Mi MIX 2 has finally hit the Indian market with its first sale in the country via Flipkart and Mi.com. The ceramic-glass smartphone has a large 5.99-inch screen with full-HD+ resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio, in line with the new trend for displays in the industry. Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 doesn't feel lacking in other areas too, with its beefy processor, ample RAM, and a price tag of Rs. 35,999. However, it is not the only competitively-priced flagship smartphone available in the market right now. OnePlus 5 is the favourite in the Rs. 30,000-40,000 price bracket, while Nokia 8 is another strong contender that has entered the segment recently.
If you are planning to buy a top-end smartphone without spending over Rs. 50,000, Xiaomi Mi MIX 2, OnePlus 5 and Nokia 8 will definitely be on top of your list. Our review of Mi MIX 2 is on the way, but till then we take a look at the three smartphones, the differences in their prices, and more importantly the specifications and features that distinguish them from the competition.
The Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 has been launched in India at Rs. 35,999 for the model with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The smartphone's general availability will begin in the first week of November, and it will then go on sale via Mi Home and other offline retailer partners in addition. Nokia 8, priced at Rs. 36,999, is just a shade costlier than the Xiaomi handset and is an Amazon-exclusive if you are planning to buy it online. It is also available via offline stores such as Croma, Reliance, Sangeetha Mobiles, Poorvika, and BigC.
OnePlus 5, on the other hand, was launched in June at a starting price of Rs. 32,999 for the base 6GB RAM/ 64GB storage variant. There's one more model with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage available at a price of Rs. 37,999. The smartphone is already available to buy via Amazon India as well as OnePlus' online and offline stores. As we can see from this contrast that the top 8GB/ 128GB model of OnePlus 5 has the same storage as the Mi MIX 2, but more memory compared to the latter's 6GB of RAM. Thus, with a slight price difference of Rs. 2,000, users get more RAM as well as a dual camera setup on the OnePlus 5.
The most notable feature of Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 is its bezel-less display that carries a full-HD+ resolution of 1080x2160 pixels and an 18:9 aspect ratio. OnePlus 5 highlights the dual rear camera setup, comprising a 16-megapixel main camera and a 20-megapixel telephoto camera, as its remarkable feature. Nokia 8, on the other hand, has Carl Zeiss optics in the camera that supports the 'bothie' feature as the highlight. With that comparison, let us dive further into the rest of the specifications offered by these flagship smartphones.
The Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 is a dual-SIM smartphone that runs MIUI 9 based on Android 7.0 Nougat. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC that's coupled with 6GB of LPDDR4x RAM. The dual-SIM (Nano-SIM) smartphone sports a 12-megapixel Sony IMX386 rear camera sensor with 1.25-micron pixels, 4-axis optical image stabilisation, 5-piece lens, an f/2.0 aperture, as well as a facial recognition feature. On the front, it bears a 5-megapixel front camera, also with the facial recognition function that can be used to unlock the smartphone.
Coming to OnePlus 5, it supports dual-SIM cards (Nano-SIM) and runs the company's own OxygenOS skin, based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat. It features a 5.5-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) Optic AMOLED display with a pixel density of 401ppi (pixels per inch) and 2.5D curved Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The OnePlus 5 is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC (four cores clocked at 2.45GHz, and four cores clocked at 1.9GHz), coupled with either 6GB or 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM.
As we discussed, the cameras are one of the highlighted features of OnePlus 5. The OnePlus 5's dual rear camera setup supports EIS and bears a 16-megapixel main camera with a 1.12-micron pixel Sony IMX398 sensor and an f/1.7 aperture. This is clubbed with a 20-megapixel telephoto camera featuring a 1-micron pixel Sony IMX350 sensor and an f/2.6 aperture. The OnePlus 5 front camera on the other hand bears a 16-megapixel Sony IMX371 sensor with 1-micron pixels, an f/2.0 aperture, and EIS.
Nokia 8 sports the smallest display of the trio at 5.3-inch, with QHD resolution and 2.5D curved glass design. The Android 7.1.1 Nougat-based smartphone also has the quad-core Snapdragon 835 processor, with 4GB RAM, 64GB internal storage and support for microSD cards up to 256GB. A 3090mAh battery keeps everything running. The software is stock Android, but there are small optimisations such as Glance Screen.
As for the camera, Nokia 8 sports the dual camera setup (RGB + monochrome) on the back and a single camera in front, all with 13-megapixel sensors and Carl Zeiss optics. The Nokia Ozo camera technology makes way to the handset, and allows it to record spatial 360-degree audio. Nokia 8 rear cameras (both of them) have f/2.0 aperture, 1.12-micron pixel elements, phase detection autofocus, a 76.9-degree wide-angle lens, phase detection autofocus (PDAF), dual-tone LED flash, and IR range finder. Talking about the bothie feature, it allows the handset to capture photos and videos from the front and rear cameras simultaneously. You can read our Nokia 8 review to find out this feature works in detail. The handset is also optimised for one-touch live-streaming via Facebook Live and YouTube Live.
All three smartphones come with the standard set of connectivity options, including 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v5.0, NFC, GPS/ A-GPS, and USB Type-C. However, the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 comes with support for up to 43 LTE bands across the globe, while the OnePlus 5 supports 30 LTE bands.
We'd like to remind users that this comparison between the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2, Nokia 8 and OnePlus 5 is only between their prices, specifications, and features on paper. Readers should wait for our Mi MIX 2 review for a definitive verdict. As it stands, all three smartphones are exceptional offerings at their price, with very comparable specifications and features. Let us know in comments below which one you would go for.
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