Xiaomi’s Redmi 5A and Tenor D don’t have a lot in common, except for the fact that you get both of them for under 7K.
10.or (or Tenor) is a brand that comes exclusively on Amazon in India and looks to push the gauntlet to its established rivals like Xiaomi, which claims to have hit the top spot in the Indian smartphone market.
But targeting entry-level buyers for a smartphone is a different ball game, and with both Tenor and Xiaomi going head-to-head in terms of pure specs, we tell you which one has the upper hand.
Design
You generally don’t expect phones in the sub 7K price bracket to dazzle you with looks, but it’s good to see both these brands moving away from the cliche. Redmi 5A gets a slimmer design profile than the previous Redmi phones, making it compact and easy to use for someone who’s just warming up to smartphones.
The Tenor D has got a bulky design ID, mostly because the phone packs a bigger battery than what you get on the Redmi 5A. To be honest, I found the Tenor D’s design similar to that of the Redmi 3S Prime and for this price, I can’t argue with what’s on the table.
Also, it was surprising to see Tenor D get soft touch buttons, while Redmi 5A has opted for touch buttons at the bottom of the screen. The fingerprint scanner also makes its appearance on the Tenor D, while Xiaomi has taken the conservative approach by not having it on the Redmi 5A.
Display
This is where I felt that the quality difference between a new brand and Xiaomi showed up. The use of LCD panel on the Redmi 5A feels much vibrant and higher on contrast, compared to that on the 5.2-inch screen of the Tenor D.
The use of a 5-inch screen on the Redmi 5A works to good effect for HD (1280x720 pixels) resolution, offering higher pixel per inch. Even on full brightness, you can feel the sharpness and vivid colour out of the Redmi 5A.
It’s quite clear that Tenor has opted for a marginally bigger screen to aid multimedia usage. While Xiaomi manages to appeal to buyers with its overall display clarity.
Hardware & Software
The competition finds even footing in the department. Tenor has matched every feature with the Redmi 5A, same processor, same RAM and storage support (which is further expandable). Both devices support 4G VoLTE for voice and video calling, another big selling point for buyers these days.
You get 13-megapixel single sensor at the back with LED flash, and a 5-megapixel shooter on the front for basic purposes.
But the biggest talking point for me is that Xiaomi has gone with MiUi (over Android Nougat) for the Redmi 5A, while Tenor has played it smart by opting for stock Android with the Tenor D. The snappiness of vanilla Android interface, powered by Snapdragon 425 is worth highlighting, but you’re better off going for the 3GB RAM variant.
Camera
The camera optics might be the same on both these phones, but the real-time output has a different story to tell.
The cameras on both phones are quick to respond and we didn’t find any shutter lag or slowness in processing images on either of them. Having said that, we’d prefer the camera on the Redmi 5A, mostly because this phone manages to capture detail in a pronounced manner, something that the Tenor D finds hard to do.
Throw in a bit of light and the Tenor D does a decent job, but for everything else in terms of clarity and sharpness, Redmi 5A would be my pick.
To illustrate our point, take a look at these two comparing images below and take a call for yourself.
Which One Should You Pick?
I am pleasantly surprised that a newbie brand like Tenor (along with Amazon) has the wits to give Xiaomi’s Redmi 5A a tough fight. They have come real close to becoming my pick over the Redmi 5A, especially with its bigger display, stock Android on offer and bigger battery unit in tow.
Having said that, Redmi 5A carries the reliability of Xiaomi, a better quality screen, camera that looks the part and the tried-and-tested MiUi that promises better battery efficiency.
Amazon might be onto something with Tenor and especially the Tenor D, but the brand needs a bigger marketing push, so as to become a household name that Xiaomi managed to achieve in over three years.
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