Huawei P10 Review

Cameras

Expectedly, the Camera software on Huawei P10 is far from being a stock Android one. It is designed to serve all three cameras available on the device and includes lots of features. Besides the usual LED flash options, on the top of the screen, there are several other toggles. The first is for the Wide Aperture mode for close-up shots (no more than 2 meters). You can adjust the focal point after taking a photo to blur the background and make the subject stand out. It is available only in the Photo, Monochrome and Video mode. The second is for the "Leica-style" portrait mode that uses 3D face detection along with beautification effects (skin smoothing), adjustable illumination and fake bokeh. The third mode allows you to adjust the colouring style - standard, vivid, or smooth. The fourth contains a number of filters. The last icon on the top of the screen is the camera switch. At the bottom of the screen are located the shortcut to the list of photos, a circular shutter button, and a video button. Swiping to the right opens the list of camera modes that includes a photo mode, video, panorama, monochrome, HDR, night shot, light painting, etc. A swipe to the left from the home screen of the app opens the settings - they are different for each mode (photo and video) for the rear and front cameras. There's an icon above the shutter button, which opens the Pro settings when swiped up. This mode allows you manual control over key features such as ISO, shutter speed, exposure, focus, white balance. Some of these features have an option to be locked to prevent them from being changed. When shooting a video with the rear camera, the Pro mode includes exposure, focus, and white balance settings. The Wide aperture, Beautification, Color mode, and filters are also available. The front-facing shooter utilises a portrait mode and filters, too. The photo editing options are advanced as well. If you choose a photo from the Gallery app, that has been taken with the Wide aperture mode, you can change the point of focus. The editing mode of the camera app includes lots of options such as rotating, cropping, adding filters, splash and illusion effects, adjusting the brightness, contrast, etc.

Primary camera

The dual camera setup of Huawei P10 is one of its main selling points. Engineered in cooperation with LEICA, the module contains a 12-megapixel RGB sensor and a 20-megapixel monochrome one. Their work is aided by an upgraded ISP for improved image quality and a 4-in-1 hybrid auto-focus for improved precision and faster adjustments. The latter includes phase detection, laser, contrast, and depth autofocus. The RGB camera supports optical image stabilisation (OIS), too. A hybrid zoom and a dual-tone LED flash are also available. Both sensors are coupled with a 6-element Summarit-H lens from LEICA with a f/2.2 aperture. The 12-megapixel one makes photos with a resolution of 3968 x 2976, while the 20-megapixel one makes photos with a resolution of 5120 x 3840 pixels. The top video resolution is 4K at 30 fps. Depending on the resolution and color mode selected, both cameras can operate separately or in tandem. For example, to produce a 20MP color photo, the image from the 12MP color camera is combined with the image from the 20MP monochrome one - the color camera provides the color information and the monochrome one preserves the detail in the image.

12MP color camera

12MP color camera + 20MP monochrome camera

20MP monochrome camera

Panorama and video

Secondary camera

The front-facing camera features an all-new 5-element LEICA lens with a f/1.9 aperture. According to Huawei, the 8-megapixel large sensor captures 200% more light for improved colour depth and range. The camera is capable of sensing groupies and automatically switches to wide-angle shots when more people enter the picture. The shooter makes photos with a resolution of 3264 x 2448 pixels and can record FHD videos at 30 fps.