The new Galaxy A 2020 series by Samsung was officially announced a few days ago and it currently includes two devices: Samsung Galaxy A51 and A71. We already published a specs comparison regarding the Galaxy A71, so now it is time for its affordable sibling. Just like most of our comparisons, we chose the devices we believe to be the most competitive sold in the same price range. For this comparison, we decided to pick the Realme 5 Pro and the Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite. Both are devices offering high performance at very interesting prices: will the Galaxy A51 be able to compete with them? Let’s discover it together.
Samsung Galaxy A51 vs Realme 5 Pro vs Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite
| Samsung Galaxy A51 | Oppo Realme 5 Pro | Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT | 158.5 x 73.6 x 7.9 mm, 172 grams | 157 x 74.2 x 8.9 mm, 184 grams | 156.8 x 74.5 x 8.7 mm, 179 grams |
| DISPLAY | 6.5 inches, 1080 x 2400p (Full HD+), 405 ppi, Super AMOLED | 6.3 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), 409 ppi, IPS LCD | 6.39 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), 403 ppi, Super AMOLED |
| PROCESSOR | Samsung Exynos 9611, octa-core 2.3 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 712, octa-core 2.2 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 710, octa-core 2.2 GHz |
| MEMORY | 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – micro SD dedicated slot | 4 GB RAM, 64 GB – 6 GB RAM, 64 GB – 4 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – micro SD dedicated slot | 6 GB RAM, 64 GB – 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – micro SD slot |
| SOFTWARE | Android 10, One UI | Android 9 Pie, ColorOS | Android 9 Pie, MIUI |
| CONNECTIVITY | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5, GPS |
| CAMERA | Quad 48 + 12 + 5 + 5 MP f/2.0, f/2.2, f/2.4 and f/2.2 32 MP f/2.2 front camera |
Quad 48 + 8 + 2 +2 MP f/1.8, f/2.2, f/2.4 and f/2.4 16 MP f/2.0 front camera |
Triple 48 + 8 + 2 + 2 MP f/1.8 32 MP f/2.0 front camera |
| BATTERY | 4000 mAh, fast charging 15W | 4035 mAh, fast charging 20W with VOOC 3.0 | 4030 mAh, fast charging 18W |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | Dual SIM slot | Dual SIM slot | Hybrid Dual SIM slot |
Design
In order to make their budget phones very affordable, both Samsung and Realme decided to make the Galaxy A51 and the Realme 5 Pro with a cheap plastic body. Despite coming with cheap materials, keep in mind that Realme 5 Pro is splash resistant. But the device offering the best design and build quality is the Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite, also known as the Xiaomi Mi CC9 in China. Unlike most of the budget phones, it comes with both a glass back and an aluminum frame for a premium touch & feel. Further, its rear side shows suggestive light effects depending on the viewing angle.
Display
Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite is superior even if we talk about the display quality. It is the only HDR-compliant device from this trio, which means it provides a richer image quality. Further, it has a higher peak brightness with up to 600 nits. It is also an AMOLED panel. The silver medal goes to the Samsung Galaxy A51 equipped with a Super AMOLED display, while Realme 5 Pro loses the comparison as it comes with a classic IPS panel, but it is not disappointing thanks to its Full HD+ resolution.
Specs & Software
In a lot of regions, if you want the most affordable smartphone with the highest performance, you have to choose the Realme 5 Pro. The mid-ranger from Oppo’s sub-brand is available for less than €200 and it offers an amazing Snapdragon 712 chipset, which is an upgraded version of the Snapdragon 710 found on the Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite. The Mi 9 Lite offers a fast UFS 2.1 internal storage, but Realme 5 Pro has more RAM: up to 8 GB in its most expensive version, while both Samsung Galaxy A51 and Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite stops at 6 GB. Despite it is less impressive in terms of performance, Samsung Galaxy A51 is the only with Android 10 out of the box since it is a more recent handset.
Camera
The differences in photo quality between Samsung Galaxy A51, Realme 5 Pro and Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite are not excessive. Due to its definitely better secondary sensors, I personally prefer the quad rear camera of the Samsung Galaxy A51. It is even great at shooting selfies, but Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite has a better selfie snapper.
Battery
With these three phones, you get more or less the same battery capacity and, given that we still did not test the battery life of the Samsung Galaxy A51, we can not provide you a definitive opinion. Between Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite and Realme 5 Pro, the former offers a slightly longer battery life in most of the scenarios.
Price
Samsung still did not announce the price of the Galaxy A51. You can get the Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite globally for less than €250/$279, while Realme 5 Pro has a €199/$222 global listing price (but street prices are lower). Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite is a more complete device than its rivals due to its better build quality and display, but it costs definitely more than Realme 5 Pro, even though the 5 Pro provides higher performance.
Samsung Galaxy A51 vs Realme 5 Pro vs Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite: PROs and CONS
Samsung Galaxy A51
PROs
- Great rear cameras
- Micro SD dedicated slot
- Good front camera
- Punch-hole display
CONS
- Plastic body
Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite
PROs
- Best design and build quality
- Good selfie camera
- Nice display
- Fast storage
CONS
- Nothing particular
Realme 5 Pro
PROs
- Splash resistant
- Micro SD dedicated slot
- Better performance
- Faster charging
CONS
- Plastic body
