Since OnePlus 7 is finally official, the Xiaomi Mi 9 is not the only 2019 affordable top-tier flagship anymore. And now, as expected, there are a lot of smart people wondering which of these affordable flagships to buy in order to get the best user experience. We heard a lot of questions like that online and, if you are one of these people, we think this comparison may be the perfect article for you. Here, we will try to let you understand which of these flagships mostly fits your needs.
OnePlus 7 vs Xiaomi Mi 9
| Google Pixel 3a | Xiaomi Mi 9 SE | |
|---|---|---|
| DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT | 151.3 x 70.1 x 8.2 mm,
147 grams |
147.5 x 70.5 x 7.5 mm,
155 grams |
| DISPLAY | 5.6 inches, 1080 x 2220p (Full HD+), 441 ppi, 18.5:9 ratio, OLED | 5.97 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), 432 ppi, 19.5:9 ratio, Super AMOLED |
| PROCESSOR | Qualcomm Snapdragon 670, octa-core 2 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 712, octa-core 2.3 GHz |
| MEMORY | 4 GB RAM, 64 GB | 6 GB RAM, 64 GB – 6 GB RAM, 128 GB |
| SOFTWARE | Android 9 Pie | Android 9 Pie, MIUI |
| CONNECTIVITY | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS |
| CAMERA | 12.2 MP f/1.8 8 MP f/2.0 front camera |
Triple 48 + 13 + 8 MP f/1.8 and f/2.4 and f/2.4 20 MP f/2.0 front camera |
| BATTERY | 3000 mAh Fast charging 18W |
3070 mAh, Fast Charging 18W |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | / | Dual SIM slot |
Design
If we talk about the aesthetics only, we can consider the OnePlus 7 a sort of upgrade of the OnePlus 6T as it comes with a very similar design and just small details changed. The Xiaomi Mi 9 on its own offers a similar form factor as both come with waterdrop notches and pretty narrow bezels around the display, as well as in-display fingerprint readers which make their glass backs cleaner. The Xiaomi Mi 9 comes in more exciting color variants and it even has better builds, besides being very different from its predecessor Mi 8, so it deserves the award for this comparison.
Display
We still had no chance to test the display of the OnePlus 7 as it was announced yesterday and it is still not available, but judging from the specs on the paper, it seems like Xiaomi Mi 9 shows better colors. What makes the difference on the paper is the HDR10 standard. For the rest, we are talking about very similar panels, both are AMOLED displays and they even have the same resolution. OnePlus 7 has a diagonal of 6.41 inches, while Xiaomi Mi 9 comes with a 6.39-inch panel.
Specs & Software
Both OnePlus 7 and Xiaomi Mi 9 debuted with the Snapdragon 85 chipset and up to 8 GB of RAM in their most expensive memory configuration. So, in both cases, you get a device with blazing speeds. But we think OnePlus 7 will outperform its rivals for two reasons. The first is the presence of the new UFS 3.0 technology for the internal storage, while the second is the always amazing software optimization of the Oxygen OS, which is very fast and lightweight as a user interface. Both the phones are obviously based on Android Pie and they will get a beta version of Android Q very soon.
Camera
Unlike the OnePlus 7 Pro, the vanilla OnePlus 7 comes with just two cameras on its rear side. And that left us a bit disappointed: we are not talking just about the number of sensors, but also about the fact that the secondary one is a depth sensor and not an ultrawide one, neither a telephoto lens. The Xiaomi Mi 9 has a very satisfying triple camera department which includes an ultrawide sensor and a telephoto lens, very accurate autofocus and high camera performance in every environment. Unlike the OP7 it lacks optical stabilization, but its camera performance and features are still enough to win this comparison.
Battery
The battery life is one of the biggest differences between OnePlus 7 and Xiaomi Mi 9. OnePlus 7 is equipped with an above-average 3700 mAh unit, while Xiaomi Mi 9 stops at just 3300 mAh. So the OnePlus 7 will undoubtedly last more on a single charge in most of the scenarios, and it wins the battery comparison. But the Xiaomi Mi 9 offers two other advantages that may be very useful for some kind of users: the first is a faster charging technology thanks to a 27W power. The second one is Qi wireless charging, while the OnePlus 7 can only be charged through a USB cable. Note that the Qi wireless charging of the Xiaomi Mi 9 works at the same power as OnePlus 7’s fast charging via USB cable (20W).
Price
Despite this is the first year in which OnePlus launched two flagships at the same time, the OnePlus 7 does not come with a lower price tag than its predecessor. It has exactly the same listing price as the OnePlus 6T, that is €569/$636 in the European market (6/128 GB). The Xiaomi Mi 9 starts from €450/$500 in its base variant with 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage, but you can already find it for just €400/$450 thanks to online street prices. With the actual prices, Xiaomi Mi 9 offers a higher value for money thanks to its better cameras, great display, and wireless charging.
OnePlus 7 vs Xiaomi Mi 9: PRO and CONS
OnePlus 7
PRO
- UFS 3.0 storage
- Stereo speakers
- Bigger battery
- Higher performance
CONS
- Less impressive cameras
Xiaomi Mi 9 SE
PRO
- Complete camera department
- More affordable
- Great build quality
- Wireless charging
CONS
- Smaller battery
