#SmartphonesFaceoff: OPPO Realme 1 vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 5
With the launch of its Realme 1 smartphone, OPPO has upped the ante to displace the reigning budget king, Xiaomi's Redmi Note 5. In India's already-crowded budget price segment, both Realme 1 and Redmi Note 5 offer value-for-money specs and features. But can Realme 1 dethrone the incumbent king? Let's find out.
Comparing the under-Rs. 10,000 variants of both the smartphones
With an aim to help you find the best smartphone under Rs. 10,000, we compare the Realme 1 with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage variant, which costs Rs. 8,990 with the Redmi Note 5 which costs Rs. 9,999 for 3GB RAM and 32GB storage option.
At a glance
In terms of design, Realme 1 offers a glossy back with a polygonal design, giving a diamond-like reflective effect on the cover. Surely, the phone looks premium. However, that can't be said for Redmi Note 5 which bears a part-metallic and part-plastic back-panel and has a dated design compared to Realme 1. So, as far as looks are concerned, Realme 1 is a clear winner.
All about the screen
Realme 1 features a 6-inch full-HD+ IPS display with 84.8% screen-to-body ratio and a density of 402 ppi. Redmi Note 5 sports a 5.99-inch full-HD+ display with a pixel density of about 403 ppi, 450 nits brightness and has 1000:1 contrast ratio. Both the phones offer good displays but Redmi Note 5 has a slight advantage as it offers better sunlight legibility.
For the shutterbugs
Realme 1 sports a 13MP f/2.2 rear camera along with LED flash. Its contender, Redmi Note 5 has a 12-megapixel f/2.2 rear sensor and an LED flash. While on paper both the phones have similar specs, in real-world usage, Realme 1 performs a little better both in daylight and low-light conditions. It has a faster focus and also offers sharp macro shots.
For the love of Selfies
On the front, Realme 1 comes equipped with an 8MP camera with an f/2.2 aperture and AI-based beautification effect. Redmi Note 5 offers a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture and selfie flash. Again, Realme 1's front camera performs better, clicking good selfies both in daylight and low light conditions. Further, along with its 'AI beauty' feature which offers suitable image enhancements, it wins here too.
All the important stuff
Realme 1 is powered by octa-core MediaTek Helio P60 (MT6771) 12nm processor (Quad-2GHz Cortex A73+Quad-2GHz Cortex A53 CPUs) with 800MHz ARM Mali-G72 MP3 GPU. Redmi Note 5 gets an octa-core Snapdragon 625 chipset with eight ARM Cortex A53 cores clocked at 2.02GHz per core. In day-to-day usage, Note 5 got heated after intensive gaming and 4G usage while Realme performed just fine.
Lifeblood of your smartphone
In terms of onboard sensors, both the phones include standard sensors like an accelerometer and proximity sensor, among others. Notably, Realme 1 doesn't come with a fingerprint sensor and relies on passcode/pattern and face unlock whereas Note 5 gets a rear-mounted fingerprint reader. Realme 1 runs Android Oreo-based ColorOS 5.0 while Note 5 runs Android Nougat-based MIUI 9. You be the judge here!
Staying connected
In terms of connectivity, both the smartphones support 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/c, Bluetooth 4.2, and GPS. However, Realme 1 has an upper-hand, given its dedicated dual-SIM and microSD card slots with dual VoLTE support. Moreover, while Realme 1 packs a 3,410mAh battery and Note 5 gets 4,000mAh battery but both the smartphones last roughly the same time, thanks to Realme 1's AI battery management.
How things stack up
Apart from a slightly better display, Redmi Note 5 fails to win the competition. According to this editor, Realme 1 is a definite choice as it has better camera optics, a faster and more efficient processor, modern looks and attractive pricing. OPPO has surely thrown down the gauntlet with its latest offering. Realme 1 is on its way to dethrone Redmi Note 5.
