We've got our hands on one of the first Windows Phone 8 phones to hit the market, the HTC 8X. This high-end handset has already been put to the test in our camera lab and sample shots from its built-in snapper can be viewed and compared in the Face-Off. A full review will follow in due course. So is the 8-Megapixel camera in the HTC 8X up to scratch? Let's take a look.
HTC is launching two Windows Phone 8 handsets, the high-end 8X and the mid-range 8S. The 8X has a Super LCD 2 screen with 1280 x 720 pixels, a 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 1 GB of RAM and a 16 GB built-in memory.
Ahead of our full review of the HTC 8X, we checked out this mobile's 8-Megapixel backlit sensor in our camera lab. The test shots came out sharp and clear with very low levels of noise. Plus, the sensor proved able to capture a very high level of detail in our test scenes.
As with other HTC phones, image processing software is on hand to reinforce contours, lines and the edges of objects. Here, this effect seems to be pretty heavy. On some of our test shots, the contour lines on the map seemed to really stand out—sometimes too much, creating a false impression of depth. With very densely detailed scenes this can be problematic, as the image processing goes a bit overboard.
The colours are pretty natural. In fact, they're some of the least artificial-looking colours we've seen from an 8-Megapixel cameraphone. In low light, the 8X does a decent job, again keeping noise to a minimum. There is, however, a slight red overtone lurking in the background.
Unfortunately, the LED flash overexposes shots, as is all too often the case. You'll therefore need to stay at a reasonable distance from your subject when using the flash.
The 8X records 1080p video but we wouldn't exactly describe it as smooth. This smartphone will be fine for capturing unmissable moments when you're out and about or the occasional clip for posting online, but don't expect to shoot high-quality video with the 8X. The sharpness and contrast can be improved, but this video mode just isn't very good at handling movement, whether fast or slow.
In the end, the HTC 8X has a decent camera for still shots. In fact, it's up there with the best 8-Megapixel cameraphones on the market.
Stay tuned for our full review of the HTC 8X, coming soon.
> Compare the HTC 8X with other Cameraphones in the Face-Off
> Mobile Phone Reviews
HTC 8X
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HTC is launching two Windows Phone 8 handsets, the high-end 8X and the mid-range 8S. The 8X has a Super LCD 2 screen with 1280 x 720 pixels, a 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 1 GB of RAM and a 16 GB built-in memory.
Ahead of our full review of the HTC 8X, we checked out this mobile's 8-Megapixel backlit sensor in our camera lab. The test shots came out sharp and clear with very low levels of noise. Plus, the sensor proved able to capture a very high level of detail in our test scenes.
As with other HTC phones, image processing software is on hand to reinforce contours, lines and the edges of objects. Here, this effect seems to be pretty heavy. On some of our test shots, the contour lines on the map seemed to really stand out—sometimes too much, creating a false impression of depth. With very densely detailed scenes this can be problematic, as the image processing goes a bit overboard.
The colours are pretty natural. In fact, they're some of the least artificial-looking colours we've seen from an 8-Megapixel cameraphone. In low light, the 8X does a decent job, again keeping noise to a minimum. There is, however, a slight red overtone lurking in the background.
Unfortunately, the LED flash overexposes shots, as is all too often the case. You'll therefore need to stay at a reasonable distance from your subject when using the flash.
The 8X records 1080p video but we wouldn't exactly describe it as smooth. This smartphone will be fine for capturing unmissable moments when you're out and about or the occasional clip for posting online, but don't expect to shoot high-quality video with the 8X. The sharpness and contrast can be improved, but this video mode just isn't very good at handling movement, whether fast or slow.
In the end, the HTC 8X has a decent camera for still shots. In fact, it's up there with the best 8-Megapixel cameraphones on the market.
Stay tuned for our full review of the HTC 8X, coming soon.
> Compare the HTC 8X with other Cameraphones in the Face-Off
> Mobile Phone Reviews
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