Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 vs Lenovo A7000: Battle of the Chinese budget flagships

Chinese smartphone brand Xiaomi's latest offering, the Redmi Note 2, is aimed at that segment of the market that looks for greater value for money. Following the pre-launch hype, an estimated 80,000 units were reportedly sold during the first online sale held in China. The trend is said to be continuing even a month after the Redmi Note 2 first opened for sales.

The handset faces stiff competition from similarly specced flagship devices, and notable among these is the Lenovo A 7000, another Chinese smartphone brand.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 vs Lenovo A7000

Display

The Redmi Note 2 features a 5.5in full HD 1080x1920 display along with 401 pixels per inch (ppi) density. The screen size is similar to the Lenovo A7000 that also features an identical 5.5in display, albeit with lower resolutions of 720 x 1280 pixels and 267 ppi pixel density. Both the smartphones support multitouch and 16 million colours.

Hardware

The Redmi Note 2 is driven by two octa-core Cortex-A53 CPUs clocked at 2.0GHz and 2.2GHz respectively based on internal storage variants, enclosed within a MediaTek MT6795 SoC with 2GB RAM onboard. In contrast, Lenovo's A7000 incorporates a 1.5GHz octa-core Cortex-A53 CPU within a MediaTek MT6752 SoC. Under the hood, the phone also features 2GB RAM. Unlike the Redmi Note 2, the Lenovo A7000 does not allow buyers to choose from multiple internal storage variants as it comes only in the 8GB edition.

Memory

The Redmi Note 2 is classified on its internal storage that consists of 16GB and 32GB variants each featuring a 2GB RAM. The 16GB edition is driven by a 2GHz CPU, while the 32GB edition features a 2.2 GHz processor. Only the Chinese variant of the Redmi Note 2 features a MicroSD card slot for expansion of internal storage (16GB by default in this version) expandable up to 32GB. In contrast, Lenovo's A7000 comes in only the 8GB internal storage variant that is expandable up to 32GB with an external MicroSD card. The smartphone incorporates a 2GB RAM.

Camera

The Redmi Note 2 features a 13MP rear camera featuring an LED flash. Users can capture 1080p videos at 30 frames per second (fps). Other camera features include autofocus, geo-tagging and smile detection. The device also comes with a 5MP front camera catering to the selfie-generation. On the other hand, the Lenovo A7000 features an 8MP rear camera with dual-LED flash and a 5MP front camera.

Battery

The Redmi Note 2 incorporates a 3,060 mAh lithium-polymer battery that is claimed to offer a talktime of up to 12 hours on 3G networks. Lenovo's A7000 features a 2,900 mAh lithium-polymer battery.

Software

Despite being a recent release, the Redmi Note 2 runs on the older Android 5.0 (Lollipop) operating platform out of the box with the more recent MIUI 7 user interface on top. The A7000 also runs on the Android 5.0 (Lollipop) operating platform. Lenovo Vibe runs on top of Android Lollipop. For connectivity, users of both handsets get LTE, HSPA, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 2.0 and microUSB.

Release date, price and availability

The Redmi Note 2 is currently available only in China (via online flash sales) for CN¥799 (£79, $125). In other countries, prospective buyers would need to depend on multiple third-party e-tailers. Unlike the newer Redmi Note, Lenovo's A7000 is available for purchase via official channels. The phone has an average price tag of £99 ($152).