2020 is the year of upper-midrange phones and flagship killers. Despite prices hiked a lot during this year, there is a lot of value for money devices even for power users. In this article, we are comparing three of the best flagship killers out there in terms of value for money. We are talking about the newly-announced iQOO 5, the Redmi K30 Ultra which celebrated Xiaomi’s 10th anniversary alongside the Mi 10 Ultra, and the OnePlus 8 which reached very good prices because it is a phone released in the first half of 2020 (but still very actual). Let’s discover together who is the best.
Vivo iQOO 5 vs Xiaomi Redmi K30 Ultra vs OnePlus 8
| Vivo iQOO 5 | Xiaomi Redmi K30 Ultra | OnePlus 8 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT | 160 x 75.6 x 8.3 mm, 197 g | 163.3 x 75.4 x 9.1 mm, 213 grams | 160.2 x 72.9 x 8 mm, 180 g |
| DISPLAY | 6.56 inches, 1080 x 2376p (Full HD+), AMOLED | 6.67 inches, 1080 x 2400p (Full HD+), 395 ppi, AMOLED | 6.55 inches, 1080 x 2400p (Full HD+), Fluid AMOLED |
| PROCESSOR | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, octa-core 2.84 GHz | MediaTek Dimensity 1000+, octa-core 2.6 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, octa-core 2.84 GHz |
| MEMORY | 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – – 12 GB RAM, 128 GB – 12 GB RAM, 256 GB | 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB – 8 GB RAM, 512 GB | 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 12 GB RAM, 256 GB |
| SOFTWARE | Android 10, Funtouch OS | Android 10, MIUI | Android 10, Oxygen OS |
| CONNECTIVITY | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS |
| CAMERA | Triple 50 + 13 + 13 MP camera, f/1.9 + f/2.5 + f/2.2 16 MP f/2.5 front camera |
Quad 64 + 13 + 5 + 2 MP f/1.8, f/2.4, f/2.2 and f/2.4 20 MP front camera |
Triple 48 + 16 + 2 MP camera, f/1.8 + f/2.2 + f/2.4 16 MP f/2.0 front camera |
| BATTERY | 4500 mAh, fast charging 55W | 4500 mAh, fast charging 33W | 4300 mAh, fast charging 30W |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | Dual SIM slot, reverse charging, 5G | Dual SIM slot, 5G | Dual SIM slot, 5G |
Design
None of these devices has the best design you can get from a phone, but they are all pretty nice. I like the OnePlus 8 with its curved screen and compact camera module, but it is a matter of tastes. In each case you get a premium design including an aluminum frame and a glass back. The OnePlus 8 and the iQOO 5 have a single punch-hole display, while Redmi K30 Ultra has a full-screen panel thanks to the presence of a motorized pop-up camera coming out of the upper border of the phone.
Display
iQOO 5, Redmi K30 Ultra, and OnePlus 8 come with great displays, despite we are not talking about flagship-class panels. They all feature the HDR10+ certification for very nice image quality on streaming platforms, and they have a Full HD+ resolution. The main difference which makes iQOO 5 and Redmi K30 Ultra better than OnePlus 8 is the refresh rate: you get 120 Hz with iQOO 5 and Redmi K30 Ultra, while OnePlus 8 has just 90 Hz. The Redmi K30 Ultra has a slightly wider diagonal than its two rivals. But at the end of the day, we are not talking about big differences. Note that iQOO 5 lacks stereo speakers, while Redmi K30 Ultra and OnePlus 8 have them.
Hardware/Software
Even when it comes to the hardware department, these devices are not so different. They all come with flagship-level hardware. Redmi K30 Ultra is inferior because it is fueled by the Dimensity 1000+ chipset instead of the Snapdragon 865 found on the iQOO 5 and OnePlus 8. In order to give you an idea of the performance of this chipset, we can tell you that Dimensity 1000+ got a score of fewer than 350,000 points on AnTuTu, while Snapdragon 865 scored over 400,000 points. Further, with Redmi K30 Ultra you get max 8 GB of RAM, while iQOO 5 and OnePlus 8 go up to 12 GB.
Camera
The iQOO 5 has the most stunning cameras, at least on the paper. It features the same 50 MP gimbal camera found on the Vivo X50 Pro+, paired with a portrait lens with 2x optical zoom and a 13 MP ultrawide sensor. This camera department is able to record 8K videos. Right after, we got the OnePlus 8 which is the only one to support OIS. With the Redmi K30 Ultra, you actually get more sensors but inferior photo quality.
Battery
iQOO 5 and Redmi K30 Ultra have the same 4500 mAh battery capacity, which is bigger than the 4300 mAh battery of the OnePlus 8. Unfortunately, we did not test their battery life, but we believe that iQOO 5 should last more because it has a Snapdragon 865 chipset instead of the Dimensity 1000+ found on the Redmi K30 Ultra. With the iQOO 5, you even get a faster charging tech with a 55W power.
Price
iQOO 5 is priced about €490/$578 in its base variant, Redmi K30 Ultra starts from €330/$390, and OnePlus 8 begins at €479/$565 but it is currently more affordable thanks to a lot of street prices. But despite that, the iQOO 5 wins the comparison because of its great cameras, 120 Hz display, big battery, and amazing hardware.
Vivo iQOO 5 vs Xiaomi Redmi K30 Ultra vs OnePlus 8: PRO and CONS
Vivo iQOO 5
PROS
- Amazing cameras
- Great 120 Hz display
- Very fast charging
- Reverse charging
- UFS 3.1 storage
CONS
- No Google services
OnePlus 8
PROS
- Good design
- Stereo speakers
- Thinner and lighter
- Global availability
CONS
- Inferior display
Xiaomi Redmi K30 Ultra
PROS
- Good price
- Full screen display
- Great 120 Hz display
- Stereo speakers
CONS
- Inferior cameras
