Moto G5 Plus Vs Redmi Note 4 – Mid range punches
Which is the best mobile at Rs 15000? Can you tell me a good mobile under Rs 20000? Which one is better? G5 Plus or the Redmi Note 4? These are the three most frequently asked question to me and here is an answer to all of them. The Moto G5 and the Redmi Note 4, both has great predecessors. While these mobiles are trying to out-shadow their predecessors, the Moto G4 Plus and Redmi Note 3, a bunch of other mobiles have also cropped up in the competition. But let us just consider these mid range mobiles and I will tell you which is the best. You can also read my detailed review of Moto G5 Plus and Redmi Note 4.
Round 1: Design
Moto G5 Plus is a 5.2 inch mobile while the Note 4 has a 5.5 inch display. Both the mobiles have premium looking metal body construction. Aesthetically the Moto G5 Plus looks better than the Note 4. It is also handy to use and easy to operate with single hand. It has a dedicated SD card slot, but the top end variant of the Note 4 has 64 GB internal storage. Note 4 has a 2.5 D curved glass, which makes it look good, but very difficult to find a tempered glass protection. The G5+ has Corning Gorilla Glass protection. Well, in the design round, Moto G5+ draws first blood with way too many straight punches.
Winner- G5+
Round 2: Display
While using the G5+, for the first few days, I thought the camera was bad. I was reviewing the photos on the mobile and they were looking really bad. Under direct sunlight, the display is not bright enough, but text is visible. Text is crisp and images are not sharp. The Gamma corrections test give it an average 1.8 score, which means poor contrast. The UI has option to change the color mode between standard and vibrant modes, under display settings. This does not give any major difference. There is no night or reading mode. On the other hand, the Redmi Note 4 has a very vibrant and accurate display. Gamma correction test gives it an average 2.2 score, which means very good contrast. The color reproduction is accurate, text and images are crisp and viewing angles are perfect. Note 4 knocks Moto G5 Plus out of the park, with no chance of recovery, in the display round.
Winner – RN4
Round 3: Camera
The Redmi Note 4 has a 13 MP primary camera and 8 MP front facing camera. The G5+ has a 12 MP primary camera and 5 MP front facing camera. G5+ has a laser focusing system and that makes it fast, accurate and easy to focus under all light conditions. The colors are accurate, while in the Note 4, the colors are not perfect and they appear faded. In the Note 4, the color reproduction is just about average. The camera suffers quality loss as the light drops. There is visible noise and uneven smoothing of the edges under low light conditions. The images from the front camera is also similar in terms of quality. When it comes to color reproduction, in the G5 + reds are inconsistent, but yellows, blues and greens are perfect. The highlights are shadows are not perfect, resulting in shots which are either dark or suffering from contrast differentiation. At any light condition, the edges are not sharp and details are not great. This is good for casual shots, but don’t expect to click eye-popping shots with the G5 Plus. Both these mobiles don’t impress me with its camera. I am totally spoilt by the Nubia Z11 Mini S. But with what we have in the ring, the G5+ marginally scores, due to its better color accuracy.
Redmi Note 4 Camera Samples (More pictures)
Moto G5 Plus Camera Samples (More pictures)
Winner- G5+
Round 4: Hardware
Both the mobiles are powered by Snapdragon 625 with Adreno 506 GPU. But the G5+ top variant has 4GB RAM and 32 GB storage, priced at Rs 16999. The Note 4 lands a deadly punch with its 4GB RAM and 64 GB internal storage top variant priced at Rs 12999. With respect to performance, both are similar. The gaming experience is better on the Note 4 due to its brilliant display. The Note 4 has better sounding speakers and also and IR port to control your home appliances. Note 4 takes this round, by the judge’s decision.
Winner- RN4
Round 5: Software
Here is a very controversial round. Some like clean and plain stock android experience. G5+ has stock android and it will be the first to get the latest android versions as well. But the Note 4 has the Miui 8 in all its glory. With its plethora of inbuilt features and better user experience, the Note 4 rules this round again by the judge’s decision.
Winner- RN4
Round 6: Battery
Redmi Note 4 has a 4000 mAh battery and G5+ has just 3000 mAh battery. But thanks to the software optimization, both these mobiles give me similar screen on time. I get around 8 hours of SoT with my continuous video loop test. On regular usage, both these mobiles last for more than 1.5 days. Also the G5+ takes 2 hours to fully charge, thanks to its turbo charge while the Note 4 takes about 3 hours with its stock charger. Needless to point out, the G5+ wins this battery round.
Winner- G5+
Final round: Pricing and Availability
The base variant of the Redmi Note 4 is priced at Rs 9999 while the top variant is Rs 12999. The Moto G5 is an expensive affair with its base variant priced at Rs 14999 and the top variant at Rs 16999. But before we declare a winner based on value for money, Redmi Note 4 suffers from “availability” injury. It is very difficult to get a Note 4 in the flash sale. G5+ base variant is out of stock from day 1, so it sure does have availability injury as well. But if you are willing to shell a bit more, the 4/32 GB variant is always available. Let us call it a draw in this round.
Winner- Draw
Final Verdict
In 7 round, the G5+ scores thrice and RN4 scores thrice and one draw. We need to pick a winner. The Redmi Note 4 comes out to be a great mobile due to its brilliant display, better hardware specs, killer pricing and cool MIUI. It sure does have a decent design, camera and beefy battery. In all these rounds, where it lost to the G5+, the result was marginal. Availability being its only achilles heel, the Redmi Note 4 is a clear winner by judge’s choice.
