Competition in the smartphone market has intensified in recent years. Advertising press releases of brands vying with each other praise the merits of their flagships and do not stop comparing new devices with the company's products Apple. The choice becomes more difficult given the similarity of the main characteristics of smartphones. Tops of search topics are constantly getting requests to compare iPhones with phones of other brands. In our article we will try to understand which is better Xiaomi or iPhone.
General comparison iPhone and Xiaomi
Before moving on to comparisons of specific models in the debate about which phone is better than iPhone or Xiaomi, consider the general user experience of smartphones. The Chinese brand is known to have taken a lot from the iPhone.
- A number of models Xiaomi have similar designs.
- The software shell MIUI strongly resembles interfaces iOS.
- The technical specifications and performance of Chinese smartphones are also close to those of the devices Apple.
Considering that the price for the model Xiaomi is two to three times lower than for the iPhones, the confusion of users when buying a new phone becomes understandable. Let's consider the basic requirements of buyers for smartphones in the context of brand offerings Apple and Xiaomi in order to understand which phone is better – iPhone or Xiaomi.
Filling
Here, the Chinese company offers a significantly larger set of additional options that it diligently avoids adding Apple to its smartphones. The second SIM, memory card slot or FM antenna does not fit into the philosophy of the Cupertinians. But Xiaomi in the product line has a place for each option.
However, consumer market research shows that the guaranteed demand for such add-ons is small and poorly demanded by the target audience Apple. Those users for whom the presence of a second SIM card or other additional 'chips' is critical, initially choose another brand. Well, the lack of memory is leveled by the use of the cloud, or the initial purchase of a larger phone.
Performance
It is difficult to make a direct comparison here, since the line Xiaomi includes both budget smartphones and high-performance flagships. However, if you line up the devices of the brands by price and 'freshness' of release, it becomes clear that the characteristics are similar. As a rule, the results of the Chinese company on synthetic tests are higher, but all this is more than covered by optimization Apple. Ultimately, the user will not notice the difference in the performance of devices with similar characteristics.
Housing
The first Xiaomi smartphones lost a lot in the quality of the case not only iPhone, but also less well-known competitors. Low-quality plastic quickly scratched and got dirty. But now, even on budget models, the cases are not inferior to iPhones in appearance and “wear”. The latest models Xiaomi and devices Apple lie pleasantly and securely in the hand, do not slip out.
Autonomy
The company Apple does not indulge fans with a large battery capacity. Only in the latest models has it reached 3000 mAh. For Xiaomi, the values just start with these numbers and on a number of devices they reach 4000 mAh. But, as with “hardware”, the situation is not so straightforward. Tests and user reviews claim that the battery life is approximately the same. Due to competent optimization iPhone it is not inferior to smartphones Xiaomi, and a number of models show the best 'durability'.
Features:
In this category of user requirements, consider the smartphone software shells Apple and Xiaomi. Here the advantage is clearly on the side of the iPhone.
- The user interface iOS is considered the best among smartphone shells. But MIUI cannot boast of such convenience. Even though the 'apple' interface was taken as a basis.
- The monetization model Xiaomi is based on the sale of services, the smartphone out of the box is overloaded with third-party applications. Moreover, not all of these programs work in Russia, but it is difficult to remove them.
- Users also complain about the abundance of advertising that appears even in native smartphone settings.
Emerging problems
Another point in which Xiaomi is inferior to iPhones is the presence of technical and software problems that owners of Chinese smartphones have to face. The low price of phones, the shortened procedure for the development of new devices and their hasty introduction to the market make the technology unreliable.
- Every year, a large percentage of screen defects (broken pixels) are recorded, and touchscreens often fail.
- Smartphones are very sensitive to drops due to poor build quality.
- It is noted that the average service life of budget smartphones Xiaomi is barely a year.
Against this background, telephones Apple seem to be immortal. Nobody is insured against marriage, but its percentage at iPhone is minimal.
The cost
This is where Xiaomi has the upper hand. Smartphones of the Chinese company of comparable characteristics cost two to three times cheaper than iPhones. The Chinese manufacturer 'gets it' by selling additional services and advertising. So in the event that there is not enough money for iPhone, it makes sense to consider buying a budget Xiaomi.
Output
So, let's summarize the preliminary results based on the facts considered. The only real advantage of smartphones Xiaomi over iPhones is the price of the devices. Given the similarity of the main characteristics, this, on the one hand, should be sufficient, but still we will give three reasons why iPhone is still better Xiaomi:
Quality
In the case of Xiaomi, the likelihood of being a frequent guest of service centers is much higher than when buying an iPhone. Even fans of the Chinese brand recognize a large number of marriage. The situation is gradually improving, but so far many owners are forced to spend money on frequent visits to services.
Thus, the unreliability of smartphones Xiaomi negates the initial price advantage. After all, you will have to spend not only on repairs, but also on replacing your smartphone with a new one too early. Whereas iPhone is able to serve for several years without additional investment.
Shell
Even excluding usability iOS, MIUI has another major drawback. The shell Xiaomi lags far behind in functionality from the 'clean' one Android. New “chips” of the operating system are added to the shell for a very long time, or do not appear in it at all. And for most devices, updates Android are not provided. The current versions of the operating system appear only for flagships.
But for Apple the situation is the opposite. New versions iOS are still available even for old iPhone 5S, not to mention newer models.
Iron
Different lines of smartphones Xiaomi run on different chipsets. So Redmi Note was transferred to cheap MediaTek, while other models use Qualcomm Snapdragon. Different processors require appropriate optimization and performance tuning approaches. As a result, frequent overheating of devices, fast discharge of smartphones, periodic drop in operating speed. But the company Apple, which uses its processors, has no such problems.
Comparison of specific models
Now let's take a look at several specific models of gadgets of both brands. Similar in characteristics, they often appear in comparative reviews of smartphones.
IPhone 5s or Xiaomi Redmi 5A, 6A
Let's start with the cheapest available iPhone 5S and the budget line Xiaomi Redmi xA. For convenience, let's summarize the main characteristics of smartphones in a table. Note that the official resellers iPhone no longer sell the 5S, so the prices are as of the end of sales.
|
iPhone 5S 16 GB |
iPhone 5S 32 GB |
Xiaomi Redmi 5A |
Xiaomi Redmi 6A |
|
|
Price |
10-12 thousand rubles. |
20-25 thousand rubles. |
RUB 6 / RUB 7 |
6.5 thousand rubles / 7.5 thousand rubles |
|
RAM |
1 GB |
1 GB |
2 GB |
2 GB |
|
Main memory |
16 GB |
32 GB |
16/32 GB |
16/32 GB |
|
CPU |
Dual-core 1.3 GHz Cyclone (ARM v8-based) |
Dual-core 1.3 GHz Cyclone (ARM v8-based) |
Quad-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A53 |
Quad-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 |
|
AnTuTu performance |
61540 |
61540 |
32040 |
55920 |
|
Screen |
LED-backlit IPS LCD 4 “(inch) 640 x 1136 px |
LED-backlit IPS LCD 4 “(inch) 640 x 1136 px |
IPS LCD 5 “(inch) 720 x 1280 px |
IPS LCD 5.45 “(inches) 720 x 1440 px |
|
Main camera |
8 MP, Single camera |
8 MP, Single camera |
interesting 6.1-inch iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pros to go on sale first Eighth beta versions released iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 for developers and public testers
13 MP, Single camera |
13 MP, Single camera |
|
Front-camera |
1.2 MP, single camera |
1.2 MP, single camera |
5 MP, Single camera |
5 MP, Single camera |
|
Battery |
1560 mAh, Non-removable Li-Po |
1560 mAh, Non-removable Li-Po |
3000 mAh, Non-removable Li-Ion |
3000 mAh, Non-removable Li-Ion |
|
Memory card slot |
not |
not |
microSD, up to 128 GB |
microSD, up to 256 GB |
According to the comparison table, we find that iPhone 5S surpasses the smartphone that came out 4 years later in a number of characteristics. However, the latest model of the budget line Xiaomi already looks more advantageous. Especially when you compare prices.
Comparison of smartphones Xiaomi Mi 6 and iPhone 6, 7
The next models that like to compare in reviews are Xiaomi Mi 6, released in 2017, and similar in characteristics iPhone 6s (2015) and iPhone 7 (2016).
|
iPhone 6s |
iPhone 7 |
Xiaomi Mi 6 |
|
|
Price |
from 25 tr. |
From 35 tr. |
From 22 tr. |
|
RAM |
2 GB |
2 GB |
4 GB |
|
Main memory |
32/64/128 GB |
32/128/256 GB |
64/128 GB |
|
CPU |
2-core 1.84 GHz Twister |
Quad-core 2.34 GHz (2x Hurricane + 2x Zephyr) |
Octa-core (4×2.45 GHz Kryo + 4×1.9 GHz Kryo) |
|
AnTuTu performance |
133981 |
178965 |
205305 |
|
Screen |
LED-backlit IPS LCD |
LED-backlit IPS LCD |
IPS LCD |
|
Main camera |
12 MP, Single camera |
12 MP, Single camera |
12 MP, Dual camera |
|
Front-camera |
5 MP, Single camera |
7 MP, Single camera |
8 MP, Single camera |
|
Battery |
1715 mAh, Non-removable Li-Ion |
1960 mAh, Non-removable Li-Ion |
3350 mAh, Non-removable Li-Po |
|
Memory card slot |
not |
not |
Not |
As in the previous case, the newer smartphone Xiaomi looks more attractive than the models Apple. However, gains in performance and memory “on paper” do not guarantee the same advantage in reality. The same can be said for the battery. Optimization and constant firmware updates ensure high performance for smartphones Apple.
Summary
We looked at several specific models and general characteristics of the various lines Xiaomi and iPhone. The main advantage of the Chinese company's smartphones is undoubtedly the price. Most smartphones with flagship specs cost almost half the price of 'counterparts' Apple.
However, do not forget about possible problems that you may encounter. If you value comfort and predictability, if style plays an important role for you, and you want to be at the forefront of technological progress, then choose iPhone.
You may also be interested in the article “Comparing iPhone X with Other Models”.