Xiaomi is a prominent smartphone brand known for their bang-for-the-buck products. Now, it looks like Honor, a company under Huawei, is going after for them.
Their latest release, the Honor 9 Lite, offers incredible hardware and features for the price. With that, it is undeniably poised to directly target the Xiaomi Redmi 5 in the budget division. Both devices are priced under Php8,000 and are clearly fit to be your smartphone of choice if you’re shopping in this price bracket.
Although neither of them has caught the full attention of mainstream consumers here in the Philippines, Xiaomi has definitely made a good impression on a lot of customers when people flocked to the opening of authorized Mi stores in the country. On the other hand, the Honor brand, despite being Huawei-backed, is still relatively unknown to most Filipinos.
So the ultimate question is, which between these two devices is the best in the entry-level market? Should consumers continue trusting in Xiaomi? Or should they take a look at Honor? That’s what we are here to find out in this Honor 9 Lite versus Xiaomi Redmi 5 specs and features comparison.
| Honor 9 Lite | Xiaomi Redmi 5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Android 8.0 Oreo EMUI 8.0 | Android 7.1.2 Nougat MIUI 9 |
| SIM | Dual SIM Dual Standby Hybrid format | Dual SIM Dual Standby |
| Display | 5.65-inch FHD+ IPS 2160 x 1080 resolution ~428ppi 18:9 aspect ratio | 5.7-inch HD+ IPS display 1440 x 720 resolution ~282ppi 18:9 aspect ratio |
| Processor | 2.3GHz HiSilicon Kirin 659 octa-core processor | 1.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 octa-core processor |
| RAM | 3GB | 3GB |
| GPU | Mali-T830 MP2 | Adreno 506 |
| Storage | 32GB expandable via microSD up to 256GB | 32GB internal expandable via microSD up to 128GB |
| Front camera | 13-megapixel + 2-megapixel | 5-megapixel |
| Rear Camera | 13-megapixel + 2-megapixel PDAF LED flash | 12-megapixel PDAF 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 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 | 151 x 71.9 x 7.6mm | 151.8 x 72.8 x 7.7mm |
| Weight | 149g | 157g |
| Colors | Seagull Gray Magic Nightfall Pearl White Navy | Black Gold Light Blue Rose Gold |
| Battery | 3,000mAh non-removable | 3,300mAh non-removable |
| Price | Php7,990 | Php7,790 |
The specs table above clearly shows that the Honor 9 Lite gave the Xiaomi Redmi 5 a run for its money. It did not just simply beat some of the Redmi 5’s specs, but their lead is actually miles apart.
To start, the Honor 9 Lite runs on a newer version of Android — an aspect that is really important for budget devices like this. But after all, its powerful processor doesn’t seem to mind as it can handle pretty much anything as seen on our Nova 2i review. The two, by the way, runs on the same chipset, despite the huge difference in price of around Php6,000.
On the other hand, the Xiaomi Redmi 5 only runs on Snapdragon 450 processor and only comes with Android 7.1.2 Nougat skinned with MIUI.
The Honor 9 Lite also comes with a quad-camera setup. It has a 13-megapixel and an extra 2-megapixel camera — both placed in the front and back. By contrast, its competition only has a 5-megapixel and 12-megapixel cameras.
See also: Xiaomi price list Philippines
But to the Redmi 5’s credit, it does have a slightly bigger battery. Xiaomi’s bet has 3300mAh capacity, while the Honor 9 Lite has a meager 3000mAh battery.
The Xiaomi Redmi 5 is also marginally cheaper at Php7,790 as there’s a small price difference between the Honor 9 Lite’s Php7,990 price tag. Nevertheless, the extra Php200 is really nothing compared to what you’re going to get with Honor.
The Honor 9 Lite will be exclusively available in Shopee starting May 9. While the Redmi 5 is now available also in Shopee, Lazada, or authorized Mi resellers in the Philippines.