Redmi K50i vs OnePlus Nord 2T: camera comparison| 91mobiles.com

Xiaomi sub-brand Redmi has revealed its latest offering in the form of the Redmi K50i (review) in the Indian market. The device touts flagship-level performance under Rs 30,000, making it among the fastest phones in the segment. However, processing prowess isn’t enough to define a smartphone that is vying to be the best in such a competitive space. Cameras also make for an integral part of the overall smartphone experience and the K50i’s optical hardware can be termed more than decent. At its price point, the device goes up against the OnePlus Nord 2T (review) which has a comparable camera setup. In this comparison let’s find out which smartphone is better for photography-related purposes.

Daylight landscape

Both cameras are capable of shooting great photos when the lighting conditions are optimum. The Redmi K50i banks on a 64MP Samsung GW1 sensor to handle photography while the Nord 2T has the Sony IMX766 50MP shooter doing the heavy lifting. It’s clear from the shots that each sensor churns out a slightly different colour profile. The Redmi K50i opts for a natural tone to the shot while Nord 2T has a warmer look to it. Dynamic range is also a bit better on the former while the latter blows up the sky in the frame’s top-right giving it a bright white appearance. You can also see that the K50i actually has more details in the shadowy parts of the tree while keeping the exposure calibrated. However, the Nord 2T is more accurate in terms of the colours brought out in the torpedo. This round goes to the Redmi K50i but not by much.

Winner: Redmi K50i

UHD landscape

With full resolution shots enabled the K50i can take 64MP images while the Nord 2T can do 50MP. The main benefit of this is that you can crop further into a photo than you can with a standard pixel-binned image. The Redmi K50i turns up the saturation levels in this mode as the tile colours and leaves have a much darker shade than the Nord 2T’s image which, this time, preserves natural colours. However, the dynamic range is again better on the K50i and more importantly, the detailing is a lot sharper. Cropping by 100 percent into the shot makes the disparity even more obvious. It should be noted that both photos have been clicked with autofocus and HDR enabled. In this round, the K50i’s lead is more tenable and it is the winner.

Winner: Redmi K50i

Portrait mode

Getting a good background blur and edge detection of the subject is key for quality portrait mode shots. Both phones allow you to adjust the aperture, increase or decrease the depth of field, and then use AI-based detection to separate every detail of the subject from the background. From the images, it’s clear that the Nord 2T’s edge detection around the petals is better than what the K50i offers. Apart from that the detailing on the subject is a lot sharper on the shot taken from the Nord 2T although the colours are more accurately represented on the K50i. This round is won by the OnePlus Nord 2T.

Winner: OnePlus Nord 2T

Ultra-wide

The same 8MP ultra-wide shooter is present on both the K50i and the Nord 2T. From the images clicked, the Redmi K50i shot does look a tad bit more appealing with saturation levels boosted to give the sky a more blue look and the colour temperatures favouring a cooler tone. The Nord 2T gives a more accurate representation of the sky and of the red windmill in the frame’s centre. One can also see that detailing on the ground and on the tree to the left is more defined than the K50i’s shot. Some amount of warping can be seen around the edges of both the shots. Given the sharpness in the detailing and overall natural look, the Nord 2T wins this round for me.

Winner: OnePlus Nord 2T

Selfie

You get a 32MP selfie camera on the Nord 2T while the Redmi K50i is presented with a 16MP front shooter. My opinion is that the Nord 2T seems to employ facial oversharpening that masks quite a few details while also relaying unrealistic skin tones. Apart from that, the detailing on the leaves behind my face looks soft. The Redmi K50i does a better job of preserving facial and background details I think, while also getting my skin tones correct. I would give this round to the K50i, but that’s just me.

Winner: Redmi K50i

Low light

Photography in low lighting conditions is a challenging task for any smartphone camera and can be considered one of the most viable metrics to judge the overall image capturing capabilities. In shots taken from both phones, I have not touched the manual exposure meter or enabled the dedicated Night mode. The OnePlus Nord 2T clearly shows better exposure handling and detailing across the frame. Shadows and highlights are more defined and the light emanating from the bulb is controlled. The colours demonstrated are also in tandem with what the scene has to offer. However, the Redmi K50i’s detailing is quite soft in comparison which is evident from the smudged-up license plate of the car and the leaves just behind the lamp. Exposure levels are contained but the highlights around dark objects are not defined well. This round goes to the OnePlus Nord 2T.

Winner: OnePlus Nord 2T

Night mode

Most phones have an AI-based night mode feature which brings in computational photography to areas with low light. The Redmi K50i shot does increase the exposure but also the processing on the image to hide the noise. As a result, the image is oversharpened and even with the extra light in the frame, details are rather soft as is apparent looking at the red bricks on the house. In contrast, the OnePlus Nord 2T’s image is sharp, detailed, exposed well and shows a wide pallet of colours. This round has also been won by the OnePlus Nord 2T.

Winner: OnePlus Nord 2T

Final verdict

The final tally is three points for the Redmi K50i and four points for the OnePlus Nord 2T. It should be noted that OnePlus has won outright in low-light photography while the K50i seems to fare a tad better in terms of selfies and UHD photos. Overall, the OnePlus Nord 2T comes across a better image-capturing device as compared to the Redmi K50i in my opinion.