Huawei P10 ranks near top of DxOMark camera tests, but can't beat the Pixel

By Ara Wagoner
last updated

The Huawei P10 has a lot to love, especially with a Leica-powered dual camera array and a manageable one hand-friendly size. The setup may be close to last year's P9, but it's taken the Mate 9's excellent 20MP monochrome sensor to give it a big boost in the detail department, coming close to the Google Pixel's photo quality in DxOMark's tests.

What exactly does that mean?

In the breakdown of the P10's setup, DxO did extremely well in low-light and in capturing fine details, but it sometimes came up short in bright scenes. If you're someone more prone to taking in the nightlife rather than recording a day at the beach, the P10 may be a good fit for you. Detailing on the P10 was great, even compared to the Pixel, but autofocus was a bit slow, and the P10 suffers from the same artifacting DxO has observed on other mobile devices with the Leica lens.

At the end of the day, the P10's camera's pretty great for a smartphone camera, and the 87 score puts it above the current iPhone 7 and a full two points higher than its predecessor. That said, 87 still wasn't enough to top the Samsung Galaxy S7, the HTC 10, or dethrone the Google Pixel.

And if this is how the P10 scored, we wonder how the P10 Plus will do.

More: Our first samples from the even-better Huawei P10 Plus!

Ara Wagoner
Ara Wagoner

Ara Wagoner was a staff writer at Android Central. She themes phones and pokes YouTube Music with a stick. When she's not writing about cases, Chromebooks, or customization, she's wandering around Walt Disney World. If you see her without headphones, RUN. You can follow her on Twitter at @arawagco.

21 Comments
  • Not surprising. I've been more than pleased with the Honor 8 camera.
  • Wonder how the P10 compares to the Mate 9 camera.
  • I just searched for it, am I looking for the wrong product because it's for sale at $900.
  • Yes. Wasn't the point of having things made in china done to make things cheaper? whatever happened to that?
  • Hahahahah
  • Cheaper for your grandparents, they figured they'd be dead now and you'd pay the interest.
  • P10 is identical to the Mate 9. P10 Plus has the new camera.
  • True that. I wonder why no one is comparing p10 and p10 plus camera yet.
  • I have the Mate 9 and it's extremely good on par with my gf s7 edge i really cant see the difference unless you are pixel scouting so i expect the P10 to be​ just as good. I believe unless you are a professional in which case you would be using a DSLR pretty much any flagship is good enough for family photos videos recording kid's growing up
  • I think the mate 9 camera is very good overall but in low light it struggles from my use . The BW camera is incredibly good however.
  • Agree with the lowlight disappointment. Otherwise love this thing.
  • S6 and Z5 are better than i7.
  • I am very excited for Huawei and the Honor line of phones in 2017. Closing the gap on the higher end smartphones.
  • Say what you want, I had a pixel and sold it 3 weeks later. Just one of the many reasons was the poor indoor pictures it took. It didn't come close to the low light shots my galaxy s7 edge takes. Sorry.
  • Man you've got to be joking. Indoor photos are amazing on the pixel.
  • Exactly.....
  • The bezel phone is pretty good but by most accounts the s7 is better low light it's where it really shines the most. And it's miles better for video Posted via note 5 are gs7 edge the beast
  • It's only 1 point of difference between it znd the iPhone 7, and not speaking about the Plus! That's hardly a big win if a win at all :)
  • Does this mean the p10 plus camera is better than the pixels since it's the best one they offer?
  • The P10 is a new phone, and will get updates. The iphone, and pixel have been around for a while, with a few updates. Compare cameras after a few updates on it.
  • Samsung's almost 2 year old s6 is in the top 4 still. Bring on the s8 this should be fun to watch Posted via note 5 are gs7 edge the beast