A look at the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 will assure you that there is no need to argue against the fact that this Chinese maker has it when it comes to design. However, with budget buyers looking at more than just design, the likes of Moto G4 Play are getting an even chance in the highly competitive budget smartphone market.
This is in fact catapulted by the fact that Motorola has already made its name when it comes to producing great budget phones with almost premium features. The Moto G4 is this year’s version of the most-loved Moto budget handset, but there are more variants of this phone, including the Moto G4 Play. Unlike its counterparts, the G4 Play is set for a mid-Summer release, which gives us plenty of time to compare against one of the hottest devices in the budget smartphone category – the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3.
Display
As noted, the Moto G4 Play has not been released, but we know all the details about the phone’s specifications and other hardware and software configurations. On the side of the display screen, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 has a larger 5.5-inch unit that delivers a Full HD 1080p resolution. You also get 78-degree viewing angles as well as a special night mode feature. On the other hand, the Moto G4 Play packs a 5-inch HD display screen with a lower resolution of 720p. From the look of things, there is no doubt that the Redmi Note 3 has a better screen quality than the G4 Play.
Processing power, camera, and memory
Although it comes in as a budget phone, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 packs quite impressive specs under the hood. There is an octa-core Snapdragon 650 SoC that is paired with a RAM of 2GB. But this model has 16GB of onboard storage. As for the 32GB variant, you get a RAM of 3GB. These storage units can easily be expanded via a microSD card of up to 128GB.
On the other hand, the Moto G4 Play comes with a quad-core Snapdragon 410 SoC and a RAM of 2GB. You only get 16GB of onboard storage, which can also be expanded via a microSD card of up to 128GB. Camera-wise, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 comes with a 16MP snapper that also features the likes of PDAF, HDR, dual-tone LED flash, f/2.0 aperture as well as dual ISP. The front part has a 5MP selfie sensor that delivers great photography as well as video calling experience.
As for the Moto G4 Play, you will come across an 8MP primary camera with f/2.2 aperture, auto-HDR, LED flash and ability to record 1080p videos. The front part has a 5MP sensor with the same aperture and a display flash.
In terms of software, the yet-to-be-released Moto G4 Play will come powered by the latest Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. On the other hand, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, released in February 2016, still runs on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop and there is no word on whether a Marshmallow update is coming.
Battery life, pricing, and availability
The larger Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 packs a similarly larger battery unit of 4050mAh. According to the Chinese OEM, this can last up to 14 hours with GPS in use. The 5-inch Moto G4 Play is far behind with its 2800mAh battery unit, but Lenovo claims that the unit can last up to 24 hours when used cautiously.
If you think that any of these two handsets – the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 or Moto G4 Play – is your type, the current price is about $150 for the former while the latter is expected to cost around $130, but there is no confirmation on this.