Mi A1: could it be the best choice for a budget phone? - Xiaomi Mi A1 Questions & Answers

Hi everyone.
I'm looking for a new phone that could be solid and valuable for everyday use, but I have a budget limit of 250 $. I'll certainly buy a top of the line device later but, since my needs are really basic, I prefer to have a cheaper phone along this period, and change it without too many worries once I'll have the chance.
The Mi A1 seems really promising, but I also read mixed thoughts about it. I mainly use the phone for social apps, light gaming and I like to do a lot of photos, but always intended for social use. I'll try to summarize all my doubts:
1) the update plan: A1 is an Android One device. Can I expect a reasonable amount of updates compared to other phones or other devices by Xiaomi with Miui? I'd really hate to buy a phone that will be "dead" (under the updates point of view) soon.
2) Camera: as I said before, I use the camera a lot. I read that A1 allows to take good photos for its price range. The only cons is the quality of the camera under low-light conditions. Beside this, does it have a good camera? Are its limits solvable with updates or are they hardware limits?
3) Front Camera: is it good? I watched some tests, and I noticed it can make good selfies, but I'd like some other feedbacks. Is the front camera good, even if it only is a 5 mp?
So, the final question: do you recommend this phone according to my budget? Are there better phones around with better camera and performance?
As far as I know, A1 is a best buy, since it's difficult to reach the same overall quality price ratio at that price. Other phones on the same price range have better cameras, but worse performances, or they won't get updates anymore. I'd like some other feedbacks before deciding.
Thanks in advance!

as from experience, value for money, YES the MiA1 provide that kan of leverage.. and without NFC though... just to keep that in mind
the front facing camera with 5MP sensor is horrible.. and the rear facing ones, in outdoor light it is great but in low light it doesn't count much in sattisfaction
BUT for the camera purpose, you could root the device with magisk then sideload GCam HDR+ for a better an awesome results :victory: the hardware has many potential, but the software side it's provided by xiaomi themselves and until this day no software update is present..

wait for this years release of phones including note 5, moto g6 play etc. They will have better processor, oreo out of the box( meaning they will have Project Treble). Even with Snapdragon 630 you will get bluetooth 5.0.

adfds said:
wait for this years release of phones including note 5, moto g6 play etc. They will have better processor, oreo out of the box( meaning they will have Project Treble). Even with Snapdragon 630 you will get bluetooth 5.0.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go with 630.

wawing_b said:
the front facing camera with 5MP sensor is horrible.. and the rear facing ones, in outdoor light it is great but in low light it doesn't count much in sattisfaction
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Click to collapse
That's a really bad news, since the front camera is one of my priorities I was sure it was good, the quality of the shots I found online was more than average :crying:

adfds said:
wait for this years release of phones including note 5, moto g6 play etc. They will have better processor, oreo out of the box( meaning they will have Project Treble). Even with Snapdragon 630 you will get bluetooth 5.0.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a really good advice. Thanks. I guess I have to find a really cheap phone that allows me to survive until some interesting devices come out.

Heisenbear said:
That's a really bad news, since the front camera is one of my priorities I was sure it was good, the quality of the shots I found online was more than average :crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well it might be good..
but if you wanted the best quality in front facing camera I guess you have to look elsewhere and streching your budget a bit to strive fort that quality.. at least a minimal of 8 MP or above for the front camera
and if you still wanted the MiA1, you could side load GCam HDR+ after rooting it... and another one, Portrait cam if I'm not mistaken.. on the hardware side it's plausable, but then on the software side xiaomi hasn't publish any cam app update (yet)

wawing_b said:
well it might be good..
but if you wanted the best quality in front facing camera I guess you have to look elsewhere and streching your budget a bit to strive fort that quality.. at least a minimal of 8 MP or above for the front camera
and if you still wanted the MiA1, you could side load GCam HDR+ after rooting it... and another one, Portrait cam if I'm not mistaken.. on the hardware side it's plausable, but then on the software side xiaomi hasn't publish any cam app update (yet)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know, a 8 mp camera would be a sensible improvement, but my low budget limit is due to the fact that it will be only a temporary device, until the moment I'll buy a top-of-the-line smartphone later.
I just need a reliable phone for this period, capable of doing almost everything in an acceptable way.
This explains my question. Is the front camera so horrible? I was pretty satisfied with my iphone 5 front camera, which is only a 1,2 MP. I doubt the shots of a 2017 phone could be worse than those ones

It's not so much the MP that really matters, it's the processing and the sensor. In good lighting, the front camera is not bad. In lower lighting, it makes everyone look like a wax figure (bad processing + high ISO + heavy noise reduction).

goofball2k said:
It's not so much the MP that really matters, it's the processing and the sensor. In good lighting, the front camera is not bad. In lower lighting, it makes everyone look like a wax figure (bad processing + high ISO + heavy noise reduction).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's true. It's undeniable, the pics under low-light conditions are really insufficient. I clearly noticed this watching the various samples around. I could be wrong, but it's a common problem for low budget phones, so there're not many choices within that range of price.
I have another doubt, speaking of xiaomi phones. How is the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4x, compared with A1 or other low budget phones? Could it be a valid alternative?

The camera is a shocker and the android one program a joke. Don't even consider it.
Wait.

Value for money.. Yes.. considering the cost to hardware ratio definitely VFM..
Updates is under Mi.. Dont fall for the android one tag.. Buggy os, poor updates.. Almost 5 months and they couldn't solve the contact linking issue..
Back camera takes good pics in good lighting condition.. Front camera module is same as that of Redmi note 4, i've read.. Only problems most pics don't look natural..
Loudspeakers actually loud.. I can hear ringtones for once..
Havent felt audio is that great.. havent experienced white noise issue..
Batterys good..
The biggest letback of the device is its os.. Very poorly developed.. Lots of bugs.. I've had more than 5 redmi devices.. The software experience was solid.. But here its pathetic & very frustrating.. U often get the feeling u r running a WIP custom rom.. So much potential in the phone & very much wasted.. This is the most frustrating device i have used till date.. So this is one device i won't recommend..

as an owner of mia1 , now i would have bought the new nokia 6 (2018) , xiomi is a total disaster with software, i got mia1 thinking google would take care of the software but that would have been to good to be true

wawing_b said:
as from experience, value for money, yes the mia1 provide that kan of leverage.. And without nfc though... Just to keep that in mind
the front facing camera with 5mp sensor is horrible.. And the rear facing ones, in outdoor light it is great but in low light it doesn't count much in sattisfaction
but for the camera purpose, you could root the device with magisk then sideload gcam hdr+ for a better an awesome results :victory: The hardware has many potential, but the software side it's provided by xiaomi themselves and until this day no software update is present..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i bought a1 in october and got about 15 updates .

Best choice?
Yes and no.
Some like it some hate it.
I bought it, because it's dirt cheap and has all I need.Clean android(with mi camera and remote), good battery, dual sim, nice design.If you like that and don't want to spend money on pixel, this is a poor man pixel.
If you don't like clean android, it's not for you.
I optimised it, have zero bugs, don't have issues with hissing or screen, or reboots or whatever is reported here.
But others here are reporting that they have bugs.So there might be quality control issues.You can end up with a good unit, or with a bad one.
Bad thing is no kernel source yet, though it's xiaomi, they always delay that for months, but there was a rumour that they will release it till the end of january.We'll see.As a user point of view, not a big deal...but as a developer, it's a crap.
So if you are a developer, it's not for you.
As for updates, they are regular, don't know what others had before, but, just like nexus/pixel line(although it gets updates days after them and it is not on 8.1 yet) it will be covered for 2 years with updates and 3 with security patches.
So...no one can help you with that, but you.If you can, check it in a store, to see if you like it or not.
Sent from my Mi A1 using Tapatalk

Related

Buying G4 Plus for Camera

Hello,
I have read mixed reviews of the G4 Plus camera, while DxoMark gives it a score of 84. Many others consider it average in day light and worst in low light,
can anyone can post unedited/un-cropped images for sample. Is the G4 Plus a good buy as camera phone ?
Thank you.
In my experience it's a very good camera for a phone. Pictures here won't mean probably too much, since you have no reference point and the low resolution imposed by XDA.
Okay, let me tell you my experience. It's a good camera overall. Takes very vivid and sharp images in daylight ie in good conditions. But It has an average to above-average performance in low light conditions but..but..but.. certainly better than many phones that are in its price range. Another thing I wanna mention is that it struggles to snap moving objects. It's 'cause the g4 plus lacks optical image stabilization. I think for many of us It'd be a big deal. For me it's NOT.
I would certainly recommend this phone for phone photography.
Hit like if this post helped you
tobey_onk said:
Okay, let me tell you my experience. It's a good camera overall. Takes very vivid and sharp images in daylight ie in good conditions. But It has an average to above-average performance in low light conditions but..but..but.. certainly better than many phones that are in its price range. Another thing I wanna mention is that it struggles to snap moving objects. It's 'cause the g4 plus lacks optical image stabilization. I think for many of us It'd be a big deal. For me it's NOT.
I would certainly recommend this phone for phone photography.
Hit like if this post helped you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does this moving objects lag happens in manual mode as well ? when shutter is set to higher speed or only in auto mode ?
i think the fastest shutter speed is 1/5 in pro mode can you confirm this ?
Thanks
For camera, this phone is goooood.....?
But you should also pay attention to other issues like heating while camera is in use for more time and screen burn and ghosts touch..
( while screen burn and ghost touch is not common in all device, but if your luck is working wrong then you will have to face them )
tobey_onk said:
but..but..but.. certainly better than many phones that are in its price range.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I seriously doubt that is another phone with a better camera at this price point ($300). In low level light or in daylight. You need to move up to $700 to get a better camera (like added optical zoom and stabilization).
Now, I always say that phones cannot compete with dedicated cameras, therefore they should not be used for planned photo sessions (like when you expect to have great subjects).
Well HTC desire 628 ( my last phone ) gave shutter speed of 1/8000. so i don't want to get anything lower than that. Other option i got is ZTE Nubia Z11 which has an Sony Exmor 298 but not sure if its good enough
https://youtu.be/U8PITTNu7fI?t=179
Thanks
dranzer006 said:
Does this moving objects lag happens in manual mode as well ? when shutter is set to higher speed or only in auto mode ?
i think the fastest shutter speed is 1/5 in pro mode can you confirm this ?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
will try it.
The camera is good for the phone price but it has some quirks which make me irritated.
1. Slow focus, 1 in 3 shots would not have got focused, I notice this issue in pics with people, workaround is to wait additional second after it shows as focused, not always practical. This is probably biggest flaw of this phone. DxO remarks this in their review as well.
2. My earlier phone was nexus 5, OIS made the photos 99% of the time sharp and blur free. With G4 I have to keep my hands extremely steady in poor lighting.
3. I also find the images to be bit over sharpened, not a big deal though. Dynamic range is not that great either, has tendency to blow out sky and highlights.
4. Wide angle lens, didn't like this as objects seem to get curved across the edges of pic, this can and should have been fixed via post processing but moto decided to ignore it.
5. Finally the video recording with EIS is great but heats up the phone like crazy if shooting for long time.
For the price of phone I can forgive issue 2 and 3 but 1st one makes me hate the phone camera as I need to always check if it came out alright. Had I known it before I bought I would have skipped it.
Compared to phones in this price range though it's still decent and great when it works well. Most of the phone seems to have similar issues in this price range.

Camera is quite capable, the MIUI camera is the weak link.

Here's some shots taken with a 3rd party app called Snap Camera. Enjoy!
Hmm limited file size attachments. Here are links to the originals!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bx_9X4Ugo_yaUWZvek1BM1R0TUU/view?usp=drivesdk
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bx_9X4Ugo_yaMkx3VnFDYkoyYXM/view?usp=drivesdk
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bx_9X4Ugo_yaTGgxTVU4QXVGWjA/view?usp=drivesdk
I put Google camera and open camera on mine and while they seem better both are somewhat slow to auto focus and snap oic. For a camera on phone to me that quick snap is important. May try the one you mentioned to see if better.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-T817A using XDA Free mobile app
SWBgHz said:
I put Google camera and open camera on mine and while they seem better both are somewhat slow to auto focus and snap oic. For a camera on phone to me that quick snap is important. May try the one you mentioned to see if better.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-T817A using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It has zero shutter lag, instant photos, really recommend it. Let me know if you want my settings! I'm not 100% sure but It may be a paid app, i think i'd purchased it sometime in the past.
Edit - Tried Open Camera - not very good output, couldn't get Google Camera to work for some reason.. Snap Camera is definitely the best I've seen so far.
Paulrgod,
Thank you so much for this post. What a difference snap makes. No focus breathing and stabilization built in. Huge win as the camera is so important to me as it is my daily picture taker for my family and the biggest concern for this phone...but not any more.
Thanks again!
No problem, happy to help.
I took some photos of my son playing in the living room the other day and it was awful, unacceptable quality really.
So I decided to see if any other apps would make a difference. The quality of the photos I posted above were better quality than comparison shots I took on my Note 5!
Still struggling in low light a bit though, but I've found keeping the ISO in check, set at 400 / 800 the shots are acceptable, but can be difficult getting it to take the shot.
Those shots are extremely noisy, lacking detail and soft ... they just feature heavy post processing (by the app) to make it more attractive to the average punter - saturation, contrast and smoothing. The camera absolutely isn't capable. In fact, many phones of similar price have better selfie sensors than this phone does main camera ...
Well someone's a bit grumpy. Did you click the links to see the full versions? The attachments in the first post are poor due to size rrestrictions. I'm quite happy with them actually.
They came out better than compatible shots taken at the same time on my Note 5.
Kinda hilarious that an app can do a better job than the phone manufacturer's own software.
I tried Snap camera too, but A Better Camera does better in terms of instant focus, or just it seemed to me
3rd party cams also do better in WB and details.
The camera is absolutely horrendous.
I felt like I went back in time to 2009
I've been using the Samsung Note since it first launched.
The note 5 camera is excellent
The mi mix is profusely bad
CorruptedSanity said:
The camera is absolutely horrendous.
I felt like I went back in time to 2009
I've been using the Samsung Note since it first launched.
The note 5 camera is excellent
The mi mix is profusely bad
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a matter of perspective. I too ha a note 5 and yes, it's one of the best phone camera's, as well documented through the year the note 5 has been on the market. So, by that logic, nearly every other phone camera will be disappointing.
However, from my unscientific observation of the note 5, Mi Max (not Mi Mix) and Lenovo Phab 2 Pro, the Mix is better than the Max or Phab 2 Pro. Focus and processing is faster and moving targets can be captured with some resemblance to the image photographed.
Could be the SOC (Max and P2P are SD 652 while Mix is SD 821).
I am enjoying the phone, even though the camera is less than really good. I'm willing to trade the 6.4 inch screen and condensed body for the lesser camera.
Just one man's perspective.
audscott said:
It's a matter of perspective. I too ha a note 5 and yes, it's one of the best phone camera's, as well documented through the year the note 5 has been on the market. So, by that logic, nearly every other phone camera will be disappointing.
However, from my unscientific observation of the note 5, Mi Max (not Mi Mix) and Lenovo Phab 2 Pro, the Mix is better than the Max or Phab 2 Pro. Focus and processing is faster and moving targets can be captured with some resemblance to the image photographed.
Could be the SOC (Max and P2P are SD 652 while Mix is SD 821).
I am enjoying the phone, even though the camera is less than really good. I'm willing to trade the 6.4 inch screen and condensed body for the lesser camera.
Just one man's perspective.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Couldn't agree more on the bolded part as an owner of the Note 5 and returned the Phab 2 Pro after less than a week of ownership. Phab 2 Pro could of been a nice phone if they didn't cut corners in certain areas. Then again its all subjective to ones opinion.
Regarding the camera, wished it was as good as Samsung phones but I've used the 6.4" screen more than I've taken pictures so I'm ok with the traded of.
Do you know if this 3rd parry camera is actually capturing a photo and processing it? Or just basically screenshoting the image on the screen like SnapChat does...
Also does it have HDR?
VeryCoolAlan said:
Do you know if this 3rd parry camera is actually capturing a photo and processing it? Or just basically screenshoting the image on the screen like SnapChat does...
Also does it have HDR?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely Capturing and processing the image. Yes it does HDR - of which you can customise a hell of a lot - exposure values, delays between shots etc..
I've never seen a camera app with as many settings as this actually.
I do photography as a serious hobby.
Mix camera has its strength and weakness. (Native app)
The colour balance is quite accurate most of the time but it definitely love to over saturate.
The auto focus is snappy enough.
The auto exposure is surprisingly good as well.
The low light is terrible but ALL phone sucks at it.
HDR works and they keep the effect to the lower end which I like. While pixel has super good HDR results, sometimes the effect is way over used.
I really like the sharpening level they choose. It feel just right (More on the soft side)
Overall I would say the biggest flaw is that it's unreliable. Occasionally the colours are just way over saturated, but hey that's why I have a camera
To anyone that is rooted and has enabled the Camera2 API (adding persist.camera.HAL3.enabled=1 to build.prop), give ProShot by Rise Up Games a try. Manual Camera by Geeky Devs Studio doesn't work when I mess with the shutter speed or ISO setting but ProShot does. Now both of these are paid but I'm sure you have Play Reward credit spare
I waited for MIUI 9 to see if it would bring an improvement in the camera application but now that I have it, I don't see any improvement. So I decided for now to use Snap Camera. Can someone tell me what would be the best settings to use Snap Camera in the MIX?
Is the Snap Camera app, better then the Google Camera app downloaded from the Oneplus 5 thread?

is the camera that bad?

Hi I'm on the fence right now between buying the axon 7 European version and the oneus 3t and s7 edge. The only thing that holds me off is the camera.
I now hold the g5 that I'm planning to give to my wife. Now there is no way that she'll have a better camera than me .
So can you advise me pls?
Did the camera improved after nougat update?
Is the camera better with 3rd party cameras such as open caema app?
In every other field the axon 7 is an unbeatable beast
ItsNewDroid said:
Hi I'm on the fence right now between buying the axon 7 European version and the oneus 3t and s7 edge. The only thing that holds me off is the camera.
I now hold the g5 that I'm planning to give to my wife. Now there is no way that she'll have a better camera than me .
So can you advise me pls?
Did the camera improved after nougat update?
Is the camera better with 3rd party cameras such as open caema app?
In every other field the axon 7 is an unbeatable beast
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you need a great camera on a phone get the s8/s7 or V20
From what I've seen it's not HORRIBLE, but it's not super good either. It's just... ok, I guess. As mentioned, if you want a better camera, get a Samsung or LG phone.
ItsNewDroid said:
Hi I'm on the fence right now between buying the axon 7 European version and the oneus 3t and s7 edge. The only thing that holds me off is the camera.
I now hold the g5 that I'm planning to give to my wife. Now there is no way that she'll have a better camera than me .
So can you advise me pls?
Did the camera improved after nougat update?
Is the camera better with 3rd party cameras such as open caema app?
In every other field the axon 7 is an unbeatable beast
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well it's subjective, but keep in mind:
-The most flawed part of the camera is the software; ISOs are too high on manual mode
-Has high color noise, so photos aren't very good in the dark (unless you have a tripod, with which you can make some shet-in-your-pants photos)
-Very, I repeat VERY good on okay lighting conditions
-Already has RAW support
People usually say that the OP3 has a far better camera than this thing... I'm not that sure anymore, I compared an OP3T and my a7 and while it lacks on low light, the difference is still not that much.
Also different camera apps don't improve quality much, I used a bunch of them (HTC, Motorola, Google, LOS) and always find myself using the stock app for the simplicity and rather good design of it. The only thing worth complaining about is that you can only do 4x zoom on the stock camera, but you won't be using 8x digital too much anyways
The camera isn't bad, but it isn't as good as LG, Samsung or Apple, especially in low light. For the price of the phone it a pretty decent performer. I'm not sure if it improved as my phone got wet and the screen faild a few month back. I finally sent it in for repair today.
If Camera performance is a priority then the LG and Samsung are a better option. Where the Axon 7 shines is in audio both in it front facing speakers and headphone jack.
Check out pocketnow's review:
https://youtu.be/dTsg7EyYKFM
It's not even close to the performance of even older flagships in terms of overall usability. The Autofocus is so iffy that consider 1/2 of my quickshots are blurry as it just can't lock the target good.
On perfect scenes, the pics do hold up well against S7 and V20 but in terms of clarity there's just way too much noise.
The video performance is even worse often alot of noise show up and the low light video is completely unusable.
It's sad that the iPhone 6 which is much older beats it on all levels still photos, videos, AF, zoom.
Choose an username... said:
Well it's subjective, but keep in mind:
-The most flawed part of the camera is the software; ISOs are too high on manual mode
-Has high color noise, so photos aren't very good in the dark (unless you have a tripod, with which you can make some shet-in-your-pants photos)
-Very, I repeat VERY good on okay lighting conditions
-Already has RAW support
People usually say that the OP3 has a far better camera than this thing... I'm not that sure anymore, I compared an OP3T and my a7 and while it lacks on low light, the difference is still not that much.
Also different camera apps don't improve quality much, I used a bunch of them (HTC, Motorola, Google, LOS) and always find myself using the stock app for the simplicity and rather good design of it. The only thing worth complaining about is that you can only do 4x zoom on the stock camera, but you won't be using 8x digital too much anyways
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OnePlus 3 is better but not much better, the AF is a step up but still very iffy compare to S6 or S7. I even laughed that my Note 4 beats both the Axon7 and OP3 on just random quick shots. The OP3 often has blurry faces and washed out colors if the lighting is weak. Thats why the camera software on flagships are better they compensate the lack of lighting by fixing the images to good effects.
Any low light or fast action shots you take will yield better results in manual mode. I have the Axon 7 (US) and HTC 10. Daylight shots, the Axon wins. Better clarity due to the 20 megapixel camera (HTC 10 has 12 megapixel), and color saturation is more vivid. But low light or fast action shots, the Axon falls flat on its face. I can point and shoot with the HTC consistently, but with the Axon I have to play with manual mode settings to get a shot that's close to the HTC's. Even with that manipulation, the Axon still falls behind the HTC.
Cueball74 said:
Any low light or fast action shots you take will yield better results in manual mode. I have the Axon 7 (US) and HTC 10. Daylight shots, the Axon wins. Better clarity due to the 20 megapixel camera (HTC 10 has 12 megapixel), and color saturation is more vivid. But low light or fast action shots, the Axon falls flat on its face. I can point and shoot with the HTC consistently, but with the Axon I have to play with manual mode settings to get a shot that's close to the HTC's. Even with that manipulation, the Axon still falls behind the HTC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I read somewhere that using manual mode would be better in low light. I'll have to try that once I get my Axon back from the ZTE service center.
The camera isn't great but is good for a $400 phone. We tend to compare it to more expensive flagships, so I guess I can't complain too much.
I got the Axon 7 for it's audio capabilities and all around good specs for the price, and new the camera probably wasn't going to be top tier.
RojasTKD said:
The camera isn't bad, but it isn't as good as LG, Samsung or Apple, especially in low light. For the price of the phone it a pretty decent performer. I'm not sure if it improved as my phone got wet and the screen faild a few month back. I finally sent it in for repair today.
If Camera performance is a priority then the LG and Samsung are a better option. Where the Axon 7 shines is in audio both in it front facing speakers and headphone jack.
Check out pocketnow's review:
https://youtu.be/dTsg7EyYKFM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a new review from them:
https://youtu.be/l4lHnPOftbA
ItsNewDroid said:
Hi I'm on the fence right now between buying the axon 7 European version and the oneus 3t and s7 edge. The only thing that holds me off is the camera.
I now hold the g5 that I'm planning to give to my wife. Now there is no way that she'll have a better camera than me .
So can you advise me pls?
Did the camera improved after nougat update?
Is the camera better with 3rd party cameras such as open caema app?
In every other field the axon 7 is an unbeatable beast
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cueball74 said:
Any low light or fast action shots you take will yield better results in manual mode. I have the Axon 7 (US) and HTC 10. Daylight shots, the Axon wins. Better clarity due to the 20 megapixel camera (HTC 10 has 12 megapixel), and color saturation is more vivid. But low light or fast action shots, the Axon falls flat on its face. I can point and shoot with the HTC consistently, but with the Axon I have to play with manual mode settings to get a shot that's close to the HTC's. Even with that manipulation, the Axon still falls behind the HTC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
RojasTKD said:
Yeah, I read somewhere that using manual mode would be better in low light. I'll have to try that once I get my Axon back from the ZTE service center.
The camera isn't great but is good for a $400 phone. We tend to compare it to more expensive flagships, so I guess I can't complain too much.
I got the Axon 7 for it's audio capabilities and all around good specs for the price, and new the camera probably wasn't going to be top tier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to say that I agree with everything said here, the camera is not top, but still gives a really nice results AS LONG AS YOU KNOW HOW TO PROPERLY USE IT.
This is not a camera for point and shoot in any situation, and as the guys pointed out, on daylight you will get amazing pictures, sharp and with nice colors. On low light... it really depends on your abilities.
I had the Mate 9 for a month, and I can say there wasn't so much difference between the 2, even on low light they were similar, but always the Mate 9 giving slightly better results.
One more thing, the video in the Axon 7 is kind of mediocre. I don't care about video, usually I don't record many videos, but I can say it was huge difference the video from the Mate 9 and the Axon 7. If you are a video guy, probably you would be disappointed with the Axon 7.
In the end, I gave back the Mate 9 and I kept the Axon 7 because for me, any smartphone should have a nice display, good camera, decent battery, excellent sound and nice performance. Axon 7 has all of those, but most important, the audio experience that no phone in the market can give you nowadays, and is the reason number one I won't change this phone soon.
:good:
Already bought the axon 7 and its a nice phone. The camera is real bad. I can't believe there are such bad camera nowdays. Plus the vibrator motor is noisy and of bad quality. Beside that its pretty nice phone
in comparison to my huawei mate 9, the axon 7 camera is really GREAT. it's like 3 times better than mate 9's ****ty dual cam.
can you switch off the notification vibration? its really annoying me, particularly if you set a notification sound. you then have a vibration and the sound both overlapping each other.
ItsNewDroid said:
Already bought the axon 7 and its a nice phone. The camera is real bad. I can't believe there are such bad camera nowdays. Plus the vibrator motor is noisy and of bad quality. Beside that its pretty nice phone
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The camera is not bad. The vibratation motor is bad, I agree on that. But I think they could make it better if they reduced the vibration power, which I reckon it would be possible
aLexzkter said:
The camera is not bad. The vibratation motor is bad, I agree on that. But I think they could make it better if they reduced the vibration power, which I reckon it would be possible
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I've searched but could not find how to reduce vibrator intensity. Even in resurrection remix there is no option. Can you recommend what to do?
Launch night mode, you are golden. Daylight is pretty good. And I must you, if you take makro shots: its FAR better then any phone i know
ItsNewDroid said:
I've searched but could not find how to reduce vibrator intensity. Even in resurrection remix there is no option. Can you recommend what to do?
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You can't reduce the intensity on capacity buttons vibration.
Also, the minimum intensity on google keyboard is strong , hence you won't reduce the notifications vibration either, It must be hardcoded in a way that not even kernels can't fix ¿?. I don't know. I'm not a developer...maybe we should contact one...but the fact that it's too strong on both custom and stock roms suggests that it can't be fixed.
So I've managed to get used to the vibration intensity of the though I wish someone would be able to develop a way to control it.
Regarding the camera, I've found that snap camera works great and the post process is excellent and make the shots much more sharper. Video above 720p are still horrible but what can you do.? Nothing is perfect
The camera is very bad in low light, the photo will likely be blurry due to the camera app trying to capture more light. But it does ok in good lighting. You probably can't go wrong with the S7 Edge, it's camera is better than the Axon 7.
Check out their camera section, in low light the S7's camera does much better.
http://www.androidauthority.com/zte-axon-7-vs-samsung-galaxy-s7-722336/
awdrifter said:
The camera is very bad in low light, the photo will likely be blurry due to the camera app trying to capture more light. But it does ok in good lighting. You probably can't go wrong with the S7 Edge, it's camera is better than the Axon 7.
Check out their camera section, in low light the S7's camera does much better.
http://www.androidauthority.com/zte-axon-7-vs-samsung-galaxy-s7-722336/
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That comparison was made with Marshmallow, and even when the S7 will always take better pictures, quality and focus improved a lot in Nougat.
zte mini camera
i know this is likely a dead topic, but have there been any software developments, either zte or custom rom, that have improved the axon mini's camera?
i read of a google pixel apk, does that install and work ok on the mini 7?

Extremely Disappointed with the Camera

I come from LG G4 and the only reason to buy this phone was the camera for me and boy do I hate the goddamn camera on this phone! I loathe both the Rear and Front camera shots. I hate that their image processing is terrible. Their implementation of noise reduction algorithm is horrible for the front camera, and the lack of OIS doesn't help with the shots.
So I guess I am stuck with using pro mode - clicking RAW and processing just to avoid their horrible software implementation.
I just want to get rid of this phone or I prolly will end up using this as a backup phone just for its dash charging ! That is the only thing good thing about this device.
My LG G4 shots here - https://www.flickr.com/photos/giripix/with/37340217741/
I don't have any pictures to compare with OP5 cos the camera is so horrendous !
At this stage of the phone being released 3 months ago you should've already known about the camera 'qualities' from reviews?!
Dont you go for reviews prior to purchasing anything.
The camera isnt that bad, has got better with updates, and here at XDA, smartphones are a lot more than just a camera device.
you bought the phone because of the camera but didn't do enough research for it.
Most people buy this phone because of the Google stock feeling or the overall performance and dev support of the phone.
If you bought it just for the camera might aswel return it ^.^
Agreed with the users that have replied thus far. If you read enough reviews you would know the camera didn't live up to its hype post launch. That's not to say it's a bad camera by any means, but it should have given you a better idea of whether or not this device is for you.
If your primary purchasing factor is the camera, the Google Pixel or Galaxy S8 would have been better options.
Personally I don't find the camera to be that bad, it's really solid in good lighting as well, but to each their own!
The front camera is one of the better ones I've used, and the rear camera isn't "bad" (though could be better).
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk
Who buys a phone for its camera? Its not a primary feature of any phone seeing how its so small it will never receive optimal amounts of light or have a large enough lens to get quality shots at all in any circumstances. Buy a phone for software not hardware. If hardware is nice consider it a bonus. A really good camera is only about 150 dollars. Just carry a nikon around.
Actually, OnePlus heavily marketed the camera; even making a note of it on the sides of the box. It's no surprise at least some people would have bought this thinking the camera was top-notch.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk
venkig said:
I come from LG G4 and the only reason to buy this phone was the camera for me and boy do I hate the goddamn camera on this phone...
I just want to get rid of this phone or I prolly will end up using this as a backup phone just for its dash charging ! That is the only thing good thing about this device...
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NorthernLight_ said:
At this stage of the phone being released 3 months ago you should've already known about the camera 'qualities' from reviews?!
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Click to collapse
a senior member on xda and no research before purchase
why don't you go an get this https://www.ebay.com/p/LG-G4-H815-32GB-Metallic-Gray-Unlocked-Smartphone/218349514
It's a SMARTPHONE camera. It's never going to replace a DSLR. Its actually a good camera. I don't have a problem with the quality at all (though I'm an enthusiast Photographer and know that no phone camera will like a DSLR). Most of the reviews flame the camera as much worse then it really is. That being said... It's totally the OP's fault for there are 50 or more YouTube video reviews on the camera.
To say it's the worst phone you've bought... lol you sound bitter as this phone is the fastest, smoothest phone out there with the best battery and fastest charging phone out there. It's got a very good display, but not the best. I think that is really the only area this phone lags behind flagships... the display.
Im finding it about on par with my I7, slightly worse in low light but focuses much faster.
Worse than my note 8, better than my XZp
It's like the only device that had day 1 reviews from tons of known reviewers so you had all the time in the world to research about the product you're buying and yet you didn't. Yeah camera is crap compared to other flagships, we don't care, move along.
I don't mind the camera, it's decent.
How can you be "extremely disappointed" ?
I receive my OP5 about a week ago and is by far the best smartphone I ever had in term of photos.
I'm coming from a Galaxy S6 how he's a "one of the best photos taker". He has a better camera that the LG G4 if you read the reviews. The best part it's that I think the S6 has a decent rear camera and a awful front camera who made your skin like a doll. Do you know why ? Because Samsung use a simple trick to avoid the noise in the photos : blur all the picture in low light and we can tell that our phones are really good in low light. I can tell you that this phone is really, but really better that my previous S6.
But I have compared with a S7 too (the S8 have the same lens and is considered one of the best photos takers of the market) and a iPhone 6s. He out-performed well all this phones. I don't even talk about the front camera who is simply the best in the market.
The only issue with the rear camera is in the low light, but this can be fixed with the Pro mode or the Google Camera modded with HDR+.

FIRST OnePlus 5T camera review by heise.de

https://m.heise.de/ct/artikel/OnePlus-5T-Keine-Zoom-Kamera-mehr-3887487.html
Heise.de is one very serious german tech site and they say that since other sites already broke the NDA they dont feel obliged to hold information back.
To make it short: camera does not get better, low light performance gets even worse.
Long version: The camera setup (still WITHOUT OIS!) will be 16+20 mp again BUT the 20 mp sensor this time won't work as telephoto lens. Also aperture changes from f/2.6 to also f/1.7 like the 16 mp main snapper. Pixel size of the 20 mp sensor stays at 1.0 um. This sensor will, despite its crazily small pixel size, automatically work as low light shooter when light levels drop below 3.5 lux, making pictures look even worse than with the 16 mp sensor.
The Software does NOT use both sensors to combine the picture information like it is the case for other phones. Thus, picture quality does not seem to improve compared to the OP 5.
My comment: This really doesnt seem to make any sense. Why not put in a sensor with bigger pixels if you want a lowlight specific unit? Why take one with even smaller pixels? Wtf!? Did they have too many of those crappy 20mp sensor left over? Or why not at least use both sensors to combine the two die pics? Or why not just use the fabulous sensor that the s8/pixel2 uses and put an OIS in it? This is so stupid oneplus, i just dont get it..
Furthermore: Usb will again be 2.0.
2015 all over again..
Also, unlike the introductionary text of this forum suggests, battery will be the same as the OP5, 3300 mah. Thus, endurance will be lower compared to the 5.
And the device will also feature face recognition to unlock.
What do you think?
This is kinda disappointing. I was kinda missing my OnePlus 5 going to the pixel 2xl because I really loved the feel and everything on the o5. I was also thinking I should have waited on the 5t and hope they made some small improvements to the camera. This seems like a bit if a downgrade. Battery life will still be really good but slightly worse. I don't see why they couldn't have fitted in a slightly larger battery
Finally get to review it
Finally got my new glasses and can check all of the new great features With these phones. It has been a while since I bought a smart phoneBut the one plus is something that I there are just way too expensive.
I wonder if it possible cross-device ROMs between OnePlus 5 & 5T.
ps000000 said:
I wonder if it possible cross-device ROMs between OnePlus 5 & 5T.
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I think it will be possible. Since the changes are similar like 3 and 3t. Lets see
yeah, for me the missing ois is a deal breaker. I planned to upgrade from my op3t but now i will keep it. Hopefully they will learn from it and add a camera with ois for the 6
GSMArena have some shots in their hands-on here.
If you zoom in and look at what it's done to the foliage in the first 2 shots you might wish you hadn't. This would be considered poor in a low-light shot, never mind outdoor daylight. I just hope that this is pre-pre-production software that they stupidly gave to a reviewer and not what they are planning on selling.
Maybe anybody has a acutal review of the camera of the Oppo R11s?
It should have the same camera configuration and software "magic".
Results should be an indication for the possible camera performance of the OP5T.
---------- Post added at 05:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:35 PM ----------
Large Hadron said:
GSMArena have some shots in their hands-on here.
If you zoom in and look at what it's done to the foliage in the first 2 shots you might wish you hadn't. This would be considered poor in a low-light shot, never mind outdoor daylight. I just hope that this is pre-pre-production software that they stupidly gave to a reviewer and not what they are planning on selling.
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Interesting. GSMarena comments on the lowlight pictures:
"We also went out for some night shots around the usual locations. We won't be passing any verdicts just yet, but the results look promising."
When they said the second camera would have f1.7 aperture (without probably mentioning the pixel size) I thought they would do something special to combine the result of both cameras and create nice pictures. I didn't expect that they only would use one of them....
OnePlus clearly doesn't know much about software photography, but they know a lot about marketing...
Furthermore: Usb will again be 2.0.
2015 all over again..
Seriously brah?
Also, unlike the introductionary text of this forum suggests, battery will be the same as the OP5, 3300 mah. Thus, endurance will be lower compared to the 5.
And the device will also feature face recognition to unlock.
What do you think?
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Well, the screen says 6.0 VS 5.5 But it's taller but thinner side to side. The total screen area should be the same or very close. I doubt enough to affect battery in any significant way. It's also a newer panel, so possibly more efficient than the old 5.5 which was a carryover from the previous OP.
The screen is not narrower but a lot longer so the real estate is quite bigger.
Its 136x68mm vs 122x68mm.
A few sites have mentioned the camera is a bit lackluster, but until we can get a good comparison between the 5 and 5T I'm not sure how to take these comments.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk
Camera will be more powerfull if you install Google camera.
Martin.077 said:
Camera will be more powerfull if you install Google camera.
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i feel so too, on the op5 the difference is huge in low light conditions with the hdr+
Unfortunately there isnt a port that works properly. Either no touch to focus or other drawbacks
Lasersdude said:
Unfortunately there isnt a port that works properly. Either no touch to focus or other drawbacks
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And the microdots. It was too much of a hack for something I need to be reliable at least IMO.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/201...ding-combination-of-specs-design-and-price/2/
https://m.gsmarena.com/oneplus_5t-review-1687p8.php
mario toys on arstech and low light comparison on gsm
5t looks better than 5 there
FridrufHau said:
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/201...ding-combination-of-specs-design-and-price/2/
https://m.gsmarena.com/oneplus_5t-review-1687p8.php
mario toys on arstech and low light comparison on gsm
5t looks better than 5 there
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Click to collapse
It is still producing oil paintings in daylight though.
Mind boggling that this is still not fixed! The sensor is capable to produce better photos but the processing...
https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/op5T-2.jpg
This issue is soo old by now:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbn9Lj6F6EM
Someone needs to tell OnePlus that a little noise doesn't hurt as long as the photos come out sharp!
AcmE85 said:
This issue is soo old by now:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbn9Lj6F6EM
Someone needs to tell OnePlus that a little noise doesn't hurt as long as the photos come out sharp!
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Ok so moving is never sharp, although with other camera apps?

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