Huawei Honor 6 Plus variable camera aperture explained, more camera samples compare it against iPhone 6

When we heard about the Huawei Honor 6 Plus featuring an innovative, dual-camera system with variable aperture we were surprised. Then, we saw the first Honor 6 Plus camera samples, and we were genuinely impressed with the low-light performance of the system, but still could not quite understand the works of this new system: was Huawei really using shutter blades with varying apertures? That did not seem very likely, so we guessed that this 'variable aperture' is done via some clever algorithms using the feed from both 8-megapixel rear cameras.

We have now seen the first hands-on demonstrations of the Honor 6 Plus, and we have a clearer understanding of how this new dual-camera system works. The Honor 6 Plus does indeed use software to simulate varying aperture, and you have control of aperture from f/0.96 to f/16. You control the aperture via a slider that allows you to select various levels in-between, and you get a live view of the change in depth of field (more bokeh for wide apertures, and a flatter-looking shot for narrower apertures). Even better, you can select the focus and the aperture of an image after you have already captured it, practically, the same effect as on a Lytro camera.

You can re-focus and change aperture after you've captured an image

The technical setup behind this includes two precisely aligned cameras on the back of the phone. Both feature 8-megapixel sensors, but the main one is an auto-focus cam with f/2.0 aperture, while the secondary one comes with an f/2.4 lens and fixed focus. As you can see, there is no physical variability in the apertures - the effect is purely software-based.