Realme 3 Pro vs Xiaomi Mi 9 SE: Specs Comparison

Midrange smartphones have become more interesting than ever. That’s thanks to the innovations that brought by a lot of Chinese smartphone brands on the table.

One of them is, of course, Xiaomi. Which just recently released the new Xiaomi Mi 9 SE here in the Philippines.

This budget-friendly member of the company’s flagship line-up has the same DNA that its more expensive brothers have. It has great design, camera features, and processing performance.

But Xiaomi is not alone. A lot of emerging brands are also coming out from the corner and surprising us with interesting releases. One of them is Realme, who also recently brought their latest Realme 3 Pro smartphone in the country.

In our full review of this device, we also liked its sleek design, powerful processor, great cameras, and powerful performance.

Which is why, here in our Realme 3 Pro vs Xiaomi Mi 9 SE specs comparison, we ought to see which between these two midrange devices actually brings the best value for your money.

	Realme 3 Pro	Xiaomi Mi 9 SE
Operating System	Android 9.0 Pie ColorOS 6.0	Android 9 Pie MIUI 10
SIM	Dual SIM Dual Standby	Dual SIM Dual Standby
Display	6.3-inch FHD+ IPS 2340 x 1080 pixel resolution ~409ppi Corning Gorilla Glass 5	5.97-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED 2340 x 1080 pixel resolution ~432ppi Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Processor	2.2Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 octa-core	2.3 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 712 octa-core
RAM	4GB/6GB	6GB
GPU	Adreno 616	Adreno 616
Storage	64GB/128GB expandable via microSD up to 256GB	64GB UFS 2.1 non-expandable
Front camera	25-megapixel f/2.0	20-megapixel
Rear Camera	16-megapixel (Sony IMX519) + 5-megapixel f/1.7 Dual-Pixel AF LED flash AI scene detection Chroma Boost Nightscape 960fps slow-mo	48-megapixel (Sony IMX586, f/1.8) + 12-megapixel (ultra wide) + 16-megapixel (telephoto, f/2.4) PDAF LED flash AI scene detection Night Mode 960fps slow-mo
Audio	Single loudspeaker Headphone jack	Single loudspeaker No headphone jack
Security	Rear-mounted fingerprint scanner Face unlock	In-display fingerprint scanner Face unlock
Connectivity	HSPA+, LTE WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band Bluetooth 5.0 GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS FM Radio microUSB	HSPA+, 4G LTE WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band Bluetooth 5.0 GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Galileo USB Type-C
Dimensions	156.8 x 74.2 x 8.3mm	147.5 x 70.5 x 7.5mm
Weight	172g	155g
Colors	Lightning Purple Nitro Blue Carbon Grey	Violet Blue Gray
Battery	4,045mAh non-removable VOOC 3.0	3,070mAh 18W charging
Price	4GB/64GB: Php12,990 6GB/128GB: Php14,990	Php15,990

The Realme 3 Pro has a few lead over the Xiaomi Mi 9 SE. However, the table above shows that Xiaomi’s bet has more interesting features over the latter.

There’s the 5.97-inch Super AMOLED screen. Which is better than the IPS display that the Realme 3 Pro has, although it is a bit bigger at 6.3-inches.

It also allowed Xiaomi to put in an in-display fingerprint scanner on their device, while Realme’s smartphone uses the traditional rear-mounted sensor.

The processors that they have are identical, although it’s obvious that the Snapdragon 712 chipset that Xiaomi used is better than the Snapdragon 710 that Realme incorporated on theirs.

The cameras on the Realme 3 Pro is great, but it’s still nothing against the Mi 9 SE’s. It comes with a 48-megapixel Sony IMX586, which is found on flagship smartphones like Xiaomi’s own Mi 9 and OnePlus 7 Pro.

There’s also the 12-megapixel ultra-wide and 16-megapixel telephoto cameras. Meanwhile, the Realme 3 Pro also uses a flagship 16-megapixel Sony IMX 519 sensor, but it’s a little outdated when compared to the competition.

Oh, and of course, there’s the USB Type-C on the Mi 9 SE. Meanwhile, the Realme 3 Pro still stuck with microUSB.

Related

• Samsung Galaxy A50 vs Realme 3 Pro: Specs Comparison
• Xiaomi Mi 9 SE vs Samsung Galaxy A50: Specs Comparison

But to give Realme some credit, their device does have some better features over the Mi 9 SE. For starters, it has a bigger 4,045mAh battery (vs 3,070mAh), and charges faster with their VOOC 3.0 fast charging support.

Realme also kept the headphone jack on their device, while Xiaomi has already moved on. Also, its top-of-the-line model comes with 128GB of storage, which is 2x more than the only available configuration that the Mi 9 SE has, which is at 64GB.

Speaking of which, the 6GB/128GB model of the Realme 3 Pro is only at Php14,990. That’s Php1,000 cheaper than the price of Xiaomi Mi 9 SE, which is only available at 6GB/128GB model at Php15,990.

For an acceptable price premium that you’d be paying for the Xiaomi Mi 9 SE, you’re already getting a device with a better screen and camera, an in-display fingerprint scanner, and a more capable processor.

Both devices are now available through their own respective stores both online and offline.