Nokia 8 scores poorly in DxOMark camera tests, Google Pixel 2 still rules the chart

HMD Global had a slew of Nokia-branded smartphones last year that ranged from budget to flagship. The Nokia 8, was the company's high-end offering that came with top-of-the-line specifications that included dual rear cameras, which has become quite mainstream now. DxOMark, known for performing exhaustive camera tests, has finally come out with its thoughts on the Nokia 8's cameras, and the results don't look good as the flagship has only managed to achieve an overall score of 68.

DxOMark's results are pretty surprising considering the Nokia 8 comes with Zeiss-branded lenses. The overall score puts the smartphone below the likes of the Lava Z25 and above Gionee S10L. Testings revealed that while the Nokia 8 produces good exposure and accurate white balance, there isn't enough saturation and you will notice occasional but noticeable colour shading. DxOMark has given a decent 72 score for Photo sub-score, but notes that there are areas of improvements since the Nokia 8 goes up against flagships from Apple, Samsung, Huawei and Google. The Pixel 2 is currently topping the chart at 98 while the iPhone X and Mate 10 Pro share the second spot.

The tests found significant noise in areas of plain colour and even in bright light, while the levels of detail are low with a lot of blurring of fine detail and textures. Detail is further reduced in indoors and in low-light conditions. "The Nokia suffers from a very noticeable loss of sharpness in the field, with strong softness often visible towards the edges of the frame." The Nokia 8's autofocus is generally on point in most conditions, except in low-light where it slows down. When it comes to bokehs, the dual camera system is good, but not the best in class. The testing also notes that the dynamic range is good, but only when Auto HDR is on.

When it comes to videos, DxOMark's benchmark essentially found two key areas of concern - low autofocus and stabalisation - which made them give a sub-score of 62. To recall, the Nokia 8 features a 13-megapixel RGB sensor with f/2.0 aperture and secondary 13-megapixel monochrome sensor, which is meant to improve low-light photography. The cameras are supported by dual-tone LED and PDAF. Up front you get a 13-megapixel sensor with f/2.0 aperture.

In our own review of the Nokia 8, we found that the colours are natural with sufficient detail in well lit scenarios. However, we found that low-light images were not as good compared to the likes of the iPhone 7, Galaxy S8 and Google Pixel, but is still decent for its price under Rs 40,000. The biggest issue we found was the shutter lag, which is slow enough to frustrate some users. The slow shutter also causes a lot more blurred images if your hand moves while the phone takes the shot. We did appreciate the 13-megapixel front-facing camera, which we found to be the best in its class. The selfies produced were sharp with a good detail and accurate colours.