While Huawei has been leading the way when it comes to Chinese smartphones, Xiaomi has risen to the top and it has done so very fast, coming in with quite commendable handsets, both in the high-end and mid-range market, markets that Samsung has been enjoying unrivaled dominance in the past few years.
Just this year, Xiaomi has unveiled several eye-catching devices, among them the Redmi Note 3. This device was unveiled this November and a glimpse at it will tell you that this OEM is really in the game. Nonetheless, despite the phone coming in with quite a number of amazing specs and features, the Samsung brand name that comes with the Galaxy Grand Prime is significant enough to stifle efforts by Xiaomi to break into the mid-range market.
The question is are the buyers still stuck with brand names when it comes to buying smartphones or do they go for the features and specs of the devices? Well, let's find out more in this comparison of Samsung's Galaxy Grand Prime and Xiaomi's Redmi Note 3.
Design specificationsSamsung changed the entire design of the newest flagships Galaxy S6 series and Galaxy Note 5, dropping the plastic design of the Galaxy S5 and instead replacing it with an all-metal design. However, this build is only meant for the flagship devices and since the Galaxy Grand Prime is a mid-level device, the phone comes with a plastic design with measurements of 144.8 by 72.10 by 8.6 mm, weighing 156 grams. The Grand Prime has a display size of 5 inches and a modest resolution of 540 by 960 pixels.
On the other hand, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 comes with a screen size of 5.5 inches that manages a decent screen resolution of 1080 by 1920 pixels. As far as the measurements are concerned, the Redmi Note 3 is definitely larger than the Grand Prime with its dimensions of 150 by 76 by 8.65 mm. In addition, this device has a slightly heavier body than its counterpart, weighing an approximate of 164 grams.
Performance specsWhen it comes to performance, you will love what you find on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 smartphone more than what the Grand Prime brings to the fold, but both devices are worth the buy. The former comes with an octa-core Mediatek MT6795 Helio X10 processor that is clocked at a speed of 2.0GHz and is supported by a RAM of 2GB and 3GB on other variants. Inside the phone you will further find an internal storage of 16GB on the base model and 32GB on the version with 3GB RAM, but unfortunately, this is just what you get with this phone as it has no expandable memory slot.
When it comes to photography, the Redmi Note 3 features a 13MP snapper on the rear and a capable 5MP snapper on the front. The phone was launched this November 2015 and it came with Android 5.1 Lollipop out of the box.
All these will be powered by a massive 4,000mAh non-removable battery unit.
When you come to the Galaxy Grand Prime, there is a rather older quad-core Qualcomm-based Snapdragon 410 chipset that is clocked at 1.2GHz and has a RAM of 1GB. The Grand Prime's performance specs get even worse as compared to the Redmi Note 3 when the internal storage is put into consideration.
Samsung only installed onboard storage of 8GB on the Prime, but unlike the Note 3, this device features an expandable memory of up to 32GB using a microSD card. Photography matters also leave the Grand Prime trailing the Redmi Note 3 as the former brings in a rear snapper of 8MP and a front-facing camera of 5MP.
ConnectivitySamsung Galaxy Grand Prime comes with dual SIM support where you can insert to SIM cards in the phone. Connectivity options include Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi, FM as well as 3G. There is no support for 4G connections, which is a clear indicator that this phone is meant for the developing world where internet infrastructure is still wanting. Nonetheless, you will still find sensors such as Proximity, Accelerometer and Ambient light sensor.
On the other hand, Xiaomi's model also accepts two SIM cards, but it has better connectivity options that add 4G to what the Grand Prime already offers. As far as sensors are concerned, the Redmi Note 3 comes with Proximity sensor, Gyroscope, Ambient light sensor as well as Accelerometer.
PricingWhen it comes to pricing of the two phones, you will be shocked to find that despite the fact that Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is more spec-packed than Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime; the former is cheaper than the latter.
Even though there is no word on whether this phone will be available in the U.S., the phone is currently valued at $179.99 for the base model and $209.99 for the top-end model on GeekBuying. On the other hand, the Grand Prime comes in at a price of $229.99.