Today Redmi became an independent brand, Xiaomi took this decision in order to focus more on flagships. Redmi Note 7 is the first smartphone after the separation and it debuted with an incredibly affordable price tag. That is why we think it is time to compare it with the best smartphones for quality-price ratio you can get at this moment. Among the most interesting ones there are Lenovo Z5s that is one of the cheapest smartphones with Snapdragon 710, and Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 that is one of the phones with the longest battery life. If you want to know who is the best, go ahead with this specs comparison.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 vs Lenovo Z5s vs Asus Zenfone Max Pro (M2)
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 | Lenovo Z5s | Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT | 159.2 x 75.2 x 8.1 mm, 186 grams | 156.7 x 74.5 x 7.9 mm, 172 grams | 157.9 x 75.5 x 8.5 mm, 175 grams |
| DISPLAY | 6.3 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), 409 ppi, IPS LCD | 6.3 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), 409 ppi, LTPS IPS LCD | 6.26 inches, 1080 x 2280p (Full HD+), 403 ppi, IPS LCD |
| PROCESSOR | Qualcomm Snapdragon 660, octa-core 2.2 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 710, octa-core 2.2 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 660, octa-core 2.2 GHz |
| MEMORY | 3 GB RAM, 32 GB – 4 GB RAM, 64 GB – 6 GB RAM, 64 GB – micro SD slot | 4 GB RAM, 64 GB – 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – micro SD slot | 4 GB RAM, 64 GB – 6 GB RAM, 64 GB – 6 GB RAM, 64 GB – micro SD dedicated slot |
| SOFTWARE | Android 9 Pie, MIUI | Android 9 Pie, ZUI | Android 8.1 Oreo |
| 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 | Dual 48 + 5 MP f/1.8 and f/2.4 13 MP front camera |
Triple 16 + 8 + 5 MP f/1.8, f/2.4 and f/2.4 16 MP f/2.0 front camera |
Dual 12 + 5 MP f/1.8 and f/2.4 13 MP f/2.0 front camera |
| BATTERY | 4000 mAh, fast charging | 3350 mAh, fast charging | 5000 mAh |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | Hybrid Dual SIM slot | Hybrid Dual SIM slot | Dual SIM slot |
Design
Its narrower bezels, its thin profile, and its gradient color variants make me prefer Lenovo Z5s when it comes to aesthetics. In my opinion, it is the most beautiful handset of the trio and it is also the most compact and lightweight. Right after that there is Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 with its minimal waterdrop notch. Even though I like Lenovo Z5s’ look more, I would pick the Redmi Note 7 due to its better build quality. Indeed, it comes with strengthened glasses and the Gorilla Glass 5 protection making it more sturdy and resistant. Further, it is water and dust resistant, even though the company did not talk about any IP certification. Note that even Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 has a strong protection for the display: Gorilla Glass 6, which is the strongest one. But it is not water resistant and it has a plastic body, despite it looks like glass at a first glance.
Display
The clearest and most performing display seems to be the one of the Lenovo Z5s, and it also comes with narrower bezels around it. But the difference between this screen and the ones of Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 and Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 should be just marginal. The level of detail is the same and the color reproduction does not differ so much. So, if you have to make a choice, consider the other specifications instead of focusing on the display quality.
Specs & Software
The most powerful hardware side belongs to the Lenovo Z5s. As we said above, it is one of the most affordable devices to sport the best midrange SoC by Qualcomm: the octa-core Snapdragon 710 running at a max frequency of 2.2 GHz. Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 and Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 are equipped with the lower-end Snapdragon 660: they still offer great performances but they are slower than Lenovo Z5s in the most demanding scenarios. Note that while Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 and Lenovo Z5s come with Android Pie out of the box, Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 is still based on Android Oreo.
Camera
The most outstanding rear camera is the one of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7, at least on the paper. The reason is simple: it is one of the first phones with the amazing 48 MP Samsung ISOCELL sensor which is able to capture a huge amount of detail and bright shots even with low-light conditions. Lenovo Z5s is an awesome camera phone too, even though it is far from top camera phones. It comes with a triple camera equipped with a telephoto lens for 2x lossless zoom and a depth sensor. The most disappointing on the camera side is definitely the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 with its average dual camera.
Battery
While Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2’s cameras are not excellent, the handset wins the comparison when it comes to battery life, thanks to its huge 5000 mAh unit. It can last more than two days with a stressed use, reaching three days of battery life with a moderate use. At the second place, there is Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 with a 4000 mAh unit, while Lenovo Z5s offers an average battery life.
Price
I define the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 as the highest value for money phone of this trio: it costs just $147/€170 in China and it comes with outstanding cameras as well as a very long battery life. However, you should go for the Lenovo Z5s if you want better performances, while if you get Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 you will have an even longer battery life. Lenovo Z5s is available with a listing price tag of about €220/$250, while Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 starts from about €200/$230.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 vs Lenovo Z5s vs Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2: PROs and CONS
Lenovo Z5s
PROs
- Great performance
- Affordable price
- Triple camera
- Beautiful design
CONS
- Smaller battery
Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
PROs
- Amazing camera
- Big battery
- Good design
- Very affordable
CONS
- Nothing particular
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2
PROs
- Huge battery
- Affordable price
- Micro SD dedicated slot
- Gorilla Glass 6
CONS
- Worse cameras
