We put the Huawei Mate 50 Pro through our rigorous DXOMARK Selfie test suite to measure its performance in photo and video from an end-user perspective. This article breaks down how the device fared in a variety of tests and several common use cases and is intended to highlight the most important results of our testing with an extract of the captured data.
Overview
Key front camera specifications:
- 13MP sensor
- f/2.4-aperture lens
- up to 4K video
- 3D Depth Sensing Camera
Scoring
Sub-scores and attributes included in the calculations of the global score.
Huawei Mate 50 Pro
Pros
- Nice skin tones in photos
- Good exposure and wide dynamic range in photos and videos
- Good detail and very low noise levels
- Subjects always in focus, even in group shots
- Video noise well under control in bright light and indoors
- Accurate white balance and nice colors
- Wide depth of field in videos
Cons
- Local loss of texture is visible in some conditions, especially in low-light images
- Occasionally desaturated skin tones visible in backlit scenes
- Artifacts such as color quantization and local loss of facial texture in photos
- Coarse noise and lack of detail in low-light videos
- Occasionally low contrast in videos
- Slightly inaccurate skin tones in some conditions
- Video artifacts, including local movement of texture, color quantization, and ghosting
With a DXOMARK Selfie score of 145, the Huawei Mate 50 Pro reaches the No. 1 spot in our front camera ranking. Except for the device’s fixed-focus front camera, the Mate 50 Pro comes with most of the same hardware specifications as the Huawei P50 Pro. Despite the hardware similarities, the Mate 50 Pro’s performance was an improvement over the P50 Pro thanks to new software solutions and refined tuning,
For video, the Mate 50 Pro was tested at 4K resolution at 30 frames per second, with Vivid HDR mode enabled. Vivid HDR is a new HDR video format and currently supported by a range of phones and TVs. In our tests the Mate 50 Pro delivered a very consistent still image performance, achieving top scores in several test categories, including exposure, focus, noise and flash. This said, overall the Huawei Mate 50 Pro video results were good but not outstanding, mainly due to slightly low contrast levels and a low light performance that left some room for improvement.
Test summary
About DXOMARK Selfie tests: For scoring and analysis, DXOMARK engineers capture and evaluate more than 1,500 test images both in controlled lab environments and in outdoor, indoor and low-light natural scenes, using the front camera’s default settings. The photo protocol is designed to take into account the user’s needs and is based on typical shooting scenarios, such as close-up and group selfies. The evaluation is performed by visually inspecting images against a reference of natural scenes, and by running objective measurements on images of charts captured in the lab under different lighting conditions from 1 to 1,000+ lux and color temperatures from 2,300K to 6,500K. For more information about the DXOMARK Selfie test protocol, click here. More details on how we score smartphone cameras are available here. The following section gathers key elements of DXOMARK’s exhaustive tests and analyses .Full performance evaluations are available upon request. Please contact us on how to receive a full report.
Photo
Huawei Mate 50 Pro
149
When shooting still images, the Huawei Mate 50 Pro delivered very solid results across almost all test categories. Target exposure was accurate, with a wider dynamic range than the competition. Images showed nice colors, but our testers observed a slight green cast in overcast conditions and slightly desaturated skin tones in scenes with strong backlighting. A wide depth of field meant all subjects tended to be in focus in group shots. In addition, the Huawei did very well in terms of texture/noise, rendering very fine detail nicely and limiting noise in most conditions. This said, texture rendering was occasionally somewhat unstable across consecutive shots, mainly in difficult low-light scenes.
Exposure
Huawei Mate 50 Pro
97
Color
Huawei Mate 50 Pro
110
Exposure and color are the key attributes for technically good pictures. For exposure, the main attribute evaluated is the brightness of the face(s) in various use cases and light conditions. Other factors evaluated are the contrast and the dynamic range, eg. the ability to render visible details in both bright and dark areas of the image. Repeatability is also important because it demonstrates the camera's ability to provide the same rendering when shooting consecutive images in a row.
For color, the image quality attributes analyzed are skin-tone rendering, white balance, color shading, and repeatability.
Focus
Huawei Mate 50 Pro
105
Autofocus tests evaluate the accuracy of the focus on the subject’s face, the repeatability of an accurate focus, and the depth of field. While a shallow depth of field can be pleasant for a single-subject selfie or close-up shot, it can be problematic in specific conditions such as group selfies; both situations are tested. Focus accuracy is also evaluated in all the real-life images taken, from 30cm to 150cm, and in low light to outdoor conditions.
Texture
Huawei Mate 50 Pro
79
Texture tests analyze the level of details and the texture of subjects in the images taken in the lab as well as in real-life scenarios. For natural shots, particular attention is paid to the level of details in facial features, such as the eyes. Objective measurements are performed on chart images taken in various lighting conditions from 1 to 1000 lux and different kinds of dynamic range conditions. The charts used are the proprietary DXOMARK chart (DMC) and the Dead Leaves chart.
Noise tests analyze various attributes of noise such as intensity, chromaticity, grain, and structure on real-life images as well as images of charts taken in the lab. For natural images, particular attention is paid to the noise on faces, but also on dark areas and high dynamic range conditions. Objective measurements are performed on images of charts taken in various conditions from 1 to 1000 lux and different kinds of dynamic range conditions. The chart used is the DXOMARK Dead Leaves chart and the standardized measurement such as Visual Noise derived from ISO 15739.
Artifacts
Huawei Mate 50 Pro
91
The artifacts evaluation looks at lens shading, chromatic aberrations, distortion measurement on the Dot chart and MTF, and ringing measurements on the SFR chart in the lab. Particular attention is paid to ghosting, quantization, halos, and hue shifts on the face among others. The more severe and the more frequent the artifact, the higher the point deduction on the score. The main artifacts observed and corresponding point loss are listed below.
Bokeh
Huawei Mate 50 Pro
80
Bokeh is tested in one dedicated mode, usually portrait or aperture mode, and analyzed by visually inspecting all the images captured in the lab and in natural conditions. The goal is to reproduce portrait photography comparable to one taken with a DSLR and a wide aperture. The main image quality attributes paid attention to are depth estimation, artifacts, blur gradient, and the shape of the bokeh blur spotlights. Portrait image quality attributes (exposure, color, texture) are also taken into account.
Video
Huawei Mate 50 Pro
156
DXOMARK engineers capture and evaluate more than 2 hours of video in controlled lab environments and in natural low-light, indoor and outdoor scenes, using the front camera’s default settings. The evaluation consists of visually inspecting natural videos taken in various conditions and running objective measurements on videos of charts recorded in the lab under different conditions from 1 to 1000+ lux and color temperatures from 2,300K to 6,500K.
In video mode, the Mate 50 Pro front camera shone especially in terms of exposure, dynamic range and white balance. Overall, the device delivered a pleasant video experience but left some opportunities for improvements. Contrast was sometimes not perfectly adjusted and our testers noticed frequent exposure instabilities, especially in strongly backlit scenes. In such difficult conditions, we also noticed slightly inaccurate skin tone rendering. The level of captured detail was high on faces, and noise was kept well under control both in bright light and under indoor conditions. However, noise was quite noticeable in low light. Video stabilization was quite effective, but frame shifts were often visible when panning the camera.
Exposure
Huawei Mate 50 Pro
87
Color
Huawei Mate 50 Pro
90
Exposure tests evaluate the brightness of the face and the dynamic range, eg. the ability to render visible details in both bright and dark areas of the image. Stability and temporal adaption of the exposure are also analyzed. Image-quality color analysis looks at skin-tone rendering, white balance, color shading, stability of the white balance and its adaption when light is changing.
Texture
Huawei Mate 50 Pro
97
Texture tests analyze the level of details and texture of the real-life videos as well as the videos of charts recorded in the lab. Natural video recordings are visually evaluated, with particular attention paid to the level of detail on the facial features. Objective measurements are performed of images of charts taken in various conditions from 1 to 1000 lux. The chart used is the Dead Leaves chart.
Noise
Huawei Mate 50 Pro
83
Noise tests analyze various attributes of noise such as intensity, chromaticity, grain, structure, temporal aspects on real-life video recording as well as videos of charts taken in the lab. Natural videos are visually evaluated, with particular attention paid to the noise on faces. Objective measurements are performed on the videos of charts recorded in various conditions from 1 to 1000 lux. The chart used is the DXOMARK visual noise chart.
Stabilization
Huawei Mate 50 Pro
82
Stabilization evaluation tests the ability of the device to stabilize footage thanks to software or hardware technologies such as OIS, EIS, or any others means. The evaluation looks at overall residual motion on the face and the background, smoothness and jellow artifacts, during walk and paning use cases in various lighting conditions. The video below is an extract from one of the tested scenes.
Artifacts
Huawei Mate 50 Pro
92
Artifacts are evaluated with MTF and ringing measurements on the SFR chart in the lab as well as frame-rate measurements using the LED Universal Timer. Natural videos are visually evaluated by paying particular attention to artifacts such as quantization, hue shift, and face-rendering artifacts among others. The more severe and the more frequent the artifact, the higher the point deduction from the score. The main artifacts and corresponding point loss are listed below
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