OnePlus 6 Red Smartphone Vs Honor 10 Smartphone - Which Should I Buy?

OnePlus 6 and the Honor 10

 

OnePlus and Honor may not have the fame the likes of Samsung and Apple have in the smartphone world but they're names, we think, you should be paying attention to as they both produce phones that are excellent buys for photographers. 

Globally, Honor has shifted 3,000,000 Honor 10 smartphones which is an impressive figure by anyone's standards and OnePlus caused a serious stir when they introduced the OnePlus 6, back in May, which got phoneographers talking. 

Both the Honor 10 and OnePlus 6 offer premium features such as dual cameras, OIS (on the OnePlus 6) and 4K video at prices you don't usually associate with such impressive specs and this is why photographers should be paying attention to these devices as you can get quite a lot of bang for your buck. 

Why are we putting these two smartphones head-to-head? Well, they're both reasonably new, offer similar specs and there's only £100 separating them in price so everything is lined-up to be a pretty close match. 

We will focus on the photo capture aspect of each device a little more than anything else, as, after all, we are a photography website but the other features we consider to be important to users who spend a lot of time capturing images with their smartphones will also be looked at. 

If you're interested in another brand that can still capture good photos, have a look at our 'best gear' section of the site where we list the 'Best Camera Phones For Photography 2018' and the 'Top Budget Camera Phones For Photography'.

We also have a Samsung Galaxy S8 Vs iPhone X Vs Huawei Mate 10 comparison and should you be an Apple purist, we've got a head-to-head of the iPhone X and iPhone 8 Plus. There's also a true Android smartphone shootout as we put Samsung's, Google's and Huawei's flagship head-to-head to find out which one you should buy.

Honor 10 Blue - Oneplus6 Red

Use the below to navigate this feature: 

• In The Hand
• Screen 
• Camera
• Photo Quality
• ISO 
• White Balance
• Low Light
• Video Quality
• Battery
• Processor 
• Other Features
• Size & Weight
• Price 
• ePHOTOzine Ratings 
• Our Pick

 

In The Hand

OnePlus 6 and Honor 10

Neither smartphone is ugly, far from it, but thanks to its think bezels and chinless design, the OnePlus 6 picks up extra style points and if you go for the red version, you won't be disappointed as it's even more stylish. The left and right edges of the smartphone are also thinner than the central section, making it look/feel better than other smartphones that are available.

You can navigate, and even capture photos, quite easily with both devices in just one hand but when taking photos, we'd always recommend holding smartphones with both hands. 

As with all smartphones, we recommend you pop a case on the OnePlus 6 and Honor 10 to protect the devices and it also stops fingerprints appearing all of the backs. Both the Honor 10 and OnePlus 6 come supplied with thin, flexible TPU cases which do make the phones more grippy but we'd not recommend them as the most protective cases in the world. A screen protector is also pre-installed on the OnePlus 6 and Honor 10. 

Volume controls and power buttons can be found on each smartphone in the usual places but an extra feature on the OnePlus 6 is its switch to toggle between normal, vibrate, and silent sound profiles. We know it's not something special but, well, we just like it so thought we'd give it a mention as it's really well built and has a satisfying 'click' to it. 

On the bottom of each smartphone, you'll find a speaker (not stereo), headphone socket (another rarity these days) and a USB socket. 

You can unlock the OnePlus 6 with your fingerprint and the sensor can be found on the back, below the dual cameras. The Honor 10 also has a fingerprint sensor and it can be found below the screen. Neither phone has a 'home' button but this is a design feature you see on most smartphones now. 

Both smartphones feel well built with their glass/metal designs and rounded corners but if we were to pick one of the two phones simply on how they look, we'd go for the OnePlus 6 as the lack of chin, and bonus red colour, just make it look/feel that little bit more luxurious. 

 

The Screen

Honor 10

 

The 6.28inch AMOLED screen found on the OnePlus 6, which is surrounded by a small bezel, is impressive and there's just a top-notch sitting slightly into the screen but this is something we've come to expect in smartphone designs. After all, it's where the front camera sits. The screen on the Honor 10 is almost an inch smaller than that found on the OnePlus 6 but it's not small, by any means, and is very bright. A small notch can also be found on the Honor 10 but it doesn't spoil the viewing experience. 

Both phones offer very good viewing angles, even outdoors, however, when you view photos on the OnePlus 6, they initially look very bright and overly saturated but you can alter the screen settings under "Screen Calibration" to sRGB, DCI-P3, Adaptive, or a Custom Colour, for more realistic results. Both screens are constructed from Gorilla Glass but the type isn't specified for the Honor 10. On the OnePlus 6 it's Gorilla Glass 5, which is the most up-to-date version currently available on smartphones. 

As for resolution, the OnePlus 6 offers a 2280x1080 resolution, the same as the Honor 10. 

 

The Camera 

OnePlus 6 

 

Dual cameras seem to be turning into a 'must have' feature on smartphones and the Honor 10 and OnePlus 6 both offer them which means you can create depth of field effects. 

The dual cameras (20mp used for portrait mode/depth effects and 16mp) on the back of the OnePlus 6 smartphone both have an f/1.7 aperture which should improve low light performance. On the Honor 10, the dual camera features a 24mp f/1.8 black and white lens and 16-megapixel f/1.8 colour lens and the f/1.8 aperture should, again, mean that low light performance is OK. The advantage of the black & white lens is that you can shoot monochrome images in-camera without the need for digital filters, which are also sharper, and it can be used to improve low light performance. 

Those who like to take selfies probably want to do so with the Honor 6 as it has a 24-megapixel, f/2.0 front-facing camera while the OnePlus 6 has a 16-megapixel f/2.0 selfie camera. 

An edge the OnePlus 6 has over the Honor 10 is that it has OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation) built-in so we were able to take photos at shutter speeds of 1/8s, handheld, while still getting sharp images which is excellent for the price-point the OnePlus 6 is listed at.

Both camera apps are easy to use and are packed with options to choose from. Android phones certainly offer more in terms of camera functions when compared with iPhones and the Honor 10 even has built-in AI that can detect the scene it's looking at so the best mode/options are selected for capturing the shot. 

The cameras built into the Honor 10 and OnePlus 6 also offer 2x zoom but it's digital, not optical as you find on more expensive models and both have Pro camera modes - something we are always happy to see on smartphones. 

It's a shame the second rear camera on the OnePlus 6 doesn't offer a longer focal length or something a bit different like the black and white camera on the Honor 10, but with how well the lenses that are built in perform, it's not really a complaint, more of an 'it would be nice'. 

 

Quick Summary:

• OnePlus 6: Dual cameras (16mp f/1.7 main camera, 20mp f/1.7 second camera), OIS + EIS, 16mp, f/2.0 selfie camera, Pro Mode 
• Honor 10: Dual cameras (24mp f/1.8 black and white, 16-megapixel f/1.8 colour), 24mp selfie camera, AI technology, Pro Mode 

 

OnePlus 6 Vs Honor 10 Photo Quality 

 

OnePlus 6

Honor 10

The dynamic range in the image captured by the OnePlus 6 is much wider and as a result, produces a better-looking photo. The camera on the OnePlus 6 has handled the shadow areas really well, making it possible to still read the sign on the church and see more detail, not in the shadows, but in the brickwork that's well lit and in the windows. Although, there's some purple fringing around the cloud edge. The Honor 10 doesn't do a bad job, it's just not quite on par with the OnePlus 6. 

 

OnePlus 6

Honor 10

Again, from shadows to highlights, the OnePlus 6 reigns supreme with a good balance of colours, too. There's no CA or purple fringing around the tree top edges and detail remains decent throughout. Although, some may say the tree trunks are a little dark in places. In comparison, the image captured on the Honor 10 looks garishly green and the highlights on the woodland floor are overexposed, grabbing your eye's attention. When you zoom in, detail is preserved much better by the OnePlus 6 and unfortunately, the detail in the image captured by the Honor 10 does looks mushy in places. 

 

OnePlus 6

Honor 10

The OnePlus 6 has captured a warmer image than the Honor 10, here, and it also, once again, handles the dynamic range better with good detail in the shadows as well as the sky appears blue. In contrast, the Honor 10 image is overexposed and as a result, detail is lost in the sky, in the shaded areas and on the gravestones. 

 

OnePlus 6

Honor 10

Colourful wall balls looks great in each image when viewed small but when you click on the larger versions, you notice shake has spoilt the shot captured with the Honor 10. The wall balls are in a gym with rather low light and the lack of optical stabilisation meant that the longer shutter speed needed to capture the image was too long for us to be able to hold steady working hand-held. Noise levels are more noticeable, too. 

 

OnePlus 6

Honor 10

Let's take a selfie! Both cameras have done a pretty decent job at capturing a self-portrait but the Honor 10 sways it for us slightly as skin tones appear more accurate. The OnePlus 6 has given skin tones a slight pink tone but the background colours are handled better.

 

 

OnePlus 6

Honor 10

As both phones have 2 rear cameras you can use depth effect to add fake bokeh to portraits and viewed small, they both look good but when you check out the larger version, the OnePlus 6 produce the better portrait with more accurate skin tones and the fur on the dog in the image looks more natural, too. The Honor 10 appears to have over processed the image making the skin look a little fake and the fur on the dog losing detail. However, it's blurred the background nicely with no clipping of the subject. On the image captured with the OnePlus 6, some of the subject's hair and arm is going out of focus but overall, it's not bad. 

 

OnePlus 6

Honor 10

Food shots are where the AI built into the Honor 10 really shines as it instantly knows you're photographing food and adjusts the camera settings as a result. The Food on the plate in the Honor 10 shot certainly pops from the frame more but it could be a little too overly worked with the corn-on-the-cob looking very bright. Although, it has been able to capture more detail and make the food look more appetising than it does in the OnePlus 6 shot. 

 

OnePlus 6

Honor 10

The 2x zoom allows you to get much closer to subjects without moving your feet and the Honor 10 actually has a touch more reach than the OnePlus 6 but the garish greens let it down again. Everything is sharp, though and it's still a pretty good photo. The OnePlus 6 shot looks more natural and is more true-to-life. 

We'd not reccomend using any more than 2x digital zoom on these, or any smartphone for that matter, unless you really need to as, image quality suffers dramatically. 

 

OnePlus 6

Honor 10

The close-focusing capabilites of both smartphones is good but the exposure levels on the image captured with the OnePlus 6 are just that little bit better. 

 

OnePlus 6

Honor 10

The OnePlus 6 is the clear winner with this shot as the exposure is accurate, detail is good and it just looks more true-to-life. The image captured with the Honor 10 isn't terrible, but it does wash out the colours, particularly whites, and there's not as much detail in the foliage. 

 

OnePlus 6

Honor 10

There's more detail in the OnePlus 6 shot but it's not as bright as the image captured with the Honor 10. However, the loss of detail isn't worth a brighter image - you can fix that easily in Photoshop.  

 

OnePlus 6

Honor 10

Once again, the dynamic range in the OnePlus 6 image is much better with detail showing even in the darkest parts of the shot. However, some of the brickwork does look a little over sharpened. There's still good detail in the lighter parts of the shot captured with the Honor 10, it's just the shadow areas that let it down. 

 

OnePlus 6 

 

Honor 10

Strong, dappled light proved to be a bit difficult for the Honor 10 and the panorama is much narrower than that captured with the OnePlus 6. Where light levels are more balanced, it did do a pretty good job and there are no problems with bad stitching. 

The OnePlus 6 panorama is evenly lit throughout, no problems with exposure, good level of detail and it's stitched well. Although, care needs to be taken to get the panning speed right, as stitching issues can be a problem if you get this wrong. 

 

More Sample Photos 

 

OnePlus 6 Sample Photos

 

Huawei Honor 10 Sample Photos

 

ISO Comparison

• OnePlus 6 - ISO100 to ISO3200
• Honor 10 - ISO50 - ISO3200 (just a smidge wider than the OnePlus 6)

 

OnePlus 6

In the Pro mode, you can manually set the ISO speed from ISO100 to ISO3200. For the best detail, and lowest noise we'd recommend using the lower ISO speeds where possible, from ISO100 to ISO800. Noise is well controlled until you get the ISO3200, where noise becomes excessive. However, when using the auto modes, noise appears reasonable even when shooting at higher ISO speeds of ISO4000 and ISO5000, however fine detail suffers. Distortion is noticeable in these images, too.

 

Honor 10

Noise performance is quite good up to ISO400, with ISO800 images showing much more noticeable noise in darker areas. ISO1600 is the highest ISO speed selectable in manual mode and shows the most noise, however, results may still be useful, depending on what you want to use the images for. When using the mono camera, it's not possible to select the ISO speed used, as there is no Mono "Pro" mode. For this, you'll need to look at the Huawei P20. 

 

OnePlus 6  | ISO 100

Honor 10 | ISO 100

 

 

OnePlus 6  | ISO 800

Honor 10 |  ISO 800

 

 

White Balance Comparison

 

OnePlus 6 

Auto White Balance (AWB) gives warm results under tungsten lighting and mixed light but it performs well under fluorescent lighting. In Pro mode, you can adjust the white balance using a Kelvin (K) slider to select the colour temperature. 

Honor 10 

Auto White Balance (AWB) gives a warm result under tungsten lighting, with the tungsten preset giving more accurate results. AWB performs well under mixed lighting. AWB performs well under fluorescent lighting, with the fluorescent preset giving a yellow colour cast. 

When shooting at 24mp, there is a noticeable increase in detail when shooting in the Monochrome mode. However, there is no real improvement to be found when shooting in colour, so it's best to stick to 16mp for colour photos. The monochrome camera isn't quite as sharp as the camera found on the Huawei P20 when viewing images at 100%. This is particularly noticeable in the corners of images.

 

 

AWB Tungsten

OnePlus 6  |  AWB Tungsten

Honor 10 |  AWB Tungsten

 

Low Light

As the OnePlus 6 has optical image stabilisation, it's always going to have an advantage over the Honor 10 as all the Honor 10 can do is increase the ISO which really spoils a shot - even if it does brighten it considerably (as shown in the image below which was captured at 10:30 at night when there was hardly any light left.

 

Honor 10 

 

We're not sure what happened when capturing the same scene with the OnePlus 6 but something went very wrong as it didn't preserve any detail at all when previously, it's performed amicably in low light. 

 

OnePlus 6

 

OnePlus 6

 

OnePlus 6

 

Video Quality 

 

OnePlus 6 

The OnePlus 6 smartphone captures 4K video at 30/60fps, 1080p at 30/60fps and 720p at 30fps. There's also a super slow motion where you can capture 1080p videos at 240fps or 720p videos at 480fps and time-lapse is built in. The slow-mo mode isn't quite as slow as what the Samsung Galaxy S9 can capture footage at but when you consider how much more the S9 is, you can forgive OnePlus. Although, it can capture around a minute of slo-mo footage which equates to around a 6-minute video when played back which is awesome but it can struggle in low light. A cool feature is the built-in video editor which isn't something you see every day and you can use the LED light as well as optical image stabilisation when shooting video footage. 

In the videos we captured, overall detail is good, although flare from the sun is visible in the video below, and optical image stabilisation helps keep footage stable and smooth. 

 

 

Honor 10

Video quality is very smooth, however as OIS isn't built in, some movement due to the phone being handheld can be seen. The video recording options are quite basic, you can change the size of the video from 4K UHD down to 720p HD, and toggle GPS on or off. Electronic image stabilisation is available when shooting FullHD video. There is a beauty mode which can be activated as well.

 

 

	OnePlus 6	Honor 10
4K Video	Yes	Yes
Full HD Video	Yes	Yes
Image Stabilisation	Optical and Electronic	Electronic (FullHD only)
Slo-Motion Video	1080p videos at 240fps or 720p videos at 480fps	FullHD video at 120fps

 

 

Battery

Battery life on both of the devices is good for modern smartphones although, the Honor 10 has a slightly better battery installed sitting at 3400mAh, which is good for a smartphone at this price point. The battery in the OnePlus 6 is a 3300mAh which isn't as impressive as the 4000mAh batteries out there and as pointed out, it's smaller than the one found in the Honor 10.

We ran a number of benchmark tests to see how the two phones compare and these were done using the AnTuTu and Geekbench apps, where the phones scored the following: 

• OnePlus 6 - Geekbench: 2474/9074 (single core/multi-core), AnTuTu score: 287306
• Honor 10 - Geekbench: 1884/6602 (single core/multi-core), AnTuTu score: 190912

The OnePlus 6 scored much higher scores than the Honor 10, thanks to the Qualcomm processor. 

 

Processor

• OnePlus 6 -  Qualcomm SnapDragon 845
• Honor 10 - HiSilicon Kirin 970

 

Other Features 

	OnePlus 6	Honor 10
MicroSD Slot	No	Yes
Water Resistant	Just weatherproof, not waterproof	No
Headphone Socket	Yes	Yes

 

Size & Weight 

• OnePlus 6 - 177g, 155.7mm x 75.4mm x 7.75mm 
• Honor 10 - 153g, 149.6mm x 71.2mm x 7.7mm

 

Price 

• OnePlus 6 - £533
• Honor 10 - £393

 

OnePlus 6 Vs Honor 10 Rating

 

OnePlus 6

"The OnePlus6 is a reasonably priced smartphone with specs that make it fit right at home alongside smartphones with a more premium price. As a result, we think the OnePlus 6 smartphone is an excellent buy."

Highly Recommended - 

 

Honor 10 

"The Honor 10 is a very capable smartphone available at a very good price point."

Recommended - 

 

 

To compare the 2 smartphones further, have a look at the specs table below and do have a read of our full reviews.