HONOR 20i: An All-rounder with a decent pair of Cameras

There was a time when camera phones had a huge tag of craze to them because they were capable of doing what others phone could not. It all changed after a while when every phone had a camera and ever since the smartphones took over, the camera section is something the makers have put a lot of effort into. It is because of the conscience that every phone has a camera, but to win, they had to be better performing than others. As time and evolution suggest, smartphone makers put up multiple cameras on their phones offering great camera outputs. HONOR recently launched the HONOR 20 series which also included the HONOR 20i which has triple rear cameras.

It has come to a point where everyone who wants to buy a smartphone or upgrade it always fall in a quest for the better smartphone of their preferences. And coming to the camera, the game is totally different now because every user wants the best camera performance for whatsoever they’re needs be. It was a different scenario before smartphones took over. These gadgets made us accustomed to many things that they offer that, we can’t imagine living without them, and it is indeed true. Smartphone cameras these days play a huge role in our daily lives starting from capturing various moments, uploading stories on social media, scanning documents, paying through QR codes, and much more.

For many of the above-mentioned reasons, we always look for the best camera smartphones that fall in our budget. And in this quest, we make that decision of buying a device which meets our requirements. Coming to the HONOR 20i device, it falls under the budget segments being priced at Rs.14999. It sports a 6.21-inch FHD+ display which comes 90% screen-to-body ratio. It is powered by the Kirin 710 SoC and comes with 4GB of RAM. With EMUI 9.0 top, the device runs on Android 9.0, has a gradient scheme back panel, and packs a 3400 mAh battery.

You can checkout the full specifications here.

HONOR 20i Camera Review

As the title suggests, we are going to give us our inputs about the HONOR 20i’s camera performance here. The HONOR 20i has a 24MP primary camera with f/1.8 aperture along with a 2MP depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture and an 8MP 120-degree ultra-wide angle lens with f/2.4 aperture. On the front, we have a 32MP selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture.

The stock camera app has all the needful features for taking a great picture. The UI is similar to what we get in all the HONOR devices with the top bar consisting of visual search (similar to Google Lens), AI mode, flash toggle, and settings. On the bottom bar, we have the modes which we can switch to by swiping left or right. It has various modes such as Night mode, Portrait mode, Panorama, HDR, Light painting, and also includes some fun features like AR lens and stickers. Some of these features might cut down when you switch to the front camera.

We have tested out the HONOR 20i’s camera for quite a good amount of time at several locations and under different light conditions. The images we took at a play area in a mall had plenty of colors so we tried it out. The images came out pretty great with a decent amount of brightness and colors look vivid but they are not overdone.

They give out a good amount of detail, sharpness but if the focus is not set right, the outcome could be not so good. The device is capable of recording videos at 60fps in 1080p but lacks 4k recording but the videos come out a bit jerky if you don’t hold the device in a stable position.

The shutter speed is great without any lag between the shots but you have to make sure that the focus is set correctly. Even in broad daylight, the pictures came out good with colors and the detailing. The HDR mode shots will help you if the light is kind of dim in brightening up the image and help with the detailing. Even the wide-angle mode photos carry a good amount of detail and colors, but the edges somehow look curvy. It might be the outcome of the lens but we hope it can be fixed with the updates.

When in low-light or in the night, the camera finds it difficult to gather the information and hence the images come out noisy. But the night mode in the device comes to the rescue and helps you in adjusting the shutter speed which as an outcome results in a good picture. The LED flash throws out a good amount of light if you are taking some subjective pictures in the dark too. The AI mode enhances the image a bit with a hike in saturation and other parameters to make it look good.

Down to the selfie camera and the portrait shots, the 32MP sensor puts out a good amount of details in terms of quality along with balanced colors. The color reproduction is good and the beauty mode enhances the selfies for a smoother look. The portrait mode, however, works just fine with the edge-detection being a little fumble work both with the front and rear cameras. Nevertheless, it is good enough for the price you are paying for this device. You can check out all the camera samples below.

Overall, the HONOR 20i works well for the users who prefer a great camera quality at budget range. Considering the other specifications, the device is a good deal for Rs.14999 but if there are other things for you to consider, you can have a go at other devices in the same price segment.