Redmi Note 6 Pro Camera tested

 Redmi Note 6 Pro isn’t really that big of an upgrade in terms of the spec-sheet. The same Snapdragon 636 SoC powers both the Note 6 Pro and the Redmi Note 5 Pro, and this one too will be offered in 4GB and 6GB RAM variants with 64GB storage. Despite that, after playing around the phone for around a week, it’s easy to say the Note 6 Pro is a better phone than its predecessor. The camera, for one, has improved by a lot and we have camera samples to show the improvement.

The Redmi Note 6 Pro relies on a 12+5MP dual camera unit on the back. It’s the same resolution as its predecessor, but the camera has a wider f/1.9 aperture along with larger 1.4um pixels. A wider aperture and larger pixels both contribute to the camera absorbing more light and as a result, that should ideally lead to better photos. Since the size of the pixels are larger on the Redmi Note 6 Pro even when the number of pixels are the same as the Redmi Note 5 Pro, it’s fair to assume the phone is using a larger sensor as well, although Xiaomi didn’t disclose what sensor the phone is using. On the front, there’s now a rather wide notch cut-out into the display. It’s purpose is to house a 20+2MP dual camera unit for better selfies. 

Furthermore, Xiaomi has infused the camera of the Redmi Note 6 Pro with new software-based features. There’s AI scene recognition that debuted in the Poco F1 which can recognise up to 32 different scenes. With the feature turned on, the AI icon in the camera app changes to show the scene it has recognised. If you’re shooting greenery, the icon turns into a leaf or if you’re shooting buildings, the icon shows the same. Apart from changing icons, the camera is also adjusting the contrast, saturation and even boosting the colours, sometimes making the photos look a tad too artificial

The camera is definitely where all the differences stand when compared to the Redmi Note 5 Pro and Xiaomi is definitely banking on it to make it count.

The Redmi Note 6 Pro has a dual-camera setup on the back, but this time with marginally better hardware. The primary camera unit here is a 12 MP f/1.9 aperture lens and is complemented by a 5 MP f/2.2 depth sensor.

The reason why this is a marginal upgrade is that the primary sensor is now theoretically capable of taking in more light when compared to the predecessor's f/2.2 aperture lens and boy does it make a difference.

Portrait mode too has been done to death, and the Redmi Note 6 Pro tries to do something new with it. Cue Dynamic Bokehs, a feature that really left me impressed for its sheer novelty. Although, I doubt I would be using it too much, but you can add ‘spaced-out’ animations to the blurred background and post it either as a static JPG or a GIF on social media. You can also control the amount of depth of field in a portrait shot, and play around with studio lighting. These three feature present in live-preview.