Everybody knows that the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max which were launched in September this year didn't bring any revolutionary design changes over last year's iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, including retaining the exact same notch design up front. But, the one area where the 11 Pro and its larger screen sibling 11 Pro Max were lauded was in the camera department.
Apple's latest and greatest smartphones now sport a triple camera setup at the rear with the addition of a brand new 12MP ultra wide-angle sensor. The two phones now have the perfect cameras to go alongside the insane computing prowess of the A13 Bionic chipset that powers the new devices. However, in a classic case of David vs. Goliath, China's Xiaomi seems to have outed a very potent contender for the top camera smartphone of the year with the recently launched Xiaomi Mi CC9 Pro aka the Mi Note 10.
According to the latest review from DXOMark, one of the most trusted camera performance testers, the iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max managed to score an overall score of 117 points, which although seems like a lot but only puts the premium phones at the number three spot on the ranking list, alongside Samsung's Galaxy 10 series which also share the same score.
At spot number two is Huawei's Mate 30 Pro, which isn't too surprising at all considering the phone's megapixel count and insane zooming capabilities, but the numero uno position went to the recently released Xiaomi Mi CC9 Pro, better known as the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 in markets outside of China.
The top ranked Mi CC9 Pro aka Mi Note 10 managed to secure an overall score of 121 on DXOMark, 4 points higher than Apple's iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max. FYI, the Mi CC9 Pro sports a penta-camera setup (5 sensors) at the back with a 108MP ultra high-resolution primary camera with an f/1.69 aperture, a 20MP ultra wide-angle camera, a third 12MP portrait and a fourth 5MP telephoto camera, along with a fifth 2MP macro lens.
DXOMark allocates points in two categories, still photos and video. The Xiaomi scored 130 points in the still photo department and a 102 in video, against the iPhone 11 Pro's 124 in still photos and 102 in video. According to DXOMark, iPhone 11 Pro manages to deliver excellent still photos with just about right amount of sharpness, accurate exposure, wide dynamic range and punchy colors.
The photos on the iPhone 11 Pro due to their accurate color reproduction look more true to life, while other phone's tend to oversaturate under certain conditions. The evaluators also praised the iPhone 11 Pro's ultra wide-angle camera for its details and wide dynamic range. However, the iPhone's photos were susceptible to more noise than in all lighting conditions, and lost detail while zooming in. And this could very well be the reason for the lower score.
Video recording has always been a strong point on the iPhones and that shows, with the iPhone score on par with the Mi CC9 Pro. The videos captured from the iPhone had wide dynamic range, good detail and excellent stabilization. However, they were lacking a bit in terms of white balance in some situations, otherwise the iPhone would have easily managed with a higher score.
