NEW DELHI: When we reviewed the first ‘major’ smartphone – Honor View 20 – of 2019 we said that one thing that you’ll come across this year is a 48MP camera. We are just into the third month of the new year and already three-four smartphones are touting a 48MP camera. Xiaomi with its latest Redmi Note 7 Pro, Honor View 20, Vivo V15 Pro and it is expected Oppo will unveil a device with a 48MP camera today in India.

 

　　Of course, on paper a 48MP camera sounds a big deal but before we delve slightly deeper into this ‘big trend’ of the year, here’s one cold, hard fact you should know: there’s currently actually no default 48MP camera for all the images you click by any of these smartphone.

 

　　At the heart of the 48MP camera – both in Xiaomi and Honor’s case – Sony’s IMX586 sensor. The default setting on both these smartphones’ camera is really a 12MP mode. So how and where does the 48MP camera come in the picture (pun unintended)?

 

　　In Xiaomi Redmi Note Pro, Vivo V15 Pro and Honor View 20, any image you click – without tweaking the settings – will be shot on a 12MP camera (which we have seen in other phones). Now, let’s break the three smartphones here and talk about them separately.

 

　　What does shooting with a 48MP camera entail?

 

　　With the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro, you have to first switch to the Pro mode and then manually select the option of the 48MP sensor. However, Xiaomi on its website categorical states, “48MP dual camera indicates that the sensor in camera's primary lens is capable of producing images with a total of 48 megapixels. The camera is capable of taking both 48MP and 12MP photos. Some previews may only be able to display photos in 12MP. Pro mode is immediately capable of supporting 48MP, while support for Photo mode will be made available later via OTA update.” In other words, some users will be able to see pictures in 12MP mode only and not 48MP.

 

　　Here the other important factor to consider is the processor that powers the phone. Xiaomi – largely to incorporate this 48MP sensor – opted for Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 processor. Now there are only two phones in India currently available that support this processor: Redmi Note 7 Pro and Vivo V15 Pro (another 48MP camera phone). Since it’s more of a computational tool the role of the processor is extremely critical here. A 48MP image is unlike any other – in the sense that it takes time to process and isn’t really an instant photo in the truest sense.

 

　　In the Redmi Note 7 Pro – according to several initial impressions – you have to first go to the Pro mode in the camera and select the 48MP camera. The image sizes reportedly vary from 13MB to 16MB, which is actually taking up a lot of space. The high-end variant of Redmi Note 7 Pro (priced at Rs 16,999) offers 128GB of storage (microSD support is available). In a sense the 48MP camera is certainly not feasible for every image that you click.

 

　　The Honor View 20, on the other hand, is powered by Kirin 980 processor. Now the company claims that this is at par with Apple’s super fast A12 bionic processor. During our review we found the processor to be really good and here’s why we are emphasising on that being a critical factor in 48MP camera. Even with the Kirin 980 processor, the processing time is slightly longer than usual when it comes to the images clicked on the 48MP camera. The images were detailed – but they had to be clicked in almost ideal conditions – and the real impact is actually seen on a bigger screen (a laptop or desktop). Honor also gives something called an advanced mode (48MP AI Ultra Clarity) which uses the force of Kirin 980 to deliver 48MP images. The image size here too is quite heavy (close to 10-12MB).

 

　　With the Vivo V15 Pro – which coincidentally uses the same processor as Redmi Note 7 Pro – you don’t have to go into the Pro mode. In the camera app, you just have to go to Settings and choose the 48MP option. The image size here varied between 9-10MB.

 

　　Of course, the Sony sensor is extremely powerful and capable of detailed shots which very few other sensors can click. But it’s never about the megapixels in a smartphone. A smartphone maker can offer more cameras with even more megapixels but it has to be aided by a powerful processor. The 48MP camera is there and yet comes with a lot of caveats.

 

　　The big one is image size and – at the risk of stereotyping -- most casual users click images to post them on social media. How useful is a 48MP image when say an Instagram or Facebook will end up compressing it? So if it’s a 12MP camera or a 48MP camera, it actually doesn’t matter. A good smartphone camera is never about the megapixels you offer. In today’s AI and ML dominated world, it’s as much about computational elements and processor on the phones.

 

　　Why do you think Google Pixel continues to be rated very highly by experts, critics and most users? After all it still has — at least in one model — a single rear camera and a ’mere’ 12MP camera. It’s because when it comes to AI and computational techniques of smartphone photograph, few come close to the Pixel. And perhaps that’s the reason why it is a trend which you will mostly see in budget phones as it’s an excellent selling point which lacks actual depth.