DxOMark has published a detailed camera analysis and review of the newly launched Xiaomi Mi 9. The flagship smartphone has scored 112 in photo test and 99 in the video category. With a combined score of 107, it ranks number three on the best-rated smartphone camera list by DxO. The top two phones are Huawei’s Mate 20 Pro and P20 Pro with a score of 109.
As per the DxOMark ratings, the Mi 9 beats the most premium flagship handsets in the market including iPhone XS Max, Google Pixel 3 and Samsung Galaxy Note 9.
The score of 107 is an average between the photo and video score. The scores are given based on individual scores on different camera features. Xiaomi Mi 9’s rear camera did well in exposure, autofocus, color, stability and flash for both photos and videos.
The Mi 9 has three cameras, but the score didn’t count the wide-angle camera in the scores. The highlight here is the video score of 99, which is also the highest on any smartphone camera on the list. Even the Mate 20 Pro scores 97 in video and the P20 Pro scores 98.
DxOMark says, “in video mode it (Mi 9 rear camera) does even better, finding itself at the very top of our ranking, making it the top choice for mobile video shooters. This is partly due to the Mi 9 being the first test device recording 4K video by default and therefore scoring very high for texture and detail, but it also puts in a very good performance in all other test categories.”
Take the score with a pinch of salt
While we don’t doubt the camera capabilities on the Mi 9, we still feel that DxOMark scores can’t be considered as the final verdict on the camera quality. We can’t deny the fact that manufacturers have figured out how to get a good score in DxOMark. For instance, we’ve rated the Pixel 3 as the best camera for still shots, but it ranks low on DxOMark as it lacks a secondary telephoto lens so it gets low scores in zoom. Moreover, DxOMark does not consider factors like wide lenses or RAW format support, which add significant value to a good smartphone camera.
