Xiaomi Mi A1 Vs Moto G5S Plus Vs Lenovo K8 Note Vs Coolpad Cool Play 6 – Battle Of The Dual Cameras

With the launch of Xiaomi Mi A1, it has started a new war among the mid-range flagships. Xiaomi Mi A1 is a toned-up version of Mi 5X with stock Android UI. The handset has been developed in collaboration with Google under Android One Initiative and has been specially optimised for Google services.

It comes with a number of top-of-the-line features, which includes the flagship dual rear camera setup. If you are planning to get the  Xiaomi Mi A1, or you simply want to know the best mid-range flagship in India right now, this comparison is perfect for you.

It’s a four-way rumble between the Xiaomi Mi A1, Moto G5S Plus, Lenovo K8 Note and Coolpad Cool Play 6. All these for smartphones carry a dual camera setup and, more importantly, are priced almost identically.

Read on to find out the best smartphone to suit your usage requirements.

1. Design and Display

Xiaomi Mi A1 – Full Metal body with 5.5” full HD display

Moto G5S Plus – Full Metal body with 5.5” full HD display

Lenovo K8 Note – Full Metal body with 5.5” full HD display

Coolpad Cool Play 6 – Full Metal body with 5.5” full HD display

Winner – All four feature the same size display with a similar body type. Going by ergonomics, the Mi A1 has a slight edge over the others because of its sleek design.

2. Hardware

Xiaomi Mi A1 – Snapdragon 625 64-bit octa-core processor clocked at 2GHz + 4GB of RAM

Moto G5S Plus – Snapdragon 625 64-bit octa-core processor clocked at 2GHz + 4GB of RAM

Lenovo K8 Note – MediaTek Helio X23 deca-core chipset (four Cortex A53 cores clocked at 1.4GHz, four Cortex A53 cores clocked at 1.8GHz and two Cortex A72 cores clocked at 2.3GHz) + 3GB or 4GB of RAM

Coolpad Cool Play 6 – Qualcomm MSM 8976 Pro Snapdragon 653 octa-core processor + 6GB of RAM

Winner – The Xiaomi Mi A1 and G5S Plus hold an edge over K8 Note and Cool Play 6, as Snapdragon 625 is more stable, efficient and performs better. But the Cool Play 6 with more RAM helps to multitask better.

3. Software

Xiaomi Mi A1 – Android 7.1.1 Nougat with stock Android UI

Moto G5S Plus – Android 7.1.1 Nougat with stock Android UI

Lenovo K8 Note – Android 7.1.1 Nougat with Stock Android UI

Coolpad Cool Play 6 – Journey UI 1.0 based on Android 7.0 Nougat

Winner – Mi A1, G5S Plus and K8 Note all offer stock Android without overlay on top, which means faster, more efficient performance and timely updates.

4. Storage

Xiaomi Mi A1 – 64GB of on-board storage. Can be expanded upto 128GB

Moto G5S Plus – 64GB of on-board storage. Can be expanded upto 128GB

Lenovo K8 Note – 32 GB or 64GB of on-board storage. Can be expanded upto 128GB

Coolpad Cool Play 6 – 64 GB storage. No cannot be expanded)

Winner – Mi A1 has a hybrid SIM slot and Cool Play 6’s storage cannot be expanded. Both G5S Plus and K8 Note have a dedicated Micro SD card slot, which gives both of them an edge over the other two.

5. Camera

Xiaomi Mi A1 – 12 megapixel wide angle lens + 12 megapixel telephoto lens with 5MP front camera

Moto G5S Plus – Two 13.0-megapixel cameras with an f/2.0 aperture and 8MP front camera

Lenovo K8 Note – 13MP+5MP lens with dual LED flash and f/1.7 aperture, and sports a 13MP camera up front

Coolpad Cool Play 6 – Dual 13.0-megapixels (6P lens) with f/2.0 aperture and sports a 8MP shooter up front

Winner – Moto G5S Plus has the highest megapixels setup at the rear camera. It would be a tie between Cool Play 6 and Mi A1 for the second spot. For selfies, the K8 Note has the upper hand, megapixels-wise.

6. Battery

Xiaomi Mi A1 – 3080mAh, Non-removable Li-Ion Battery.

Moto G5S Plus – 3000mAh, Non-removable Li-Ion Battery.

Lenovo K8 Note – 4000mAh, Non-removable Li-Po Battery.

Coolpad Cool Play 6 – 4060 mAh, Non-removable Li-Ion Battery.

Winner – K8 Note and Cool Play 6 have a clear edge over Mi A1 and Moto G5S Plus when it comes to battery backup. All the phones can easily last for a working day with no issue. G5S Plus and K8 Note come with Turbo and Rapid chargers respectively.

7. Price

Xiaomi Mi A1 – Rs. 14,999/-. Available on Flipkart and Mi.com from 12th September 2017.

Moto G5S Plus – Rs. 15,999/-. Available on Amazon.

Lenovo K8 Note – Rs.12,999/- (3GB + 32GB); Rs. 13,999/- (4GB + 64GB). Available on Amazon.

Coolpad Cool Play 6 – Rs. 14,999/-. Available on Amazon.

Winner – All of them are very close when it comes to pricing, and each offers some great specs at their respective price points. If pricing is the only concern, K8 Note is the most affordable one here. But, all the remaining three – G5S Plus, Mi A1 and Cool Play 6 will give excellent value-for-money.

Detailed Comparison

	Lenovo K8 Note	Xiaomi Mi A1	Moto G5S Plus	Coolpad Cool Play 6
Display	5.5 inch full HD (1080p)	5.5 inch full HD (1080p)	5.5 inch full HD (1080p)	5.5 inch full HD (1080p)
Processor	MediaTek Helio X23 deca-core	64 bit octa-core Snapdragon 625	64 bit octa-core Snapdragon 625	Qualcomm octa-core Snapdragon 653
RAM	3GB; 4GB	4GB	4GB	6GB
Storage	32GG; 64GB. Can be expanded upto 128GB.	64GB. Can be expanded upto 128GB.	64GB. Can be expanded upto 128GB.	64GB. Cannot be expanded.
Rear Camera	13MP+5MP with dual LED flash	12MP Wide Angle Lens + 12MP Telephoto Lens	Dual 13MP cameras with f/2.0 Aperture	Dual 13MP cameras with f/2.0 Aperture (6P Lens)
Front Camera	13 megapixel	5 megapixel	8 megapixel	8 megapixel
Battery	4000 mAh	3080 mAh	3000 mAh	4060 mAh
Connectivity	Dual SIM, 4G LTE with VoLTE	Dual SIM, 4G LTE with VoLTE	Dual SIM, 4G LTE with VoLTE	Dual SIM, 4G LTE with VoLTE
OS	Android 7.1.1 Nougat based stock Android UI	Android 7.1.1 Nougat based stock Android UI	Android 7.1.1 Nougat based stock Android UI	Journey UI 1.0 based on Android 7.0 Nougat
Price	Rs. 12,999/- Rs. 13,999/-	Rs. 14,999/-	Rs. 15,999/-	Rs. 14,999/-

Verdict

Both Xiaomi Mi A1 and Moto G5S Plus end up very close, with Coolpad Cool Play 6 just a few points below. Lenovo K8 Note lags behind. As, both Mi A1 and G5S Plus offer near stock Android with almost zero customisations, it gives it clear edge over Cool Play 6. Plus, you can expect a good number of version updates from both Mi A1 and G5S Plus (probably Oreo 8.0 update will roll out in a month or two).

Overall, it is very close choice between Xiaomi Mi A1 and Moto G5S Plus. It all comes down to your personal choices and your usage.