We have been comparing a lot of smartphones lately. The sole purpose of these comparisons is to give our reader a clear outlook on what each phone offers and what makes the one better than the other. Today’s comparison is between three smartphones under 20k segment. These smartphones are – Xiaomi Mi A1, Nokia 7, and Motorola Moto G6 Plus. The Nokia 7 went official in China in October 2017 and is yet to make it to the Indian market while the Moto G6 Plus has not been launched yet. The Xiaomi Mi A1, on the other hand, is available in India and can be purchased via leading e-commerce portals and Xiaomi’s own website, Mi.com.
Mi A1 vs Moto G6 Plus vs Nokia 7:Design and Display
The Xiaomi Mi A1 comes with a 5.5-inch display with 1080 x 1920 pixels resolution with 16:9 aspect ration and Gorilla Glass 3 to protect the display. It has an aluminium body and glass front. On the other hand, the Moto G6 Plus is rumoured to come with a 5.93-inch display with 1080 x 2160 pixels resolution. Whereas the Nokia 7 features a 5.2-inch FHD display with 1080 x 1920 pixels resolution with 16:9 aspect ratio. It has a sleek glass finish with 3D glass curvature on the back panel and Corning Gorilla protection on both the sides.
Both the Xiaomi Mi A1 and Nokia 7 fair close in the display comparison. For the ones who do not like smaller screens, then the Mi A1 would be a better choice as it comes with a bigger display than the Nokia 7. The Moto G6 Plus’s specs are still under the confirmation scanner, so we cannot make judge it on the basis of rumoured specs.
Mi A1 vs Moto G6 Plus vs Nokia 7: Hardware and Software
Regarding hardware, the Xiaomi Mi A1 is powered by a 2.0 GHz Snapdragon 625 octa-core Cortex-A53 chipset paired with Adreno 506 GPU, 4GB of RAM and 64GB internal storage. On the software, this is the first Xiaomi smartphone to skip MIUI and embrace Android in its purest form. It runs Android 7.1.1 out-of-the-box and shall soon be upgraded to the latest Android 8.0 Oreo. It is backed by a 3080mAh battery.
The Moto G6 Plus is rumoured to come powered by a Snapdragon 630 chipset clubbed with 3GB/4GB RAM and 32GB/64GB storage. On the software front, it is most likely to run Android 8.0 Oreo out-of-the-box.
The Nokia 7 is comes powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 SoC with Adreno 506 GPU, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB internal storage. The device runs Android 7.1 Nougat out-of-the-box, and like the Xiaomi’s Mi A1, it will also be updated to Oreo soon. A 3000mAh battery backs the device.
In this segment, both Nokia 7 and Xiaomi MI A1 lock horns and have almost similar specs. The Moto G6 Plus is yet to launch so we cannot judge it yet.
Mi A1 vs Moto G6 Plus vs Nokia 7: Camera
Following the current camera trend in smartphones, the Xiaomi Mi A1 sports 12MP+12MP dual rear camera setup with phase detection autofocus (PDAF), dual-LED dual-tone flash, and 2x optical zoom. It bears f/2.2 aperture for the first 12MP lens and f/2.6 aperture for the second one on the rear. On the front, the device features a 5MP selfie shooter. The Xiaomi Mi A1 is capable of recording 4K videos at 30fps.
The Moto G6 Plus has been tipped to come with 12MP+5MP dual rear camera setup coupled with dual tone LED flash. On the front, it is expected to sport a 16MP selfie shooter with f/2.0 aperture.
The Nokia 7 comes with a 16MP rear camera with f/1.8 aperture, 80-degree wide-angle lens, dual-tone LED flash and 4K video recording capability at 30fps. There is a 5MP selfie shooter on the front with f/2.0 aperture and an 84-degree wide-angle lens.
In this segment, the Xiaomi Mi A1 takes the crown with its dual rear camera setup that is missing on the Nokia 7. The dual rear camera setup enables features such as bokeh effect for blurred background. If you are not a fan of such additional camera effects then Nokia 7 could also be a good pick based on its 16MP rear camera that should be good enough to capture decent pictures and videos.
Mi A1 vs Moto G6 Plus vs Nokia 7: Price in India
As we mentioned above, the Moto G6 Plus and Nokia 7 have not been launched yet, with the latter limited to China for now. However, the expected pricing for the Nokia 7 in India is Rs. Rs. 17,990 while the Moto G6 Plus could carry a price tag of Rs. 16,999. The Xiaomi Mi A1 is currently retailing at Rs.13,999.
Mi A1 vs Moto G6 Plus vs Nokia 7: Verdict
To conclude the comparison, we think the Xiaomi Mi A1 should be the winner of this comparison as it has great specs for the pricing. Of course, the Nokia 7 gives it a tough competition but the device is currently limited to China and HMD Global has not given any confirmation or hint regarding its launch in other regions. Similarly, the Moto G6 Plus falls under the unavailable category as Lenovo has not launched it yet. Xiaomi’s Mi A1 is the only smartphone among the three that can be purchased in India right now. For more information on the Mi A1, you can check out our in-depth review.
