The First Challenge on Mobile Real-World Image Super-Resolution at NTIRE 2026: Benchmark Results and Method Overview

TL;DR

This paper reviews the NTIRE 2026 challenge on mobile real-world image super-resolution, focusing on solutions that balance high-quality image recovery with mobile device efficiency.

Contribution

It presents the challenge setup, summarizes the top solutions, and provides insights into current trends and advancements in mobile real-world image super-resolution.

Findings

16 teams achieved valid final rankings

Models balanced image quality and speedup ratios

The challenge attracted 108 registrants

Abstract

This paper provides a review of the NTIRE 2026 challenge on mobile real-world image super-resolution, highlighting the proposed solutions and the resulting outcomes. The challenge aims to recover high-resolution (HR) images from low-resolution (LR) counterparts generated through unknown degradations with a x4 scaling factor while ensuring the models remain executable on mobile devices. The objective is to develop effective and efficient network designs or solutions that achieve state-of-the-art real-world image super-resolution performance. The track of the challenge evaluates performance using a weighted combination of image quality assessment (IQA) score and speedup ratios. The competition attracted 108 registrants, with 16 teams achieving a valid score in the final ranking. This collaborative effort advances the performance of mobile real-world image super-resolution while offering an in-depth overview of the latest trends in the field.