Apple iPhone 7
Phil Schiller, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing at Apple Inc, discusses the camera on the iPhone 7 during an Apple media event in San Francisco, California, U.S. September 7, 2016. Reuters/Beck Diefenbach

Apple and Huawei are set to release their new respective flagship phones in the coming weeks (or in Apple’s case, the coming months). The Huawei P10 has already been launched by the Chinese tech titan at Mobile World Congress (MCW 2017) in Barcelona and it’s currently making waves due to its new set of cameras. Apple, meanwhile, is expected to officially announce the next iPhone in April, with supposedly “revolutionary” new cameras. Before the new flagships arrive, let’s take a look at their predecessors’ cameras to see which handset is more capable when it comes to quality photos.

The primary camera of the iPhone 7 is a 12MP shooter with a f/1.8 aperture. The latest Apple handset’s rear camera has phase detection autofocus and quad-LED (dual tone) flash. Its 28mm lens takes 60 percent more light compared to that of its older brother, the iPhone 6s.

The iPhone 7’s chief camera has optical image stabilisation (OIS), which helps create steady shots regardless of shaky handles and bumpy situations. The iPhone 7 is capable of 4K video and 8MP image recording and boasts of features like face/smile detection, touch focus and HDR. The secondary camera is a 7MP front-facing snapper with 32mm f/2.2 lens that is able to record excellent 720p slow motion videos at 240 frames per second and 1080p HD videos at 30 frames per second.

The main camera of the Huawei P9, on the other hand, is a 12MP Leica dual-lens shooter with 27mm f/2.2 lens. It has phase detection and laser autofocus along with dual-LED (dual tone) flash, although unlike the iPhone 7, it doesn’t have OIS. The monochrome sensor also fails to reduce saturation unlike other smartphone cameras.

The Leica optics of the Huawei P9 includes a triad of shooting/film modes in its colour sensor: standard, vivid and smooth. The standard mode is actually the regular setting, which literally brings nothing fancy. The vivid mode boosts colours while the smooth mode threads between the other two styles.

The Huawei P9’s 8MP selfie camera is somewhat second-rate compared to that of the iPhone 7 with its f/2.4 lens. The beautification feature is a great tool for getting rid of those unwelcome skin blemishes. All things considered, the Huawei P9’s secondary camera still produces decent shots with superb colours and contrast. Just like the Apple iPhone 7’s front camera, the Huawei P9’s back camera is able to produce top-notch 1080p HD videos and record 720p slow motion videos at 120 frames per second.

WATCH: Apple iPhone 7 vs Huawei P9 camera comparison | Techniqued

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