After a long wait, Xiaomi finally unveiled the Redmi Note 5 Pro in India a while back, marking the first time a Redmi Note handset has had an 18:9 display screen, a dual-lens camera and Face Unlock for biometric authentication.
Given that these features are set to be the talk of 2018, it wasn’t strange to see Xiaomi making use of them. This is especially since other OEMs are also believed to be headed in the same direction. For instance, Lenovo is working on the next series of budget phones led by the Moto G6 and G6 Plus. Like the Redmi Note 5 Pro, there’s also talk of an 18:9 display screen as well as dual-lens cameras, but is that all?
In this post, we’ll break down the Moto G6 and G6 Plus in comparison to the Redmi Note 5 Pro, be it the specs, design, camera, display, battery life and even the pricing and availability details in major markets across the globe.
Note that the G6 pair is yet to be unveiled, but Lenovo should make it official in the coming weeks, perhaps even at the upcoming Mobile World Congress 2018. In this regard, the specs listed here are based on leaks, rumors, and speculations.
A head-to-head comparison of the specs
| Moto G6 | Moto G6 Plus | Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro | |
| Display | 5.7 inches, full HD+ resolution, full-screen display | 5.93 inches, full HD+ resolution, full-screen display | 5.99 inches, full HD+ resolution, full-screen display |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 |
| RAM | 3/4GB | 3/4/6GB | 4/6GB |
| Storage | 32/64GB | 32/64GB | 64GB |
| Software | ZUK-based Android 8.0 Oreo | ZUK-based Android 8.0 Oreo | MIUI 9-based Android 7.1.2 Nougat (upgradable to Oreo) |
| Camera | Rear: Dual 12MP + 5MP, PDAF Front: 16MP, LED flash |
Rear: Dual 12MP + 5MP, PDAF Front: 16MP, LED flash |
Rear: Dual 12MP (f/2.2) + 5MP (f/2.0), PDAF Front: 20MP, f/2.2, LED flash |
| Battery capacity | 3000mAh | 3250mAh | 4000mAh |
| Extras | Front-mounted fingerprint scanner, 4G LTE, USB-C, Bluetooth 5.0 | Front-mounted fingerprint scanner, 4G LTE, USB-C, Bluetooth 5.0 | Rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, Face Unlock, 4G LTE, microUSB, Bluetooth 5.0 |
Moto G6 and G6 Plus vs Redmi Note 5 Pro: Performance
As pointed out earlier, the Moto G6 has yet to see the light, but the Redmi Note 5 Pro has already been unveiled in India priced at INR 13,999 for the entry-level 4/64GB variant and INR 16,999 for the 6/64GB variant. On the other hand, it’s rumored that the Moto G6 price will start at about INR 15,000 for the 3/32GB variant while the bigger Moto G6 Plus will be valued at about INR 17,000 for the same configuration.
When you compare what these two phones bring to the table with respect to their price tags, you’ll agree that the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro puts up a great fight. The phone’s Snapdragon 636 easily blows away the Snapdragon 450 set to appear on the Moto G6 and even the Snapdragon 630 that’ll appear on the G6 Plus.
Even with whichever amount of software optimization, the Moto G6 can hardly match the performance capabilities of the Redmi Note 5 Pro and that’s just how it is, but the story might change when it comes to the Moto G6 Plus.
It’s true the G6 family will have an upper hand due to the fact that it’ll come with Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box, which also means you get Project Treble on the budget phones. Although a Redmi Note 5 Pro Oreo update is on the way, there won’t be Treble for users of this phone, which is kind of a letdown for what is already a great piece of hardware.
Moto G6 and G6 Plus vs Redmi Note 5 Pro: Design
Other than the changed front panel, the Redmi Note 5 Pro sticks to the same metallic unibody build used on the Redmi Note 4.
With the iPhone X-like dual-lens camera on the back, however, the overall design of the Redmi Note 5 Pro looks like a rare gem in this price category. On the other hand, we know that the Moto G6 will also sport the same 18:9 display screen, but a little smaller in size. If you want a bigger screen, the 5.93-inch panel on the G6 Plus should do a great job, but it’s still slightly smaller than the Note 5 Pro.
The overall build of the Moto G6 and G6 Plus is set to see drastic changes compared to the Moto G5 or even the G5S series, but the details of the materials to be used remain unclear. However, the two will share the same design language, only that one will be bigger in size. Even so, we can only talk more about the design of the Moto G6 pair once we see the phones, but for now, the Redmi Note 5 Pro looks like the real deal.
Moto G6 and G6 Plus vs Redmi Note 5 Pro: Display
The year 2018 will see the 18:9 design trickle down to the entry-level smartphone market. We’ve already seen a bunch of budget phones with the new design and the Redmi Note 5 Pro is among them.
As we already know, the Moto G6 and G6 Plus will also take advantage of the new taller than usual display screen that amounts to an aspect ratio of 2:1. However, the slightly smaller 5.7-inch and 5.93-inch panels mean that the resulting quality of display thanks to the full HD+ resolution will be a little better than the Redmi Note 5 Pro, but this is hardly noticeable using your naked eyes.
On the other hand, if you care about real estate, the Note 5 Pro is a better choice. The Moto G6 and G6 Plus are also rumored to come with Gorilla Glass 3 protection and while the Xiaomi phone is also protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass technology, the version is not specified.
Since both phones will be using LCD panels, you can expect the same brightness and color saturation levels, but of course, software tweaks should also play a huge role in determining which panel has the best results.
Moto G6 and G6 Plus vs Redmi Note 5 Pro: Camera
As far as photography is concerned, the Moto G6 and G6 Plus are expected to come with the same dual-camera configuration on the back, where you get a 12MP and a 5MP shooter. Given the differences in processing units, we don’t expect the quality of photography to be the same on the two G6 handsets, but we can only verify this once the phones are out. For selfies, the Redmi Note 5 Pro has a monstrous 20MP unit and if reports are to be believed, the G6 and G6 Plus will get an equally huge unit with 16 megapixels.
Of course, the quality of photography is gradually becoming more of software-based than hardware-based, which means this will go down to how each OEM plays around with the Camera app. In addition, photography on paper and photography in real life are two different things.
In short, unless we take the two phones for a ride, simply looking at the specs is not a great way of telling how good or bad either phone is in photography, but for now, the Note 5 Pro does a pretty good job for what it’s worth.
Moto G6 and G6 Plus vs Redmi Note 5 Pro: Battery
While on-paper camera specs don’t tell us all there is when looking for the best smartphone camera, on-paper battery specs can be the exact opposite. By simply looking at the battery capacity, we can learn a lot about a phone’s battery life.
In this case, the 4000mAh unit on the Redmi Note 5 Pro should easily brush aside the 3000mAh and 3250mAh units expected on the Moto G6 and G6 Plus respectively, even with the bigger screen size on the former. It gets even better as the Note 5 Pro has been confirmed to feature fast battery charging, something we aren’t sure if the Moto G6 will get, but it’s a definite for the Snapdragon 630-powered G6 Plus.
On the brighter side, rumors suggest that the Moto G6 pair will get a USB-C port, a feature Xiaomi chose to forego in favor of the traditional microUSB port. Even better for G6 fans is that the 3.5mm audio jack isn’t going anywhere.
Verdict
Unless you simply love Motorola as a brand or the Moto G series for that matter, there’s no good reason for going with the Moto G6 instead of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro. The latter has a bigger and beautiful screen, more powerful specs, a bigger battery and even more important, it’s cheaper compared to the Moto G6, which is rumored to come priced at INR 15,000.
On the other hand, the Moto G6 Plus is a different case. Despite the slightly weaker chipset, the fact that the ZUK interface won’t be as heavy as the MIUI 9 skin means you can expect much smoother performance, especially from the high-end 6GB RAM variant.
In addition, it also comes with just about the same display size, support for Project Treble and the latest USB-C standard, making it a more realistic choice than the Redmi Note 5 Pro. But of course, there’s always the issue of price. Apparently, the Moto G6 Plus is expected to start at INR 17,000 for the 3GB/32GB variant, the same amount you need to grab the 6GB/64GB variant of the Note 5 Pro. If anything, you’ll be getting a better deal with the latter.
Don’t you think so? Let us know in your comments below.
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