The mid-range smartphone market is flooded with Chinese manufacturers who are always trying to cash in on the affordable smartphone craze that has taken over countries such as India. Manufacturers like Xiaomi have proven that in order to sell volumes, a smartphone needs to provide a good value-for-money proposition.
Following Xiaomi's footsteps, another Chinese smartphone manufacturer called Blackview has started going mainstream. With its latest cost-effective offering BlackviewA7 Pro, it has set to challenge Xiaomi Redmi 4X. But does the upgraded version of Blackview A7 have what it takes to challenge Redmi 4X?
For starters, let's begin with the most visible differences, the appearances:
Blackview A7 Pro vs Xiaomi Redmi 4X: Design and Display
In terms of design, Blackview A7 Pro has a longer body than Redmi 4X. It is 71 mm in breadth and 143 mm in length. The A7 Pro is also comparatively thicker at 9.5 mm width. Despite its plastic build, the A7 Pro is slightly heavier, weighing 176 grams.
Redmi 4X, on the other hand, has a slightly smaller footprint, measuring 139.2mm x 70mm. Redmi 4X's sleek metal outer shell is also slimmer at 8.7 mm. Xiaomi has managed to keep the Redmi 4X's weight at 150 grams despite the choice of material.
When it comes to the display, both the A7 Pro and Redmi 4X share the same screen sizes. The A7 Pro has a 5-inch 720p IPS display, similar to Redmi 4X. And just like Redmi 4X, the A7 Pro has a 2.5D curved glass display. Blackview also claims that the A7 Pro's screen is much harder and has better "crushing resistance" than ordinary LCD screens.
While Redmi 4X comes in three colour options- Matte Black, Champagne Gold and Cherry Pink, A7 Pro comes in four different paintjobs- Champange Gold, Chocolate Black, Cream White and Jelly Blue.
Blackview A7 Pro vs Xiaomi Redmi 4X: Processor, RAM and Storage
Most manufacturers rely on MediaTek's processors for their lower mid-range smartphones to cut down on the cost of production. Blackview A7 Pro is powered by a MediaTek 64-bit MT6737 quad-core processor clocked at 1.3GHz, which is the same processor that powers most lower mid-range smartphones. The graphics are taken care of by an ARM Mali T720 GPU. Blackview offers the A7 Pro in a single 2GB RAM version with 16GB internal memory.
Coming to Redmi 4X, Xiaomi has been generous in equipping its lower-tier smartphones with the more expensive Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets. Under its hood, Redmi 4X has a Snapdragon 435 octa-core processor clocked at 1.4Ghz, with Adreno 505 GPU.
In terms of storage too, Redmi 4X comes in three configurations- 2GB RAM/ 16GB ROM, 3GB RAM/32GB ROM and a 4GB RAM variant with 64GB storage.
Blackview A7 Pro vs Xiaomi Redmi 4X: Camera
Blackview A7 Pro is one of the cheapest smartphones with a dual-camera setup on the back. The A7 Pro has dual 5MP+8MP cameras at the rear, the primary camera has f/2.0 aperture. There is a dual-tone LED Flash as well. Blackview claims it has used Sony sensors, but we are not sure which one. For clicking selfies, there is a 5MP shooter with beauty mode.
Unlike the A7 Pro, Redmi 4X comes with a single 13MP primary camera on the back, which is the same one used in the Redmi Note 4. The camera comes with f/2.0 aperture and Phase Detection Auto Focus (PDAF). The front selfie camera on the Redmi 4X is a 5MP unit with 1080p video recording capabilities.
Blackview A7 Pro vs Xiaomi Redmi 4X: Battery Comparison
The A7Pro packs a 2,800mAh Li-Po battery with Blackview's Bak technology. While Redmi 4X packs a much larger 4,100mAh Li-Po battery that could easily last a normal day of usage, the battery in Redmi 4X is non-removable.
Blackview A7 Pro vs Xiaomi Redmi 4X: Additional features
Both A7 Pro and Redmi 4X come with a fingerprint sensor on the back. The position and placement of the fingerprint sensor are also similar.
Blackview A7 Pro runs Android 7.0 Nougat out-of-the-box with Blackview custom skin on top. Redmi 4X runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow out-of-the-box with Xiaomi's MIUI 8 cutomisation.
Blackview A7 Pro vs Xiaomi Redmi 4X: Price and availability
Blackview A7 Pro is currently available for $69. 99 (RS.4,500 approx) on AliExpress.com, which is much cheaper than the $108.99 price tag (Rs.7,000 approx) that Redmi 4X's 2GB RAM variant carries.
(Note: The Redmi 4X retails in India as Redmi 4 with prices starting at Rs.6,999 and going all the way up to Rs. 10,999 for the 4GB RAM/64GB ROM variant.)
