Xiaomi released the Xiaomi Redmi Pro a few months back and I’ve been playing around with the dual camera smartphone.
If you have been reading GizChina for any length of time then you will know that I do love a decent camera phone! Chinese smartphone cameras have come on a very long way since the early years, and I feel that Chinese smartphones have some of the best cameras and features in the business.
When Xiaomi announced the Xiaomi Redmi Pro I was pretty impressed, not only is this a smartphone that looks like a premium phone with good hardware, but it’s also an affordable device with 2 rear cameras!
The rear cameras on the Xiaomi Redmi Pro are designed for depth rather than one being a colour camera and the other a monochrome unit. From the MIUI camera app you have the option of switching to ‘Stereo Mode’ which gives you control over the aperture size to give photos the feeling of depth.
After shooting a ‘Stereo’ photo you can then view a 3D effect of your photo or you can choose to change the focus of your photos. We’ve seen a similar effect offered in Meizu phones in the past, but with the Xiaomi using two cameras photo capture is much faster.
So those are the basics but how does the camera perform? Below are a few samples from various lighting conditions, plus I’ve thrown on a GIF made up from a burst capture too. Take a look and let me know what you think.
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Xiaomi Redmi Pro Photo Samples
I think it’s what you would expect from a good f2.0 sensor.
Details are there, low light performance are… Well, you can’t expect miracles! Noisy as it should be, but even then it’s a good result after all (maybe the sw is too much aggressive, don’t know).
Dynamic range isn’t convincing me the most, colours doesn’t look vibrant as you would expect (but maybe the original colours and lights were like that so it’s accurate, you tell me).
The second sensor is basically useless, so this set up is not the most convincing imho. As usual, it’s used mostly for bokeh, and, as usual, it’s sometimes weird: just look the pic with ducks… In the central coloumn, the second from the top: you can literally tell the sw wasn’t sure about how to handle it, so it ends up looking a bit strange, like some kind of blurred, rudimental hologram or something.
Tl;dr
A step above your average chinese f2.0 camera. The second sensor is useless. Bokeh comes (or, at least, it should) with a “learn how to use it before using it” disclaimer, but that’s something valid for every dual camera phone.
Average joe’s mental process like “double the cameras, double the quality” totally isn’t something fitting here (nor it is into every other dual camera phone).
redmi pro or coolpad cool1 ?
I’m for the cool1, but there are many things to take in account
Like absence of fast charging support, many reviewers stated it takes a good 2.5-3 hours for a full charge. Does last an entire day though.
Quick charge is SO overrated, it just destroy your battery quicker imho… Also, as you said: it has a nice battery, so there aren’t many chances you’re going to need to recharge it to its fullest twice a day… Obviously it depends on your use, but if you need a 4000+4000mah battery (its battery charged twice) better going for a battery phone instead!
I didn’t go for it mainly because the 4GB RAM version kept running out of stock which meant resellers could charge obscene prices. It was selling for $299+ at a time.
Qualcomm QC isn’t bad, though. Many users experience no difference in battery life after 3 months of heavy use.
Also, I found once 360 Qiku or whatever model with a decent dual camera setup as well, which seemed promising, so I got distracted from Cool1 completely.
I know, I’ve been waiting for the 4/64 version since it was announced, and now it’s still rare… The only reliable shop which has it is grossoshop, and the price is not that high, but it only has gold version, so I’ll wait some more…
Qualcomm QC is better than pump express (which is basically electrocution), but on the long run it’s still bad, plus it also depends on battery’s quality.
If I recall, that 360 model had 2 cameras but it was only for bokeh, so nothing exciting
Cool 1 :)! I have had it 1.5 weeks now. Was very worried when I saw the Redmi pro samples on this review from Andy as I had already made my order and when I saw how good these pics looked I was worried I made the wrong choice. I couldn’t be happier though. The cool 1 is one of the best and most rounded phones I’ve ever owned, certainly excellent value for money. Not since Nokia days could I get through a weekend without a charger (and I’m power user – android wear, bluetooth headphones, calls, texts etc. gaming the only thing I don’t do on phone) – constantly I get 7/8 hrs SOT alongside 20- 30 hrs total use. The camera is great though not up there with an S7 like some of the marketing would have you believe – I would say maybe with the right lighting you could get a good pic as good as an S6 maybe….I came from a Mi5, Vibe shot, Honor 6, Mi2 and so far this is the best all round phone I’ve had…….amazing value for 190USD I paid for it!
These are better low light samples than I have seen from the redmi pro previously. Nothing spectacular, but not too bad. I wonder if there has been a software update that improved the photo quality since the early reviews, or if Andi’s excellent photography skills are just making it look better. I agree that the dual camera is a bit of a gimmick, but at the current price point the redmi pro is still towards the top of my next phone list.
Check out the video above. As I suspected, when you move the phone, it responds to greatly to small changes in light. Depending on when you take the photo, it will be hugely different. However, it seems like it has a hard time with a twilight effect, like rainy days, or shadowy grass with a cloudy sky.
I think it’s what you would expect from a good f2.0 sensor.
Details are there, low light performance are… Well, you can’t expect miracles! Noisy as it should be, but even then it’s a good result after all (maybe the sw is too much aggressive, don’t know).
Dynamic range isn’t convincing me the most, colours doesn’t look vibrant as you would expect (but maybe the original colours and lights were like that so it’s accurate, you tell me).
The second sensor is basically useless, so this set up is not the most convincing imho. As usual, it’s used mostly for bokeh, and, as usual, it’s sometimes weird: just look the pic with ducks… In the central coloumn, the second from the top: you can literally tell the sw wasn’t sure about how to handle it, so it ends up looking a bit strange, like some kind of blurred, rudimental hologram or something.
Tl;dr
A step above your average chinese f2.0 camera. The second sensor is useless. Bokeh comes (or, at least, it should) with a “learn how to use it before using it” disclaimer, but that’s something valid for every dual camera phone.
Average joe’s mental process like “double the cameras, double the quality” totally isn’t something fitting here (nor it is into every other dual camera phone).
redmi pro or coolpad cool1 ?
I’m for the cool1, but there are many things to take in account
Like absence of fast charging support, many reviewers stated it takes a good 2.5-3 hours for a full charge. Does last an entire day though.
Quick charge is SO overrated, it just destroy your battery quicker imho… Also, as you said: it has a nice battery, so there aren’t many chances you’re going to need to recharge it to its fullest twice a day… Obviously it depends on your use, but if you need a 4000+4000mah battery (its battery charged twice) better going for a battery phone instead!
I didn’t go for it mainly because the 4GB RAM version kept running out of stock which meant resellers could charge obscene prices. It was selling for $299+ at a time.
Qualcomm QC isn’t bad, though. Many users experience no difference in battery life after 3 months of heavy use.
Also, I found once 360 Qiku or whatever model with a decent dual camera setup as well, which seemed promising, so I got distracted from Cool1 completely.
I know, I’ve been waiting for the 4/64 version since it was announced, and now it’s still rare… The only reliable shop which has it is grossoshop, and the price is not that high, but it only has gold version, so I’ll wait some more…
Qualcomm QC is better than pump express (which is basically electrocution), but on the long run it’s still bad, plus it also depends on battery’s quality.
If I recall, that 360 model had 2 cameras but it was only for bokeh, so nothing exciting
Cool 1 :)! I have had it 1.5 weeks now. Was very worried when I saw the Redmi pro samples on this review from Andy as I had already made my order and when I saw how good these pics looked I was worried I made the wrong choice. I couldn’t be happier though. The cool 1 is one of the best and most rounded phones I’ve ever owned, certainly excellent value for money. Not since Nokia days could I get through a weekend without a charger (and I’m power user – android wear, bluetooth headphones, calls, texts etc. gaming the only thing I don’t do on phone) – constantly I get 7/8 hrs SOT alongside 20- 30 hrs total use. The camera is great though not up there with an S7 like some of the marketing would have you believe – I would say maybe with the right lighting you could get a good pic as good as an S6 maybe….I came from a Mi5, Vibe shot, Honor 6, Mi2 and so far this is the best all round phone I’ve had…….amazing value for 190USD I paid for it!
These are better low light samples than I have seen from the redmi pro previously. Nothing spectacular, but not too bad. I wonder if there has been a software update that improved the photo quality since the early reviews, or if Andi’s excellent photography skills are just making it look better. I agree that the dual camera is a bit of a gimmick, but at the current price point the redmi pro is still towards the top of my next phone list.
Check out the video above. As I suspected, when you move the phone, it responds to greatly to small changes in light. Depending on when you take the photo, it will be hugely different. However, it seems like it has a hard time with a twilight effect, like rainy days, or shadowy grass with a cloudy sky.
Where were these photos taken Andi just out of curiosity?
Redmi Pro Camera samples https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms6DXTxmTpU
Thank you so much. This was exactly what I was looking for.
Bokeh effect looks nice, especially on the pic with ducks eating grass.
Not a premium camera but definitely OK for a low/mid budget phone from Xiaomi.
Where were these photos taken Andi just out of curiosity?
Redmi Pro Camera samples
Thank you so much. This was exactly what I was looking for.
Bokeh effect looks nice, especially on the pic with ducks eating grass.
Not a premium camera but definitely OK for a low/mid budget phone from Xiaomi.