The CMF Phone 1 (review) and the Realme P1 (review) are affordable, performance-centric smartphones that have a starting price of Rs 15,999 in India. We recently did a head-to-head performance comparison and battery comparison between both to find out which was a better value-for-money option at its price. That leaves us with the question, what about their cameras? On that note, we’ll compare the cameras on both phones in different scenarios to find out which device clicks better images.
Here are the camera specifications of both devices:
| CMF Phone 1 | Realme P1 |
| 50MP primary camera with f/1.8 aperture | 50MP primary camera with f/1.8 aperture |
| 2MP B&W sensor | 2MP portrait sensor |
| 16MP front camera | 16MP front camera |
Daylight
When it comes to daylight shots, the CMF Phone 1 and Realme P1 have a significant difference in their colour science. The former has a more natural colour reproduction, which accurately reflects the scene and preserves shadows better. The CMF Phone 1 also has slightly better dynamic range and is able to showcase more tonal differences.
The Realme P1 tends to oversaturate the colours and overexpose the shadows. It manages to preserve more detail and offers a sharper result compared to the CMF Phone 1. In the end, both phones prioritise different aspects, so the final decision boils down to personal preferences.
Winner: Tie
Portrait
When it comes to portraits, both phones face slight issues with edge detection. The edge detection in CMF Phone 1’s image is quite apparent, and there’s visible warping around the subject’s frame.
The phone also lightens the skin tones, and the facial details are not as prominent as those of the Realme P1. The Realme P1 also has some edge detection issues, but they’re not as noticeable as those of the CMF Phone 1 and produce a more appealing image.
Winner: Realme P1
Selfie
The CMF Phone 1 takes really poor selfies; it overexposes the frames and even lightens the skin tone, which leads to a loss of detail. The Realme P1 manages to preserve the skin colour and has a good contrast, which makes the image look more appealing.
Winner: Realme P1
Lowlight (night mode off)
We captured lowlight images from both phones with night mode turned off to see how each of them fared. The lens flare is quite prominent in the image, but it has more natural contrast, which brings out more shadows and more closely represents the scene.
The Realme P1 has some trouble maintaining its exposure and has a lot of light bloom around the signs, which makes the text unreadable. However, The lens flare is more controlled than the CMF Phone 1.
Winner: Tie
Lowlight (night mode on)
With night mode enabled, the Realme P1 takes a clear lead over the CMF Phone 1. The image exposure is well managed and the shadows are preserved. The ambient light is also more subtle and the image has better sharpness along with minimal lens flare compared to the CMF Phone 1.
Winner: Realme P1
Verdict
The Realme P1 wins against the CMF Phone 1 in this camera comparison. It has more versatile cameras that take better selfies, portraits and lowlight shots compared to the CMF Phone 1. If you’re looking to purchase an affordable smartphone and the cameras are non-negotiable for you, the Realme P1 is the better choice.
While the CMF Phone 1 may not match the Realme P1 in photography, it offers better performance and a decent camera experience for its price. If the camera isn’t your top priority, the CMF Phone 1 is the better deal with its superior raw performance and unique customisable design.
