Call it karma or just bad luck but every time smartphone makers like Samsung, Oppo and Vivo launch a mid-range phone in Indian market, Xiaomi comes snapping at their heels and launches a mid-range smartphone of its own which is loaded with specs to the chin and priced low enough to give competitor nightmares.
The newly launched Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro is the latest entrant in the market and goes head on with Samsung’s Galaxy M30 which has been launched at a starting price of Rs 14,990.
To see which one is a better bargain, here’s a quick comparison between the Redmi Note 7 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy M30.
Design & Display
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 comes with a bezel-less 6.3-inch FHD+ display. The phone offers a feature called sunlight mode which users can use when under direct sunlight which helps in reading text better. It comes with dot notch display which means you get more screen area.
The Samsung M30 comes with a FHD+ 6.4-inch display which pushes out lesser pixels than the Note 7 Pro. What gives Samsung the advantage is the Super AMOLED display which works in favour of the M30 over the Redmi Note 7.
In terms of ergonomics, the Redmi Note 7 Pro sports a glass body protected by Gorilla Glass 5 on both sides which looks good. There’s no doubt that the Note 7 is the better looking of the two, considering the M30 overdoes it with the excessive use of plastic.
I’d give the trophy to the Redmi Note 7 Pro in this department.
Performance & Hardware
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro is powered by a Snapdragon 675 processor coupled with RAM options of 4GB and 6GB. It’s running on Android Pie out-of-the-box on top of MIUI 10. The phone uses a 14nm chipset which helps it perform and multi-task better and surely this kind of hardware is well equipped to handle your basic operations plus the high-end gaming needs.
The Redmi Note 7 comes with storage up to 128GB which can be expanded. The Samsung Galaxy M30 offers expansion up to 512GB which is more than the Note 7 (if you need that kind of space that is).
It’s good to see that the Note series has finally moved to the Type-C method of charging which is a welcome move. It was long due!
The Exynos 7904 octa-core chipset in the M30 (which is also 14nm) is touted to be a decent performer, although Samsung mid-range chipset have had their fair share of problems in the past. Definitely not recommended if you’re into heavy multi-tasking and load your phone with more than necessary apps. Keep it simple and clean and the M30 will do you good.
In terms of additional features the M30 offers face unlock — like the Redmi Note 7 Pro — and comes with a fingerprint sensor at the back.
Camera & Battery
Xiaomi has gone chest thumping about the Redmi Note 7 Pro’s camera prowess so much so that it has even challenged the iPhone XS Max!
Yes, it does come with the Sony IMX586 sensor on board which is one of the best sensors out there but the fact that the Note 7 Pro misses out on a wide-angle lens gets some points deducted from its kitty. But again, a 48+5-megapixel primary camera setup does look good on paper. It offers 4k video recording at 30fps and also comes with EIS.
On the front the Redmi Note 7 Pro comes with a 13-megapixel camera with AI-enabled features.
The Samsung Galaxy M30 gets a triple 13+5+5-megapixel rear camera setup with a primary sensor, a depth sensor and an ultra-wide sensor. On the front is a 16-megapixel shooter.
We’ll put the cameras to the test as soon as we get our hands on the phones.
The Samsung Galaxy M30 comes with a 5,000mAh battery which is enough to get you through a day and a half. The bigger AMOLED display might drain that extra battery juice but the phone is touted to deliver efficient battery management capabilities. It also supports quick charge via a 15W charger so no trouble there.
The Redmi Note 7 Pro comes with a 4,000mAh battery which is also equally capable to keep your phone running for more than 24-hours. The fact that it comes with Quick Charge 4.0 tech gives us more time to focus on using the phone phone and less time looking for a charger.
Which One to Buy?
The Xiaomi Note series is a proven champion and the Note 7 Pro also exudes those characteristics. Its got the hardware to boast about, and a camera setup that is worthy of a flagship. At a starting price of Rs 13,999, the Redmi Note 7 is a great bargain and those already having a Note phone should definitely consider upgrading.
Samsung has built trust among the Indian smartphone users in the mid-range segment particularly with phones like the J7 and even the On Nxt that have performed well. It’s true that Samsung isn’t selling in big numbers like Xiaomi but with a renewed focus on selling phones for under 15k, it seems serious about garnering customers in this segment once again.
Let me end by saying: The M30 is a good phone but definitely not a Xiaomi killer.
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