The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro is considered by many as the unbeatable value for money smartphone under Rs. 20,000. Now that the Mi A2 is announced, we have a competitor for the Note 5 Pro from Xiaomi itself. Let’s see how they stack up against each other.
ALSO READ: 5 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Be Buying The Xiaomi Mi A2!
Xiaomi Mi A2 Vs Redmi Note 5 Pro: Design And Build
Mi A2 and Redmi Note 5 Pro have a metallic build and share similar aesthetics altogether. While the Mi A2 sports a lighter unibody design, Note 5 Pro is a bit heavier and has plastic strips on the top and bottom of the rear panel. You can’t go wrong with any of them, but if the design is your topmost priority, Mi A2 will have a slight upper hand.
Xiaomi Mi A2 Vs Redmi Note 5 Pro: Display
Both Mi A2 and Redmi Note 5 Pro have a 5.99-inch Full HD+ (2160×1080) IPS LCD display with 18:9 aspect ratio. Here also, there wouldn’t be a noticeable or any difference at all in the display quality. That said, the Note 5 Pro has an unspecified version of Gorilla Glass, while Mi A2 has the latest Gorilla Glass 5. It won’t make much of a difference but worth mentioning nonetheless.
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Xiaomi Mi A2 Vs Redmi Note 5 Pro: Camera
Xiaomi Mi A2 has a 12 + 20 MP (both f/1.75) cameras at the rear while Redmi Note 5 Pro has a 12 + 5 MP (f/2.2 + f/2.0) combo. Primary sensors on both handsets are the exact same IMX486 sensors barring the aperture difference. The secondary sensor on the Mi A2 gathers depth information for portrait shots as well as helps in getting better low light shots using pixel binning technology, whereas that on the Redmi Note 5 Pro helps only in portrait shots. Both handsets have a 20MP f/2.2 unit up front along with a soft LED flash.
The Redmi Note 5 Pro performs remarkably well even in low light situations, but Mi A2 with the lower aperture and dedicated low-light sensor might produce even better shots in dimly lit scenarios. Selfies would be more or less similar in both handsets.
Another thing to note here is that the Mi A2 supports 4K recording out-of-the-box, unlike the Redmi Note 5 Pro which requires a third-party app to do the same.
Xiaomi Mi A2 Vs Redmi Note 5 Pro: Performance & UI
Even though Snapdragon 660 SoC in the Mi A2 and Snapdragon 636 SoC in the Redmi Note 5 Pro won’t make much of a difference in day-to-day tasks, Mi A2 will have an upper hand in heavy games and resource intensive tasks. Both the devices have 4GB and 6GB RAM variants, the choice would depend on how heavy of a multitasker you are.
The UI is another differentiating factor here. The Mi A2 comes with a stock version of Android Oreo under Android One program, which guarantees software updates for up to 2 years, whereas the Redmi Note 5 Pro has (or will be receiving) MIUI 9.5 based on Android Oreo.
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While MIUI offers a ton of additional features like theme support, dual apps, parallel space, app lock, native call recorder, etc, it comes with its fair share of bloatware. Stock Android, on the other hand, is free from bloat and unwanted apps at the same time lack a lot of functionality when compared to MIUI. Ultimately it boils down to personal preference.
Xiaomi Mi A2 Vs Redmi Note 5 Pro: Battery
Mi A2 sports a 3010mAh battery while Note 5 Pro has a 4000mAh unit. The higher clock speeds on Snapdragon 660 along with the lower capacity battery means Mi A2 will be significantly behind Redmi Note 5 Pro in terms of battery life.
Mi A2 does have the advantage of Quick Charge 4.0 (India exclusive) over Note 5 Pro’s Quick Charge 2.0, but still, Note 5 Pro will be a better pick if you tend to rely heavily on your smartphones to get things done.
Miscellaneous
Coming to the nitty-gritty, Mi A2 has a USB Type-C port (with USB 2.0 speeds nonetheless) but lacks the 3.5mm headphone jack, which is present in the Redmi Note 5 Pro along with the older Micro-USB port. Also, the RN5 Pro has a hybrid slot for memory expansion but Mi A2 lacks memory expansion options altogether, but it does have a 128GB storage variant.
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Xiaomi Mi A2 Vs Redmi Note 5 Pro: Pricing
With all the similarities and differences sorted out, finally, we come to the pricing; the Redmi Note 5 Pro starts at Rs. 14,999 in India for the 4GB/64GB variant and goes as high as Rs. 17,999 for the 6GB/64GB variant.
Image Credit: CNet
The Mi A2 pricing in India is still unknown, but in Europe, it starts at €249 (approx. Rs. 20,000) for the 4GB/32GB variant and goes all the way up to €349 (approx. Rs. 28,150) for the 6GB/128GB variant. European pricing is definitely on the higher side, but we can expect prices to be lower for markets like India.
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Final Verdict
If a sleeker light-weight design, raw performance, better low-light photos and a bloat-free stock UI is in your list of priorities, go with the Mi A2. If you are into better battery life, additional features offered by MIUI, headphone jack, and memory expansion, go with the Redmi Note 5 Pro.
Remember, there is no and will not be a perfect smartphone in general, it all boils down to preferences. Don’t forget to mention your choice along with suggestions in the comments below.
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Written by Naufal AJ (intern), edited and published by Atish Rajasekharan.
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