Despite the U.S. ban and the lower amount of sales this year, ZTE does not give up. Next year it will unite all of its brands (ZTE, Nubia, and Red Magic), and a few days ago it released a new upper-midrange phone: the Blade 20 Pro 5G. The handset is offered at a very interesting price and, as its name suggests, it carries the support to 5G connectivity. In order to establish if it is among the best 5G alternatives of the moment for those who have a low budget, we decided to compare it to the Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G and the Motorola Moto G 5G Plus.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G vs ZTE Blade 20 Pro 5G vs Motorola Moto G 5G Plus
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G | ZTE Blade 20 Pro 5G | Motorola Moto G 5G Plus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT | 165.4 x 76.8 x 9 mm, 215 g | 159.2 x 73.4 x 7.9 mm, 168 grams | 168 x 74 x 9 mm, 207 grams |
| DISPLAY | 6.67 inches, 1080 x 2400p (Full HD+), IPS LCD | 6.47 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), 398 ppi, 19.5:9 ratio, AMOLED | 6.7 inches, 1080 x 2520p (Full HD+), 409 ppi, 21:9 ratio, LCD |
| PROCESSOR | Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G, octa-core 2.2 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, octa-core 2.4 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 765, octa-core 2.3 GHz |
| MEMORY | 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB – micro SD slot | 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – micro SD slot | 4 GB RAM, 64 GB – 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – micro SD slot |
| SOFTWARE | Android 10, MIUI | Android 10, MiFavor | Android 10 |
| CONNECTIVITY | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS |
| CAMERA | Quad 108 + 8 + 2 + 2 MP, f/1.8 + f/2.2 + f/2.4 + f/2.4 16 MP front camera |
Quad 64 + 8 MP + 2 + 2 MP f/1.9, f/2.2, f/2.4 and f/2.4 20 MP f/2.0 front camera |
Quad 48 + 8 + 5 + 2 MP f/1.7, f/2.2, f/2.4 and f/2.2 Dual 16 + 8 MP f/2.0 and f/2.2 front camera |
| BATTERY | 4820 mAh, fast charging 33W | 4000 mAh Fast charging 18W |
5000 mAh, Fast charging 20W |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | Dual SIM slot, 5G | Dual SIM slot, 5G | Dual SIM slot, 5G |
Design
A great affordable phone in terms of design is the Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G. It is not the most compact phone of the trio, but it has a glass back protected by Gorilla Glass 5, so you actually get a better build quality. Further, it is one of the few budget phones with the IP53 certification which guarantees dust resistance and protection against splashes, besides a water-repellent coating. The Motorola Moto G 5G Plus is water-repellent too, but unfortunately, it does not offer premium materials. But the ZTE Blade 20 Pro 5G is my favorite one because of its curved display, compact body, thin and lightweight design.
Display
If you want the best image quality, go for the ZTE Blade 20 Pro 5G without thinking twice. Unfortunately, it does not have a high refresh rate, but it is the only one offering an AMOLED panel. This curved display has very good colors and high visibility. Further, it has an in-display fingerprint scanner. If we exclude the ZTE Blade 20 Pro 5G, the best one is the Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G providing a high 120 Hz refresh rate and the HDR10 certification. The Moto G 5G Plus has a 90 Hz IPS display with HDR10, still a good alternative. An important thing to consider is the fact that Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G has stereo speakers and provides a better audio experience.
Hardware/Software
The ZTE Blade 20 Pro 5G has the most powerful SoC: we are talking about the Snapdragon 765G running at a 2.4 GHz frequency and paired with 8 GB of RAM. Right after, we got the Motorola Moto G 5G Plus with the vanilla Snapdragon 765: it is almost identical to the Snapdragon 765G, but the GPU is weaker (the G stands for gaming). The Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G is slightly inferior as it sports a Snapdragon 750G chipset, but it has a great UFS 2.2 internal storage which can actually be faster than UFS 2.1 found on its two rivals. The whole trio of phones is based on Android 10.
Camera
The most advanced camera phone here is the Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G because it sports a better main camera. We are referring to a 108 MP main sensor with an f/1.8 aperture providing a better photo quality. The Moto G 5G Plus offers better front cameras: you get a dual snapper with a 16 MP main camera and an additional 8 MP ultrawide sensor. The ZTE Blade 20 Pro 5G has better rear cameras than Motorola Moto G 5G Plus, but it is inferior if compared to the Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G.
Battery
The longest battery life is offered by the Motorola Moto G 5G Plus because it has a bigger 5000 mAh battery. But the Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G is still an awesome battery phone since it sports a 4820 mAh battery. Further, it charges faster thanks to its 33W power. Unfortunately, you get just 4000 mAh and an average battery life with the ZTE Blade 20 Pro 5G: it is not the best option for you if you are looking for a battery phone.
Price
ZTE still did not reveal the price and the availability of the Blade 20 Pro 5G. Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G hitten the shelves in China with a €163/$197 starting price, while you can actually find the Motorola Moto G 5G Plus globally for less than €250/$300. If it was not for the smaller battery, the ZTE Blade 20 Pro 5G would be a superior phone from almost every point of view. It has a better display and superior hardware, while the Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G offers better cameras. The Motorola Moto G 5G Plus packs a bigger battery, but there is no reason to go for it instead of choosing the Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G if the prices are similar.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G vs ZTE Blade 20 Pro 5G vs Motorola Moto G 5G Plus: PRO and CONS
Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G
PROS
- 120 Hz refresh rate
- Wide display
- Glass back
- Great camera
- IR blaster
- Stereo speakers
CONS
- Dimensions
Motorola Moto G 5G Plus
PROS
- 21:9 display
- Bigger battery
- Water-repellent
- Ultrawide front camera
CONS
- Inferior display
ZTE Blade 20 Pro 5G
PROS
- Great hardware
- AMOLED display
- Sleek design
- Thin and lightweight
CONS
- Smaller battery
