Xiaomi might be prepping for its this year’s Android One offering which will be called Mi A3. With the A series, the company has been catering to those who prefer to use stock Android. A recent leak reveals that Mi A3 is based on the upcoming Mi CC9 smartphone in China.
On the other hand, Xiaomi‘s arch-rival in India, Realme is also planning to introduce its Realme X smartphone in India very soon. There is no doubt these both phones Mi A3 and Realme X are going to be mid-range killers with some similar features.
Let’s find out which of these phones will offer more value for money and which one you should wait for.
Mi A3 Vs Realme X
Design: Glass vs Polycarbonate
As seen in the Mi CC9 renders, the Mi A3 is expected to sport a premium glass back design with a gradient finish. The back panel sports triple rear camera setup aligned vertically. Since there’s no fingerprint sensor at the back, it may include on under screen. Up front, it is expected to come with slim bezels on each side with a waterdrop notch on the top.
The Realme X comes with the polycarbonate back with a dual-tone finish with a mixture of colors. It has a dual-camera setup aligned centrally on the back. However, at the front, there is a pop-up selfie camera module centered at the top.
Display: Notch vs No Notch
The Mi A3 is expected to come with a 6.39-inch AMOLED display. It will be a waterdrop notch display with slim bezels and good screen to body ratio. It will also be protected by Gorilla Glass.
Whereas the Realme X has a 6.53-inch FHD+ AMOLED full-view display without any notch. The display comes with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio and 91.2 percent screen-to-body ratio. It also sports an in-display fingerprint scanner and Gorilla Glass 5 protection.
Processor: Snapdragon 730 in both?
The Mi CC9 is rumored to feature the Snapdragon 730 chipset. So, the Mi A3 is also expected to come with the same SD 730 processor. The same chipset is also used in the Redmi K20 which will be launched soon in India.
The China version of Realme X is powered by a Snapdragon 710 SoC. However, Realme CEO Madhav Sheth has mentioned that the India version will come with slightly different specs. So, we expect Realme X in India should also come with Snapdragon 730 chipset.
Cameras: Triple vs Dual
Xiaomi has teased the Mi CC9 with the triple rear camera setup. So the Mi A3 is also expected to feature the same as the Mi A series in India has always been about the great camera. It could have a 48-megapixel Sony IMX586 sensor alongside a wide-angle camera and a third telephoto camera. There could be a 32-megapixel camera at the front.
The Realme X has a dual camera set up at the back. The set up consists of a 48-megapixel primary sensor with an f/1.7 aperture lens and a 5-megapixel depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture. It sports a 16-megapixel pop-up selfie camera.
Software: Stock Android vs ColorOS
The Mi A3 will be the next phone in the Mi ‘A’ series which is made by Xiaomi for Android lovers. So, the next version in the series will surely come with the stock Android experience. Moreover, it will come with the Android One program which means fast OS updates.
Realme X, on the other hand, will come with the company’s custom ColorOS on top. It is a heavily customized OS with some unwanted bloatware. While some users prefer a clean Android experience, so they might not like the ColorOS. The phones will run Android 9 Pie.
Battery and Others
With the Mi A3, Xiaomi is rumored to pack a 3,940mAh battery which should offer a better battery life. It will also have support for a quick charge just like previous Mi A series of phones. Whereas the Realme X packs a 3,765mAh battery and it also has support for VOOC 3.0 fast charging.
If we talk about connectivity, both the phones are expected to sport similar features including the USB Type C port.
Price
With the Redmi K20 expected to start around Rs 18,000 in India, the Mi A3 is expected to sit between it and the Redmi Note 7 Pro which is priced at Rs. 14,000. So Xiaomi could launch the Mi A3 at a starting price of Rs 16,999 here. Whereas the Realme X is expected to be priced around Rs. 18,000 in India.
It will be interesting to see, how these two devices will affect the mid-range segment after the launch. We should get all the details regarding these two mid-range killers in the coming weeks.
