
I can't find any. I loved the 50mm lens on the Mi 10 Pro and was wondering how well this camera handles 2X.
Thanks!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here you go. I deliberately took the last two photos in those lighting conditions to see how it'd behave.

1x, 2x
1x, 5x, 10x

Thank you so much!!
That's interesting. So I guess it does not bin the pixels when using 2X?
The resolution is also 12mp for the 2X zoom so either they crop from the binned original image and then upscale, or the don't bin the pixels and then shrink the image or something..
Looks good. I order mine today.
Thanks again
Edit: I also noticed in the flowers image that the DOF is not as shallow in 2x compared to 1x. That's good.

galr said:
Thank you so much!!
That's interesting. So I guess it does not bin the pixels when using 2X?
The resolution is also 12mp for the 2X zoom so either they crop from the binned original image and then upscale, or the don't bin the pixels and then shrink the image or something..
Looks good. I order mine today.
Thanks again
Edit: I also noticed in the flowers image that the DOF is not as shallow in 2x compared to 1x. That's good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll take some more shots when I go outside as well.

galr said:
Thank you so much!!
That's interesting. So I guess it does not bin the pixels when using 2X?
The resolution is also 12mp for the 2X zoom so either they crop from the binned original image and then upscale, or the don't bin the pixels and then shrink the image or something..
Looks good. I order mine today.
Thanks again
Edit: I also noticed in the flowers image that the DOF is not as shallow in 2x compared to 1x. That's good.
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Click to collapse
Added a couple more samples.

kyero985 said:
Added a couple more samples.
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Click to collapse
Thanks again!

kyero985 said:
Added a couple more samples.
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Click to collapse
Brilliant. Thanks.

I took some various shots around town today.
Auto settings and AI mode enabled as before but this time I'm on 12.5.4 CN stable. I'm very happy with the results and can't wait for even more camera improvements.
0.5x
1x
5x
10x
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40x

@kyero985
Hi, I've the Pro version and was debloating like yourself, have you managed to get Hey Google to work? Not sure if I disabled anything for it to be greyed out but works fine if you click on the microphone icon.
Also are you staying on the cn rom?

wilpang said:
@kyero985
Hi, I've the Pro version and was debloating like yourself, have you managed to get Hey Google to work? Not sure if I disabled anything for it to be greyed out but works fine if you click on the microphone icon.
Also are you staying on the cn rom?
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Click to collapse
Heya, I don't know as I don't like using voice assistants in general I'm afraid, so I actually got rid of that as part of my debloating spree.
Yes, I'll be staying on the CN ROM because it tends to receive OTA stable (and even stable beta) updates quicker. I don't want to worry about the unlocking, flashing and other update processes as I'd rather keep it simple even if the weekly EU ROM for instance has extra features and quality of life improvements. I'm very happy with my SOT and battery life now that I've removed everything I don't want on my phone now

kyero985 said:
Heya, I don't know as I don't like using voice assistants in general I'm afraid, so I actually got rid of that as part of my debloating spree.
Yes, I'll be staying on the CN ROM because it tends to receive OTA stable (and even stable beta) updates quicker. I don't want to worry about the unlocking, flashing and other update processes as I'd rather keep it simple even if the weekly EU ROM for instance has extra features and quality of life improvements. I'm very happy with my SOT and battery life now that I've removed everything I don't want on my phone now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know what you mean, had the same amount updates as yourself on 12.5.4 or something like that just trying to get everything the way I like as per my last Oneplus device.

Can you guys confirm that Mi 11 Pro also has Dxomark camera update ? That the main sensor is same as ultra ? I've heard that software is different. Even though the main sensor is same.

OPOmaniac said:
Can you guys confirm that Mi 11 Pro also has Dxomark camera update ? That the main sensor is same as ultra ? I've heard that software is different. Even though the main sensor is same.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There has been a comparison here pre update

A sample of picture taken in lowlight direct facing light source. You can see the text behind

Related

Nexus 5 is the best camera phone you will ever own, and heres why.

Right, so with a bold statement like "the nexus 5 is the best camera you have ever owned" you probably think i'm completely crazy. But I would like to try and see if I can explain why I made such a statement in the first place. With many of you mentioning how the camera doesn't measure up to other phones on the market and comments discrediting it all over the forum I though I needed to point out a few things.
1) The image stabilization is amazing. Literally stunning. Having recently been to see Bring me the horizon I decided to use the phone to take a few photos and some video of the gig. Now while the nexus 5 may not be the only phone on the market with good OIS it is most definitely one of the best. Have a look at some of the videos below, all were filmed completely hand held, and while the audio may be poor (ill get to this later) it is still a very good image considering the conditions.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/evPUs6pIeW0
http://www.youtube.com/embed/K2u-gR-XLVc
2) Low light performance is amazing too. Many people have compared this to the photos from the HTC One, and iPhone 5 saying that the Nexus 5 doesn't bring out enough light in certain areas and that the colours are off, but if you look at it properly and check the colours you find that the Nexus 5 produces much sharper, less over saturated and less hazy night time shots. Some people like the over-saturated look but honestly from the point of view of a photographer, your better to take a 'flat' image from the phone and edit it than try and edit a poor image from the HTC One. Of course I will admit the Lumia 1020 blows any other phone out of the water, but its hardly a fair fight..
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Although the G2 appears brighter in this image, the nexus 5 still wins on colour accuracy, that is however subject to opinion.
3) The Nexus 5 is aimed with amateur photographers in mind. The little ring around the back camera, yep that glass bit. Its magnetic which makes for very easy mounting of mobile extension lenses, this coupled with the very powerful new image editing tool in the gallery seems to hint that Google want to help you get more out of your photos. More importantly the editor is now non destructive, meaning you can undo all changes and get your original image back very easily. :good:
4) Nexus 5 images are a editors dream (when it comes to smartphones anyway). As mentioned above the Nexus 5 creates almost reference style images it makes editing, colour correction, exposure correction amazing and camera software updates on the way and a few improved camera apps in the play store, it can out put some very detailed near RAW quality images which a a joy to edit, not some of the over processed rubbish the iphone 5 and HTC output.
5) The aperture, while only being f2.4 it is still a reasonably wide aperture which means that it can do lovely close ups and in good lighting conditions its better than most point and shoot cameras. The camera is very sharp when compared to many other and while some people may say that the videos and photos in low light can get a little grainy but I think its at an acceptable level.
Sound quality, now although above I said the sound quality was poor, under normal conditions it performs very well, the problem in my videos was that I was at Brixton O2 and they have a 9000w audio system (for comparison your average disco is around 2500w) and this is made worse by me being stood three meters away from the subs.
Shutter lag, something I forgot when first writing this, is completely software based, many of the free camera apps on the play store fix this issue and I am sure goggle will fix this with an update soon!
So what im really trying to say is...
The Nexus 5 is the phone Google are branding as a way to keep memories, right from the first ad its has been sold as the phone to document life with and I think it really does a good job of that, yes the photos aren't DSLR standard but thats not what its about, its about making sure you get the shot, that memory captured to keep with you. I think the real ethos of the nexus 5 is the phone for life, and in that sense I think it does an amazing job.
But really the most important thing to remember is that
The best camera in the world is the one that you have on you at the time!​
You didn't address the long focus times and terrible shutter lag. Thanks for your effort but you are not convincing me of anything. You should also change your title to reflect if taking pictures of non moving objects only because anything that moves won't stay still long enough for the N5 to focus and actually snap the picture.
Your title also does not reflect your statement below either:
Of course I will admit the Lumia 1020 blows any other phone out of the water, but its hardly a fair fight..
-Reserved-
Please, post your opinions along with your own photos and videos taken with the nexus 5
User Photos
afraaa said:
i also wonder how ppl complaining ... in low light its awesome .. pictures are talking here and other review sites look here and see how nexus 5 beats iphone 5s s !!
it alos awesome on focus picturing : see for yourself and then you will ocnvinced
http://narenji.ir/sites/default/files/uploaded/pw/2528/2013/11/Google-Nexus-5-narenji-20131105.jpg
http://narenji.ir/sites/default/files/uploaded/pw/2528/2013/11/Apple-iPhone-5s-narenji-20131105.jpg
and also its about colors .nexus 5 has better natural colors :
http://narenji.ir/sites/default/files/uploaded/pw/2528/2013/11/Google-Nexus-5-narenji-20131105_0.jpg
http://narenji.ir/sites/default/fil...013/11/Apple-iPhone-5s-narenji-20131105_0.jpg
http://narenji.ir/sites/default/files/uploaded/pw/2528/2013/11/Google-Nexus-5-narenji-20131105_3.jpg
http://narenji.ir/sites/default/fil...013/11/Apple-iPhone-5s-narenji-20131105_3.jpg
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[email protected] said:
You didn't address the long focus times and terrible shutter lag.
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Click to collapse
Shutter lag, something I forgot when first writing this, is completely software based, many of the free camera apps on the play store fix this issue and I am sure goggle will fix this with an update soon!
thanks for reminding me
I would also say thats not true, moving objects are not a huge problem its the focusing which again is only a massive problem if your taking photos of something very fast moving like sports, I also think this is easily fixed with software updates
Oli1122 said:
Shutter lag, something I forgot when first writing this, is completely software based, many of the free camera apps on the play store fix this issue and I am sure goggle will fix this with an update soon!
thanks for reminding me
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I am yet to find a 3rd party app that fixes the issue. So far they all have some kind of issue of their own.
Until we see a fix from Google this is how the camera is acting today and any review or opinion should based on current usage and not in the hopes of an update. No one knows when Google will fix this if they can fix it at all.
[email protected] said:
I am yet to find a 3rd party app that fixes the issue. So far they all have some kind of issue of their own.
Until we see a fix from Google this is how the camera is acting today and any review or opinion should based on current usage and not in the hopes of an update. No one knows when Google will fix this if they can fix it at all.
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Google are working on a fix to come out soon apparently but until then ive been using the Moto X camera apk much faster and generally much better. Another solution is to record a video and then tap the screen for instant photos. Once done just delete the video
nfl46 said:
I'm not sure why I started laughing while reading the OP's post. I thought they were being sarcastic, but they are really serious.:highfive:
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Click to collapse
Yep, im serious
Oli1122 said:
Shutter lag, something I forgot when first writing this, is completely software based, many of the free camera apps on the play store fix this issue and I am sure goggle will fix this with an update soon!
thanks for reminding me
I would also say thats not true, moving objects are not a huge problem its the focusing which again is only a massive problem if your taking photos of something very fast moving like sports, I also think this is easily fixed with software updates
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you think the camera only has problems capturing fast moving things like sports you did not really use your camera enough to write up your opinion article here. lol
Not saying the camera can't be fixed with software, I am just saying you can't review the camera based on an if Google updates it. When Google updates it, you can then update your review to reflect the update. Until then your review should be a tell all of the camera today for people who might be deciding on the N5 not what might be later on.
If you can't tell I am extremely annoyed at the camera on the N5 and Google for releasing it like this. lol
I've been using the MotoX APK and getting great quality pictures, very little lag and overall a much better experience. If I need HDR then I will use the stock camera. Focus time and lag shouldn't matter in HDR anyway since it's not moving.
[email protected] said:
If you think the camera only has problems capturing fast moving things like sports you did not really use your camera enough to write up your opinion article here. lol
Not saying the camera can't be fixed with software, I am just saying you can't review the camera based on an if Google updates it. When Google updates it, you can then update your review to reflect the update. Until then your review should tell all of the camera today for people who might be deciding on the N5.
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My review is based on what ive experienced with it so far with the stock camera app and im not guessing at what Google will fix or wont fix, ive used the camera in very different conditions and only found a problem with very fast moving subjects, but its not a massive problem and can be solved with other camera apps that are available now for free. I don't see your problem?
Oli1122 said:
My review is based on what ive experienced with it so far with the stock camera app and im not guessing at what Google will fix or wont fix, ive used the camera in very different conditions and only found a problem with very fast moving subjects, but its not a massive problem and can be solved with other camera apps that are available now for free. I don't see your problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please tell me what camera apps will help me right now because currently I cannot get any picture of my kid on my phone because he does not like to pose like a flower or a building. I am always willing to listen and have tried a few apps on the Play Store that need to be updated for the N5.
[email protected] said:
Please tell me what camera apps will help me right now because currently I cannot get any picture of my kid on my phone because he does not like to pose like a flower or a building. I am always willing to listen and have tried a few apps on the Play Store that need to be updated for the N5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like I said try the MotoX apk, does a much better job than the stock one in most everything but video and HDR+
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2380199
Oli1122 said:
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Click to collapse
Based on the samples the camera does seem very capable (albeit with high level of inconsistency), but it's dynamic range is subpar. Look how much clipping is going on, nothing burned out on the 5S photo while mustache fella's body is clipped all over the place. I guess that's more of a lens issue than sensor, but I do not like that in normal condition (non HDR) you rarely see a photo without clipping.
Certainly is the best in it's price range. I don't expect the best camera in a 350€ phone, but it's very good for what I need it. If I need to take quality pictures, I have my nikon dslr, which blows any phone out of the water anyway.
BoneXDA said:
Based on the samples the camera does seem very capable (albeit with high level of inconsistency), but it's dynamic range is subpar. Look how much clipping is going on, nothing burned out on the 5S photo while mustache fella's body is clipped all over the place. I guess that's more of a lens issue than sensor, but I do not like that in normal condition (non HDR) you rarely see a photo without clipping.
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Click to collapse
Yes, you make very good points, I also think its good that it has good dynamic range and optics rather than amazing colours as you can edit those in post. You cant change physical factors like lenses in post. :good:
BoneXDA said:
Based on the samples the camera does seem very capable (albeit with high level of inconsistency), but it's dynamic range is subpar. Look how much clipping is going on, nothing burned out on the 5S photo while mustache fella's body is clipped all over the place. I guess that's more of a lens issue than sensor, but I do not like that in normal condition (non HDR) you rarely see a photo without clipping.
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Click to collapse
Exactly, if you look at the N5 versus the others you will notice on both Finn and Jake there are overexposed, blown out portions you don't find on the others. This was a problem with the HTC One as well in my testing.
I am just hopeful Google releases a real fix, not some BS excuse for a camera fix. Having come from the HTC One I am happy with the overall quality of the N5's camera with the following caveats - most photos have to be shot in HDR+ and forget about pics of moving kids. I've actually been doing what was suggested earlier - take video and then quick tap the screen to take many single frames, keep the best. The one issue is if you do want to keep the video it stutters everywhere you took a photo - what the hell is with that!?
To the OP - I applaud your courage to buck the trend and make this review. Everyone's opinion counts!
Oli1122 said:
Yes, you make very good points, I also think its good that it has good dynamic range and optics rather than amazing colours as you can edit those in post. You cant change physical factors like lenses in post. :good:
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lol, you didn't address any points brought up in the post you quoted. The dynamic range of the Nexus 5 SUCKS, waaaaaaaay to many highlights blown out, and you can't fix all of it in PP from my experiences.
And for action shots, FORGET ABOUT IT, its a nightmare in frustration. Too slow to load, too slow to focus, unbelievable shutter lag. By the time the picture is taken, the moment is long gone. Unlike other people who say the camera is fine, I don't just take pictures of inanimate objects.
Face it, the only reason you made this post is that you're justifying to yourself that the camera is good
Oli1122 said:
Like I said try the MotoX apk, does a much better job than the stock one in most everything but video and HDR+
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2380199
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Click to collapse
So this camera seems to only take pictures in 1920x1080 (2MP) and is only about 300KB in size. Is there a way to change these settings?
That can also be why the shutter might seem quicker?
flippingout said:
Exactly, if you look at the N5 versus the others you will notice on both Finn and Jake there are overexposed, blown out portions you don't find on the others. This was a problem with the HTC One as well in my testing.
I am just hopeful Google releases a real fix, not some BS excuse for a camera fix. Having come from the HTC One I am happy with the overall quality of the N5's camera with the following caveats - most photos have to be shot in HDR+ and forget about pics of moving kids. I've actually been doing what was suggested earlier - take video and then quick tap the screen to take many single frames, keep the best. The one issue is if you do want to keep the video it stutters everywhere you took a photo - what the hell is with that!?
To the OP - I applaud your courage to buck the trend and make this review. Everyone's opinion counts!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. Im trying to change the way people view it. I think we go in to these camera comparisons looking for the wrong thing. After all these are mobile phones not DSLRs so if you want amazing photography go buy a camera, I just think the Nexus 5 has several tactical advantages that make it slightly better for documenting life than many others, the few miner problems appear to be basic software stuff.
walie said:
lol, you didn't address any points brought up in the post you quoted. The dynamic range of the Nexus 5 SUCKS, waaaaaaaay to many highlights blown out, and you can't fix all of it in PP from my experiences.
And for action shots, FORGET ABOUT IT, its a nightmare in frustration. Too slow to load, too slow to focus, unbelievable shutter lag. By the time the picture is taken, the moment is long gone. Unlike other people who say the camera is fine, I don't just take pictures of inanimate objects.
Face it, the only reason you made this post is that you're justifying to yourself that the camera is good
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Click to collapse
No, im more than happy with my purchase, much more than happy. My phone is for android and the occasional photo, if i want to take pictures I use my 5D III, im not stupid. Im simply making this because I believe Google have the right idea.
Oli1122 said:
Thank you. Im trying to change the way people view it. I think we go in to these camera comparisons looking for the wrong thing. After all these are mobile phones not DSLRs so if you want amazing photography go buy a camera, I just think the Nexus 5 has several tactical advantages that make it slightly better for documenting life than many others, the few miner problems appear to be basic software stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are claiming the Nexus 5 is the best camera phone we will ever own. No one here is expecting DSLR quality but if I am going to snap a picture when I am out, at this point I am grabbing my wifes HTC One and snapping away.
Maybe after a software update my mind will change but for now, the camera is to slow. Not saying the pictures are bad, it is just waaaaaaay to slow for my needs.
If I want DLSR quality photo's I will use my Nikon but I do want to be able to capture pictures with my phone other then flowers.

[Discussion] Improve Camera Quality

Hello. So, there has been a confusion on how to capture better photos and videos on Nexus 5. With the introduction of Android Lollipop we have the option to shoot RAW photos (which is basically the same as before, with the difference being that the image is not compressed or processed), and also we got a great app which is called L Camera..
L Camera was a great alternative for those who wanted to squeeze out as much as Nexus 5's camera has to offer. We even got to shoot at 1080p/60fps(although it was never fixed to work properly) and a resolution very close to 4K.
I hoped that since Google unlocked all this power for us with Lollipop, Marshmallow was going to bring even better stuff on the table. This does not seem to be the case though.
So, right now we are basically stuck in terms of camera options. The L Camera has been outdated, problematic and unsupported for quite some while now and Google's stock camera is still really bad.
How do you feel about all this guys? Have you found any better camera app than L Camera that works on Marshmallow? Are you building something yourselves? (maybe and improved version of L Camera)
Let's discuss this!
There is this "Manual Camera", "Camera FV-5", and "Open Camera"
This may sound strange, but the Marshmallow stock camera app (which has been updated via the play store after M was released) is far better than that of Lollipop. I have found that it is far faster to respond (both focusing and the shutter), and handles low light much better (including with HDR). The auto white balance is much improved, too. The controls are more convenient than they were on Lollipop. This was a big surprise. One day, after routine updates, the camera just became much better!
True, it is no SLR, but whereas the photos I got from the Nexus 5 on Lollipop were mostly unusable except for viewing on another phone, now I get decent shots that I am not embarrassed to post online.
I use Proshot, really great camera app.
Skickat från min Nexus 5 via Tapatalk
jshames said:
This may sound strange, but the Marshmallow stock camera app (which has been updated via the play store after M was released) is far better than that of Lollipop. I have found that it is far faster to respond (both focusing and the shutter), and handles low light much better (including with HDR). The auto white balance is much improved, too. The controls are more convenient than they were on Lollipop. This was a big surprise. One day, after routine updates, the camera just became much better!
True, it is no SLR, but whereas the photos I got from the Nexus 5 on Lollipop were mostly unusable except for viewing on another phone, now I get decent shots that I am not embarrassed to post online.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got to agree. I notice especially low light performance has improved greatly on the stock camera app on marshmallow. Not sure what Google has done but good job on them for doing it. It still responses like crap and lags some times but if the pictures are better I am all for it.
Stock app is much better its what I call serviceable now. I always knew the Nexus 5s camera was capable but poor software always held it back. Sad to see it took almost 3 years after it launched to become capable.
Open camera is also a great app and 100% free and open source
The best choice is to shoot DNG and then use lightroom for android
I'm a Brazilian without English Course, sorry and be comprehensive
The lens is prone to gather grease from you fingers causing a hazy streaky look. I always bring a microfiber cloth to clean it off before shooting.
There isnt a proper RAW color profile available so it takes work to get images to pop like the JPEGs do. One of these days I'l generate one, it requires shooting a colorchecker chart outside in clear mid-day.
I haven't taken much pictures with it but this one.
I have a 6S and iPhone 5, I had lost my iPhone 5 out of stupidity. I wanted a cheap replacement and heard good things about the nexus, I had already tried the Galaxy s5 and htc one m8 so might as well kill 2 birds with one stone a good cheap phone and a chance to try out the nexus 5. Very impressed so far, very smooth. Runs much smoother then the galaxies I had. Ran me $160 CAD and it's unlocked
I decided to take a picture last night with the nexus. Came out amazing, took some other low lighting shots in my room and compared it to my 6s and it isn't that bad to be completely honest much better then my s5, Note edge and htc in low lighting.
The N5 is terrible for general photography esp low-light. Only my iPhone 5S is worse in low-light situations lol.
RazorMC said:
The N5 is terrible for general photography esp low-light. Only my iPhone 5S is worse in low-light situations lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's even worse than a dedicated camera. But you can improve things by processing RAWs:
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---------- Post added at 07:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:07 PM ----------
Here's a daylight example of a processed RAW:
RoadToNever said:
It's even worse than a dedicated camera. But you can improve things by processing RAWs:
---------- Post added at 07:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:07 PM ----------
Here's a daylight example of a processed RAW:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
RAW and post-editing kind of defeats the entire purpose of point-and-shoot. The first pic is really amazing with the amount of detail and clarity. The second one has too much grain for my liking. Takes me back to those Nokia cameraphones from yesteryears lol
But MM has really improved cam quality if the user knows how to use the manual settings. I've got better results with Camera FV-5 than with any other app.
RazorMC said:
RAW and post-editing kind of defeats the entire purpose of point-and-shoot. The first pic is really amazing with the amount of detail and clarity. The second one has too much grain for my liking. Takes me back to those Nokia cameraphones from yesteryears lol
But MM has really improved cam quality if the user knows how to use the manual settings. I've got better results with Camera FV-5 than with any other app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, RAW isn't user friendly, but this is thread about camera quality The second pic is really pushing it. It was a very dimly lit venue, a challenge for any camera. But offline processing allows much more sophisticated algorithms. Normally that shot would either be underexposed or at best a smoothed out, waxy-looking mess.
RoadToNever said:
Yes, RAW isn't user friendly, but this is thread about camera quality The second pic is really pushing it. It was a very dimly lit venue, a challenge for any camera. But offline processing allows much more sophisticated algorithms. Normally that shot would either be underexposed or at best a smoothed out, waxy-looking mess.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, but that means instant sharing is out of the question. And many people would be uncomfortable processing pics just so some distant grandma "Likes" it on Fb.
Everytime i take low-light shots, I remember my trusty N73 with its huge LED flash and N82 with xenon.
How would you say we can make the best use of HDR on our N5 with 3rd party apps? And does it really work?
RazorMC said:
True, but that means instant sharing is out of the question. And many people would be uncomfortable processing pics just so some distant grandma "Likes" it on Fb.
Everytime i take low-light shots, I remember my trusty N73 with its huge LED flash and N82 with xenon.
How would you say we can make the best use of HDR on our N5 with 3rd party apps? And does it really work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a simple checklist I go through when processing raw photos: exposure, white balance and NR if needed. I rarely need anything else so for a single shot I'm normally done in less than a minute. Raw converters offer many options which can seem overwhelming for the novice, but there's nothing to it if you stick to the most important ones. OTOH if you are working on an uncalibrated monitor there's a small chance are you might be making things worse color-wise. I don't do HDR, sorry.
Snap camera? I threw it under system/apps, changed the name to camera2.apk and even the power button hot key works.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
"A better camera" super mode do the job very well in any light conditions.
But going manual pays it in certain situations.
https://flic.kr/p/v3nAd3
I'm a Brazilian without English Course, sorry and be comprehensive
prog19 said:
"A better camera" super mode do the job very well in any light conditions.
But going manual pays it in certain situations.
https://flic.kr/p/v3nAd3
I'm a Brazilian without English Course, sorry and be comprehensive
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm enjoying "A Better Camera" too. It's really simple to use and produces nice photos. But I still prefer Camera FV-5 over it when I need manual setings.
prog19 said:
The best choice is to shoot DNG and then use lightroom for android
I'm a Brazilian without English Course, sorry and be comprehensive
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lightroom can now take raw pictures with our N5
onesolo said:
lightroom can now take raw pictures with our N5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And output any dng to full resolution.
The sad thing about LR is the import picture method
I'm a Brazilian without English Course, sorry and be comprehensive

Leave a Review of your Honor 9 Lite to Win a Google Home Mini

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Honor has recently been putting out some great new phones. Their budget lineup currently consists of the Honor 7X and the Honor 9 Lite. The Honor 7X is one of our favorite budget phones right now, and has even become the best selling phone in the Amazon unlocked phones category. The Honor 9 Lite has just recently launched in India and is quickly gaining traction due to its super low price.
If you own either of these phones, this is your chance to win a Google Home Mini. Leave a short review in the comments of this article, detailing what your thoughts are on your phone so far. Talk about the camera, performance, battery life, display quality, or anything that you feel is noteworthy.
Honor listens closely to the XDA community and takes your opinions seriously, so now is your chance to tell them what you think. We will pick one lucky reviewer to win a Google Home Mini!
A beauty behold !
It's been eight days I BOUGHT it
USED it for alot of time until now.
COLOR is Midnight Black (personally wanted this, although other colors were tempting too)
Things that necessarily require mentions:
Network Bands (4g,3g,2g)
The network strength is perfectly fine, the signal doesn't fool. It correctly takes the receptivity to the exact extent needed, you wont loose any even in remote areas. If an iphone user has a network strength like one bit in his notification bar, you too are having surely. So, here network isn't a problem with this phone.
The Weight
In today world, we could be of carrying any weights, but when it comes to the phones, the weight really matters. If it's above 180g, boy, take it in written, so much pain in hand, soo much when talking calls, soo much in holding it straight infront. Soo much in pocket too. This phone instead is only 149g, which is excellently lightweight. The utmost benefit would be for people who waited for a phone which had good specs and stands equal to others of its range aswell. For the lightweight phones preferring people, finally the wait is over
Body Built
A strong phone doesnt mean an awesome phone. A weak phone doesnt mean poor quality. Firstly, one should know there is no such thing like strong or weak in phones of major brands. It is purely specs that decide to the needs of people and make phones accordingly. This phone has Severely flaunting looks. Totally an eye catcher. The glass back is soo beautiful & makes you want to look at it rather than looking at the screen most of the time
Display Screen
The 18:9 ratio is more than you can ask for in this phone. I mean, you are getting a 428ppi screen, what more do you want expect that huge clarity and detail in this price range and phone screen This looks more crisp than the any other budget phones, i guarantee you baby, its 428ppi, you donno how good the screen gets when its 428. Most of the phones were 403ppi and looked already good enough. This is much better now.
Platform
You are not in line, like before a person or after a person. You are right next to each other, like holding hands. Which means, you are in such a thing called " Happiness comes in all sizes and quantities :victory:." Because, its HiSilicon Kirin 659 in all the phones of the honor budget class range. Which would benefit you highly in performing without causing any complexities. Games are good to play, if one knows how to tweak better, then it's kickass
Memory
4GB and 64GB, is more than enough and perfect. You wont require more for this processor and budget.
Camera
This is the core purpose of this phone. Damn, the photos are soo good, sooooo good that you will for the first time find yourself have a true "Wow" reaction on your face when you snap them. Selfies are great aswell. People mentioned alot in the comments session in major sellers websites that the nighttime shots are horrible in the rear camera. You should know one thing, you aren't carrying a DSLR or HandyCAM, its your phone. its primary utility was to communicate. You are wrong to expect it to do well in a lowlight location. Not even a DSLR with a flash can be capable of better picture quality. Even professionals use heavy lights for the good feel in a photo when movies are made. So, a phone you are expecting to do this night capable photography job is totally a myth. Think once, there is no point of expecting some heavy landscape photography over night. Even James Cameron would shoot his film in the day with soo expensive cameras. If still you arent happy then when it's night time you want to snap something, its not phone you require, that's surveillance camera you need to carry with yourself having night vision lens :laugh:
Sound
That's loud. You will be totally fine with it. Just as loud as it can fit in there. Music has clarity and crispness, bass isn't an element for music through speakers, earphones does the job well if someone needed bass.
Software
The Android 8.0 is soo well designed, it would understand your interests. Even would show you few that you wouldn't have imagined to find them in phone. There are all the modifications possibly existing in every popular custom ROM readily available in this honor phone stock ROM itself. The settings hold various toggles to change according to your liking. Below they are listed...
Huawei ID It takes care of backing up all the contacts, messages, calender and necessary stuff to the cloud provided by Huawei.
Wireless & Networks Lte, VoLTE configurations can be modified, data usage with specific networked apps is added advantage.
Apps & Notifications Apps to uninstall or disable, enable is available. Default apps, App twin & notification mods such as network meter, etc are here too.
Battery setting In this option, there is a power saving mode that can give you more than 4days standby if stuck to only few basic utilities with the phone.
Display setting Eye Comfort which can exchange color of screen to cool, warm feel. Screen resolution modification which is only in honor that enables to reduce screen density which can result in great power save.
Storage setting You get around 52GB free out of 64GB internal space. The RAM Management is nice too. There is always somehow 2.4GB RAM remaning in 4GB available though around 13apps are in the multitasking window. The software of honor does the RAM allocation very well for tasks processing.
Security & Privacy Fingerprints soo fast (0.25sec), file safe to hide files, App lock, Screen Pinning.
Smart Assistance setting Double tap to wake screen or lock screen.
System setting inside here, there are data transfer, backup & restore, reset, update, etc.
Themes These look soo beautiful and give a punchy look to the phone.
The Magazine Lockscreen This is the best part of the phone when you unlock, the pictures are soo beautiful that just by looking at them, your mind strikes at wow which really is relaxing and refreshing all the time you want them.
Navigation Buttons the onscreen buttons can be exchanged places from right to left which is way convenient for southpaw's.
Battery & Power Consumption
The moderate usage of phone can last a whole day, from 100% in the morning, you can use the phone till next day until same time u charged if you are only on 4g data usage and checking messages, attending calls, by then your battery will be around 10%. In the night, the percentage of drop in non usage is only 2% which is super less. The charging time is alot, but there's something honor's very concerned about, it takes alot of time to charge because, the module of charge input itself is designed by honor in such a way it takes charge slowly (Not to mistake as snail slow) to not spoil the battery life. Hence, this doesn't heat up phone very much. It keeps cool and does its job CooL without messing around. It takes 2hrs15min for full charge. This is same with many mobiles, almost 2hr15min is common with most mobiles.
Wifi, bluetooth, GPS, OTG are all working flawlessly too.
Frankly speaking, cost is soo low, quality we get is really good, more than pleasing for the price we pay for.
Mentions that need to be considered:
I know the camera in our phone is enough capable to get the exact software enhancements i find in HonorV10 Camera app. I clearly see honor is trying to limit these enhancements for the sake people would fall dull that they invested double the price and got exactly the same software loaded in half priced model (which is ours). Sure, many people might question this out. But, Please, middle class people require somebody to bother them. It's us who suffer the loss or gain equally and still keep calm without having no other choices rather than to convince ourselves we cant get more, nobody cares. The rich complain, they sue, you bother them. We request, we ask things soo much, we are many & loud but unheard (-_-) , you have established soo well in our country market this time, the what we have lost (beauty, power, feel ) in xiaomi phones, we found in yours. Your phones made us feel alive. I felt soo good looking at my Honor 9 Lite, it was worth all the effort you put on. I didnt even buy a Xiaomi phone for myself until date, i felt like us were being played by that company. It didnt feel good. They sold cheap stuff with good software tweaks. It was Hugo Barra who designed software, only because of this Xiaomi phones were a hit. You lagged at it alot in the past until Honor 6X. I never bought any Xiaomi device, i loved the Honor 4x, but found there were no updates. But this time you came superawesome into the market, your software is wayyy better than Xiaomi in looks and feel, all that it finally require is bug fixes, proper tweaks to utilize the whole capacity of the hardware, you do everything from scratch and created us this antique designed masterpiece phones. You should be proud. All you require is massive tweaking in the software, thats all. The processor's are superb, the screen buttersmooth, sound clear crisp and loud. Its the tweaking that's missing. I really wish honor this time you keep alot of effort in giving us customers in the country who bought your phones a huge happy smile. Ask how?? Here's how, we like gifts, gift us like 2 or 3days before festivals an OTA update that solves all the bug issues in our honor phones and then look at the news, scroll down, check the comments session. You would be very well liked. We'd then even feel honored to have had you bothering us and all together. Straight outta heart, we would be TRULY overjoyed that you did care for us this time on.
Dear Honor,
The world is a happy place for as long you, atleast hereafter consider to help us better .​​
It's the best you can get for the price with some small compromises
Let's start with not so good stuff before we get on to the great stuff!
I've got the 3GB variant and Midnight Black Color, I'm using it now for about 23 days.
Memory Management - Well the RAM/Memory management on this device is very aggressive, Here's how I was watching some dope stuff on YouTube and few Minutes in and I got a call and was talking for about 15 - 20 Mins and after the call ended, I was hoping the youtube app will be in the same state I left it! But, no The app was closed completely and I had to relaunch the app again, and also if you are running music in the background you get this stupid notification saying the app is running in the background and drains battery which can annoy anyone!
Hopefully, they will fix these in future software updates.
And (Not sure whether it's the Memory management or the app's problem), I'm running NOVA Launcher as default After 2 or 3 days, it automatically switched back to the default Launcher, well this only happened twice and after that, I didn't face this problem anymore, I thought it was worth mentioning.
Camera - Well the only thing that I felt weird was with the rear camera when I switched to Portrait mode or Wide Aperture mode It Changed the Resolution to 8MP, but the same with the front camera it was 13MP and there is no option to switch to 13MP, and maybe that's why most of the Tech YouTubers say the front cam of this device is good then the rear.
And also I wish it had EIS hopefully, in future software update we will get it!
It would really help the video quality!
Well, that's the things that annoyed me the most, now let's get to the good stuff!
Design and Build Quality - Well, you might have heard a lot about this, but the device screams Premium, They have nailed the design with this device, it's absolutely gorgeous and It's really light to hold tho, some people may like it, and people like me may want a heavy device (Personal preference).
OS and UI - Well it's really smooth didn't have any lag issues or any of such kind, it's snappy and didn't face any heating issues or so, the only thing is RAM management which I mentioned it earlier and apart from that, it's really good.
Battery and charging speed - I could easily get through a day, I have no complaints about the battery it's really good and I'm happy with it. From 20% to 100% the charging time it took was somewhere around 1hr 15 mins to 1hr 40mins, which is reasonable for a 3000mAh battery, it doesn't support fast charging but I don't think that's an issue as I can get a day's worth of battery and I have no complaints about it, But I did wish it had a Type - C port, it's fine not a big issues but it could've had a Type - C
Speaker and Headphone output - The speaker is loud and clear, there is no Distortion at full volume, there is a bit bass which you can feel and its' good but a finger can cover it and the whole sound can be lost, that's the only issue and that's the issue with all mono down facing speaker.
And for the headphone output, I don't own a premium headset, I have a cheap one and it worked fine with it, it was loud and clear.
Call and Network - Call quality was really good, No issues Tried with Jio, Vodafone and BSNL didn't face any issues, the receiver was able to hear me clear and loud and the data was also at a good speed and with 4G it didn't affect the battery much as I thought it would, Wifi Bridge is one of the really cool features and it works really good.
and Finally
Camera - Well I've already told the problem I faced apart from that I don't have any issues,
It focuses really fast and also takes photos really fast, it's super snappy! I really loved the quality of images that I got in this price segment.
The Pro Photo and Pro Video mode are really good if you know to use them well, There are several other modes The food mode is also good and Timelapse is awesome.
Well, the front cam in portrait mode does fail sometimes to recognize people's face if there are more than 2 persons in the shot, it just happens sometimes and not every time. And I wish it had a Slo-Mo Mode tho.
The images are of really good quality tho, good enough to post on Social Networking sites.
Conclusion - I think it worth the money I paid, It does have some minor issues which can be fixed via Software Update apart from that it's a really good device and I'm Lovin it.
PS - I had actually added images and since I'm a new member XDA doesn't allow new users to post links.
Not very impressed with the Honor 9 Lite.
I did online research and read lots of review on the Honor 9 Lite.
What convinced me was a comparison some reviewer did with his current daily driver, a 1+3t, and was, as he put it, 'pleasantly surprised'. Since my current daily driver is also a 1+3t I relented and bought one, the 3+32GB version.
After using the Honor 9 Lite I don't think it comes anywhere close to a 1+3t. Now I appreciate and understand that it is cheaper than my 1+3t (even at its current value) but I'm not very impressed, especially with the way EMUI 8 completely rapes Android stock ! I knew this going in but never realised to what extent EMUI restrict customisation.
Let me give examples.
1. First thing I always do with every phone i buy is disabled all apps I don't need/use. Some of the apps on the Honor 9 Lite are cooked in and without root cannot be disables, frozen or removed; e.g. Files, Huawei Mobile Service, Themes.
2. Next thing is to replace any homelauncher with my favourite 'Nova'. Well as soon as you do this on the 9Lite you get a pop-up message stating something like 'changing home launcher uses more battery'...What ? Anyway you can force it through and then just change the default home launcher to Nova. Then some of the EMUI widgets, like weather, don't work anymore. That's ok, I expected that, what I did not expect is for it to show up as available but when you try to add it to your homescreen you get a FC and Huawei launcher is back, in effect removing your default launcher you just set.
3. Huawei badges also obviously don't work under Nova; again as expected.
4. Next I fired up Chronus widget so i can get a replacement for the now non-working Huawei weather service (which at least you can disable). Chronus now does not update the alarm. So you set an alarm in clock but Chronus does not pick up the changee unless you go into chronus change something and save it. This was even after i loaded up Google clock and set alarm through that.
All the above works flawlessly in my Oreo based 1+3t.
5. Lag..yes it is a lot worse than my 1+3t, now like i said because of the price difference i did not expect the Kirin659 to be on par with the Snapdragon 821 but the lag difference was much more noticable on the Honor9 lite than i expected.
6. Since Nova was basically non functional I had to return to Huawei's own launcher.
7. No way of hiding status bar. By the way I also tried play store apps, like GMD Full Screen, but it did not work properly.
8. Battery life is one day on normal use.
9. Cameras are acceptable but no better than my single camera 1+3t.
Conclusion:
Not impresssed, it looks great, weight is spot on for me, size is also great so is the screen brightness, but everything else is nothing special and that EMUI8 man, it just restricts you from most customisation which is the reason we all love android. If i wanted restrictions i would have gone for an iphone.
Why should i have to unlock BL and root to be able to do simple things like use full immersive mode. I'd like to keep android pay functioning so don't want to unlock,root and battle with magidisk to hide root. I just want control back of my phone.
Anyway, thought i would put this together outlining my experience with the Honor 9Lite, hopefully yours will be better and find acceptable.
Well, I bought this device as my ex-device was quite old enough(I was using grand 2 as my daily driver).Next,when I was searching for new devices,I was looking for a device which is better in all aspects(camera,looks,sound,performance,signal quality) and also in a moderate price.Then I stumbled across Honor 9 Lite.It was the old phone in my budget range which was able to cater to my demands.It looks gorgeous as ever.The glass body,its colour (I got the Sapphire blue one) and its modern looks with minimal borders made me order the phone without even checking for other details(I already knew it supports 4G and fingerprint sensor) .When I got the phone,I found that it is not too heavy but is indeed slippery due to glossy back,so I applied the cover to increase friction and to prevent falling .
These are the following pros and cons of the phone I found:-
PROS
1.Camera->Both the front and back cameras are awesome and can even capture good amount of detail even in low light condition.Maybe the 4 cameras(2 in pairs does the trick)
2.Android OS->Being latest is the best.This device packs with Android Oreo which many 2017 flagships like S8(they got it but Samsung removed the OTA update) haven't recieved properly
3.Processor->I haven't heard about this processor's name earlier but was shocked by its insane frequency(greater than 2 Ghz) so I decided to do an Antutu benchmark and found that this processor's performance is comparable with Snapdragon 625.
4.Display->Display is awesome.Nothing to say about it
5.Battery->Battery life is a bit-tad low (It lasts 9 hrs for me),so I need to charge atleast once a day.No fast charging support and no USB C was a dissappointment
6.Storage and Ram management-Plenty of Ram(3 GBs) and storage(around 22 GBs),so no complaints there

Question First impressions

Got my Edge 20 a couple of days ago. Also have a OP Nord 2.
The front on Edge 20 looks really nice with symmetrical bezels and a nice looking punchole (compared to the ugly ring on Poco F3). However, I regret buying the version with a white back since it looks a bit tacky. Thinking about returning it and buying a black one.
Build quality feels better on Nord 2 due to the thin design of Edge 20.
The screen is very nice but I see not benefit of 144hz refresh rate (compared to 120hz or 90hz).
Performance and fluidity is really good. Feels almost like a flagship in that regard. Perhaps Nord 2 is a bit faster but only by a hair. Animations feels nicer on Edge 20.
Haptics are way better on Nord 2. Motorola used a cheap vibration motor on Edge 20.
Battery life on Edge 20 seems better than expected given the fairly small battery and large screen (with high refresh rate). However, it is too early to draw any sharp conclusions on battery life.
If I compare Edge 20 and Nord 2. Dayligt camera performance from main sensor more or less the same in terms of details. However, I think photos from Edge 20 are nices looking due to better white balance. Photos from Nord 2 have a yellow tint. Low light performance from the main camera is better on Nord 2 (brighter photos with more detail) However, it is possible to install gcam on Edge 20 and it supports all three cameras (BSG). This app improves low light performance for all sensors. Especially, photos from the telephoto camera looks much better with gcam. I think 3x zoom is very usueful and actually more useful than 5x. https://www.celsoazevedo.com/files/android/google-camera/dev-bsg/
flipp0 said:
Got my Edge 20 a couple of days ago. Also have a OP Nord 2.
The front on Edge 20 looks really nice with symmetrical bezels and a nice looking punchole (compared to the ugly ring on Poco F3). However, I regret buying the version with a white back since it looks a bit tacky. Thinking about returning it and buying a black one.
Build quality feels better on Nord 2 due to the thin design of Edge 20.
The screen is very nice but I see not benefit of 144hz refresh rate (compared to 120hz or 90hz).
Performance and fluidity is really good. Feels almost like a flagship in that regard. Perhaps Nord 2 is a bit faster but only by a hair. Animations feels nicer on Edge 20.
Haptics are way better on Nord 2. Motorola used a cheap vibration motor on Edge 20.
Battery life on Edge 20 seems better than expected given the fairly small battery and large screen (with high refresh rate). However, it is too early to draw any sharp conclusions on battery life.
If I compare Edge 20 and Nord 2. Dayligt camera performance from main sensor more or less the same in terms of details. However, I think photos from Edge 20 are nices looking due to better white balance. Photos from Nord 2 have a yellow tint. Low light performance from the main camera is better on Nord 2 (brighter photos with more detail) However, it is possible to install gcam on Edge 20 and it supports all three cameras (BSG). This app improves low light performance for all sensors. Especially, photos from the telephoto camera looks much better with gcam. I think 3x zoom is very usueful and actually more useful than 5x. https://www.celsoazevedo.com/files/android/google-camera/dev-bsg/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for these first impressions. I will be receiving my Edge 20 after a few days! Waiting to check it out.
Can you post some Camera sample of Stock app vs Gcam on Edge20? That would be great!
Also what is the SOT you are getting as of now?
lucky_kuk said:
Thanks for these first impressions. I will be receiving my Edge 20 after a few days! Waiting to check it out.
Can you post some Camera sample of Stock app vs Gcam on Edge20? That would be great!
Also what is the SOT you are getting as of now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The battery drops 11% per hour when the sceeen is on according to accubattery.
First is stock 3x zoom, the secod is BSG gcam 3x zoom without any tweaks. Results should be even better if someone releases a custom XML for Edge 20.
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Just got mine a few days ago. Battery seems to have settled now. I'm getting 5 to 6 hours of SOT. Battery drains about 10% overnight. I think because it's searching for signal.
Some pics come out better with stock camera, others with BSG gcam. Depends on the situation. Overall the cameras are good. Not quite flagship level, but pretty good.
Only gripe I have so far is that the wifi range seems rather weak, especially compared to eg. OnePlus. Near my router is fine, but when I even just sit just outside on the terrace it keeps dropping and reconnecting. My OnePlus keeps streaming video without any issues in these places. This is a real bummer and I'm not sure if I can live with that.
Other than that I love how light it is. Love the screen and the side mounted fingerprint scanner. It's very fast and snappy.
How about Hi-Res audio support? I have LDAC supporting oppo enco M31 bluetooth earphones. Would I able to enjoy LDAC through powerAMP app?
I will send back my Edge 20 tomorrow. Could not get used to the ugly white back and I do not want to use this phone with a case (the USP is how thin and light it feels in the hand naked). I may order a black one later. If the haptics would have been better I would have bought a black one ASAP.
How is the WiFi reception overall?
Wifi is decent, not exceptional. On par with Samsung mid rangers in my experience.
Only brand I owned so far with great wifi range is OnePlus. Both Nord and 8 Pro had great range.
guitarsmurf2501 said:
Wifi is decent, not exceptional. On par with Samsung mid rangers in my experience.
Only brand I owned so far with great wifi range is OnePlus. Both Nord and 8 Pro had great range.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What about LDAC support and Hi-Res audio support? If not in-built, can you able to enjoy LDAC through third party apps?
I don't know tbh. I'm using wired OnePlus bullets connected to the charging port.
It should be fine though. I find the sound pretty good and pretty loud considering it's only got one speaker.
Using headphones the sound is as good as my OnePlus 8 Pro for me.
Does the BSG Gcam work perfectly? As in, do all the modes like Portrait, Night Mode, Time Lapse, Slo-mo, and Photo Sphere Work for all 3 lenses?
lucky_kuk said:
Does the BSG Gcam work perfectly? As in, do all the modes like Portrait, Night Mode, Time Lapse, Slo-mo, and Photo Sphere Work for all 3 lenses?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just tried. Still photography works like it should for all three lenses. Portrait and night sight work too.
Video doesn't seem to work at all on the main lense. It's just a black screen. Can't work any of the buttons.
Video only works for the selfie cam.
guitarsmurf2501 said:
I just tried. Still photography works like it should for all three lenses. Portrait and night sight work too.
Video doesn't seem to work at all on the main lense. It's just a black screen. Can't work any of the buttons.
Video only works for the selfie cam.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe will have to try some other Mod which might work
Because without video it will get difficult, and I don't want to use the Stock app much.
lucky_kuk said:
Maybe will have to try some other Mod which might work
Because without video it will get difficult, and I don't want to use the Stock app much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm so stupid... Video works fine on bsg camera. I had focus tracking enabled in settings which the Moto doesn't support apparently. So yes: bsg works fine.
Hey
Its good to hear edge 20 supports gcam with almost everything working
I suggest fellow edge 20 users to use the following gcam and check if these are working
1) 7.3 urnyx v2.1 wichaya v3.1
Or
Gcam 8.1 wichaya (latest)
2) greatness 8.2(latest)
3) camstellar greatness v4
4)Nikita 7.4 v2.0
Or Nikita 8.2 (latest)
5) 8.2 MGC parrot043 V8 from parrot's telegram group
6) tr camera (latest)
My suggestions
use a config file of a famous device (any one plus device) and load it in your gcam app , you can change the settings and aux values as per moto edge 20 later and adjust it so that it can work in moto
Or head to greatness's telegram where
ERAAF said:
Hey
Its good to hear edge 20 supports gcam with almost everything working
I suggest fellow edge 20 users to use the following gcam and check if these are working
1) 7.3 urnyx v2.1 wichaya v3.1
Or
Gcam 8.1 wichaya (latest)
2) greatness 8.2(latest)
3) camstellar greatness v4
4)Nikita 7.4 v2.0
Or Nikita 8.2 (latest)
5) 8.2 MGC parrot043 V8 from parrot's telegram group
6) tr camera (latest)
My suggestions
use a config file of a famous device (any one plus device) and load it in your gcam app , you can change the settings and aux values as per moto edge 20 later and adjust it so that it can work in moto
Or head to greatness's telegram where
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am currently using the one by BSG v8.1
It works fine for all lenses, except that it produces that weird fisheye distortion with the ultra-wide lens.
Is there any fix for this? Or any alternative?
Yes, disable sabre from
settings
And developer settings
lucky_kuk said:
I am currently using the one by BSG v8.1
It works fine for all lenses, except that it produces that weird fisheye distortion with the ultra-wide lens.
Is there any fix for this? Or any alternative?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's great, I have also attached greatness 8.2 link with a config
Try this and reply
lucky_kuk said:
I am currently using the one by BSG v8.1
It works fine for all lenses, except that it produces that weird fisheye distortion with the ultra-wide lens.
Is there any fix for this? Or any alternative?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can someone confirm my observation as below -
The front cam has a fixed focus, causing blur on faces in a selfie which are not at the front. (Even without portrait mode)
This is resulting in useless selfies, as only the front person's face is focused and rest gets blurred.
And if anyone knows any workaround to this, it would be helpful!!
I just tried playing some 4k HDR 60fps demo videos on my Motorola Edge 20 (XT2143-1).
Most of them played fine but few of them (like the ones from the link mentioned below) were way off with lot of saturation so much so that it was difficult to even look at the screen while playing these videos. Tried playing on various apps like Google Photos app, VLC, MX Player, etc. but no luck. These videos are playing fine on other phones (I had checked on Redmi Note 10 Pro & One Plus 9).
LG 4K HDR Demo Chess.mp4
LG 4K HDR Demo - Colors of Journey.mkv
Samsung x RedBull: See the Unexpected HDR
But when I enable the option to "Show refresh rate" or when I turn ON "Disable HW overlays" from 'developer options', videos appear to play fine showing colours properly.
PS. Playing 4K HDR 60FPS videos on Youtube is fine and has no problem. The screenshots come out fine and not affected by this.
I appreciate if anyone who got this phone could check/verify this issue.
Thanks.

Question Cameras in low light are really bad

Smudged detail, really not great. I had the find x5 pro for a while before returning it and there really is no comparison. Quite disappointed.
arsenal74 said:
Smudged detail, really not great. I had the find x5 pro for a while before returning it and there really is no comparison. Quite disappointed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really not sure about keeping the phone. On one hand I actually like the fake OxygenOS basically ColorOS. The phone software feels very very polished relative to other androids. Almost like a non buggy MIUI. But the PWM flicker is pretty bad.
Cameras seem fine in my limited testing. Although OnePlus has always taken a couple months to fix their cameras.
I've taken some great pics so far...as with any phone the situation sometimes requires you to alter some settings, that's what pro modes for.
This phone will come good, the hardwares just too good to not exploit with some good ROMs.
I was hesitant at first comparing it to my 8 pro but I'm so in now..
dladz said:
I've taken some great pics so far...as with any phone the situation sometimes requires you to alter some settings, that's what pro modes for.
This phone will come good, the hardwares just too good to not exploit with some good ROMs.
I was hesitant at first comparing it to my 8 pro but I'm so in now..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agree!
in good light the camera is fine, it is medium to low light where I am seeing a drop off vs say the S22 or Pixel. For example seems pretty bad for smudging fur detail on pets.
arsenal74 said:
in good light the camera is fine, it is medium to low light where I am seeing a drop off vs say the S22 or Pixel. For example seems pretty bad for smudging fur detail on pets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried the other settings in manual mode ?
As a point and shoot it'll get better but if you expect the world without any work it's just not going to happen mate. Not Vs an S22. I mean that's an expensive phone, it should be better, the pixel is using the base software and it's Google again it should be better..
That being said I'm positive I can get better than any point and shoot camera phone with this phone
This camera has a lot of features, settings, and cool picture possibilities....Hasselblad ftw
What I have learnt from experience with phones is to now buy it for the camera , I will just get one mirror less camera which will last longer than any camera phones for a long time
I think it is only in comparison to the competition that it falls short. My torture test for any new phone is photos of our cats indoors and I am seeing more smudging and a less clwean image than the Pixel of S22 Ultra offers and yes I have owned both and still actually have the S22U.
arsenal74 said:
I think it is only in comparison to the competition that it falls short. My torture test for any new phone is photos of our cats indoors and I am seeing more smudging and a less clwean image than the Pixel of S22 Ultra offers and yes I have owned both and still actually have the S22U.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try some different settings. Smudges may occur due to HDR being on and a slight movement, could just be the software that OnePlus has made. It could just need a few updates which I'm sure may occur.
ISO could be too high too.
Use pro mode, set the shutter speed as low as possible Vs an ISO of 200-800, should help...find the sweet spot depending on the light you have.. it's manual but honestly my pics come out better when I have control. My DSLR I'd never let the camera choose for me..
There was a poll on phonearena with blind camera test (users were asked to vote for best picture of same scene clicked by S22, iPhone13 Pro, OP 10 Pro and Pixel 6 Pro without knowing which phone clicked which picture)... OP sucked major balls and came in last
I got my OP10 Pro today...anyway I did not buy it for camera
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arsenal74 said:
Smudged detail, really not great. I had the find x5 pro for a while before returning it and there really is no comparison. Quite disappointed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, sometimes it is bad if there is very low light OnePlus should give an update for this along with the security patch!
gagan007 said:
There was a poll on phonearena with blind camera test (users were asked to vote for best picture of same scene clicked by S22, iPhone13 Pro, OP 10 Pro and Pixel 6 Pro without knowing which phone clicked which picture)... OP sucked major balls and came in last
I got my OP10 Pro today...anyway I did not buy it for camera
View attachment 5593549
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again this is point and shoot.
Ask any actual photographer if they rely on automatic lens settings, the vast majority will say no they won't so why would you rely on it for your phone? They all have the capability yet we tend to believe some plum who's pointings and shooting? Makes no sense to me
I'm not saying that the results are incorrect as I've not used them phones, but relying on this test is testing one thing and that's the automatic settings chosen by the software on the phone.
That's it.
Give all these phones to a photographer and get them to use settings based on the scene they have Infront of them, then check the results, I think you'll see a different outcome
For the record I used to be a photographer for a living in a previous life. I almost always though just use my phone in auto mode as a point and shoot, have just never embraced manual mode (or even Av mode for that matter) on a phone.
arsenal74 said:
For the record I used to be a photographer for a living in a previous life. I almost always though just use my phone in auto mode as a point and shoot, have just never embraced manual mode (or even Av mode for that matter) on a phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I take a lot of astro photograph's, both with my DSLR / telescope and purpose built astro camera.. but also my phone.
I need to change some things when I take a night shot, especially of the sky.
I think if you give it a shot (no pun intended) you'll be surprised at the results.
it will take months before sensor potential is used at its fullest with Gcam, and everyone knows these have infinite issues with white balance etc for years, so those kind of flagships won't ever shoot close to what cheaper older flagships can already do after years of gcam configs development
vandal4e said:
it will take months before sensor potential is used at its fullest with Gcam, and everyone knows these have infinite issues with white balance etc for years, so those kind of flagships won't ever shoot close to what cheaper older flagships can already do after years of gcam configs development
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree besides gcam, it's just unstable, things not working like wide angle, slow motion.
But for a point and shoot it's the simpler option.
I think Vs pro mode you'd get better on the stock app.
Defo agree on updates helping
oneplus explicitly stated they remove access to aux cameras in OOS12, no one pays flagship price for a point and shoot and nevermind what comes out at the end experience, u can do that on a 200$ Xiaomi and get 95% satisfaction for social media and casual browsing on large screens
vandal4e said:
oneplus explicitly stated they remove access to aux cameras in OOS12
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you mean?
Auxiliary as in external?
OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro OxygenOS 12 Android 12 Update: Filled with Bugs, Blocks Access to Auxiliary Cameras for GCam , same is inherited in all models @ OOS12​

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