Huawei XMAGE: three ways it takes smartphone photography beyond the cutting edge
How Huawei’s ground-breaking XMAGE mobile imaging system was developed from the ground up
If you take a photo with a Huawei XMAGE phone camera, chances are your shot is going to be a keeper. That’s a simple statement – but there’s nothing simple about the way Huawei has built its incredible smartphone imaging system.
In fact, there are three distinct pillars that go into making XMAGE the mobile camera setup to beat – the system that makes it so easy to take photos that stir the emotions, convey a story or distil the essence of a moment in time with pristine clarity. And if you read on, we’ll tell you all about them.
1) Technological innovation
The days of smartphones being regarded as sub-standard cameras are ancient history. Advances in image processing technology and optical engineering mean that mobile devices are more than capable of delivering incredibly detailed, vibrant and sharp results in all lighting conditions.
Huawei has long been at the forefront of smartphone photography innovation, and in 2023 released several devices incorporating incredible developments courtesy of the XMAGE system.
The Huawei Mate 60 Pro Series, for instance, has a stunningly powerful rear imaging array of one 48MP Ultra Lighting camera, one 13MP Ultra-Wide Angle camera and one 48MP Ultra Lighting Telephoto camera that not only gives users three distinct fields-of-view to utilise, but includes features like True-Focus Fast Capture to keep shooting speeds rapid and images pin-sharp, even if the subject is moving quickly.
The Mate 60 Pro’s main 48MP and 48MP Telephoto cameras are highly sensitive, making them ideal for shooting in dim light or even in the dead of night. When used after dark, these Ultra Lighting cameras’ innovative lens design and next-gen image processing gathering as much available light as possible, draw detail out of the gloom and deliver a level of clarity that’s nothing short of astounding.
Another 2023 XMAGE device is the Huawei Mate X5, which offers hover-over time-lapse photography. Previously, users who wanted to capture a sharp time-lapse sequence would need to use a tripod or similar method to keep the camera fixed in place. Here, you can simply shoot the sequence with the camera held in your hand.
2) User experience
XMAGE devices have also elevated the photographic user experience to new levels of simplicity and convenience – making it easier than ever to capture images in the style you prefer.
Take the colour science behind XMAGE’s strikingly vibrant images. This isn’t simply the result of a filter or processing style, but of major research on the part of seven Huawei institutes located all over the globe. Huawei colour research teams looked at millions of submissions to the XMAGE Awards (more on those below), then delved into theoretical analysis and conducted human factor experiments, with the idea that different people prefer certain colours innately. They then selected specific hue ranges in different scenarios and enhanced the richness of hue and colour saturation based on actual colour restoration. The result is photos with highly layered colour gradient transitions, rather than the generic colour displays most of us are accustomed to.
Thus, XMAGE devices allow images to be captured not only in Original mode (which retains colours as you see them in real life), but Vivid mode (for stunning effects in scenes with distinctive colours, such as sunrises and sunsets) and Bright mode (for enhancing the play of light and shadow in contrast-rich scenes).
3) Cultural development
Great photography doesn’t exist in a cultural vacuum, and Huawei has fostered an atmosphere of inspiration, collaboration and celebration for mobile photographers. After all, photography is ultimately an expression of creativity in which anybody with a camera – or indeed the means to view a photo – can participate.
Perhaps the greatest example of this effort is the XMAGE Awards (which have received over four million submissions from over 170 countries and regions since their inception in 2017). This annual event encourages mobile photographers to submit their most creative and impactful images across a range of categories for a panel to expert judges to consider.
At MWC 2024, Huawei has invited two of its 2023 XMAGE Awards winners – Grand Prize Winner Piotr Cebula and Runner-Up Michal Petrů – to share the secrets behind their craft, giving a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse of how they used Huawei phones to create their incredible award-winning shots.
To discover more about the Huawei XMAGE system and the devices it features on, head to the Huawei UK website. Stay tuned for more updates later this year.
StuffTV
