First HONOR smartphone to be evaluated by DxOMark
What is the one most important feature in smartphones today? Many, if not most, consumers would say cameras.
The HONOR 20 PRO was awarded with the second highest DxOMark score for any smartphone ever, with 111 points – just 1 point away from the very top spot. However, which features exactly caught the eyes of the guys at DxOMark?
DxOMark: The scientific benchmark for camera quality
DxOMark is the gold standard benchmark in the industry for image quality. While no single set of measurements can truly provide a full picture, the DxOMark holds a unique place of value due to its scientific, objective approach that enables comparison across a wide range of devices.
That is because all mobile devices tested by DxOMark go through an identical, extensive process. The huge range of tests covering everything from photo colour shading to video exposure stability includes shooting over 1,500 images and more than two hours of video, taking place in both lab and real-world situations and using a wide variety of subjects. Testing a single mobile device involves a team comprising several people for many days.
Why the HONOR 20 PRO earned top marks from DxOMark
While the HONOR 20 PRO is packed full of cutting-edge imaging technology, what really matters at the end of the day is the quality of photos and videos that users take.
Let’s take a look at a few key areas that we know consumers care most about to see why DxOMark calls the HONOR 20 PRO a top performer and how its innovations made it possible.
- Exposure and contrast: Top score in DxOMark’s database
Difficult lighting conditions, such as low-light situations or backlit subjects, are common challenges in capturing good photos. That is why DxOMark calls exposure “the most important sub-score, as it affects all types of photography.”
The HONOR 20 PRO handles these situations adeptly, earning DxOMark’s top spot for this sub-score: “Achieving the joint top score for exposure in our database, the HONOR 20 PRO scores well in all lighting conditions, recording generally accurate target exposures in our lab measurements.”
Among other factors, DxOMark attributes the HONOR 20 PRO’s outstanding performance to its “very good flash system” and “wide-aperture f/1.4 lens.” The HONOR 20 PRO’s AI-boosted image processing capabilities, powered by its 7nm Kirin 980 AI chipset’s Dual-NPU and Dual-ISP, are also key, enabling intelligent scene recognition, dynamic range processing, and more.
- Autofocus: Score of 99 matches “best performers”
Autofocus is often difficult to get right, particularly with moving subjects and poor lighting.
The HONOR 20 PRO earns DxOMark’s rave review on this front: “As we’ve come to expect with top-end devices, the HONOR 20 PRO’s autofocus system is excellent and stands up against some of the best performers. It was fast, accurate, and repeatable in all lighting conditions.”
The HONOR 20 PRO’s autofocus system work so well thanks to the 7nm Kirin 980 AI chipset, which has evolved simple image recognition to sophisticated object detection that can identify and focus on the joints and lines of the human body in real time. So, whether your subject is dancing to a fast song or running out of the frame, the HONOR 20 PRO can capture these moments. The dual-core NPU can process 4500 images per minute, handling face recognition, object recognition, object detection, image segmentation, and more.
- Zoom: “A top performer”
DxOMark calls the HONOR 20 PRO “a top performer for zoom, with its score of 79 placing the device in second position” in its database. It notes in particular that “the device scored well for close-range zoom shots in all lighting conditions, including in low light, where it maintained detail well and kept noise low,” and “medium-range zoom shots hold up well both indoors and outdoors.
One key reason the HONOR 20 PRO is able to deliver such powerful zoom in a mobile device is superior optics. Its completely redesigned quad camera setup features a 16MP super wide-angle lens for epic landscape shots, a 8MP Telephoto lens for ultra-clear zoom at 3x lossless optical zoom, a 2MP macro lens for up-close beauty, and a Sony IMX586 48MP main camera to capture everyday moments in extra clarity and detail. The 4-axis optical image stabilization (OIS) on the main camera and telephoto camera also helps keep distant objects clear and sharp.
- Portrait photography: “One of the best we’ve tested”
Depth-of-field effects, or bokeh, are one of the key distinguishers between mobile photography and full-fledged camera photography – but that difference is fast disappearing.
DxOMark finds that the HONOR 20 PRO’s “bokeh simulation effect is also one of the best we’ve seen, with good subject isolation and a realistic gradient effect that can apply different intensities of blur to objects at varying distances both in front of and behind the subject.
Again, the superior face and object recognition capabilities of the 7nm Kirin 980 AI chipset are central here, pulling data from the HONOR 20 PRO’s multiple lenses to rapidly and accurate separate foreground from background and create a professional portrait effect. Consumers may not know that AI is at work, but they will be delighted with how their photos pop with near-DSLR-quality bokeh.
Video: “Level of detail is very good across all light levels”
Smartphone-shot videos have historically been mediocre, to say the least – often shaky, blurry, and poorly lit. The HONOR 20 PRO aims to change all that.
Here is what DxOMark had to say: “The HONOR 20 PRO scores a very respectable 97 points for video” and “comes very close to the top performers for video.”
In addition to 4-axis optical image stabilization (OIS), the HONOR 20 PRO also stabilizes video with electronic (EIS) and AI image stabilization (AIS). The 7nm Kirin 980 AI chipset’s Dual-ISP also has a dedicated video pipeline to effectively improve video clarity and reduce shooting delays by 33% compared to the previous generation.
To learn more about why DxOMark gave the HONOR 20 PRO its second-highest score ever and praised its “good Photo and Video performances across the board and no significant areas of weakness,” read its full report.
For more information on HONOR Malaysia and HONOR 20 PRO, please visit HONOR’s official e-commerce website and information portal at http://hihonor.com/my, or check out the official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/HonorMY/ for other exciting updates.
