We compared the camera on the newly launched Redmi Note 4 with its predecessor, the Redmi Note 3, and here’s how it fares.
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 has been one of the more popular smartphones of 2016, with power and performance on a budget. Right from excellent battery life to smooth performance and aggressive pricing, the Redmi Note 3 has everything going in its favor, except for the camera performance. Xiaomi has now launched the Redmi Note 4, which is a successor to the Redmi Note 3. The smartphone brings in some nifty improvements right from design to a new and improved chipset, more storage and RAM, and a slightly better camera.
The Redmi Note 4 features a 13-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor of aperture f/2.0 at the back, as opposed to the 16-megapixel sensor on the Redmi Note 3. Although the resolution has decreased, Xiaomi has used a better sensor with of 1.2-micron pixels with 25 percent larger pixel area to capture more light and improve the image quality, compared to 1-micron sensor on the Redmi Note 3. Both cameras are backed with dual-tone LED flash and support phase detection auto-focus (PDAF), HDR and panorama. Talking about video recording, both smartphones support full-HD (1080p) recording at 30fps, and the Redmi Note 4 also supports slow motion recording in HD (720p) resolution at 120fps. For selfie lovers, both smartphones feature a 5-megapixel front camera of aperture f/2.0 and support for HD video recording.
Camera app interface
Both smartphones run on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow OS wrapped under MIUI 8, and the camera app on both devices is the same. The interface is pretty simple – all functions are in the bottom half. You have shortcuts to add filters, change modes and switch cameras, below which you have a quick access shortcut to gallery, the camera shutter and video recorder.
Talking about modes, you have panorama, self-timer, audio capture, beauty mode and tilt shift to add blur in circle or parallel. You also get scene selection mode – landscape, portrait, sports, night, sunset, snow, flowers, fireworks and more. Lastly, you also have manual mode, but it only lets you control auto-white balance and ISO mode.
I shot a handful of photos indoors, in broad daylight and in low-light scenarios to test the cameras on both smartphones. Clearly, the photos shot on the Redmi Note 4 look better and detailed compared to the ones shot on the Redmi Note 3. As you try zooming in a bit, the Redmi Note 3 instantly starts losing details, whereas the photos shot on the Redmi Note 4 look quite better. One small concern I have with outdoor shots on the Redmi Note 4 is the color tone, which is slightly on the warmer side. Take a look at the camera samples in comparison. ALSO READ: Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 Review
Camera performance – outdoors
Camera performance – indoors
Camera performance – low-light
Camera performance – selfies (outdoors)
Camera performance – selfies (indoors)
Overall, the Redmi Note 4 has a slightly better-performing camera, offering something that was missing from its predecessor. However, it would be naive to expect too much from the smartphone’s camera, especially considering its mid-range price tag.
To see the full resolution images, click on the gallery below.
