The idea that LG V20 is an emerging smartphone force to reckon with should no longer give anyone pause. But how does the device compare to other handsets that are angling for the same distinction? We picked the Huawei P9 Plus to find out.
The LG V20 and Huawei P9 Plus are perfect opponents because they both have dual camera technology, an aspect that this smack down will focus on.
Hardware
The LG V20 sports a dual rear-facing camera. One has 16-megapixel standard lens that can cover a 75-degree angle and has f/1.8 aperture. The second has an 8-megapixel wide-angle lens, with 1/4-inch image sensor at f/2.4.
On the other hand, the Huawei P9 Plus is outfitted with two 12-megapixel Sony IMX286 sensors, with f/2.2 aperture.
One particular takeaway for consumers from these data involves the aperture size. The convention is that this area underpins an excellent camera because it determines the amount of light that the lens can capture.
Dual Camera Interpretations
Consumers should also note key factors when evaluating the LG and Huawei's dual camera specifications. First is that Huawei has collaborated with Leica to engineer the P9 Plus's imaging technology. The result of that partnership is best demonstrated in the pioneering addition of the monochrome lens.
A normal color lens employs a Bayer filter that organizes light according red, green and blue streams before it hits the sensor. This process tends to filter out a good amount of light and this is where the monochrome sensor comes in. Without the Bayer array, the lens receives higher amount of light leading to what is being claimed as 100 percent more light sensitivity than in other smartphone cameras. This is largely the reason why Huawei maintains that the device reinvents smartphone photography.
LG V20 meanwhile is touting that its camera can simulate the human field of view. While Huawei used the second camera to bolster light-sensitivity, LG decided to use its second camera as a wide-angle extension.
Weaknesses
Despite the "made with Leica" tag and monochrome-infused technology, the Huawei P9 Plus still suffers a few flaws. For example, while the camera takes excellent photos outdoors, it is still struggling to take high-quality photos in low light conditions. In addition, it does not offer image stabilization for video recording, which the LG V20 does.
The LG V20 is not without fault. It takes the weaker quality photos outdoor because of a tendency for the camera to mute sunlight. Details in this setting also often seem blown out and overexposed.
Now, users might also want to consider the fact that the P9 Plus runs on HiSilicon Kirin 955. This processor has been outperformed by the Snapdragon 820 in different benchmarks. Qualcomm's mobile chipsets also have dedicated image signal processor that helps the smartphone camera to achieve noise reduction, autofocus and color reproduction, among others.
What all these information mean is that the LG V20 and the Huawei P9 Plus have interpreted dual camera technology in significantly diverging ways. So consumers can expect that the former will excel in one aspect of mobile photography while the other will trounce the competitor in a different area. So, in determining which dual camera phone to purchase, a consumer needs to know what he wants so he is in a better position to decide which smartphone is the better option.
