Zenfone 5 vs Xiaomi RedMi

I was doing a quick check to see if I should purchase the Zenfone 5 or Mi’s Redmi, especially since the Redmi had been constantly selling out. I’m waiting for the 10400mAh Mi Power Bank and decided to do a quick check to compare between the two phone models.

As a recap, the Asus Zenfone 5 would be launched soon in May, and pre-order registration is available now.

Here’s a quick look at a simple Benchmark comparison between the Zenfone 5 and the Xiaomi Redmi.

Antutu Scores Zenfone / Redmi

As shown in the pic, left is the Asus Zenfone 5, while right is the Redmi. So for $30 more, you get a faster processor, larger screen and more storage. Sounds pretty alright. Btw, the taiwan or China version comes with 2gb of RAM, too bad we are not getting that in Singapore.

For completeness sake, the Zenfone 4 Intel Atom Z2520 processor runs at 1.2GHz and scores around 20K.

Now, benchmark scores aren’t everything. There’s a lot that comes to play when determining a phone’s responsiveness and so while the scores are in Asus favour, I have to add that Xiaomi and the MIUI team had done a great job for the particular ROM or OS onboard the Redmi. In addition, the fact that Asus offering is based on Intel and not ARM also means that certain apps that are specifically written for ARM might see a performance hit on the Asus.

ASUS have revealed the ZenUI with their latest range of ASUS ZenFone smartphones. ZenUI offers a modern look, with flatter icons while providing a not so invasive user interface like some others we could name. Integrating well with Google Now and Google Calendar the ZenUI is reported to be smooth and zippy.

In order to compete with Redmi’s reputation as the phone for the older generation, aunties, uncles, parents, grandparents, etc, Asus have introduced a feature called Easy Mode. Easy Mode comes with large icons, buttons and font sizes for better readability. There are also fewer steps to complete actions for basic functions such as making a phone call and typing a text message. You can also still add or remove shortcuts on the other home screen. To enable Easy Mode, go to Settings > Easy Mode > Toggle ON.

Overall, I like the clean looks. And further Asus has committed to release Android 4.4 at a later date, but we know how that all works out, and PadFone users would have a once bitten twice shy feeling.

Device	Zenfone 5	Redmi
OS	Android (4.3)	Android (4.2)
Dimensions	5.83 x 2.87 x 0.41 inches (148.2 x 72.8 x 10.3 mm)	5.39 x 2.72 x 0.39 inches (137 x 69 x 9.9 mm)
Weight	5.11 oz (145 g)	5.57 oz (158 g)
Display size	5.0 inches	4.7 inches
Resolution	720 x 1280 pixels	720 x 1280 pixels
Pixel Density	294 ppi	312 ppi
Touchscreen	Multi-touch	Multi-touch
Features	Light sensor, Proximity sensor, Scratch-resistant glass	Light sensor, Proximity sensor, Scratch-resistant glass
Camera	8 megapixels	8 megapixels
Camera Features	Back-illuminated sensor (BSI), Autofocus, Digital image stabilization, Digital zoom, Geo tagging	Autofocus, Face detection, Smile detection, Geo tagging, High Dynamic Range mode (HDR)
Front-facing camera	2 megapixels	1.3 megapixels
System Chip	Intel Atom Z2580	MediaTek MT6589T
Processor	Dual core, 2000 MHz, Saltwell	Quad core, 1500 MHz, ARM Cortex-A7
Graphics processor	PowerVR SGX 544MP2	PowerVR SGX544
System memory	1024 MB RAM / 8192 MB ROM	1024 MB RAM / 4096 MB ROM
Storage Expansion	microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC up to 64 GB	microSD, microSDHC up to 32 GB
Battery	2110 mAh	2000 mAh
GSM	850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz	900, 1800, 1900 MHz
UTMS	850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz	1900, 2100 MHz
Data	HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS	HSPA (unspecified), EDGE, GPRS