There are two important smartphones in the lower mid-range segment from Xiaomi in China right now, the Redmi Note 5 and the Xiaomi Mi 6X. Despite being from different lineups, their pricing is very similar. This means that if you are out to buy a brand new Xiaomi smartphone under 2000 Yuan (~$315), then you have to decide between these two handsets (there are more options if you look at older discounted models, but we are not going to focus on them right now).
Both are quite different from each other in terms of performance and features, which makes it even harder to decide between the two. Do you go for the performance of the SD660 over SD636 or is camera your ultimate priority or is battery life your most important concern? We try to make your lives a little easier in this article.
Since camera is one of the most important areas in a smartphone, we decided to pit the Xiaomi Mi 6X vs Redmi Note 5 (China) for a camera shootout. In this article, we will compare samples from different scenarios and see how both of them performed using their stock settings.
So let’s get on with the Xiaomi Mi 6X vs Redmi Note 5 (China) Camera Shootout!
Before we start comparing the two samples side by side, I have to add that the results were not exactly what I was expecting. Sometimes the Mi 6X did well while there were other times when the Redmi Note 5 did well. In general, both had similar results in daytime. As for the low light pictures, it’s a totally different story. It will all depend on how you like your low light samples. Just read on and you’ll know what I’m talking about.
Xiaomi Mi 6X vs Redmi Note 5: Daylight Performance
Under good lighting conditions, both the phones managed to do well. The results were quite similar, with the Mi 6X’s sample featuring better saturation and slightly better details.
For example, let’s take a look at the image of the red flower below.
[twenty20 img1=”188766″ img2=”188774″ offset=”0.5″]The Mi 6X has better colors and slightly better details too. But in general, both the photos look quite similar. So, you won’t get any significant improvement in the day light images from the Mi 6X.
As you can see in the zoomed in sample, the Mi 6X has managed to capture slightly better details of the anthers of the flower.
Xiaomi Mi 6X vs Redmi Note 5: Portrait Mode
Once again, both the phones manage to capture pretty good portraits. It’s not surprising since the algorithms are the same for taking portrait shots. Even the amount of details captured are quite similar. So there are no significant differences in their quality.
[twenty20 img1=”188767″ img2=”188775″ offset=”0.5″]
Xiaomi Mi 6X vs Redmi Note 5: Selfies
On paper, the Mi 6X has a definite advantage over the RN5 on the front camera end. The former features a 20MP sensor while the latter has a smaller 13MP shooter. In real life, quality difference does exist in selfies with the Mi 6X capturing better saturated samples.
You can see the difference down in the samples below where Shine Wong is testing his selfie skills!
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Xiaomi Mi 6X vs Redmi Note 5: Outdoor Dull Lighting
Xiaomi Mi 6X seems to have captured slightly better details and lesser noise when the lighting was dull. Even the colors are better on the Mi 6X.
[twenty20 img1=”188765″ img2=”188773″ offset=”0.5″]For example, take a look at the samples above. The tree on the bottom right corner is definitely greener than the one seen on the RN5 sample. Also, there’s very little noise in the dark areas as compared to the RN5. Here, we can say that the Mi 6X was slightly better than the Redmi model.
Xiaomi Mi 6X vs Redmi Note 5: Artificial Light Sample
Indoors, under artificial lights, the Xiaomi Mi 6X manages to capture better colors. The level of details on the Mi 6X were also slightly better, but in some cases, you might find the Redmi Note 5 capturing better details in the sample.
[twenty20 img1=”188770″ img2=”188778″ offset=”0.5″]For example, in the sample above, the colors are better on the Mi 6X’s sample. However, when you zoom in, you can see that the spots on the dragon fruit were better captured on the Redmi Note 5’s sample. Still the Mi 6X’s sample looks better in general.
Xiaomi Mi 6X vs Redmi Note 5: Super Low Light Sample
When the lighting goes down, the Xiaomi Mi 6X captures brighter photos, with better colors, and details. However, it does come at a cost. Check out the sample below.
[twenty20 img1=”188769″ img2=”188777″ offset=”0.5″]The book shelf sample from the Xiaomi Mi 6X looks better in terms of colors and brightness, however, it’s evident that there’s a lot of noise in the sample. In comparison, the Redmi Note 5 is darker and the details are lost. Despite the noise, Mi 6X’s sample looks better.
The higher noise is likely because the Xiaomi Mi 6X takes the ISO up to 9600 as compared to 6400 ISO on the RN5.
Xiaomi Mi 6X vs Redmi Note 5: Night Photography
When it comes to the night time photography, once again, noise is evident in Mi 6X’s samples. Look at the samples below.
[twenty20 img1=”188768″ img2=”188776″ offset=”0.5″]The Mi 6X managed to over expose the buildings in the background to make sure the parking lot was brighter. But this makes the picture quite noisy. Just zoom into the image and you’ll see the high concentration of noise. The Redmi note 5 isn’t quite better, being darker than the Mi 6X but there’s less noise and slightly better details. Personally, I’d pick the Redmi Note 5’s sample here!
RELATED:- Photos: The Red Xiaomi Mi 6X Is A Sexy Beast
Xiaomi Mi 6X vs Redmi Note 5 Camera Shootout: Conclusion
In short, the better camera hardware on the Xiaomi Mi 6X hasn’t been put to good use. It’s not significantly better than the Redmi Note 5’s 12+5MP camera setup and even in low light situations, where the Mi 6X should have done better, the samples were plagued with noise.
Overall, I would say I’m quite disappointed with Xiaomi’s work on the Mi 6X’s camera for low light photography. If the company manages to limit the noise in the low light samples, things would shift in favour of the Mi 6X. Otherwise, with noisy low light pictures, I’m sure many users would be leaning towards the Redmi Note 5 model for its larger battery and a dedicated headphone jack.
What are your thoughts? Are you okay with the amount of noise in each of the Mi 6X’s low light samples?
You can check out the full size samples added above and some more from the drive link here!
Also, do check out our Xiaomi Mi 6X vs Meizu E3 camera comparison from here.
