Apple iPhone 11 Pro vs. Huawei P30 Pro: Camera comparison – CNET

Six months is a long time in tech land. When Huawei launched the P30 Pro in May, it was heralded by CNET’s Andrew Hoyle, one of our resident photography pros, as taking better photos than any other phone out there. Yes, Apple’s phones still captured better videos. But between the P30 Pro’s quad-camera setup and features that include 5x optical zoom, Huawei, alongside Google with its excellent Pixel phones, had topped Apple as an industry leader in still photography. 

But that was six months ago. In September Apple launched the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. Though things may change with the upcoming Mate 30 Pro, Apple has more than closed the photography gap between Huawei and itself. Comparing dozens of photos taken on both the iPhone 11 Pro Max and the P30 Pro, Apple’s phone is a clear winner in most areas.

It’s not a flawless victory. When it comes to features, Huawei is still ahead. The P30 Pro also has amazing zoom functionality, offering 5x optical-, 10x hybrid- and 50x digital-zoom capabilities, while the iPhone 11 Pro phones only have 2x optical zoom and 10x digital zoom capabilities. The regular iPhone 11, without a telephoto lens, has no optical zoom. 

And while the focal point of Apple’s new phones is the ultrawide-angle lens, which is present on all three iPhone 11 models, it’s a feature that Huawei has been doing since last year’s 2018’s Mate 20 Pro. So Huawei gets points for originality. But, as we’ll see below, that’s where its victories end. 

Notes on the camera test

1. I shot photos on the iPhone 11 Pro Max, the most expensive of the new iPhones. But outside of a couple of zoom shots that take advantage of the Pro’s telephoto camera, all of the pictures could theoretically be replicated identically on the iPhone 11, since that phone shares the same camera hardware outside of said telephoto lens. 

2. Apple versus Huawei isn’t done for the year. Huawei has a new flagship, the Mate 30 Pro, coming out. Apple will soon launch a camera-software update, called Deep Fusion, which will capture less image noise and improve image detail. 

3. Technically speaking, the iPhone 11 Pro phones have 4x optical zoom and the iPhone 11 2x, since these phones can now zoom out to 0.5x zoom thanks to the ultrawide-angle camera. But in all practical terms, it’s 2x optical zoom for the Pros and 1x for the regular iPhone11.

iPhone Portraits capture a truer you

The basic dichotomy between these two phones, from Night Mode to Portraits, is that the iPhone tries to recreate what the human eye sees and the P30 Pro tries to improve upon what the human eye sees. Photos taken on the P30 Pro often look like they’ve been put through a filter. 

In many instances, what you prefer may come down to taste. The P30’s photos, contrasted and sharpened with software, are often more Instagram ready. But photos taken by the iPhone 11 Pro Max usually have more true-to-life colors and more detail.

As you can see, the iPhone’s photos can look a bit dull next to the P30’s at first glance. But the P30’s photos are less impressive when you notice how much they look like they’ve been adjusted by software. Take a longer look and you’ll see Eddie’s skin tone appears far more natural in the iPhone shot, and the dynamic range looks better there too.

(By the way, I didn’t lean in for the iPhone shots. The iPhone’s software automatically zooms in for Portrait photos.)  

Below you can see that both phones had a little trouble with Allison’s hair, but that the iPhone’s shot is warmer and more natural looking.

Here’s a set of photos taken in the harsh sunlight. Not only are the colors more muted in the P30 Pro’s shot, when comparing the two, the P30 Pro’s affect on Jackson’s skin almost makes him look sickly. (It’s the software, Jackson, not you.) 

These photos taken outside a cafe look like they were shot on different days. Outside the gulf in temperature (more on that later), you’ll notice the P30 Pro smoothed out some of the creases on Chanho’s shirt.

The P30 Pro doesn’t keep it real

The fissure between the iPhone’s attempt at realism and the P30 Pro’s attempt at vibrancy is in some ways wider when it comes to regular shots. Photos taken on Huawei’s phone really pop. When I first began testing the two phones, I was almost always dazzled by what I saw on the P30 Pro. But then, the more I tested, the more I realized the iPhone 11 takes clearer and more detailed photos. 

Take these flowers, for instance. At a glance, the P30 Pro’s photo stands out. But study the flowers in both photos and you’ll see that the iPhone captured more detail due to the P30 Pro upping the contrast and adding blur for effect.

This bowl of granola, which by the way was some next-level granola, looks radiant on the P30 Pro. It’s brimming with color and light, but once again at the expense of detail. Notice the blown-out highlights caused by the passion fruit. 

Apple’s photos tend to come out a little warm, but overall its white balance is consistent. The P30 Pro is less so. Sometimes it artificially warms up photos, but often it shoots images that look much cooler than real life. As you can see here, Jackson and Tim look like they’ve been given a light cyan tint.