Transcription
This might be the first time a phone has truly surpassed the iPhone in video dynamic range. We shot hundreds of clips and did extensive comparisons, which are the most difficult. The Huawei Pur Ultra's performance exceeded the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
What I'm holding now is the just released Huawei Pur Ultra. From the outside, the changes aren't that significant, but the upgrade to the camera deco and configuration is massive. For photography, we'll compare it against other brands' ultra flagships to see just how powerful the 1-in sensor and the 100-million-pixel dual-mirror telephoto are. For video, we'll compare it against the undisputed king, the iPhone. In the most difficult area to catch up, video dynamic range. Just how big is the Pur Ultra's improvement?
This time, the Pur lineup brings two models with a 1-in main sensor. The Ultra has removed the retractable lens but retained the variable aperture so it can still shoot that signature highly recognizable starburst effect. After shooting in many scenarios like daytime, nighttime, and against the light, the biggest surprise is that this 1-in main sensor has very little difference in resolution and dynamic range compared to Sony's LY T900. If you turn off the watermark, you can only tell which is the 1-in sensor by the differences in focal length and color. It's worth noting that in terms of color, Huawei's major advantage is still in its handling of red. When you shoot outdoor neon lights or an indoor projector, Huawei can accurately restore the cool-toned ambient light and the object's original color. Other brands might guess the scene is warm based on the table's material. Is the manufacturing process of the SIMOS advanced enough?
We also tested its continuous video recording for 30 minutes to see its power consumption and heat situation. Huawei's camera interface has always had a 10x digital zoom button. The image is cropped from the 3.7x lens. But on the Pur 80 Ultra, when you slowly pull the zoom ring to 9.4x, you can hear the sound of a micro motor and see a refocusing animation. Congratulations, you've activated the second focal length of Huawei's telephoto lens. It's still one camera sensor and one SMOS, but there are two light entry points within the lens. So, when you switch focal lengths, you can see the lens underneath quickly slide over. To further control the module's thickness and length, the light has to be reflected three times before reaching the SIMOS. The SIMOS size is also the largest among smartphone telephoto lenses at 1 over 1.28 in, the same size as Vivo's ultra flagships' main camera, so it can't be placed vertically like a regular periscope. It has to be placed diagonally.
After our real-world comparisons, at 3.7x, it's a telephoto lens with a super-large sensor and super-high light intake. In the same low-light scene, Huawei's shutter speed is faster, but the dark areas are brighter and clear. It even supports telephoto macro. It's just that the closest focusing distance becomes 10 cm. At 10x, it requires a focusing distance of 1 m. The aperture is a little smaller. We speculate that they are not using the full area of the SIMOS. Overall, it's a super telephoto lens born for long-range shooting. Compared to the previous generation single periscope lens, the resolution is higher and there's less smudging. Compared to its contemporaries, it's slightly better than the dual periscope solutions on other Ultra phones.
In our last review of foldable phones, we found that while phones have caught up to the iPhone in sensor size, pixels, and even still photography, there's a huge gap in video dynamic range. Before the comparison, let's quickly go over Huawei's current video recording specs. There's the standard 4K 60. A new addition is the 4K 60 log mode, which can maximize the hardware's potential and provide more flexibility in post-production. There is also a 4K 30 HDR mode with higher dynamic range.
First, let's do a quantitative test of the video dynamic range. We created a 21-stop color chart with different brightness levels based on professional camera dynamic range test cards. After shooting with the phones, we can see everyone's dynamic range on a computer's waveform monitor. In the same 4K 30 HDR format, with both focused on the center of the chart, the iPhone can recognize 13 stops, while this year's Pure 80 Ultra is at 16 stops. I won't show the other brands, but the worst ones might be at a 10-stop level. With autofocus and autoexposure, Huawei did 15 stops, while the iPhone is clearly overexposed and only gets 11 stops. Of course, this is a lab test. In actual shooting, will the difference be this big?
To verify this, we shot many comparison videos in high-contrast scenes like large shopping malls, concerts, and stages. We found that when shooting large areas of highlights, this 1-in main camera's dynamic range is ridiculously high. For example, this very common milk tea shop sign. The iPhone directly overexposes the light panel and the red color is rendered as orange. In contrast, the Huawei footage looks brighter than the iPhone's and the light panel shows the same vibrant red glow that we see with our naked eyes. This also includes this kind of large LED screen. If we give the iPhone a hand and lower the exposure on both phones, the LED screen can be displayed correctly. But you'll find that the dark areas on the iPhone become pitch black and completely unseeable.
Besides shooting scenery and people, what else is this ability to record high dynamic range good for? For example, this light is a smart ceiling light solution we are currently developing. Like a TV, it uses RGB with four colors. It's both a light and can become a screen. So, this ceiling light can display a sunrise and the feeling of a blue sky with white clouds. Such a bright light, or rather a bright screen, is a highly difficult scene that ordinary phones simply cannot capture.
Is the Pure 80 Ultra's performance so good because Huawei has made some algorithmic adjustments for city lights? Let's give these two phones a little less conventional challenge. So, after the sun sets today, I'll use the latest Pur 80 to test if it can capture all the details within a bonfire's flames. In fact, the better the light and shadow look, the harder it is for a phone to shoot. So, actually, a flame is a big test for dynamic range. On the iPhone, many parts of the flame have been completely blown out. On the Huawei, there are still a lot of details. This one is basically blown out. Besides the bonfire, we also compared colored flames. This flame is already very large and it has some colored pigments inside. This is a test that can challenge the camera, the phone's dynamic range and also their ability to retain color.
After so many comparisons, we can see that whether it's a bonfire or dazzling fireworks, the iPhone's footage will be directly blown out white and overexposed. The layers and colors of the darker firewood and the bright flames can't be restored by the iPhone. Looking at it overall, the biggest difference is still this difference in dynamic range. From a sensory perspective, different phones will render the same scene in two different styles. You can see the sky here. The iPhone's is already leaning towards blue, whereas this sky should actually have a more purplish and greenish feeling. You can see which one is closer.
Finally, while organizing the footage, I want to complain about one more thing. Besides whether the video's dynamic range is good or not, the ghosting that occurs when shooting strong light really ruins the atmosphere. Since the shooting capabilities of phones have caught up, can the iPhone consider improving this problem in the next generation, maybe even using AI?
This year's Ultra exclusively has a dual focal length telephoto and a super high dynamic range 1-in sensor, which has brought a major leap for this year's Ultra. The only regret is that this super high dynamic range capability can only be used on the main camera at 4K 30fps. Thank you for watching this video. If you enjoyed watching it, please don't forget to give us a like, comment, and subscribe. See you in the next video.