Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro vs Moto G6 vs Honor 9i (2018): 3 Best Mid Range Phones Compared

Today we compare the new Honor 9i (2018) with the recently launched Moto G6 and the highly popular Mi Note 5 Pro. Read ahead to find out which is the best.

Awad Ballaith

Published On: June 15, 2018

Honor recently released a 2018 version of the Honor 9i in China. Since it was the Huawei Mate 10 Lite which was rebranded as the Honor 9i for the Indian market, there is a chance the Huawei sub-brand might pull another name change if it brings the smartphone to India. This might be necessary as the Honor 9i (2018) is not a successor to the Indian Honor 9i. With the confusing naming convention aside, the Honor 9i is a promising budget-centric handset which aims to bring revolutionary upgrades in its segment of the market. With a dedicated NPU for AI and integrated Turbo Boost technology, this phone has the potential to outperform its competition; at least on paper.

The Moto G6 also launched in India earlier this month and offers a compelling value for what its worth. The Redmi Note 5 Pro might be a bit older, but is still a decent smartphone that is priced similarly and also offers a good value. Let’s take a look at how the two new devices compare against each other in terms of their value-for-money proposition.

Table of Contents

Redmi Note 5 Pro (Mi Note 5 Pro) vs Moto G6 vs Honor 9i (2018): Price in India

The Honor 9i (2018) launched in China with a starting price of 1,399 yuan (Rs.14,700 approx.) for its 4GB RAM + 64GB storage model. Its 4GB RAM + 128GB variant is priced at 1,699 yuan (Rs.17,800 approx.).

Xiaomi offers the Redmi Note 5 Pro’s 4GB RAM + 64GB storage configuration for Rs.14,999 while the 6GB RAM +64GB memory model will fetch for Rs 16,999.

The Moto G6 went on sale in India with its starting price at Rs.13,999 for the 3GB RAM + 32GB storage variant. You would need to pay Rs.15,999 if you wanted to opt for the 4GB RAM + 64GB storage variant.

Redmi Note 5 Pro vs Moto G6 vs Honor 9i (2018): Design, Display

The Honor 9i (2018) is the only phone in this comparison to offer a notched display with a 19:9 aspect ratio. This LCD screen measures 5.84-inches diagonally and offers a Full HD+ resolution with a 79.5% screen-to-body ratio. The Moto G6 has been equipped with a 5.7-inch LCD panel that has a Full HD+ resolution, 18:9 aspect ratio and a 75.4% screen-to-body ratio. The Redmi Note 5 has a 5.99-inch Full HD+ IPS display with a 77.4%screen-to-body ratio.

Redmi Note 5 Pro vs Moto G6 vs Honor 9i (2018): Hardware, Performance
The Honor 9i (2018) is powered by a HiSilicon Kirin 659 octa-core SoC with four cores clocked at 1.7GHz and the other four at 2.36GHz. The Moto G6 comes with a Snapdragon 450 CPU while the Redmi Note 5 Pro has a Snapdragon 636 chipset on board. Both these CPU’s clock up to 1.8 GHz, where the 636 ends up performing marginally better due to its slightly faster ‘calculations per MHz’.

Redmi Note 5 Pro vs Moto G6 vs Honor 9i (2018): Software, Battery

In terms of battery life, the Honor 9i (2018) comes with a 3000mAh cell that charges over microUSB 2.0 without support for fast charging. The Note 5 Pro also charges over microUSB 2.0 but has a massive 4000mAh battery that supports Quick Charge 2.0. The Moto G6 supports 15W fast charging on its 3000mAh battery over USB Type-C.

For software, the Moto G6 and Honor 9i (2018) come with Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box. The Redmi Note 5 Pro will arrive with Android 7.1.2 Nougat installed by default, but can now be upgraded to the latest version of Android as well. The Moto G6 should be the fastest among the three to receive future Android updates, while the Note 5 Pro is likely to be the slowest.

Redmi Note 5 Pro vs Moto G6 vs Honor 9i (2018): Camera Features

The Redmi Note 5 Pro still has the superior camera setup with a 12MP+5MP configuration at the rear and a 20MP sensor at the front. The rear camera on the Honor 9i (2018) consists of a 13MP +2MP sensor setup while the Moto G 6 has a better 12MP + 5MP package. However, the selfie camera on the former is a 16MP shooter, while the one on the latter is an 8MP shooter.

Redmi Note 5 Pro vs Moto G6 vs Honor 9i (2018): Final Verdict

Picking a definitive winner out of these three was a difficult ordeal since each has its own merits and drawbacks. The Redmi Note 5 Pro offers decent performance, great battery and a superior camera configuration, but it lacks support for future longevity because of its slower software update roll-out. The Moto G6 provides comparable performance with acceptable battery life and clean software but does so at a marginally higher price for its similarly sized storage variant. When it comes to raw performance, the Honor 9i (2018) takes the cake. It also comes with the largest screen size.

Grab the Note 5 Pro if you want the best camera in the budget smartphone segment. If its price drops a bit, the Moto G6 is also a decent proposition. For better raw performance and future software support, however, waiting for the Honor 9i (2018) to launch in India might be a wise decision.