Update: Mi3 in India will ship with Gorilla Glass 3 as confirmed by Xiaomi
Update 18-7-2014: Xiaomi Mi3 doesn’t come with Gorilla Glass 3 as initial reports suggested. We are still waiting for official confirmation. We have received our review unit and it doesn’t mention Gorilla Glass 3.
Update: 16-7-14 Xiaomi Mi3 comes with latest Android 4.4 Kitkat out of the box in India, which eliminates one of its main disadvantages against Moto G.
Moto G (Full Review) has dominated 10,000 INR to 15,000 INR price range for some time now and finally a worthy challenger has arrived. Moto G may not offer the best spec sheet but owes its success to the decent experience and brand value that it offers.
Xiaomi has unleashed its flagship phone Mi3 (Quick Review) with Snapdragon 800 Quad core chipset for 14,999 INR which features top end specifications, will it be enough to take on Motorola’s most successful phone Moto G? Xiaomi Mi3 might pose a better spec sheet as compared to Moto G, but Moto G has a couple of points working in its favour as well.
Display and Processor
Moto G comes with a 720p HD resolution on beautiful 4.5 inch IPS LCD Display but Xiaomi Mi3 comes with a better full HD resolution with more than twice as many pixels on a slightly larger 5 inch display. Since the display is powered by Snapdragon 800 it can handle all the added pixels efficiently. Both displays are protected by Gorilla Glass 3. Though both displays are very good, Xiaomi has an edge specially in markets like India where people prefer large sized displays.
Processor used in Moto G is Snapdragon 400 Quad core clocked at 1.2 GHz with 1 GB of RAM. The chipset has to fuel almost Stock Android which works in its favour, but still, it’s no match to Snapdragon 800 beast housed inside Mi3 with 2 GB RAM and Adreno 330 GPU.
Camera and Internal Storage
Xiaomi Mi3 wins this one hands down. Xiaomi brings a 13 MP primary camera unit with Sony Exmor Bsi senor, f/2.2 aperture, auto focus, dual LED flash, image stabilization, HDR and FHD 1080p video recording.Moto E features a 5 MP rear camera with LED flash capable of recording 720p HD videos and an average 1.3 MP front shooter. Front camera of Xiaomi Mi3 also has wide f/2.2 aperture and can record full HD videos.
Moto G is available in 8 GB and 16 GB variant but Xiaomi Mi3 will retail only with 16 GB internal storage variant in India, which is not a bad thing. Storage is not expandable on either of these two which will be disappointing for many.
Battery and Other Features
Moto G provides ample battery backup with its 2050 mAh battery, which is also one of the highlighted features. Xiaomi Mi3 with 3050 mAh battery, customized UI and more power hungry display will manage to last for nearly the same time, thus both phones will be equally good in this segment.
Both phones sport good build quality with non removable battery and Motorola Moto G has added advantage of Dual SIM functionality, which is a prerequisite for many users in Asian markets.
Operating System : Latest Stock Android VS MIUI
Update: Xiaomi Mi3 Comes with Android 4.4 KitKat in India out of the box, and this offsets Moto G advantage
The main advantage of Moto G over Xiaomi Mi3 is that it runs on latest Android 4.4 KitKat and has good chances of getting power efficient Android L in near future. Heavy app users even today stumble upon apps which require 4.3 Jelly bean and above and this is only going to accelerate in coming years. Most wearable devices and smartwatches based on Androd Wear will also require Android 4.3 Jelly bean or above.
Recommended: Xiaomi’s MIUI express app gives you a taste of MIUI on your non-Xiaomi device!
Xiaomi Mi3 on the other hand has a feature rich Xiaomi MIUI interface which is based on Android 4.2.1 jelly bean. The MIUI UI gets frequently updated with new features, but chances of OS upgrade are bleak. This doesn’t make much difference in China where majority of users don’t rely on Google Play services (Xiaomi Phones don’t ship with Google Playstore in China) but in Global markets this will make a difference for those who like to experiment with apps and are planning to buy Android Wear devices
Key Specs
| Model | Xiaomi Mi3 | Moto G |
| Display | 5 inch FHD | 4.5 inch HD |
| Processor | 2.3 GHz Quad Core Snapdragon 800 with Krait 400 Cores | 1.2 GHz Quad Core Snapdragon 400 with Cortex A7 Cores |
| RAM | 2 GB | 1 GB |
| Internal Storage | 16 GB, Non-Expandable | 8 GB/16 GB, Non-Expandable |
| OS | Android 4.4 Kitkat Based MIUI ROM | Android 4.4.2 KitKat |
| Camera | 13 MP/ 2 MP | 5 MP/ 1.3 MP |
| Battery | 3,050 mAh | 2,050 mAh |
| Price | Rs 13,999 | Rs 12,499/ 13,999 |
Conclusion
Certainly Xiaomi Mi3 seems like a better option over Mi3 for most people, but Xiaomi is relatively new in India as of now. Motorola enjoys more brand value and better after sales support in India. Xiaomi is working on its nascent after sales support network with Xiaomi trained individuals in each service center, but it will still take a few month for it to be well established.
Xiaomi Mi3 nevertheless, offers a better camera, a better Snapdragon 800 chipset and better display, which alone should suffice for most users. In our personal opinion, Xiaomi Mi3 is a more attractive proposition today.
