Xiaomi recently unveiled their latest flagship smartphone, the Mi 6, which features the Snapdragon 835 processor, 6GB of RAM, a dual-camera setup, premium build, and a not very expensive price tag.

So, how does the new Mi 6 compare against another flagship Chinese smartphone, the OnePlus 3T. Both these devices provide high-end specs in a premium build for a cheap price. And it’s not like they’re cutting corners either.

The OnePlus 3T was announced in November 2016 and is the flagship smartphone from the company. Although it only featured slight improvements over the OnePlus 3, it is still a top-of-the-range device. Therefore, lets compare it with the new Xiaomi Mi 6.

Xiaomi Mi 6 vs OnePlus 3T: Comparison

Design

The OnePlus 3T carries the same design as the OnePlus 3, there’s nothing new here. All the changes were made under the hood, therefore, you won’t be able to tell the difference between the OnePlus 3 and 3T just by looking at it. The phone has an all-metal unibody with a glass front.

Xiaomi has introduced a new design with the Mi 6, which includes rounded and curved edges on all four sides and corners. It has a metal frame, which is covered by glass at the front and back. However, unlike the LG G6 and the Samsung Galaxy S8, the Mi 6 doesn’t have super thin bezels. There is a fingerprint sensor/Home button at the front, but it is now under the glass. The device also lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack, and has dual bottom firing speakers.

Specs

This is where the Xiaomi Mi 6 truly shines, and is most likely a better performer than the OnePlus 3T. While the latter has a Snapdragon 821 processor, the Mi 6 will ship with the latest Snapdragon 835 chipset.

Both the devices come with 6GB of RAM, and similar storage options, which is probably the only thing common between them. The OnePlus 3T features a 5.5-inch 1080p display, whereas the Xiaomi Mi 6 comes with a 5.15-inch 1080p display. The Mi 6 also has the new Bluetooth 5.0 technology.

Yes, the OnePlus 3T has a bigger display, and it also features a slightly larger battery that is rated at 3400mAh. The Mi 6 comes with a 3350mAh battery. Both devices support fast charging features.

Camera

The Xiaomi Mi 6 has a dual-camera setup at the back, with one 12MP wide-angle lens, and another 12MP telephoto lens. The setup is similar to that found on the iPhone 7 Plus, and thus, you can take portrait mode photos with depth of field.

There are a lot of software enhancements on board that let you take better photos, including selfies. At the front, there’s an 8MP camera to take those selfies. We’ve already seen sample photos taken by the Mi 6, and they look great. Low-light photography is also great, it seems.

With the OnePlus 3T, you get a 16MP rear camera, and another 16MP unit at the front. The OnePlus does a decent job at photography, provided great pictures during the day, and decent low-light shots. Both the devices feature OIS for the rear camera, and can record 4K and slow motion videos.

Software

While the Xiaomi Mi 6 comes with Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box, the OnePlus 3T is only just starting to get the update. The Mi 6 features MIUI 8, which includes some new features and performance improvements.

The OnePlus 3T runs on a slightly modified version of Android 6.0 Marshmallow called OxygenOS, which is now upgrade-able to Android 7.1.1 Nougat. Both the devices have enough RAM to perform all your day-to-day tasks with ease.

Conclusion

Since the Xiaomi Mi 6 is a brand new device, it straight up wins the comparison and is the better phone to have. The Snapdragon 835 will make the device much faster and efficient than the OnePlus 3T. It also features a better camera, Bluetooth 5.0, faster storage, and is also cheaper with a starting price of $360.

OnePlus will definitely step its game up with the rumored and upcoming OnePlus 5. And that is when the competition will get really heated up. For now though, the Xiaomi Mi 6 is a better smartphone!