THE BRAIN GAIN

Modern smartphones packing software smarts are outmuscling the compact camera competition… as long as your budget’s up to it

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HUAWEI P40 PRO+

Here’s a Huawei of a dilemma for you. Blocked from Google’s services and pushed out of a starring role in the 5G show, the Chinese company has just launched the best 5G camera phone in the world and the first with a 10x optical zoom equivalent lens… but it costs ₹90,500.

The P40 Pro+ sports the same main 50MP camera as the ‘basic’ Pro, complete with its 1/1.28in 50MP RYYB sensor – huge for a smartphone. There’s also a 40MP ultra-wide lens and a time-of-flight depth-sensor, and not one but two telephoto cameras. The first features a 3x equivalent zoom, but the second goes all the way to a 10x equivalent, trumping the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra.

The main camera delivers the best dynamic range we’ve seen from a phone, handling challenging subjects like backlit black cats better than the rest. In low light it excels, brightening up scenes while retaining clarity and keeping noise at bay – and outdoing high-end compact cams like the Sony ZV-1.