The most capable version of Samsung’s Galaxy S10 collection easily the Galaxy S10 5G that, as the name suggests, not only supports 5G networks, but also comes with a huge 6.7-inch display, a 4,500mAh battery and some of the fastest internals money can buy. The device also comes with more cameras than any other S10 model thanks to its inclusion of an additional time-of-flight (ToF) sensor alongside its primary, telephoto and ultra wide-angle lenses.
Samsung’s S10 5G was said to have one of the best camera systems on a smartphone when it was initially reviewed by DxOMark – a publication renowned for meticulously testing smartphone cameras and awarding them a final score based on performance – last year. That said, it seems the £1,099 device has just been beaten in this field by a phone that’s less than half the price.
DxOMark recently delivered its verdict for the Honor V30 Pro – a device that released at the tail end of last year. The handset, that starts at a mere £425 when converted from Chinese Yuan, was awarded a higher overall score than the S10 5G.
The V30 Pro tallied up an impressive 122 from DxOMark, compared to the 116 from the Galaxy S10 5G. As noted by the French publication, the V30 Pro is second in its overall rankings with only the Huawei Mate 30 Pro 5G sitting above it with 123.
Honor’s newest flagship was particularly praised for its photo quality said to be superior than “some of the more expensive flagship competition”. The V30 Pro was given an individual photography score of 133 and a video score of 100. For reference, the S10 5G has a photography score of 124 and a video score of 100.
DxOMark’s verdict for the Honor V30 Pro read: “Jumping almost to the very top of our rankings, the Honor V30 Pro is going to catch the eye of smartphone photography enthusiasts, as it delivers comparable or better image quality than some of the more expensive flagship competition, with excellent zoom, bokeh, night, and flash shots.
“Some very minor autofocus instabilities prevented it from securing the top spot in our ranking, however; and if ultra-wide-angle shots are a key consideration, make sure the 16:9 ratio output suits your needs.
“Excellent detail and low noise are standout characteristics on all three of the Honor V30 Pro’s rear cameras, nearly matching the class-leading high resolution output of the Xiaomi Mi CC9 Pro Premium Edition, but with noticeably less noise. If you’re in the market for a new phone and want knockout image quality, you won’t go far wrong with the Honor V30 Pro.”
The Honor V30 Pro comes with three cameras on its rear: a 40-megapixel primary, 8-megapixel telephoto and a 12-megapixel ultra wide-angle sensor.
Unfortunately, the flagship isn’t currently available to purchase in the UK, or any other country outside China for that matter. That’s almost certainly because the handset doesn’t come with support for Google and apps and services thanks to a US ban on Huawei – the parent company of Honor.
With Google being essential to the Android user experience in Western markets, it’s not particularly surprising Honor has decided to limit the V30 Pro’s availability.
Still, it looks like US relations haven’t stopped the firm from constructing a device that packs a serious photography punch. It’s just a shame most people will never get to test it out for themselves.