After the success of the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 variant, the company decided to launch two new budget smartphones in India on Wednesday. The Asus ZenFone Lite L1 (ZA551KL), the more affordable of the two offerings, is priced at only Rs. 6,999 and at this price point, it has some tough competition to face in the Indian market. Notably, the recently launched Redmi 6A has been a popular choice in the budget smartphone segment, and the recently unveiled Realme C1 is an attractive option too. The big highlights of the Asus ZenFone L1 (ZA551KL) are its support for Face Unlock, camera features, and a dedicated microSD card slot.
We pit the Asus ZenFone Lite L1 (ZA551KL), Redmi 6A, and Reamle C1 against each other, to see which one fares better on paper. Stay tuned for our comprehensive review of the Asus ZenFone Lite L1 for a detailed verdict on its real world performance.
The Asus ZenFone Lite L1 (ZA551KL) is priced in India at Rs. 6,999, and will be made available in Black and Gold colour options. The smartphone will be available for an introductory price of Rs. 5,999 during the forthcoming Flipkart Dhamaka Days, though the dates for this festive period sale hasn't been announced as of yet. The Asus ZenFone Lite L1 will be exclusively available via Flipkart.
Xiaomi Redmi 6A price in India is set at Rs. 6,999 for the 2GB RAM/ 32GB storage model, while a version with 16GB storage is available for Rs. 1,000 less. It is available via Amazon India and Mi.com, and Xiaomi has said that this introductory pricing will also hold for 2 months, after which we may see an increase if the rupee freefall continues. It is available in Black and Gold colour options.
Lastly, the Realme C1 comes in only one 2GB RAM/ 16GB storage variant and its price in India is Rs. 6,999. It is available exclusively via Flipkart in a Mirror Black colour option.
All the three phones run on Android 8.1 Oreo with custom skins, support dual-SIMs, and have a dedicated microSD card slot as well. The Realme C1 sports the largest 6.2-inch display, with the Xiaomi and Asus offerings sporting identical 5.45-inch displays. All the three phones pack 720p resolution displays, and the Realme C1 is the only one that sports a notch.
The Asus ZenFone Lite L1 (ZA551KL) is powered by the Snapdragon 430 processor, the Realme C1 is powered by the Snapdragon 450 processor, and the Redmi 6A is powered by the MEdiaTek Helio P22 processor. Both Realme C1 and the ZenFone Lite L1 offer 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage, but the Redmi 6A has a variant that with 32GB storage at the same price (Rs. 6,999). All of them offer dedicated microSD card slot storage expansion of up to 256GB.
The Realme C1 is the only smartphone to sport a dual camera setup with a 13-megapixel primary sensor and a 2-megapixel secondary sensor. There is a 5-megapixel selfie camera with AI Face Unlock support. The Asus ZenFone Lite L1 (ZA551KL) sports a 13-megapixel single rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, 1.12um pixel size, PDAF, and LED flash support. It sports a 5-megapixel front sensor with f/2.2 aperture, 1.2um pixel size, and LED flash support. The Redmi 6A, on the other hand, has a single 13-megapixel rear camera with PDAF and f/2.2 aperture, and a 5-megapixel selfie camera.
The Realme C1 packs the largest 4,230mAh battery, and the Redmi 6A and Asus ZenFone Lite L1 (ZA551KL) pack an identical 3,000mAh battery. The Realme C1 is the heaviest at 168 grams, and the Asus ZenFone Lite L1 is the lightest and weighs at 140 grams. All of these have a 3.5mm audio jack, support Face Unlock, and lack a fingerprint scanner.
Realme C1 or Redmi 6A: Which is the best phone under Rs. 10,000? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.
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