Realme2 v/s Redmi Note 5 Pro: Which one to buy?
For quite some time now, Redmi Note 5 Pro has been dominating the budget price segment in India. However, Realme has now launched its latest budget smartphone, the Realme 2. The successor to Realme 1 comes with a modern design and is aggressively priced to offer tough competition to Xiaomi's offering. Here's our specs-wise comparison of the two phones.
First things first, pricing of both the phones
The Redmi Note 5 Pro costs Rs. 14,999 for the 4GB RAM/64GB storage variant, while the 6GB RAM/128GB option costs Rs. 16,999. On the other hand, the Realme 2 starts at Rs. 8,990 for the 3GB RAM/32GB internal storage option and goes up to Rs. 10,990 for the 4GB RAM/64GB storage variant.
At a glance
The Redmi Note 5 Pro sports a unibody metal design with vertically-stacked rear cameras and fingerprint sensor. Up front, the phone has an edge-to-edge display with prominent top and bottom bezels. The Realme 2, on the other hand, gets a notched-based display with a diamond-textured back panel that encases a dual camera setup and a fingerprint sensor. Winner: Realme 2 for its premium design.
All about the screen
The budget-range Realme 2 features a 6.2-inch HD+ (720x1520 pixels) in-cell panel notched-display with an aspect ratio of 19:9 aspect ratio, 88.8% screen-to-body ratio, and 360nits of maximum brightness. Redmi Note 5 Pro sports a 5.99-inch full-HD+ (1080x2160 pixels) display with an 18:9 aspect ratio, and 2.5D curved Gorilla Glass 5 protection. Well, clearly Redmi Note 5 Pro has a better display.
For the shutterbugs
The Redmi Note 5 Pro sports a dual rear-camera setup comprising a 12MP, f/2.2 primary sensor and 5MP secondary sensor with an f/2.0 aperture. Realme 2 gets a horizontally-stacked dual rear camera setup with a 13-megapixel (f/2.2) primary sensor and a 2-megapixel (f/2.4) secondary sensor. In terms of optics, the Xiaomi phone has slightly better specs.
For the love of Selfies
Redmi Note 5 Pro offers a 20-megapixel camera sensor with a soft-light LED flash module and AI-powered features such as Scene Recognition, Portrait Mode, Background Bokeh, and Smart Beauty 4.0. On the other hand, the Realme 2, gets an 8-megapixel (f/2.2) sensor with fixed focus, and an 85-degree wide-angle lens. The Redmi Note 5 Pro easily beats Realme 2 in terms of selfie quality.
All the important stuff
The Redmi Note 5 Pro gets Snapdragon 636 processor coupled with 4GB/6GB RAM options and 64GB internal storage which is expandable via microSD card. The Realme 2 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 chipset, 3GB/4GB RAM, and 32GB/64GB of internal storage that is expandable up to 256GB. Evidently, Redmi Note 5 Pro has a far superior processor.
Lifeblood of your smartphone
In terms of onboard sensors, both the Realme 2 and Redmi Note 5 Pro include an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, fingerprint sensor, and proximity sensor. However, in terms of software, both the phones offer different UI. The Xiaomi phone runs Android Oreo-based MIUI 9 while the Realme 2 runs ColorOS 5.1 which is based on Android Oreo. You be the judge here.
Staying connected
Redmi Note 5 Pro supports 4G VoLTE, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11a/c, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS, Micro-USB and has a 3.5mm headphone jack. Realme 2 gets dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS/A-GPS, GLONASS, Micro-USB and a 3.5mm headphone jack. In terms of battery, the Realme 2 packs a 4,230mAh battery while its competitor has a 4,000mAh battery. Winner: Realme 2
How things stack up!
While the Redmi Note 5 Pro comes with a better display, processor, and cameras, the Realme 2 offers a premium design with a mid-level processor, a bigger battery, and decent cameras. However, there is a difference of about Rs. 4,000 between the 4GB RAM/64GB variants of both the phones. Hence, in the sub-Rs. 10,000 category, the Realme 2 is a better buy.
