In the past one month, the global market has seen the launch of three cutting edge Chinese smartphones. The OnePlus was launched in June, followed by the Xiaomi Mi4 in mid-July. The final launch has been a much anticipated launch of the InFocus M810. This neck to neck competition of the three phones is set to give Smartphone companies a run for their money. With Blackberry a little under the weather for almost three years now, the iPhone way overpriced for the developing markets and middle income spenders, these Chinese brands are sure to take the market by storm. These three phones will also largely eat into the global position of a dwindling Samsung market share. So just in case you are out there shopping for a device to match your gizmo thirst, it would be good to know what to expect from these three movers and shakers. All the features are pretty awesome and will remain relevant for a couple of years.
Display
The Xiaomi Mi4 has a 5 inch display with a staggering 1920 x 1080 resolution. Better than this is the 5.5 Inch FHD 1920 x 1080 screen display from the InFocus M810. OnePlus on the other hand has a larger display of 5.5 inches, and with the same resolution. The pixel count in the InFocus M810 and the OnePlus is definitely lower but for may be worth a gamble depending on the things you use your smartphone for. The Mi4 wins here if you are the busy business guy with only need for compact quality. If however you are the movie guy or ardent gamer, a better screen will do for you. It is all a matter of choice I must say.
Performance
Geeky buyers and a lot of time ordinary heavy users of phones may need to analyze the specifications of each of these top brands to see which one will match their needs. I must be quick to point out though that they all kind of cut in, but let the details do the judging. The Xiaomi Mi4 and the OnePlus both have an apt 2.5Ghz snapdragon 801 processor. This is a quad core and one of the best available at the moment for any smartphone. Interestingly the RAM stands at 3Gb for both phones again, with the ROM ranging from 16Gb to 64Gb. Clearly, there is no much difference when it comes to performance. Both are equal against each other. The story of the InFocus is slightly different though. It comes with a Qualcom S810 processor and a 2.5Ghz processor. The processor is clearly inferior to the snapdragon, but is really good for stability. The InFocus has 2Gb Ram and a fixed 16Gb ROM. The manufacturers however make up for this with a memory card slot for up to 64Gb expansion, depending with the users’ needs. I would say, this is kind of flexible and it leaves you to spend money for the ROM when only you need it. My verdict based on the performance will clearly put OnePlus and Xiaomi ahead but then again, this is all a matter of budget and personal preference.
Camera
The camera feature is one of the most used features of a smartphone device, so it may be necessary to have a look at what the trio have to offer. The OnePlus definitely wins here. All the three devices have a 13Mp main camera at the rear, so that is some sort of an equalizer. However, the Mi4 and the InFocus both have only 5Mp on the front. The OnePlus has 8Mp, so it wins here. If you are skype person, always on the go for business and would love to attend live streamed virtual meetings, then go for the OnePlus. All these models come with some beautiful iCatch image processing engines to help you do basic image manipulation on the go. They also support several modes of shooting including; panorama, night mode and HDR. Don’t forget you can record 1080p HD videos anywhere, so feel free if you are a camera addict. These devices have got you covered!
Battery
There is no much difference on the OnePlus and the Mi4 here. The Mi4 has a 3080mAh while the OnePlus remains 3100mAh. Clearly this is a small difference, but in tech terms, this is enough to let you get one and not the other. The InFocus M810 is a huge disappointment though. It only has 2600mAh of battery capacity. This is a big deal since you need your power bank if you are travelling, or risk being off. The more awful thing though is that the battery is not detachable. It means that you cannot buy extra batteries and store them up. If the battery crashes, your phone is toast too. Now that’s a bad thing. My verdict here is if you are an outdoor person always in the field, just avoid the InFocus altogether. Thank me later.
Operating systems
All the three phones run Android. However, the InFocus uses Android Kitkat 4.4.2 with inlife UI for the interface while the Mi4 use the MIUI V5. The OnePlus on the other hand has CynogenMod 11S. All of these platforms give an equal amount of user satisfaction, and can be upgraded or changed. The InFocus though has an interesting feature. It comes with an inbuilt option for senior citizens. If you are buying a smartphone gift for the aged, and you are shopping for a version that is simpler to use, the InFocus has got you totally covered. Android is a dynamic OS with thousands and thousands of Apps. This makes the OS debate among the three phones lose the essence since all of them are more or less equal. The only thing that will sway buyers in this factor is the blend of the OS. Some people will love KitKat while others really want cutting edge fresh versions. The choice is hard to make though.
Overall
If asked to choose between the three, it may be hard to go for one or the other. However, the price can be a huge decider. With the Mi4 going for $322 in majority of the stores, the InFocus for just $333 and the OnePlus going for $299, the choices begin to get apparent. I would go for the OnePlus purely on price. The InFocus is slightly overpriced though it does have a good value for price ratio. Apart from its 6.9mm thick frame, and the loved 3.5mm ear jack it supports GSM, CDMA and WCDMA among many networks. Despite consumers who may want to ride on the unique features of the InFocus, the rest will have a better choice in Mi4 and OnePlus. Mi4’s price is $322 so with no apparent huge advantage over the OnePlus, I would go for the OnePlus in my verdict.
