The mobile market is overloaded with offers, and when choosing a new gadget, users often face an incomprehensible heap of technical specifications, especially in photo opportunities, where brand marketing departments are actively promoting the presence of multiple lenses on the back. The question of why the three cameras in a smartphone xiaomi Redmi worries many buyers trying to understand the real value of each module, rather than just admire the design of the unit.
Unlike the old models, where one lens tried to replace everything, modern devices in the Redmi Note or Redmi series are equipped with complex systems, where each sensor performs a highly specialized task, which allows you to create better images in different light conditions and at different distances. Understanding the logic of the three will help you unlock the potential of your device and stop shooting exclusively in automatic mode.
The basic idea is that physical optics cannot be completely replaced by software algorithms. Optical zoom, macro shooting and wide-angle landscapes require specific lenses and sensors that physically cannot fit into a single module. That is why Xiaomi and Redmi engineers integrate several independent units, each responsible for its own segment, ensuring the versatility of the device.
The core module: the heart of your photo system
The centerpiece of any smartphone camera is the main module, which is most often located in the center or just above other lenses. It is this sensor that works by default when you open the Camera app and take a picture without switching modes. In Redmi smartphones, this module usually has the highest resolution, for example, 50 MP or 108 MP, and the best aperture of the lens.
The core module's matrix is larger than the auxiliary sensors, allowing it to capture more light, critical for low-light, night or indoor photography, and HDR and night-mode image processing algorithms work primarily with data from that sensor, providing detail and natural colors.
⚠️ Attention: Don't confuse megapixel count with optical quality. Even if the main module has 108 MP and the second one has 8 MP, it doesn't mean that the second one is worse at everything.
Importantly, the main lens most often has a fixed focal length equivalent to about 26-28 mm in terms of full frame, a so-called “normal” viewing angle that is as close as possible to human perception of perspective. For portrait photography or detailing objects near the main module uses software blur or switches to another sensor, if the design allows.
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To get the best shot in complex lighting, always use the main module, even if you have to get closer to the object, instead of using zoom.
Wide-angle lens: Capture more space
The second most important module in the triple system is often an ultra-wide-angle camera, designed for landscapes, architecture or group photos, where as many objects as possible need to be placed in the frame. The viewing angle of such a lens in Redmi smartphones is usually about 118 ° or 120 °, which is much wider than the human eye.
The resolution of this module is usually lower than the main one, and it's 8 MP or 13 MP. This is due to the physical limitations of the matrix size and the cost of production. However, for social networks and viewing on a smartphone screen, this resolution is quite enough, and the main advantage here is the geometry of the frame, allowing you to shoot a tall building as a whole or fit the whole company of friends into the frame.
When you switch to wide-angle in the camera app, you can see the distortion around the edges of the frame. This is the distortion, which is the natural optical effect of wide-angle optics. Today's Xiaomi algorithms are able to programmatically correct these distortions, but you can't completely eliminate them without losing part of the image.
Macro Camera: The World in the Minorities
The third module that is often puzzling to users is the macro camera, which is a very low-resolution sensor, usually only 2 MP or 5 MP, and specific optics that allow you to focus on objects from a minimum distance — literally 2-4 cm from the lens.
The core module of a smartphone can't physically focus on an object if you bring it that close, it just floats. The Macro camera solves this problem by allowing you to see the texture of tissue, the eyes of an insect, or the stamens of a flower. Despite its low resolution, this module is indispensable for subject photography of small details, where proximity is important, not depth of field.
It is worth noting that the quality of macro-camera images in smartphones of the budget and mid-segment Redmi often inferior to the main module with software crop, but in specific conditions, when you want to shoot an object larger than the physics of the main lens, this module becomes the only working tool.
Why is the macro camera so low quality?
Depth Sensor and Telephoto: Rare or Normal?
Some Xiaomi and Redmi models may have a Deep sensor or even a telephoto lens instead of a macro camera, and the depth sensor does not take pictures by itself, and its only task is to measure the distance to objects in the frame to build a depth map.
This information is used to blur the background in portrait mode. Without this sensor, the blur is built exclusively software, which often leads to errors when the phone cuts off part of the ear or blurs the background in front of the object. Having a separate depth sensor makes the bokeh effect more natural and realistic.
The optical zoom telephoto lens is a rarer guest in the Redmi lineup, usually found in the Mi or Xiaomi flagship series (without the Redmi console), which allows you to zoom in without loss of quality, unlike the digital zoom that simply cuts and stretches the image from the main sensor.
| Type of module | Typical authorization | Substantive function | Viewing angle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main (Wide) | 50-108 MP | Basic footage, night. | ~78° |
| Ultra-wide | 8-13 MP | Landscapes, architecture | ~118° |
| Macro | 2-5 MP | Shooting close (2-4 cm) | ~80° |
| Depth (Depth) | 2 MP | Portrait mode | Not applicable. |
How to Switch Between Cameras in MIUI
The camera interface in the MIUI or HyperOS shell allows you to quickly switch between modules. In the standard Photo mode, you can use zoom, which, when you reach certain values (for example, 0.6x or 2x), switches the physical lens. A value of 0.6x activates the wide-angle camera, and a value of 2x (if there is no TV) uses the crop of the main sensor.
Most Redmi models don't need to search for a separate button to activate the macro camera, but simply hold the phone close to the object and the system switches to macro mode, as reported by the Macro pop-up notification. If the automation doesn't work, you can open the mode menu (swipe to the right in the viewfinder) and select Macro manually.
You can find additional settings for each module in the camera settings, for example, distortion correction is often available for a wide-angle camera, and for the main one, high-resolution 50 MP or 108 MP mode is enabled, which is disabled by default to save space and processing speed.
☑️ Verification of modules
Why the quality of the images from different cameras is different
Users often wonder why photos taken with the main camera look significantly better than those taken with a "width" or macro. The answer lies in the hardware. The main module is equipped with the best optics, consisting of 6-7 lenses, and often has optical stabilization (OIS).
Auxiliary cameras lack stabilization and high-quality optics. When shooting at an ultra-wide angle at dusk, you will notice increased digital noise and reduced detail. This is normal, due to a smaller pixel size and lower aperture of the lens. The auxiliary cameras are often f/2.2 or f/2.4, whereas the main one can have f/1.7 or f/1.8.
⚠️ Attention: Don't expect the same quality from all three cameras. In the budget models of Redmi macro and depth sensor are more image-oriented and serve for marketing, not for professional shooting.
Tips for the Best Photos on Redmi
To get the most out of your smartphone’s triple camera, try to use each module as intended. Don’t try to capture the landscape on the main camera if there’s not enough space in the frame – switch to 0.6x. Conversely, it’s better to approach the main module closer to the texture for detailed shooting than using digital zoom.
Keep your lenses clean. With three cameras, the chance of getting one of them dirty with your fat fingers triples. A dirty lens on a macro camera or main module will cause glare and soap to appear in the images. Rub the camera block with soft cloth before each use.
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The main secret of quality photos on Redmi is understanding the limitations of each module: basic for quality, wide for scale, macro for details up close.
Experiment with modes. There are many hidden features in the Camera app, like Long Shutter speed or Light Painting, that use the power of the main sensor to create artistic effects. Understanding which module is working at the moment will allow you to predict the outcome.