After the low-range market battle, it is the mid-range segment that is heating up like anything. Almost all companies out there are trying their best to put out competent mid-range phones. While some companies have polished the look of their devices, such as Samsung Galaxy A5, others have offered something unique like a steel frame, such as the Xiaomi Mi4. But, some companies are really raring to go and want to establish their brand in the Indian market. It is not a coincidence, that it is the Chinese brands that are trying to innovate like anything – to our credit we do give them a hard time vis-a-vis established brands such as Samsung and Sony. But, nonetheless, they do put in the work and mostly put out phones that are not just value-for-money, but also geek worthy.
We have therefore, pitched the two direct competitors from China against each other to find out how different the dual-cam experience is from a single cam –
Both phones are placed in the mid-range, while the Xiaomi Mi 4 comes in at Rs. 19,999, the Huawei Honor Plus is priced at Rs. 26,499. But that’s not all. The Xiaomi Mi 4 picks up the mantle from the stellar Xiaomi Mi 3, the Huawei Honor 6 Plus takes it from the Huawei Honor 6. But let’s cut to the chase and look at the part you are most curious about – the cameras!
While the Xiaomi Mi 4 comes with a 13-megapixel rear snapper, the Huawei Honor 6 Plus is on another planet – it comes with a dual 8-megapixel camera setup at the back. So, the question is simple, would you go with a single camera with a higher megapixel setup at the back or a dual-camera one, but with less megapixels. Well, we still stand by our belief that – ‘Megapixels don’t matter’. The camera shots though, will tell the whole story. But, before we proceed, here’s the thing – we have actually exposed the Honor 6 Plus to tougher conditions i.e. extreme sunlight to test it.
Huawei Honor 6 Plus
Xiaomi Mi 4
There are 3 things to notice about these images. The Huawei Honor 6 is exposed to sunlight, while the Xiaomi Mi 4 has been taken in much better light. But, if you see clearly the focus is better on the Huawei Honor 6 Plus. The surroundings come out fizzy in the second photo, while they are clearer with the Honor 6 Plus, though the sunlight does rankle it a little bit. But the best thing to notice in both photos is the tree trunk.The amount of clarity on that just makes it amazing to look at the photo.
In the terms of detail, the Huawei Honor 6 has already had one foot ahead in the race.
Xiaomi Mi4
Huawei Honor 6 Plus
We have tried to give both the Xiaomi Mi 4 and Huawei Honor 6 Plus room for maneuvering. But the clarity on the colors is where the Huawei Honor 6 Plus totally nails it. While too much color frizzles the Xiaomi Mi 4 camera, the Huawei Honor 6 Plus focuses clearly on the flower and not just that it gets the background the way an avid photographer would want to. Its definitely not a DSLR, but it has nailed smartphone photography in terms of clarity and color balance.
Huawei Honor 6 Plus
Xiaomi Mi 4
There aren’t many differences between these two photos, are there? If you look closely, the Xiaomi Mi 4 click is a little grainy, while the Honor 6 Plus has more pronounced colors and most importantly, the clarity is high on this one.
Huawei Honor 6 Plus
Xiaomi Mi 4
A long shot will tell you the range of the camera. Both cameras to their credit, go to the very end. But, if you see it by focusing on the Xiaomi Mi 4 photo – in this image, the red car around the end is a little fizzy, while with the Honor 6 Plus, things do get fizzy at the end, yet there is a level of clarity. Also, the sky that is the major difference between the two. While the sky literally flashes the daylights out of the image, the sky comes out clear in the next photo.
Huawei Honor 6 Plus
Xiaomi Mi4
This image tells the whole story. We tried to shake the camera and check the sensitivity. While the Huawei Honor 6 Plus doesn’t at all, hampered by it, the Xiaomi Mi 4 has totally lost the plot when it comes to shake sensitivity.
Huawei Honor 6 Plus
Xiaomi Mi 4
These images have one purpose – to test the white balance of both cameras. Since the Huawei Honor 6 Plus has a dual rear cam, we exposed it to double the difficulty, While it did crack and wash out the spaces, its focus did not go astray.
But the sharpness of the images speak for them. Despite favorable conditions, the Xiaomi Mi 4 image is lacking detail, while the Huawei Honor Plus actually provides a sharp and clear image.
Huawei Honor 6 Plus
Xiaomi Mi 4
The Huawei Honor 6 Plus shot is against the sunlight, while the Xiaomi Mi 4 shot has been taken in early morning. This is one place where the Huawei Honor 6 Plus has given up a bit, it is against the sunlight. But the focus still saves the day for it. The shot has great clarity and you can see the color of the basket easily. The Mi 4 isn’t able to handle the contrast withe such finesse.
Finally, here are some more shots that can give you an assessment of the cameras.
Xiaomi Mi 4 shots
Huawei Honor 6 Plus shots
Verdict
In our opinion, the Huawei Honor 6 Plus beats the pants out of the Xiaomi Mi 4. There is a lot of difference between the two. The Huawei Honor 6 is quick at snapping, with a fast shutter speed, but the Xiaomi Mi 4 actually faced some shutter lag.
The Xiaomi Mi 4 doesn’t get any advantage from its high megapixel count. It also flinches in daylight, while the Huawei Honor 6 Plus is actually pretty much capable of giving clear shots even in harsh sunlight.
In terms of details, the Huawei Honor 6 Plus lands on top yet again. It captures details amazingly well.
When it comes to color balance, white balance, sharpness and contrast, in all areas, the Huawei Honor 6 Plus lands on top. The two camera solution works like a charm and if you are looking into a good mid-range phone with an excellent snapper, you should consider the Huawei Honor 6 Plus.
