Budget duo with impressive specs
FALLING under the budget smartphones range, both Redmi 5 and Redmi5Plus by Xiaomi have a lot in common when it comes to specifications.
These include a full-screen display innovation, fingerprint scanner, compact form factor, long battery life and refreshing design.
DESIGN AND DISPLAY
At a glance, the Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus look identical but there are slight differences at the back of the phones.
For a start, both devices have a metal back cover with plastic end caps and same curved edge design.
The solid feel and perfectly colour matched shade make it hard to tell that the Redmi 5’s frame is made of polycarbonate material (plastic).
Both devices have a camera setup at the back with a finger print scanner underneath it, but the 5 Plus has a dual-LED flash compared to the single unit on the Redmi 5.
Power button and volume rocker sit on the right side of both the phones, while the dual SIM tray is on the left.
On top, both devices have a 3.5mm audio jack, Mi-Remote sensor and noise cancellation mic, whereas the bottom part has the speaker grill and a USB port.
The thin bezel display is a refreshing change and is, in fact, a first for the Redmi series. Gone are the hardware buttons in favour of on-screen navigation keys which, I think, is on the right track.
With the buttons gone, the top and bottom bezel are reduced for a bigger viewing area. A 2.5D curved piece of glass is over the display itself.
The Redmi 5 has a 5.7-inch (1440x720) HD+ display while the 5 Plus is a 5.99-inch (1080x2160) Full HD+ display with both screens having 18:9 aspect ratio.
The Redmi 5 comes with 32GB storage and 3GB of RAM while the 5 Plus boasts 64GB storage with 4GB of RAM. The storage on both phones can be expanded with an additional microSD card up to 128GB.
PERFORMANCE
Under the hood, the Redmi 5 is powered by a 1.8GHz octa-core Snapdragon 450, while the 5 Plus has a 2.0GHz octa-core Snapdragon 625 processor. Both phones feature the same Adreno 506 graphics processing unit.
The Redmi 5 and 5 Plus run the latest MIUI9 based on Android 7.1.2 Nougat. Multi-tasking is not an issue with both devices as apps open and load fast but clearly the 5 Plus does it quicker with the higher access memory.
In terms of sharpness, I do not notice much between the two devices. Colours are vibrant and the only difference is the colour shade when comparing photos.
The Redmi 5 is fitted with a 3,300mAh battery, while the 5 Plus houses a larger 4,000mAh power.
There are some cool features like creating a second space for your device, running dual apps, even locking apps too.
Battery life is decent for both phones but the 5 Plus lasts longer with the larger battery. However, both can last a good full day with still 15 per cent of battery life. Of course, it depends on individual use. There is no support for Quick Charge and so it can take about 2.5 hours for a full charge.
CAMERA
For imaging, both Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus have the same camera setup: A 12MP main camera and a front-facing 5MP shooter.
It is not easy to spot the difference until you look closer at the screen. As the Redmi 5 Plus has a higher resolution and pixel density, the phone offers a clearer view of a still photo or a video.
Though colour shades are not similar, objects look sharper on the Redmi 5 Plus compared to Redmi 5.
With macro shots, you can actually get the depth of field or bokeh effect in the photos, which is quite impressive for a lower mid-range segment. Both of them effectively blurred the background while capturing enough details of the subject.
Both devices come with photo modes such as Portrait, Landscape, Sport, Fireworks, Flowers, Sunset, and various filters to enhance your pictures.
Selfie photos turn out very well especially during the day where it’s sharp and colours are vivid. Plus there’s the smart Beauty 3.0 feature with face recognition.
In terms of video, the Redmi 5 can only shoot up to Full HD while the 5 Plus is capable of doing 4K videos. There’s also an additional slow-motion feature in the 5 Plus.
CONCLUSION
The Redmi 5 Plus is definitely superior in terms of performance and display. Available in Black, Blue, Rose Gold and Champagne Gold, the Redmi 5 retails for RM599 while the 5 Plus is RM899 at www.lazada.com.my.
A lot of shortcomings can be forgiven considering the price tag. The Redmi 5 is also not a bad choice for those with a tight budget as it offers decent performance, camera quality and good battery life.
VERDICT 3/5
