Xiaomi Redmi 4 vs Redmi 3s vs Redmi Note 4: Camera Comparison

By Hardik Singh | Updated on 30-May-2017

30-May-2017

HIGHLIGHTS

The Xiaomi Redmi 4 has an improved camera, compared to its predecessors. Here, we set out to find how much better that is.

The Xiaomi Redmi 3s and 3s Prime were good phones on a budget. However, the recently launched Redmi 4 now takes the throne away from them. It is the company's latest attempt to woo the budget customer and they have done a good job as well. Available in multiple storage and RAM options and featuring a fingerprint sensor across all three variants makes this one of the best value for money devices. If you have gone through our review (Redmi4) of the device, then you know that this time Xiaomi has worked on two key aspects, design and camera.

While beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, camera quality is something we can test. To compare, we took a Redmi 3s and Redmi Note 4 and shot pictures in different light conditions to figure out how good the camera on the Redmi 4 is. Here are the results.

Bright sunlight

(L-R) Xiaomi Redmi 4, Redmi 3s, Redmi Note 4

From the image above, it is quite evident that Xiaomi has finally changed its algorithm to offer better image quality without changing the megapixel count. As you know, all three phones here use a 13MP camera, but the one on the left is Redmi 4 and it just looks better. Images tend to have a warmer tone, which means colours are not completely accurate, but we reckon this is what most people like. However, there is hardly any differentiating factor between the three devices beyond that.

Indoors with natural light

(L-R) Xiaomi Redmi 4, Redmi 3s, Redmi Note 4

This image is taken during early morning and all three phones have an ISO range of 105-125. All three images look quite good, even on a larger screen, like a PC monitor. However, when compared side-by-side, it’s easier to see how the three images differ. The image taken by the Redmi 4 evidently looks brighter compared to the other two. More importantly, when we pixel peeped, the level of details is slightly (and surprisingly) better on the Redmi 4.

Against the light source

(L-R) Xiaomi Redmi 4, Redmi 3s, Redmi Note 4

This image has been taken on HDR mode and you can see that even though the Redmi 4 has an upper hand in well lit conditions, there are some areas that Xiaomi still needs to work on. In the image above, there is a yellowish cast in the image taken by the Redmi 4. Compared to it, images of the Redmi 3S and the Redmi Note 4 look somewhat darker. The yellowish cast is somewhat abnormal and should not be there. However, at the same time, the image looks brighter and some may like it.

That being said, the Redmi 4 still manages to capture slightly better subject details. We would also like to add, taking images in HDR takes a second or two on the phone depending upon the lighting conditions.

Under Fluorescent light

(L-R) Xiaomi Redmi 4, Redmi 3s, Redmi Note 4

There is nothing remarkable about images taken indoors and under fluorescent light. All three devices have decent colour reproduction, although ISO levels vary a lot. The Redmi 3S clicked this image at 571 ISO, the Redmi Note 4 went up to 640 ISO and the Redmi 4 went all the way upto 829 ISO. While none of the images capture the green colour on the subject perfectly, the Redmi 4 comes very close to it. Also, as we move towards low light, there is some noise in the images, but it is only visible when you go pixel peeping.

Under incandescent light

(L-R) Xiaomi Redmi 4, Redmi 3s, Redmi Note 4

This image is a good example of images taken under incandescent light (under a bulb). It also gives us a good perspective on how megapixel count usually doesn't matter and how algorithms can be the difference. Here, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 comes out superior as the the image captured has lower noise levels and looks cleaner overall. However, details are somewhat lost and even the colour saturation seems slightly better on the Redmi 4. The Redmi 3s ends up at the last position every time, but it’s not off by a large margin.

Low light

(L-R) Xiaomi Redmi 4, Redmi 3s, Redmi Note 4

Again, the image taken by the Redmi Note 4 looks more usable as it has lesser noise, but it still misses on some minor subject details, which the Redmi 4 captures. However, the Redmi 4 in order to make the images brighter, ups the noise in post processing, while keeping ISO similar to that of the Redmi Note 4. Here both the Redmi Note 4 and the Redmi 4 took ISO all the way up to 3200 and the Redmi 3S falls just short of that, clicking at 3194 ISO, which is very close.

Portrait

(L-R) Xiaomi Redmi 4, Redmi 3s, Redmi Note 4

In this portrait image, the Redmi 4 again captures the subject with better details. We have taken this image with natural light on the subject’s face. This tells us how these phones deal with such situations, with HDR off. The image taken by the Redmi 4 looks better. It captures more details, has a better colour saturation and the dynamic range seems to compensate the lack of a proper and straighter light source to some extent. The Redmi Note 4 comes second and ties with the Redmi 3S.

Macro

(L-R) Xiaomi Redmi 4, Redmi 3s, Redmi Note 4

Lastly, in macro shots the Xiaomi Redmi 4 continues with the slightly warmer tones it has been applying on all photos. Our white test table seems off-white in this photo, which may not be a big deal for some, but enthusiasts will agree that this is inferior to offering a more natural colour tone. That being said, the Redmi 4 comes on top again, in terms of details and overall dynamic range. The phone captures the subject well and we could find issues with the image, even at over 50% crop.

Conclusion
The Xiaomi Redmi 4 definitely has an improved camera, and is a great option for budget buyers. It captures good details in all lighting conditions, without compromising colours much. The phone has a tendency to up the brightness and add warmer tones to all images. Images taken in low light have visible noise, but there wasn’t an image we could have deemed unusable, and that is the upshot here.Buy Redmi 4 3GB RAM and 32 GB storage from amazon at Rs 9999.Buy Redmi 4 2GB RAM and 16 GB storage at Rs 6999.

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