The smartphone market in India has grown immensely and manufacturers are prioritising the second most populous country in the world for their main products. While the flagship smartphone category in India has gained a secure ground, budget smartphones remain a popular choice among consumers. Especially, smartphones with premium features and affordable price tags garner quite a lot of attention.
Google launched its latest flagship smartphones, Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X, earlier this week and they are set to debut in India soon. Simultaneously, renowned Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi launched the all-new Mi 4c smartphone last week to gain momentum among the high-priced rivals.
In this article, we are comparing the Xiaomi's Mi 4c smartphone with Google's Nexus 5X to see which smartphone offers better value for money.
Display and design
While Xiaomi Mi 4c and Nexus 5X feature polycarbonate chassis, the Xiaomi handset is more compact, slimmer and lighter. As per the official measurements, the Nexus 5X is 147 x 72.6 x 7.9 mm and weighs 136 grams while the Mi 4c measures 138.1 x 69.6 x 7.8 mm and weighs 132 grams.
The Nexus 5X features a 5.2-inch Full HD display with a pixel density of 424ppi while the Mi 4c is slightly smaller measuring five inches with similar Full HD resolution. The pixel density on the Xiaomi handset is higher than that of Nexus 5X at 441ppi, which is due to the compact screen size.
Camera
Based on the camera pixels, both smartphones seem to feature identical sensors but there are a lot of factors that go into play for better results such as aperture, ISO and more. The Xiaomi Mi 4c features a 13-megapixel rear-facing Sony IMX258 camera with Samsung ISOCELL sensor, Phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and dual LED flash. The Nexus 5X, on the other hand, sports a 12.3-megapixel camera and IR assisted laser-autofocus, f/2.0 aperture, 1.55µm sensor.
On the front side of both devices, there is a five-megapixel snapper to take care of your selfies.
Processor, RAM and storage
Under the hood, LG Nexus 5X is powered by a 64-bit class-based Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor clocking speeds at 2GHz, and backed by 2GB RAM and 16GB/32GB onboard storage. Xiaomi Mi 4c is powered by a 64-bit 1.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 Hexa-core CPU, 2GB RAM and 16GB storage. The Mi 4c will also be available in 3GB RAM and 32GB storage option, for a higher price of course.
Adreno 418 GPU takes care of the graphics on both smartphones.
Battery
Both companies have equipped the latest fast charge technology in their phones. The Xiaomi Mi 4c comes with a 3,080mAh battery with Quick Charge 2.0 tech while the Nexus 5X gets a smaller 2,700mAh unit that can charge up for 3.8 hours use in just 10 minutes.
Add-ons
Starting with the Chinese handset maker, Mi 4c sports dual SIM slots, both micro, with the latest Type C USB port, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and IR blaster. On the other hand, Nexus 5X gets an upper hand with its fingerprint recognition sensor placed at the back of the handset, Type C USB port, NFC, Android Pay, dual band Wi-Fi, single speaker on the front and three microphones.
Nexus 5X comes in three colour options, carbon, quartz and ice whereas the Mi 4c offers five different hues including, black, blue, white, pink and yellow.
Software
Google clearly has an advantage on this front as it develops the Android software. Nexus 5X is one of the first devices to feature Android 6.0 Marshmallow update whereas the Xiaomi Mi 4c runs Android 5.1 Lollipop based MIUI 7.
Price and availability
The exact availability of both handsets is unknown at the moment but we expect to see the handsets arrive soon. The Nexus 5X 32GB will be priced at Rs 39,999 and the 16GB variant's price is yet to be revealed. Xiaomi Mi 4c is a much affordable option for those who are under a budget. As per the conversion of the Chinese price tag, the Mi 4c will be launched starting at around Rs 13,999 for the 16GB variant and around Rs 15,999 for the 32GB model.
Verdict
It is difficult to draw conclusions based on specs on paper but Google has a better name for delivering quality products. So even if you are spending almost twice as much as the Mi 4c, Nexus 5X will serve you greatly.
However, if you are tight on your budget, Mi 4c isn't likely to disappoint you. Once again, we would like to base our final verdict only after getting hands-on experience on both the devices. Stay tuned.
