Last week was a busy one for all us smartphone enthusiasts. It was in this very week that Xiaomi finally announced the launch of its new budget smartphones – the Redmi Note 5 and the Redmi Note 5 Pro. In this article, we will compare how the Redmi Note 5 Pro and its features stack up against three other handsets. The three other handsets include the Xiaomi Mi A1, the Moto G5S Plus from Motorola, and the Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime. All these handsets are in the same price bracket as the Redmi Note 5 Pro. Let us start off things by talking about the design aspects of each of these handsets, shall we?
Redmi Note 5 Pro vs. Mi A1 vs. Moto G5S Plus vs. Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime: Design and Display
In usual fashion let us start off by talking about the design aspects if all these handsets.
The Redmi Note 5 Pro, the newest among these four handsets features an aluminium body and glass coating at the front. The display on the Redmi Note 5 Pro measures 5.99 inches across and is in the new 18:9 aspect ratio with a resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels. The PPI density score of the phone is 403. There is an unspecified version of Gorilla Glass layer on the phone for scratch resistance and durability.
The Mi A1, the second Xiaomi handset in this comparison features a 5.5-inch display in the 16:9 aspect ratio and has a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels. This phone gets a Gorilla Glass 3 layer for scratch resistance and has a PPI density score of 403. Like the Redmi Note 5 Pro, the Mi A1 has an aluminium body and glass front.
The Moto G5S Plus also features an aluminium body and glass front. The display on the handset happens to be a 5.5-inch full HD panel in the old 16:9 aspect ratio. As expected, the handset also gets Corning Gorilla Glass 3 coating for added durability and scratch resistance. The PPI density figure for the G5S Plus stands at 401 PPI.
The Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime, the last handset in this comparison gets a front glass and aluminium body with plastic ends. The display on the handset happens to be a 5.5-inch 1920 x 1080 pixel, full HD panel in the 16:9 aspect ratio. There is also a Gorilla Glass layer on the display in certain markets. The PPI density score of the J7 Prime is 40.
Redmi Note 5 Pro vs. Mi A1 vs. Moto G5S Plus vs. Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime: Hardware, software
The Redmi Note 5 Pro is the first smartphone to be powered by Qualcomm’s newest mid-range SoC – the Qualcomm SDM636 Snapdragon 636. The Soc houses an Octa-core 1.8 GHz Kryo 260 CPU and the Adreno 509 chip for graphics. The phone is offered in two versions – a 4GB + 64GB version and a 6GB + 64GB version. At launch, the handset runs Android 7.1.1 nougat underneath MIUI 9.
The Mi A1 from Xiaomi features the tried and tested Qualcomm MSM8953 Snapdragon 625 chip and houses an Octa-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 processor with the Adreno 506 GPU. The phone comes in a single 4GB RAM +64GB version. The phone runs Android 7.1.1 with a planned upgrade to Android 8.0 Oreo soon.
The Motorola G5S Plus also gets the Qualcomm MSM8953 Snapdragon 625 SoC with an Octa-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 processor and the Adreno 506 GPU. The handset is offered in the following versions a 4GB +32GB version and a 4GB+64GB version. The handset runs Android 7.0 Nougat with a planned update to Oreo in the future.
The Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime is powered by Samsung’s own Exynos 7870 SoC that houses an octa core 1.6GHz Cortex A53 processor. The phone is offered in two versions – a 3GB+16GB version and a 4GB+32GB version. The phone runs Android 6.0 with an update planned to Android 7.0 Nougat soon.
Redmi Note 5 Pro vs. Mi A1 vs. Moto G5S Plus vs. Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime: Camera, Imaging
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro gets a dual camera setup at the rear that consists of a primary 12-megapixel camera (f/2.2, 1.25 μm) and a secondary 5-megapixel camera (f/2.0, 1.12 μm). This camera supports phase detection autofocus and LED flash for low light imaging. At the front, the phone gets a 20-megapixel shooter with f/2.2 aperture and LED flash for low light imaging. The handset supports full HD video recording at 30fps.
The Xiaomi Mi A1 gets a dual camera set up at the rear that consists of a Dual: 12 MP (f/2.2, 26mm, 1.25 µm) + 12 MP (f/2.6, 50mm, 1 µm) camera with support for phase detection autofocus, 2x optical zoom, and dual-LED dual-tone flash. At the front, the handset gets a 5-megapixel shooter. The Mi A1 can record 4K videos at 30fps.
The Motorola G5S PLus also features a dual camera setup at the rear that consists of a twin 13-megapixel +13-megapixel camera with f/2.0, autofocus, and dual-LED dual-tone flash. At the front, the handset uses an 8-megapixel. F.2.0 camera with LED flash. The phone can record 4K videos at 30 fps.
The Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime gets a 13-megapixel f/1.9 camera at the rear with autofocus and LED flash. At the front, the phone gets an 8-megapixel shooter with f/1.9 aperture. The handset also records full HD videos at 30fps.
Redmi Note 5 Pro vs. Mi A1 vs. Moto G5S Plus vs. Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime: Price in India, conclusion
Let us first check out the prices of these handsets in India
Redmi Note 5 Pro
- 4GB+64GB: Rs.13,999
- 6GB+64GB: Rs.16,999
Xiaomi Mi A1
- 4GB+64GB: Rs.13,999
Moto G5S Plus
- 4GB+32GB: Rs.12,749
- 4GB+64GB: Rs.14,999
Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime
- 3GB+16GB: Rs.14,490
- 3GB+32GB: Rs.13,900
It is rather strange to see the 32GB version of the J7 Prime being sold at a lower price than the 16GB version.
Anyway, looking at the prices, the entry-level version of the Redmi Note 5 Pro does seem to be an overall better handset. However, do note that the handset for some strange reason does not support 4K video recording while the Moto G5S Plus and the Mi A1 do. If this feature is important to you, it is advisable you stay away from the Redmi Note 5 Pro for the time being.
