Redmi Note 5 vs Honor 9 Lite: Noteworthy features, light on price; Who's the winner?
It has been a few weeks since Xiaomi’s update midrange offering for India broke cover — the Redmi Note 5 and Note 5 Pro. The Note 5 Pro has been seeking massive attention from consumers, primarily due to a new (and powerful) chipset as well as improved cameras. However, the ‘standard’ Redmi Note 5 is also a great deal for the price it sells — Rs 11,999 for the 4GB/64GB variant. Even though it offers a reused chipset from last year’s Note 4 and has single cameras, the Note 5 has enough features on its specification sheet to keep buyers happy — a new 18:9 display, big battery and a superb build.
However, the Redmi Note 5 has got some fierce competition from Honor’s 9 Lite — a budget smartphone with equally capable internals and a first-in-class glass body. At Rs 10,999 for the base 3GB/32GB variant, it offers tremendous value for its price, considering a quad-camera setup, an 18:9 display and the latest version of Android OS.
Therefore, if you are in the market for a new budget smartphone and are confused between these two popular options, here is a guide on which one can be a better bet for you.
Design, Build:
The Redmi Note 5 carries forward the classic metal-plastic build from its predecessors. However, since it’s made by Xiaomi, you are assured of one of the best build quality on a smartphone in this price category. We had the black variant for review and it was a tough call to put on the silicon case — it is gorgeously well-built.
The front has a big 18:9 display sporting narrow bezels, which makes it look in-line with the smartphone aesthetic trends of 2018. Xiaomi’s attention to tiny details such as the curved corners of the display and classy design of the rear camera module makes it a highly desirable smartphone.
On the other hand, the Honor 9 Lite is loud — it desperately fights for attention with its ultra-reflective glass body. If you have always craved for a glass bodied smartphone without spending a fortune, the Honor 9 Lite is just what the doctor ordered.
The 18:9 display is slightly smaller than that of the Redmi Note 5, which reduces the bezels further and makes it easier to hold. However, it seems that Honor chose to forego attention on the build in favour of looks — the glass body gets easily scratched (our unit picked up scratches from the stitching of trouser pockets). Additionally, the smartphone is held together by a plastic frame, which not only takes away from the premium feel but also makes it susceptible to damage more easily than the Redmi Note 5.
We prefer the Redmi Note 5 over the Honor 9 Lite for its superior metal build and appreciable attention to detail.
Winner: Redmi Note 5
Display:
The Redmi Note 5 flaunts a 5.99-inch IPS LCD display, which is protected by an unspecified version of Corning Gorilla Glass. The display renders images with ample dynamic range and decent contrasts. With high brightness levels, sunlight legibility is excellent and there’s nothing to complain about the viewing angles. We felt that the curved corners make the viewing experience good.
However, Honor clearly knows a thing or two in tuning their display panels and we are happy to report that it’s evident in the 9 Lite as well. Despite a smaller 5.7-inch IPS LCD display with 18:9 aspect ratio, the screen can manage some impressive dynamic range and contrasts. With nicely-rendered colours, binge-watching on the Honor 9 Lite is a pure joy. The 9 Lite certainly has a display potent enough to match its loud exterior.
Winner: Honor 9 Lite
Specifications, Performance:
As stated in our review, the Redmi Note 5 is essentially a mild update to the Redmi Note 4. Therefore, you get the familiar Snapdragon 625 SoC coupled with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Coupled with a heavily customised MIUI 9 on top of Android 7.1 Nougat, you get a smartphone that’s ready to chew through casual tasks thrown at it. It’s not at its best with resource-intensive games, which is a known fact considering it relies on an old chipset.
It’s sad to see Xiaomi still relying on Android Nougat for its 2018 offering, considering its rivals are coming with Oreo out-of-the-box, Despite that, MIUI 9 is a customisation freak’s delight with a plethora of themes and other customisable elements. It carries proportionate aesthetics, which makes MIUI one of the best-looking custom Android ROMs you can lay your hands upon. Overall, the Note 5 is a happy performer and shouldn’t disappoint you.
However, the Honor 9 Lite edges past the Redmi Note 5 in the performance department. The 9 Lite rocks a custom-built Kirin 659 chipset focussed on sipping power efficiently instead of generously. Accompanied with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, the 9 Lite feels eager to respond user inputs at any given moment.
EMUI 8 isn’t an aesthetically pleasing custom interface, but the fact that it is built on top of Android 8.0 Oreo makes it a highly efficient OS. It can handle most resource-intensive games with ease, which makes it a suggested choice for mobile gamers on a tight budget.
Winner: Honor 9 Lite
Camera:
Even before we start, we should point out that the Redmi Note 5 has a serious disadvantage compared to the 9 Lite — a 12MP single camera setup on the rear and 5MP setup on the front compared to the 13MP + 2MP quad-camera setup (dual cameras on each front) on the 9 Lite. The 9 Lite can pull of the much-hyped portrait mode for the both the front and rear cameras, although it’s not very efficient at that. The bokeh effect feels artificial for shots taken through the rear camera whereas the selfie camera tends to put a pink-tone on the skin. Casual shots are decent in daylight scenarios and low-light shots suffer from loss of details, although colours are retained better retained than the Note 5 and noise has been kept under control. To check out the camera samples of the Honor 9 Lite, refer to full review here.
The Redmi Note 5 cannot pull off the fancy bokeh tricks but can snap good-looking photos in daylight conditions. It can maintain decent dynamic range and appreciable contrasts. You will also find ample details, which is good for the Instagram savvy crowd. With the drop in ambient light, the pictures lose out in details and colour accuracy goes for a toss. However, there’s no noticeable noise, which is a huge plus point.To check out the camera samples of the Redmi Note 5, refer to full review here.
The Honor 9 Lite walks with cake here with its ability to maintain consistency in various light conditions. The Note 5 though has an edge in daylight photos with eye-pleasing colours and contrasts.
Winner: Honor 9 Lite
Battery:
If the 9 Lite had a natural advantage in the camera department, the Redmi Note 5 possesses a similar edge in the battery department. Nothing can beat its massive 4000mAh battery in keeping the smartphone alive consistently for close to one and half day with casual usage patterns. Apart from the battery capacity, Xiaomi’s MIUI is highly efficient at reducing battery consumption, thereby making this the natural choice for anyone looking for a high-mileage smartphone. The 9 Lite can only do as much as a full day with cautious usage with its smaller 3000mAh battery. It also takes a lot of time to charge, which isn’t user-friendly for those constantly on the move.
Winner: Redmi Note 5
Overall Winner: Honor 9 Lite
The Honor 9 Lite looks after all those things that make the end user experience great — a good display, eager performance and decent cameras. It loses out to the Redmi Note 5 in terms of build and battery, which has been a strong point for all Xiaomi smartphones since they started doing business on our shores. The Redmi Note 5 will appeal to those looking for a no-nonsense reliable smartphone. However, those looking for enhanced value in particular areas such as display and overall performance could prefer the Honor 9 Lite.
Do you disagree with the verdict? Let us know why in the comments below.
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