Year after year, major phone brands are defying the manufacturing and costing challenges just to give the mid-class the smartphone cameras they deserve.

This 2026 and beyond, it seems like it’s the new norm for the freshest breed of premium midrangers.

Mainlander Midranger

The HONOR 600 Pro and OPPO Reno15 Pro are two smartphones positioned in the peak of the midranger pyramid.

On paper, they are highly likely the closest in terms of camera hardware.

	HONOR 600 Pro	OPPO Reno15 Pro
Wide	200MP f/1.9 1/1.4” Samsung ISOCELL HP3 sensor	200MP f/1.8 1/1.56” Samsung ISOCELL HP5 sensor
Ultra-Wide	12MP f/2.2 112º FoV	50MP f/2.0 116º FoV
Telephoto	50MP f/2.8 3.5x optical zoom	50MP f/2.8 3.5x optical zoom
Selfie	50MP f/2.0	50MP f/2.0

First and foremost, while these phones rock a similar 200MP cameras by Samsung, the sensor sizes and age are quite different.

The HONOR 600 Pro has a bigger yet older (2022) 1/1.4-inch ISOCELL HP3. Meanwhile, a newer (2025) yet standard-sized ISOCELL HP5 was used in the Reno15 Pro.

The biggest disparity can be seen in their ultra-wide modules. HONOR didn’t focus too much on it by giving a smaller 12MP f/2.2 with a tighter 112-degree FoV (Field of View).

On the other hand, the OPPO equipped a bigger 50MP module with a brighter f/2.0 aperture, and an even wider 116-degree FoV.

Lastly, both the telephoto and selfie shooters are at 50MP. Both telephoto cameras are capable of optically zooming in to 3.5x.

Fair and Square

Both of these midrangers have their own set of special sauces. But, for the sake of fairness, I’ve stuck with each of their default camera color profiles: Natural for the HONOR 600 Pro while Original in the OPPO Reno15 Pro.

Disclaimer: If you are new here, sample photos were all taken using the default AI Camera Mode. These images were resized and labeled for faster loading and better online preview. No color correction, zoomed-in cropping, nor any other type of photo manipulation were applied.

3.5x Telephoto

Starting with the common denominator of both phones: their 3.5x 50MP f/2.8 telephoto shooters

T1

T2

T3

T4

T5

T6

T7

T8

T9

T10

T11

T12

Beyond Telephoto Zoom

We have to break the barriers just to test each phones’ telephoto unit limit.

ZB1

ZB2

ZB3

ZB4

ZB5

ZB6

1x Wide (Main)

Again, both phones rock a 200MP camera but of different aperture and sensor sizes. Can you differentiate them from another though?

W1

W2

W3

W4

W5

W6

W7

W8

W9

W10

Ultra-Wide Angle (UWA)

Each FoV value can be your primary hint to determine which is which. But, is it enough for you to tell who’s the better performer?

U1

U2

U3

U4

U5

Mood for Food

A separate section for prospective users who will use one of these for food shots.

F1

F2

F3

F4

F5

Furry Friends

Whether it’s our pets or wild animals, they all have one thing in common: they are all very hard to capture especially when in motion.

FF1

FF2

FF3

FF4

FF5

FF6

FF7

FF8

Indoors

Subjects taken in any controlled lighting is another tricky test for both of these smartphones.

IN1

IN2

IN3

IN4

IN5

IN6

IN7

IN8

IN9

IN10

IN11

IN12

The Night is Right

The ultimate camera test all boils down to shots taken at night (or low-light).

Actual camera processing is one. Added AI algorithms and the actual output for another.

N1A  |  1x Wide

N1B  |  3.5x Optical Zoom

N2  |  Ultra-Wide

N3A  |  3.5x Optical Zoom

N3B  |  5x Lossless Zoom

N4  |  5x Zoom

N5  |  2x In-Sensor Zoom

N6  |  3.5x Optical Zoom

N7  |  1x Wide

N8A  |  UWA

N8B  |  1x Wide

N9  |  3.5x Optical Zoom

N10  |  5x Lossless Zoom

BONUS: Super Moon

That same telephoto module gives both the HONOR and OPPO midrangers a zoom reach as far as 120x.

M1  |  40x Digital Zoom

M2  |  120x Max Zoom

Results

Were you able to write down and tally your picks? Well, here are the results:

A — OPPO Reno15 Pro 5G 

B — HONOR 600 Pro

Conclusion

For the most part, samples taken on the HONOR 600 Pro are already social media-ready. They require little to no effort prior sharing it as your Facebook post or Instagram story.

And by that, the saturation and contrast game is strong as opposed to its rival — a look preferred by most users. These are clearly seen in Sets T1 / T5 / ZB5 / W1 / W2 / N1A.

Meanwhile, the OPPO Reno15 Pro leans more into the “natural” side.

Despite the absence of that premium Hasselblad partnership, it still gave desirable results for those who want the less “AI-processed” look (softer, reduced saturation, minimized contrast) which are evident in Photos T2 / T4 / T8 / T12 / ZB1 / ZB3 / W7 / W8 / FF7 / FF8.

Definitely, the results are not totally consistent. The OPPO Reno15 Pro mostly had a brighter and warmer output (T1 / T5 ~T7 / ZB6 / W1 / W4 / W5 / W8 / W10 / U1 / U2 / F1 / F2 / F4 / FF1 / FF2 / IN3 / IN8 / IN12 / N3A / N5).

Other times, the latter is brighter yet cooler (T12 / ZB1 / ZB2 / ZB3 / ZB4 / FF3 / FF8 / IN1 / IN2 / IN7 / IN9 / IN10 / IN11). Even the super moon shots on the HONOR 600 Pro were brighter, too.

These differences and inconsistencies might make or break your final decision which smartphone best suits your overall camera taste.

Pro-grade for less

Despite the continuous innovation and evolution of flagship smartphones when it comes to mobile imaging, phone manufacturers still try to balance everything out with midrange smartphones in the horizon.

The HONOR 600 Pro and OPPO Reno15 Pro are two among the handful midranger wonders meant for any pro-grade user who lacks the purchasing power to buy the bestest in the lineup — but, still want a very capable device for their smartphone-tography needs.

Clearly, the camera hardware isn’t the most “powerful” out there. Still, they are clear with the positioning of these phones. They are your pro-grade cameras for less.

As similar as their camera hardware, the HONOR 600 Pro and OPPO Reno15 Pro also have similar SRPs — at least the 12+512GB configuration.

• HONOR 600 Pro = PhP 48,999 / MYR 3299 / SG$ 1049
• OPPO Reno15 Pro = PhP 48,999 / MYR 3299 / SG$ 1049 (as Reno15 Pro Max)

HONOR your Reno?

Over the years of making dedicated camera shootout write-ups, I always thought that photos that look closer to our naked eyes is something that I should call “the better smartphone camera” — especially because of the accuracy of their output.

Now, with the advent of smartphone cameras with countless camera partnerships and all the imaginable profiles / presets / styles / recipes (or whatever you want to call ’em) to ever exist, it got harder to decide which smartphone to recommend for most users.

Such sentiment made me realize that there is no single clear winner at all.

So what’s the point of making another extensive camera comparison like this? Well, it’s still for you to show how each phone is capable (or incapable) both in camera hardware and software. It’s also for you to choose the camera look that’s closer to your liking.

Clearly, both the HONOR 600 Pro and OPPO Reno15 Pro are very capable smartphone cameras. But, at the end of the day, it’s your power as a buyer which pro-grade midranger wins your heart.

Now, if you will consider other aspects such as their core hardware, OS skin, and even after-sales service, that’s clearly for another story.

In my previous camera smackdown, I clearly stated that we don’t have the HONOR 400 Pro to try out.

Months have passed, the odds were (finally) in my favor as I was able to test it against another midranger wonder, the TECNO CAMON 40 Premier.

Oh CAMON, your HONOR

I’ve decided to clash the HONOR 400 Pro and TECNO CAMON 40 Premier primarily because both phones offer the quintessential triple rear camera system.

	HONOR 400 Pro	TECNO CAMON 40 Premier
Wide	200MP f/1.9 1/1.4-inch sensor Samsung ISOCELL HP3	50MP f/1.88 1/1.56-inch sensor Sony LYT-701C
Ultra-Wide	12MP f/2.2	50MP f/2.2
Telephoto / Periscope	50MP f/2.4 3x Optical Zoom	50MP f/2.2 3x Optical Zoom
Selfie	50MP f/2.0	50MP f/2.5

Hardware-wise, disparities are quite evident. The TECNO CAMON 40 Premier rocks quad 50MP cameras (including the selfie camera), whereas the HONOR 400 Pro has variations in its overall camera system.

It highlights its 200MP Samsung ISOCELL HP3 main camera while TECNO begs to differ as it packs a sensor made by the Korean giant’s Japanese rival — the newcomer Sony LYT-701C sensor that’s only used in two phones so far (2024’s realme 13 Pro+ being the other).

The opposite happens in HONOR 400 Pro’s ultra-wide lens as it features the smaller 12MP camera.

But, the biggest dealbreaker has got to be the existence of 3x zoom shooters that their base models lack.

Although both acquire the same megapixel count, the HONOR 400 Pro is equipped with a traditional telephoto lens structure while the TECNO CAMON 40 Premier boasts a periscope lens that utilizes a prism design / mirror system for capturing long-range subjects and objects.

Lastly, both phones have 50MP front-facing cameras with slight differences in aperture value.

Sticking with the Standard

Much like any other shootouts, I’ve opted to stick with the standard shooting profiles that both phones have right after setting ’em up: Standard for TECNO, Natural for HONOR.

Disclaimer: Photos were all taken using Auto Mode with AI scene detection turned on. These images were collaged, resized, and labeled for faster loading and better preview. No color correction, zoomed-in cropping, nor any other type of photo manipulation were applied.

Ultra-Wide Angle (UWA)

Similar lens diaphragm, totally different megapixel count.
Does that alone make a far cry?

U1

U2

U3

U4

U5

U6

U7

Main (1x + 2x)

The massive 200-megapixel main camera of the HONOR 400 Pro is four times larger compared to TECNO CAMON 40 Premier’s already capable 50MP Sony sensor. Obviously, that comes in very handy when taking zoomed shots via in-sensor cropping.

However, can you even tell which sample belongs to which smartphone?

M1

M2

M3

 

M4

M5

M6

M7

M8

M9

3x Optical Zoom

The crème de la crème of these two phones are their zoom shooters.

While lens structure are different (again, telephoto for HONOR while periscope for TECNO), which one gives THE better optically-zoomed shots?

ZO1

ZO2

ZO3

ZO4

ZO5

ZO6

ZO7

ZO8

ZO9

ZO10

ZO11

ZO12

ZO13

Beyond 5x Zoom

Given that both phones are capable of shooting optically up to 3x, how can each phone go beyond 5x zoom?

ZB1

ZB2

ZB3

ZB4

ZB5

ZB6

ZB7

ZB8

ZB9

ZB10

Food

Hardware is one. Software is for another.

Food shots are one of the best ways to know how good (or bad) a phone is when it comes to photo quality and color accuracy.

F1

F2A

F2B

F3A

F3B

F4

F5

Portrait Mode

Taking creamy~licious portraits shouldn’t be a rare feat among modern-day midrangers.

But can TECNO’s standard Portrait Mode compete with HONOR’s Harcourt prowess?

PM1

PM2

PM3

PM4

PM5

Low-Light

I said it before and I’ll say it again.

Taking shots in low-light is what makes or breaks a phone’s photography performance.

LL1

LL2

LL3

LL4

LL5

BONUS: Selfie

B1A  |  Ultra-Wide Portrait ON

B1B  |  1x Wide Portrait ON

B2A  |  1x Wide Portrait OFF

B2B  |  Ultra-Wide Portrait OFF

Results

Notice a pattern? Or lack thereof?

Well, the results are definitely consistent.

A — TECNO CAMON 40 Premier

B — HONOR 400 Pro

Conclusion

At first, it’s kind of hard to distinguish which phone is which.

For instance, the ultra-wide, 1x wide, and 2x photos of the TECNO CAMON 40 Premier leaned more onto the cooler side. However, the contrary happens in Sample Sets M5 / M8 / M9 where the shots are warmer than its HONOR counterpart.

If you zoom in further, HONOR 400 Pro’s 200MP main sensor doesn’t have a huge advantage — delivering somewhat the same amount of detail compared to the CAMON 40 Premier.

Except for Photos ZO6 / ZO8 / ZO9 / ZB7 / ZB8, consistency in warmness continues among photos taken in the CAMON 40 Premier’s 3x periscope zoom lens.

How natural is “Natural”?

Despite choosing the “Natural” Color Mode in the HONOR 400 Pro, Sets M4 / ZO12 / ZO13 / LL5 truly showed lack of saturation with its washed out photos. That same look is even evident in 5 out of 7 food shots.

It also struggles to capture a balanced dynamic range. Making Set M3 as an example, look at how blown-out the highlights of the night lights have turned out in HONOR versus TECNO.

There were times when HONOR takes brighter photos but at the expense of amping up shadows and losing contrast (M4 / M8 / ZB2 / ZB3). Inconsistently, the results turned out the other way around in Sets U1 / U2 / U4 with lower exposure and darker shadows.

Photos taken at night also looked dimmer versus TECNO’s post-ready low-light takes.

HONOR’s “Natural” color profile doesn’t look natural at all with its inaccuracy and inconsistencies compared to how I / we perceive the actual subjects in real life.

That’s not to say the HONOR 400 Pro produces bad photos. Honestly, there are times where I preferred the HONOR more — Samples ZO6 / ZB7 / ZB8 / ZB9 are living proof to that.

If there’s a category where I think HONOR has nailed, it’s definitely the Portrait Mode with better shots and depth segmentation, properly showcasing its Harcourt specialty. Additionally, selfies looked better no matter where and how you look at it

Higher price ≠ Higher performance

Reiterating what I’ve said in my HONOR 400 vs vivo V50 camera showdown, the HONOR 400 Pro and TECNO CAMON 40 Premier are also two midrangers positioned in different levels of the same sailing ship.

Price-wise, the HONOR 400 Pro costs more at PhP 32,999. Meanwhile, TECNO’s CAMON 40 Premier is heaps cheaper at just PhP 21,999. That makes it a very contending smartphone in the upper-midrange space.

For the same price, you’ll only get the HONOR 400 at PhP 22,999 along its absence of a dedicated telephoto lens.

While there are more factors to consider in this huge price gap such as a faster chipset, bigger battery capacity, larger internal storage, and several other hardware nuances, it’s safe to say that a higher price tag isn’t always synonymous to having the best cameras. This camera shootout alone is just one among many testaments to that.

READ: It’s the little things that make the HONOR 400 Pro 5G a daily wonder

At the end of the day, it’s your choice as a consumer which smartphone camera (both in image quality and overall look) dominates your priorities and overall purchasing power.

Now, if you’d ask me, the TECNO CAMON 40 Premier ultimately bags that “bang for the buck” title for offering the better camera flexibility despite its more affordable price tag.

SEE ALSO: TECNO CAMON 40 Premier review: Cảm ơn, CAMON!

It feels like just yesterday we were comparing three foldables in one big camera shootout. In reality, it’s been a full year — and a lot has changed. This time, it’s down to two powerhouses: the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 and the OPPO Find N5.

Both are book-style foldables launched globally in 2025 — Samsung in July, OPPO earlier in February. Both also come with major physical changes: they’re slimmer, taller, and in the Fold7’s case, slightly wider too. But the real battle lies inside: the cameras.

Samsung brought over the 200MP main shooter from the Galaxy S25 Ultra to the Fold7. The rest of the system, however, didn’t see major changes. Meanwhile, OPPO gave the Find N5 a full-on imaging overhaul.

On paper

	Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7	OPPO Find N5
Main Camera	200 MP, f/1.7, 24 mm (wide), 1/1.3″, PDAF, OIS	50 MP, f/1.89, 1/1.56″, OIS (HyperTone wide-angle)
Ultrawide	12 MP, f/2.2, 120°, 1.4 µm, PDAF	(Not specified in source – likely none or under 50 MP)
Telephoto / Periscope	10 MP, f/2.4, 67 mm, PDAF, OIS, 3× optical zoom	50 MP periscope telephoto with macro (~10 cm macro)
Video Recording	8K@30 fps, 4K@60 fps, 1080p@60/120/240 fps, 720p@960 fps, gyro-EIS, 10-bit HDR10+	LivePhoto with enhanced EIS; video specs not detailed
Selfie Cameras	Dual 10 MP front cams (cover + inner display)	Not detailed in provided source

Specs tell part of the story, but photos reveal the truth. As always, the only edits applied were for cropping and resizing to fit our format.

So how do they compare in real-world shooting?

W (1x)

w1

w2

W3

W4

W5

W6

W7

W8

W9

W10

W11

W12

Zoom A (2x-3x)

ZA1

ZA2

ZA3

ZA4

ZA5

ZA6

ZA7

ZA8

ZA9

ZA10

ZA11

ZOOM B (6x and up)

ZB1

ZB2

ZB3

ZB4

ZB5

ZB6

Selfie (Outer Camera)

S1

S2

S3

S4

Low light

L1

L2

Blind test reveal & first impressions

Did you guess which was which?
A is the OPPO Find N5. B is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7.

Now that you know, a few things stand out:

• The Find N5 consistently produced brighter images, especially in low light. OPPO’s post-processing really flexes here.
  
• The Galaxy Z Fold7 leaned toward a more natural, life-like output, a noticeable shift from Samsung’s traditionally saturated look.

That said, using the Fold7’s main camera at 1x felt… off. The focal length feels awkward — too wide for most shots but just right for taking main-camera selfies. I found myself constantly switching to 2x or 3x, which makes up a big chunk of the samples here.

Flat or flavorful?

One of the biggest differences is in how the two phones handle processing and depth.

Take the Brooklyn Bridge photo through cyclone wire (W8):

• The Find N5 nailed it with more pronounced depth and contrast.
  
• The Fold7 came off a little flat in comparison.
  

But this wasn’t always the case. In the shot of the yellow vehicle (w5) and in main-camera selfies (W12), the Fold7 delivered bokeh that looked more organic.

Overall, the Find N5 clearly does more processing after you hit the shutter, while the Fold7 gives you what it sees, almost instantly. Your preference between a more “finished” photo and a natural one will really show here.

Zoom zoom

Let’s be real — this wasn’t even close.

At 6x and beyond, the OPPO Find N5 easily outclassed the Fold7. Detail, sharpness, and clarity all went to OPPO’s corner. Samsung’s telephoto performance just didn’t keep up.

Final thoughts

If we’re talking eye-catching, the OPPO Find N5 wins out of the gate. Brighter shots, better zoom, more punch overall.

But the Galaxy Z Fold7 holds its own. At 1x to 3x — and especially in low light — it sometimes captures a mood the Find N5 over-brightens. The beer glass in a dimly lit bar is a perfect example: OPPO lit it up; Samsung kept the vibe.

At the end of the day, this comes down to what you value.

• Want bright, punchy, more dramatic photos? Go OPPO.
• Prefer subtler, moodier, more natural output? Samsung’s your bet.
  

That said — if we’re choosing a winner in camera versatility and polish, the OPPO Find N5 edges ahead.