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Specs Comparison: Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus vs Huawei Nova 2i vs Infinix Zero 5

In this specs comparison, we put three smartphones side-by-side to see which has the upper hand in different aspects. The Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus versus the Huawei Nova 2i is highly requested by the readers but there’s one more that we can add to the mix — the Infinix Zero 5. Let’s start!

The Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus was released in December last year and it is available in the Philippines for purchase. It has a 5.99″ FHD+ display with 2160 x 1080 resolution, a Snapdragon 625 processor, a 32GB/64GB internal storage, a 3GB/4GB RAM, a 12MP rear camera with dual-tone dual LED flash, a 5MP front camera with soft-light LED flash, and a 4,000mAh battery with fast charging.

The Huawei Nova 2i has been around since last year and is one of the most popular devices in the market. It has a 5.9″ 18:9 IPS LCD FHD+ display with 2160 x 1080 resolution, a Kirin 659 processor, a 64GB internal storage, a 4GB RAM, a 16MP + 2MP rear cameras with LED flash, a 13MP + 2MP front cameras, and a 3,340mAh battery.

The Infinix Zero 5 is the company’s latest smartphone sporting a decent processor and a large RAM capacity. It has a 5.98″ 16:9 FHD IPS display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, a MediaTek Helio P25 processor, a 64GB internal storage, a 6GB RAM, a 12MP + 13MP rear cameras with dual-tone LED flash, a 16MP front camera with LED flash, and a 4,350mAh battery with fast charging.

Here are their detailed specs:

Xiaomi Redmi 5 PlusHuawei Nova 2iInfinix Zero 5
5.99-inch 18:9 FHD+ display @ 1080 x 2160 pixels5.9-inch 18:9 IPS LCD display @ 2160 x 1080 pixels5.98-inch 16:9 FHD IPS display @ 1080 x 1920 pixels
2.0Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 Octa-coreHiSilicon Kirin 659 2.36GHz octa-core2.6GHz MediaTek Helio P25 MT6757 Octa-Core
Adreno 506Mali-T830 MP2Mali-T880 MP2
32GB or 64GB Internal Storage64GB internal storage64GB Internal Storage
3GB or 4GB RAM4GB LPDDR3 RAM6GB LPDDR4X RAM
expandable via microSD up to 128GB (uses SIM2)expandable via microSD up to 256GB (uses SIM2)expandable via microSD up to 128GB (dedicated)
12MP Rear camera with 1.25-micron pixel sensor and dual-LED Flash16MP+2MP rear cameras, f/2.2 with LED Flash12MP, f/2.0 + 13MP telephoto, f/2.6, 2x optical zoom rear cameras, with dual-tone LED flash
5MP front camera with soft-light LED13MP+2MP front cameras, f/2.016MP f/2.0 aperture front camera with LED flash
4G LTE4G VoLTE4G VoLTE
Dual SIM (Nano, Hybrid)Hybrid Dual-SIM (nano+nano/microSD)Dual-SIM (micro)
WiFi 802.11 b/g/nWiFi 802.11 b/g/nWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.2Bluetooth 4.2Bluetooth 4.2
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASSGPS with aGPS support, GLONASSGPS
IR Blaster--
Fingerprint scanner (rear-mounted)Fingerprint ScannerFingerprint Scanner
micro-USBmicro-USBUSB Type-C
Android 7.1.2 Nougat with MIUI 9Android 7 Nougat with Huawei EMUI 5.1Android 7.0 Nougat with XOS 3.0
4,000mAh Battery3,340mAh Li-Ion battery4,350mAh battery
Fast charging-Fast charging
158.5 x 75.5 x 8.1 mm156.2 × 75.2 × 7.5mm166.38 x 82.38 x 7.95mm
180 g164 grams197g

Here are the advantages of each smartphone:

Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus

+ Largest screen size by 0.01-inch

+ IR Blaster

+ Android 7.1.2 out-of-the-box

Huawei Nova 2i

+ Expandable up to 256GB

+ Highest rear camera resolution

+ Lightest smartphone

Infinix Zero 5

+ Best performing CPU

+ Best performing GPU

+ Largest RAM capacity

+ dedicated microSD card

+ Highest front camera resolution

+ USB Type-C

Here are the rankings of each key aspects:

  • Screen Size: Redmi 5 Plus > Nova 2i > Zero 5
  • Screen Resolution: Redmi 5 Plus and Nova 2i > Zero 5
  • Screen Protection: Redmi 5 Plus and Zero 5
  • CPU: Zero 5 > Nova 2i > Redmi 5 Plus
  • GPU: Zero 5 > Redmi 5 Plus > Nova 2i
  • Internal Storage: Nova 2i and Zero 5 > Redmi 5 Plus (32GB)
  • RAM: Zero 5 > Nova 2i > Redmi 5 Plus (3GB)
  • Dedicated MicroSD Card Slot: Zero 5
  • Rear Camera Resolution: Nova 2i > Zero 5 > Redmi 5 Plus
  • Front Camera Resolution: Zero 5 > Nova 2i > Redmi 5 Plus
  • Battery: Zero 5 > Redmi 5 Plus > Nova 2i
  • Fast Charging: Redmi 5 Plus and Zero 5
  • IR Blaster: Redmi 5 Plus
  • 4G type: Nova 2i and Zero 5 (VoLTE) > Redmi 5 Plus (LTE)

Display

Users who are fond of watching videos can choose any of these devices since all mentioned smartphones have a large, almost 6-inch screens. The Redmi 5 Plus and Nova 2i have the upper-hand because of their 18:9 screen aspect ratio with a higher vertical resolution.

CPU and GPU

The Snapdragon 625 is the most optimized and power efficient due to its 14nm architecture while the Kirin 659 and Helio P25 both have a 16nm. In terms of clock speed, the Helio P25 has the best performing processor among the three. The Snapdragon 625 is the least performing but it is not that far from the Kirin 659. Overall, all processors are good for mid-range smartphones.

The Mali-T880 GPU of the Zero 5 is the best performing one, with the Redmi 5 Plus’ Adreno 506 coming second and the Nova 2i’s Mali-T830 last. Playing with mid-graphics games won’t pose any problems to all GPUs but the Mali-T830 will fall behind when tested when it comes to graphics-intensive games.

Camera

Basing on camera resolution alone, the highest rear camera resolution among the three is the Nova 2i. As for the front camera resolution, the Zero 5 has the highest one. Be wary that it is not all about having the highest camera resolutions since there are still a lot of factors to be considered when choosing a good camera smartphone. We have taken sample shots from the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus and Huawei Nova 2i that users can check out.

Battery

Zero 5 has the highest battery capacity among the three. The Redmi 5 Plus comes second while Nova 2i goes last. We’re yet to test the battery life of the first and second one so we will be updating this article as soon as our review comes out. Both of them also have fast charging technology in which the Nova 2i lacks.

Price

The Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus, Huawei Nova 2i, and Infinix Zero 5 are priced at Php9,800 (see price listing here), Php14,990, and Php13,999 (see price listing here), respectively. This makes the Redmi 5 Plus the most affordable but this is based on an online store listing without official warranty. The Nova 2i and Zero 5 are close by a difference of less than Php1K.

Here’s our recommendation, if users want to have the best viewing experience, they can choose between the Redmi 5 Plus and the Nova 2i. For performance and gaming potential, they can go for the Zero 5. If they want to have a smartphone with a high camera resolution, they can pick Nova 2i (rear camera) or the Zero 5 (front camera). If budget is a problem, the Redmi 5 Plus is the best option.

What do you guys think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Avatar for Vaughn Chua

Vaughn is your go-to person when it comes to comparing gadgets especially smartphones. He's also a gamer by heart and the "Hackerman" of the team.

3 Responses

  1. Avatar for Kao Kao says:

    thanks for this specs comparison, I think for my budget Redmi 5 plus is a great compromise.

  2. Avatar for tae tae says:

    Redmi 5 plus slays the others

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