Camera Hardware
The primary camera on the Nexus 5X is a 12.3 Megapixel camera (f/2.0 aperture) that comes with a laser-assisted auto-focus and dual-tone/dual-LED flash. Missing though is the Optical Image Stabilization [OIS] feature which basically improves a smartphone’s image-capturing ability in low light and is present on most flagship devices such as the iPhone 6s Plus (but not the iPhone 6s) and the Galaxy S6. Google does claim that each of the 12.3 million pixels is 1.55 microns wide, which would make for great low-light pictures and compensate for the lack of OIS (but that doesn’t mean you won’t have video stabilization issues). If 1.55 microns doesn’t give you an idea of size, ponder on this – the minimum width of the human hair is 17 μm and the thickness of paper ranges from 70 to 180 μm.
The front camera is a 5 Megapixel camera that has a 1.4 μm pixels sensor with f/2.0 aperture and can take fairly decent shots. Nexus fans can also rejoice about the video-recording upgrades; the Nexus 5X primary camera can record 4K video at 30 frames per second (fps) and also do slow-motion recording at 120 fps (most high-end smartphones out there can record video at 1080p). The front-facing camera can record HD video at 30 fps too.
Camera UI
The Nexus 5X features the latest Android Marshmallow 6.0 which offers a host of features, and the camera app gets a redesign as well but the most interesting features would probably be the way you access the Camera feature. The first is a double tap of the power button that lets you bypass the lockscreen and opens the camera immediately to let you start snapping photos; perfect for those moments when you need to take a picture instantaneously. The second is a gesture-based shortcut – double twist the phone and it will launch the camera right away (courtesy the Context Core feature from the Qualcomm chipset).
Camera Samples of the Nexus 5X
Video Samples of the Nexus 5X
Here is a video sample taken by our Editor Abhishek at the Google event yesterday using the rear 12.3 Megapixel camera to record video at 1080p Below is the video sample using the front 5 Megapixel camera to record video at 1080p
Camera Performance
While the absence of Optical Image Stabilization may prove to be a deterrent for those shaky hands or moving videos, the Nexus 5X with its 12.3 Megapixel front-camera, dual-LED flash, laser autofocus and the larger 1.55 μm pixels sensor offers some excellent picture-taking abilities which should appeal to most smartphone photography enthusiasts. Do you own a Nexus 5X yet? What do you think?
