The smartphone industry here in the Philippines is saturated with big brands battling it out to get a large piece of the pie. A lot of them has deep pockets to reach out through tons of marketing shenanigans so they can be heard by the masses.
On the other hand, we have companies like Honor and Xiaomi. These two Chinese brands are subtly trying to lure in the market with their budget-friendly and value-oriented smartphones.
Just recently, Honor launched in the Philippines their newest offering for the entry-level market. We’ve already known the Honor 7A when it was released back in April. But now that it’s being sold in the country and we have the official price, we are even more impressed.
But then, that doesn’t mean that the Honor 7A can just breeze right through. As I said earlier, Xiaomi is also coming up with budget devices that are as appealing as Honor’s. For the 7A, Xiaomi has the Redmi 5 to go against it.
Like Honor’s offering, the Xiaomi Redmi 5 also brings a lot of appealing features for the price. As we all know, Xioami has built up a reputation for coming up with products with honest prices. So, we expect that they really know what they are doing.
Does the Honor 7A have what it takes to beat Xiaomi’s offering? Or will the Redmi 5 reign supreme? Go check out our Honor 7a versus Xiaomi Redmi 5 specifications and features comparison below to figure that out.
Honor 7A | Xiaomi Redmi 5 | |
---|---|---|
Operating System | Android 8.0 Oreo EMUI 8.0 | Android 7.1.2 Nougat MIUI 9 |
SIM | Dual SIM Dual Standby | Dual SIM Dual Standby |
Display | 5.7-inch HD+ IPS 1440 x 720 pixel resolution ~282ppi 18:9 aspect ratio | 5.7-inch HD+ IPS 1440 x 720 pixel resolution ~282ppi 18:9 aspect ratio |
Processor | 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 octa-core | 1.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 octa-core |
RAM | 2GB | 3GB |
GPU | Adreno 505 | Adreno 506 |
Storage | 16GB expandable via microSD up to 256GB | 32GB expandable via microSD up to 128GB |
Front camera | 8-megapixel LED flash | 5-megapixel |
Rear Camera | 13-megapixel + 2-megapixel PDAF f/2.2 LED flash | 12-megapixel PDAF f/2.2 LED flash |
Security | Fingerprint scanner Facial recognition | Fingerprint scanner |
Connectivity | HSPA+ 4G LTE Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n Bluetooth 4.2 GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS FM Radio microUSB 2.0 | HSPA+ 4G LTE Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n Bluetooth 4.2 GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS FM Radio microUSB 2.0 |
Dimensions | 152.4 × 73 × 7.8mm | 151.8 x 72.8 x 7.7mm |
Weight | 150g | 157g |
Colors | Aurora Blue Magic Night Black Platinum Gold | Black Gold Light Blue Rose Gold |
Battery | 3,000mAh non-removable | 3,300mAh non-removable |
Price | Php6,990 | Php7,790 |
The two devices that we have here are stepping in a very delicate platform. Due to the low asking price, both Honor and Xiaomi have limited resources to build a smartphone on. But thankfully, they were able to make do.
If we analyze the table above, it’s a bit hard to figure out the real winner here. So let’s break down the pros and cons of each device.
Let’s start with the Xiaomi Redmi 5. This one surely costs more than the Honor 7A, but the price difference is justifiable enough, especially when you consider what you’re getting.
For one, it has a higher clocked processor. It uses the same Snapdragon 450 octa-core chipset with the 7A, but with a faster speed of up to 1.8GHz. The Redmi 5 also has 1GB more memory, comes with Adreno 506 GPU, and has twice the storage capacity at 32GB.
In addition to that, there’s a 3,300mAh battery inside the Xiaomi Redmi 5. That’s marginally bigger than the 3,000mAh one found on the other camp.
Xiaomi’s offering is undeniably made for those who’re looking for a performance-centric budget smartphone. But the problem is, it lags behind the Honor 7A in some key areas.
The most obvious weak spot of the Redmi 5 is the operating system. This device is stuck with Android 7.1.2 Nougat, although it is expected to be updated to MIUI 10. The Honor 7A already comes with Android Oreo out of the box, so we’ll hand this round to it.
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It also comes with better cameras in the front and back. There’s an 8-megapixel selfie camera with flash on the front, while the Redmi 5 only has 5-megapixel. The 7A has 13-megapixel + 2-megapixel dual primary cameras, while the competition only has a single 12-megapixel sensor.
Lastly, the Honor 7A comes with face unlock feature in addition to its fingerprint scanner. The Redmi 5 also has both features, but the units they are selling here in the Philippines lacks facial recognition.
To wrap it up, I think these two devices are your best options in the entry-level space. But to ultimately choose the right one, you need to evaluate your needs.
If you’re all about playing games and performance is a top priority, then go with the Xiaomi Redmi 5.
But if you want a more balanced smartphone, which can handle games decently while also having a good pair of cameras and other extras, then going with the Honor 7A is a no-brainer. You’d be also saving a few extra bucks as a bonus by doing so.