Wileyfox Swift 2 X – Camera

On fist appearance, the 16-megapixel primary camera with phase-detection autofocus (PDAF) and 8-megapixel front camera match the Moto G4 Plus’ specs. However, the use of a Samsung S5K3P3 sensor on the rear camera actually puts it a few rungs below its arch-rival, which uses an OmniVision OV16860 sensor.

In real-world use, the Swift 2 X’s rear camera isn’t great. The autofocus is fast but it doesn’t always lock on to the subject, and there are definite issues with noise in even moderately dim conditions. Photos taken in low light are universally out of focus, suffer from noise and feature woefully unbalanced contrast levels.

Photo modes are also limited to basic auto, panorama and hyperlapse, and there are close to no manual controls for the camera’s settings.

These are issues I experience on pretty much all affordable handsets and, being fair to Wileyfox, the Swift 2 X’s rear camera works okay in regular light. They aren’t the sharpest around, and I definitely noticed some haze around the edges of close-up shots, but colours look reasonably realistic and photos aren’t oversharpened. Blown up images and you’ll definitely notice some noise, but such images are more than good enough for sharing on social media.

Video is a mixed bag as the lack of any form of stabilisation means close to all footage shot on the Swift 2 X without a tripod is a shaky mess. The mic also struggles with background noise, which means you can sometimes struggle to hear what people are saying on captured footage.

Autofocus isn’t the best

And photos can look hazy

But they’re good enough for sharing on social media

Low-light performance is disappointing

It’s a similar story with the 8-megapixel front camera. In regular light the camera can take a decent-ish selfie, but it all but falls apart in low light. For video calling it’s fine, although the front mic feels a little underpowered. On a couple of occasions, people on the other end of the line struggled to discern what I was saying, particularly when making the call from areas with background noise.