Lenovo launched a new smartphone, Lemon 3, in China on Wednesday to take out its rivals in the affordable smartphone segment. Lenovo's new handset comes shortly after Xiaomi launched its affordable Redmi 3 smartphone on Monday. This shows the intensity of the competition in the budget smartphone space by manufacturers aiming for dominance.
Lenovo and Xiaomi are renowned brands in China, and their latest releases have resulted in a lot of confusion among shoppers. Here is a side-by-side comparison of the Redmi 3 and the Lemon 3 to help consumers take the final call.
Before we get started, its worth nothing that Redmi 3 and Lemon 3 are available only in China. The date of their international launch, including in India, is unknown at the moment. Both phones have identical specifications and prices.
Display and design
Xiaomi Redmi 3 features an all-metal unibody and has a 5-inch HD (1280 x 720p) resolution display with 294ppi. It measures 8.5mm thick and weighs 144 grams.
Lenovo Lemon 3 also boasts an all-metal body with the same 5-inch display. But Lenovo beats Xiaomi in terms of screen resolution, packing 1920 x 1080 pixels with 441ppi. Lenovo's handset is 7.99mm thick and weighs 142 grams.
It is quite clear that Lenovo has the advantage here with its higher screen resolution, which translates to better visuals.
Camera
Xiaomi Redmi 3 sports a 13-megapixel primary camera with LED flash five-physical lens setup, f/2.0 aperture, PDAF (Phase Detection Auto Focus), and it has a 0.1-second focusing speed. Lenovo Lemon 3 also has a similar lens — a 13MP rear-facing shooter with LED flash — but the specifics of the camera were not revealed.
Both phones have 5-megapixel front-snappers for selfies. Xiaomi's budget smartphone has a f/2.2 aperture, face-recognition feature, and 36 intelligent self-portrait selfie styles.
Xiaomi has specified the details of the Redmi 3 camera, which says a lot about the quality it can deliver. Until we get the details of Lenovo Lemon 3's camera, we cannot declare a winner in this category.
Performance
Xiaomi Redmi 3 and Lenovo Lemon 3 are powered by the same octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 processor paired with 2GB RAM and Adreno 405 GPU. Both phones have 16GB onboard storage with microSD card support.
Both phones are aimed at delivering optimum performance.
Software and add-ons
Lenovo Lemon 3 and Xiaomi Redmi 3 run Android Lollipop OS, but Xiaomi uses its MIUI 7 on top of the base OS. They also support dual SIM cards, 4G LTE and other standard connectivity options.
Battery
Xiaomi Redmi 3's biggest USP is the battery, which is 4,100mAh, while Lenovo Lemon 3 packs a 2,750mAh unit. Xiaomi clearly outperforms Lenovo Lemon 3 in this department.
Price
Lenovo Lemon 3 is available online for ¥699 (around $107/€98/Rs 7,143), which is same as Xiaomi Redmi 3.
Verdict
Both smartphones offer great price-to-performance ratio. Xiaomi Redmi 3 has a bigger battery while Lenovo Lemon 3 packs better sound and display. If you are looking for a long-lasting phone, Redmi 3 is the preferable option. And if you spend more time on multimedia, Lemon 3 will serves you better.
Both phones are priced the same and have the same processor, camera and add-ons.
