OnePlus 7 Pro vs realme XT - Flagship vs mid-range photography battle!

Realme XT is one of the very first with a 64MP quad-camera system in the world and for us, it is one of the most impressive in its class. But can its photography capabilities compete with a real flagship device? To check that out, we compared it with my personal phone, the OnePlus 7 Pro.

Can the cameras of a mid-ranger compete against a high-end phone?

OnePlus 7 Pro vs realme XT Camera Specs

Device	OnePlus 7 Pro	Realme XT
Back Camera	48MP f/1.6 Sony IMX586 w/ OIS + 16MP f/2.2 117-degree ultra wide-angle + 8MP 3x telephoto sensor w/ OIS w/ PDAF, CAF, Laser AF, and LED flash	64MP f/1.8 ISOCELL Bright GW1 + 8MP f/2.25 119-degree ultra wide-angle + 2MP f/2.4 4cm macro + 2MP f/2.4 depth w/ LED flash Selfie Camera: 16MP f/2.0 Sony IMX471 w/ AI Portrait
Selfie Camera	16MP f/2.0	16MP f/2.0 Sony IMX471 w/ AI Portrait

Originally has a starting price tag of PHP 42,990, the OnePlus 7 Pro sports a 48MP triple-camera system with a 16MP pop-up selfie shooter.

16MP shooters

At PHP 16,990, the realme XT is a mid-range that highlights Samsung's 64MP Bright GW1 sensor. It is paired with 3 more cameras at the back to complete the quad-camera setup.

For selfies, it has a 16MP f/2.0 Sony IMX471 shooter.

Let's start!

Scene 1 - Daylight

As expected, both delivered images with plenty of details and great overall quality. The realme XT got the brighter shot, but that doesn't mean that it is better. The OP7 Pro shot packs more details and it has more accurate colors and contrast. 

100 percent crop (OP7 Pro left, realme XT right)

We repeated the test on a similar scene and we had a really tough time picking the winner. There is just a small difference in color profile.

OP7 Pro - 1 point

Scene 2 - Against the light

For against the light shots. We noticed that the OnePlus shot has a wider field of view. Its exposure and dynamic range are better as well. The realme XT shot is dimmer.

OP7 Pro - 2 points

Scene 3 - Zoom

Both phones have up to 10x digital zoom. For the price, realme XT did a fine job. However, the OP7 Pro with a secondary shooter with a 3x optical zoom that aids its 48MP snapper did a better job than the crop from the 64MP sensor. It got a shot that is simply more detailed with less noise.

OP7 Pro - 3 points

Scene 4  - Close-up

Details are sharper on the OnePlus shot, but the colors are truer on the XT shot. But, I will still give it to OnePlus as you can always edit the colors of the shot with more details. It is harder to make a softer image sharper.

OP7 Pro - 4 points

Scene 5 - Ultra-wide

The realme XT delivered a wider and brighter image. However, it is overexposed compared to the OnePlus shot. OP7 also has a consistent color profile versus its primary camera.

OP7 Pro - 5 points

Scene 6 - Against the light

Intriguingly, realme XT's wide cam has a better dynamic range and details than its primary camera. OP7 Pro still has a slightly sharper image though. But, I will give it a tie this time as the XT shot is wider with better exposure.

OP7 Pro - 6 points, realme XT - 1 point

Scene 7 - Indoor

For indoor shots, the OP7 Pro got the shot with truer colors and brighter exposure. XT is a bit more saturated than expected. But it has sharper details on my subject for me. Another tie.

OP7 Pro - 7 points, realme XT - 2 points

Scene 8 - Low light

Even if the Night mode is not in use, both can produce respectable images in the dark. But if I have to pick one, I'll go with the OnePlus as it got the image with better overall exposure. Just look at the "El Fuego" logo on top of the McDonald's logo.

OP7 Pro - 8 points

Scene 9 - Night mode

Using the Night mode, the OP7 Pro got the wider shot this time. The crop on the realme XT night shot is bigger so it has the narrower image. But, it got the shot with better colors, brighter exposure, and sharper overall details.

Realme XT - 3 points

Scene 10 - Night mode wide

Using the ultra-wide cam, both have Night modes. The OP7 Pro got the shot with slightly sharper details, but with a narrower field of view. On the other hand, realme XT is wider with more realistic colors, but a bit softer in details.

OP7 Pro - 9 points

Scene 11 - Selfie daylight

The OnePlus 7 Pro is one of my most favorite selfie cams due to its stellar details and good color accuracy. But in this scene, while it got the wider shot more accurate colors, the details on the realme XT daylight selfie impressed me better.

Realme XT - 4 points

Scene 12 - Indoor selfie with bokeh

Despite having single cameras only. Both the OP7 Pro and XT can take selfies with clean-looking bokeh. I just slightly prefer the blur on the XT. But, it's auto face beauty is a bit too much compared with the OP7 Pro face beauty.

OP7 Pro - 10 points

Scene 13 - Selfie low light

Even without the Night mode, OnePlus can take great selfies in the dark with less noise. However, realme has a Night mode which allowed it to take 2s long exposure selfies. The result is an even better selfie in the dark with sharper details.

Realme XT - 5 points

Verdict

With a total score of 10 to 5, the OnePlus 7 Pro wins. It is the camera phone that produces more consistent and slightly better output than the realme XT.

But, this comparison also showed that despite its way more affordable price tag, the realme XT can compete. In fact, it even got some scenes where it got better-looking images.

That's impressive for a PHP 16,990 handset.

See also: Xiaomi Mi Note 10 vs OnePlus 7 Pro - Rear photography fight, 108MP penta cam vs 48MP triple-cam