Redmi Note 5 Pro Portrait Mode Test: True to its Claims?

Xiaomi recently released their latest budget offering, the Redmi Note 5 Pro. Touted as the camera beast of the country, Xiaomi compared the device’s portrait selfies directly against the iPhone X and the Google Pixel 2. They even stated that their mid-range device’s portrait selfies performance was better than the flagship devices. Well, we at Beebom wanted to put that claim to test here, and below is our analysis of the portrait mode of the Redmi Note 5 Pro:

Rear Camera Portrait Mode Test

In our analysis of the portrait mode on the Redmi Note 5 Pro, the 12+5 MP Dual-Camera setup with dual-tone flash performed surprisingly well, especially considering its price point.

The edge detection works really well, and the background blurring is just right. However, the camera does fail to accurately blur out the background when objects with various levels come into play. For instance, when capturing a person’s portrait image, one can easily see that the camera only blurs out half of his shirt and the blurring around the hair is not the best. It is not perfect, as you still get a hint of the effect being a software gimmick, but it certainly is one of the best portrait modes I’ve ever tried.

Nonetheless, the Redmi Note 5 Pro has arguably the best portrait mode camera in the under-20k segment, and can easily be recommended to budget smartphone camera fanatics.

Front Camera Portrait Mode Test

Coming on to the front camera, the Redmi Note 5 Pro boasts of a beastly 20 MP f/2.2 camera with LED flash. Also, as we mentioned in our Redmi Note 5 Pro features article, the portrait mode for the front camera is available in other menus. But that’s the UI part. I’m sure you’re more interested in the performance aspect of the Redmi Note 5 Pro’s front camera, right? Well, I’ve attached some shots taken by the front camera’s portrait mode below:

As you can see, the results produced are pretty good. Images look sharp and have a decent color reproduction. The depth effect, on the other hand, is there, and the edge detection is definitely decent but not as good as the rear camera. However, this was to be expected, considering the front camera relies solely on AI for producing the depth effect in images.

Lastly, we did compare the Redmi Note 5 Pro with the iPhone X and the Pixel 2, and well, the results were just as we expected. Yes, the mid-range device works really well, or in fact, especially well considering its price point, but then again, you just can’t compare it to the likes of the iPhone X and the Pixel 2. There is far more clarity in the flagship devices, and the Redmi Note 5 just looks mediocre at best when compared to the two.

Buy Redmi Note 5 Pro: (₹13,999)

SEE ALSO: 13 Best Redmi Note 5 Pro Features and Tricks You Should Know

Redmi Note 5 Pro: Best Budget Portrait Camera Out There?

So, does the Redmi Note 5 Pro have the best portrait camera out there? Yes, if your budget is under-20k INR. The images produced are sharp, the color reproduction is great, there is an adequate amount of blurring for the depth effect, and the edge detection is practically the best in the segment. However, comparing the device to flagship devices such as the iPhone X and the Pixel 2 is really stupid, as those devices have both the hardware as well as the advanced AI for producing much better portrait results.