Mi A3 vs Realme 5 In-Depth Comparison: Triple Camera vs Quad Camera, Who’s The New Budget King?

Xiaomi and Realme locked horns again  and, both have two new smartphones available to cater to the budget audience. The third generation Mi A3 has been unveiled today in the country, and it comes with a 48MP powered triple camera system, while the just launched Realme 5 is the most affordable quad camera smartphone in the world.

Both the handsets come with HD+ displays, same processor and good imaging capabilities.

So, should you be buying the new Mi A3, or go for the new Realme 5?

Mi A3 has its own set of positives and negatives, while the budget Realme 5 has a lot of good to be discussed. The Android One interface definitely makes a big difference, while the only-HD+ display and higher price could be a deal breaker for many. Mi A3 complete glass body, a new processor, larger battery and triple camera system.

Here’s an in-depth comparison between Realme 5 and Mi A3.

Build Quality: Glass vs Polycarbonate

On Mi A3 you will get a complete glass body covered by Corning Gorilla Glass 5, 3D rated. Unlike the current Redmi glass body smartphones, the Mi A3 feels very premium and the 3D glass curves make it easy to hold all throughout including the curves. The compact screen size makes it perfect to be used with a single hand, and the higher screen to body ratio makes sure you can consume content without any issues.

Coming to design, the smartphone features an all new colour combinations on the out with gradient finish. The rim between the glass is made up of plastic, but that doesn’t make much of a difference. Xiaomi Mi A3 will be available in three colour variants: White, Blue and Grey.

Realme 5 made up of high quality polycarbonate. There’s no glass, but the company has used a new design this time called ‘Crystal design’ with 3D curved glossy plastic rear panels.

Also, the diamond-cut design is back, and this time with a new triangular pattern. A slight upgrade over the older Realme devices, the Realme 5 smartphones are a bit different. There’s a new plus, the Realme 5 is splash-resistant. It will come in two new colour options: Crystal Blue and Crystal Purple with gradient hues.

In-Display Fingerprint Sensor vs Physical Fingerprint Sensor

While leaving the argument apart whether the physical fingerprint sensor does a better job or the in-display fingerprint sensor is necessary or not, Mi A3 comes with an in-display fingerprint sensor under the screen glass. It’s a premium feature, leaving the convenience part apart.

It’s going to be Xioami’s only budget smartphone in the country to feature an in-display fingerprint sensor.

It’s quite fast, and with the AMOLED panel, you have to option to have an always-on screen, so that you can unlock your smartphone without tapping.

While Realme 5 comes with the same rear-mounted fingerprint sensor as it’s predecessor. For many, the physical fingerprint sensor is still a better choice. Leaving this feature comparison to you, whichever you like, it’s a winner for you at the budget. Both the smartphones won’t disappoint you.

HD+ LCD vs HD+ AMOLED Display: What To Choose?

This could be a big deal breaker for many, but honestly, it’s really hard to notice the difference. The company surisplingly used a HD+ only display for Mi A3, but it’s an AMOLED panel. If you look really really close, you may see the difference between a Full HD panel, but for day to day use, that doesn’t make much of a difference.

The screen size does offer a higher screen to body ratio with a thin chin down under.

Mi A3 comes with a circular notched display in an 19.5:9 aspect ratio measuring 6.08-inch. The HD+ AMOLED offers 530 nits of brightness. The broad daylight visibility is more than okay and viewing angles are absolutely fine.

Realme 5 has a 6.5-inch HD+ Mini-drop display with Gorilla Glass 3 protection. The curved, droplet notch is smaller this time (30 percent) with Realme 5 devices. It has turned flatter compared to past dewdrop displays on Realme smartphones.

Both the displays are fine, but the AMOLED offers the best of darks and an in-display fingerprint sensor.

Hardware & Performance: Same Chip Powering Both 

Both Mi A3 and Realme 5 will come with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 665. The chip stands between Snapdragon 660 and Snapdragon 675. While it does have a bit more to offer than its predecessor, the new chip comes with added artificial intelligence capabilities.

With Android One to take up the power, the Snapdragon 665 offers some great performance in terms of mid-end games and extensive multitasking.

Realme 5 with ColorOS 6 can also offer everything you would want on a budget smartphone in terms of daily usage, both will pass with ease.

Mi A3 will come with upto 6GB of RAM, with storage options to choose from. Realme 5 will also have multiple options to choose from with upto 4GB of RAM 

In case of Mi A3, there’s two options to choose from, a base model with 64GB storage with 4GB RAM, and a higher-end model with 128GB of storage and 6GB RAM. This time, you can add up to the overall storage. There’s an additional micro SD memory card slot to add up expandable storage.

Again, there’s no extra space for a memory card, it’s a hybrid slot.

Realme 5 has three models. The base model comes with 3GB of RAM and 32GB storage, while the other two with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, and finally the 4GB RAM and 128GB version. Unlike Mi A3, you will get a dedicated slot for an additional micro SD memory card slot to add up expandable storage. 

Software: Android One vs ColorOS

The biggest USP of Mi A3 is its seamless software. It’s an Android One smartphone running on Android 9.0 Pie with guaranteed Android Q upgrade.

Google will be offering guaranteed upgrades for the next two years since launch. Pure Android offers a clean operating system layer without any additional customizations.

Also, the Mi A3 has no ads, a big plus for any Xiaomi user.

The company hasn’t officially confirmed that Mi A3 won’t come with ads, but we didn’t have any ads on our unit. Even the other reviewers also haven’t yet found any ads on any Mi A3 unit in the country.

Realme 5 runs on Android 9 Pie powered ColorOS 6 on Geekbench. Realme is working on its own custom user interface, which will be made available to users by the end of this year. ColorOS is loaded with customisations and tweaks, so Mi A3 would obviously be a better choice with a clean UI onboard.

Cameras: Triple Camera vs Quad Camera, Who Got It Better?

Mi A3 comes with a three camera system featuring a 48-megapixel main Sony IMX 586 sensor with a focal length of f / 1.79, coupled, a secondary an 8-megapixel wide-angle sensor and finally a third 2-megapixel wide-angle lens. It’s the same 48MP sensor as Redmi Note 7 Pro with the depth sensor. 

Here you get an additional wide-angle lens, which again is handy at times, but the 2MP sensor lacks details.

Realme 5 will come with a quad-camera setup. Realme 5 has a 12MP primary sensor and three additional sensors: an 8-megapixel 119-degree ultra wide-angle camera, 2-megapixel macro lens and 2-megapixel depth sensor.

The four camera setup has multiple sensors for multiple purposes.

Inside the water drop notch on Mi A3, the company has used a 32-megapixel with an f / 2.0 aperture.

Both the smartphones do a great job when it comes to daylight photography. 

The photos taken by Mi A3 in artificial lighting also did above average, and it can capture some cool portraits. The AI capability help the smartphone to join four pixels to form larger ones of 1.6 microns and offer a great low light performance.

The HDR works fine on Realme 5, and the 8MP ultra-wide lens work great. It loses out on details in low-light, but does a good job overall. The boosted colours remain a problem for Realme smartphones, but they are working on the image processing to provide more natural colours.

The macro lens and portrait sensor does their job decently. Mi A3 has no such 4cm macro lens. It’s a 2MP sensor on Realme 5, but it does capture the right depth of field.

Realme 5 certainly has edge here in terms of photography. If you would love to experiment with some professional-level mobile photography, the new Realme phone should be your key driver. No need to spend a bomb on premium smartphones.

Battery: The Mammoth 5000mAh Challenge

Unlike the previous two Mi A smartphone, finally the third Mi A device will come with a much bigger battery. Also, the previous generation A smartphones maintained the legacy of the new-age Type C ports, and Mi A3 carries the same. Mi A3 comes with a Type C USB connector supporting up to 18 watts fast charging.
Inside the box you get the standard 10W charger, so you need to buy the fast charger separately.

Coming to the battery, it’s a large 4,000+ mAh unit, an upgrade over the 3,000mAh batteries from Mi A1 and Mi A2. The battery capacity has been increased to 4030 mAh, and it can easily run up to two days on a single charge on moderate usage.

The use of a HD+ has helped to increase the battery life, while the new Snapdragon 665 has made the device more efficient. Finally, with Android One on top, the smartphone will be able to perform well offering a good backup throughout.

Realme 5 packs a large 5,000mAh battery, a first for any Realme phone. This massive capacity has been specifically optimised with hardware and software to allow the Realme 5 to last for the longest period possible on a single charge.

Pricing: Can Mi A3 Take On Realme 5 At Rs 12,999?

Xiaomi Mi A3 is available in two storage variant: 4GB RAM with 64GB storage has been priced at Rs 12,999 and the top-model comes with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. It is priced at Rs 15,999.

The smartphone will be available for purchase via Amazon India starting 23 August.

Realme’s new Realme 5 series is going to be a big threat. While Realme 5 will be powered by the same chip Mi A3, Realme 5 Pro has all it better to take on Mi A3 upfront. 

Most importantly, the company has used a HD+ only display on top with just a slightly improved processor, and it costs Rs 12,999.

The Realme 5 4GB/64GB model matches with the base model of Mi A3 with similar storage and RAM, and they cost 2,000 apart.

Realme 5 does a good job at its price, but you will miss out on 48MP sensor, glass body, clean stock UI, an AMOLED panel and an in-display fingerprint sensor.