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OPPO Reno vs Realme 3 Pro vs Xiaomi Mi 9 SE: Which one to get?

A few days from now, a new premium mid-range smartphone in the form of the OPPO Reno. It sports an immersive screen, a pop-up camera, and a Snapdragon 710 chipset. It’s not going to be left unchallenged though as there are other smartphones in the market in the same caliber — the Realme 3 Pro and the Xiaomi Mi 9 SE. Let’s compare their specs to see which one looks the best on paper.

OPPO RenoRealme 3 ProXiaomi Mi 9 SE
6.4-inch FHD+ (2340 x 1080) AMOLED on-cell display, 402ppi6.3-inch FHD+ (2340 x 1080) 19.5:9 IPS display, 409ppi5.97-inch FHD+ (2340 x 1080) Super AMOLED Dot Drop display, 432ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass 6Corning Gorilla Glass 5Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 2.2GHz octa-core CPUQualcomm Snapdragon 710 2.2GHz octa-core CPUQualcomm Snapdragon 712 2.3GHz octa-core CPU
Adreno 616 GPUAdreno 616 GPUAdreno 616 GPU
6GB / 8GB RAM4GB / 6GB RAM6GB RAM
128GB / 256GB UFS 2.164GB / 128GB storage64GB / 128GB UFS 2.1
microSD up to 256GB (dedicated slot)
48MP Sony IMX586 F1.7 main + 5MP F2.4 DoF dual rear cameras16MP F1.7 Sony IMX 519 + 5MP f/2.4 dual rear cameras48MP F1.8 + 13MP F2.4 (ultrawide) + 8MP F2.4 (telephoto) triple rear cameras
16MP F2.0 front camera (elevating)25MP F2.0 front camera20MP F2.0 front camera
Dual-SIMDual-SIMDual-SIM
4G LTE4G LTE4G LTE
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/acWiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/acWiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 5.0Bluetooth 5.0Bluetooth 5.0
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GalileoGPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GalileoGPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Galileo
NFCNFC
USB 2.0 Type-CmicroUSB 2.0USB 2.0 Type-C
3.5mm audio port3.5mm audio port
FM Radio
IR Blaster
Fingerprint scanner (in-display)Fingerprint scanner (rear)Fingerprint scanner (in-display)
Face UnlockFace UnlockFace Unlock
ColorOS 6 (Android 9 Pie)ColorOS 6 (Android 9 Pie)MIUI 10 (Android 9 Pie)
3,765mAh battery w/ VOOC 3.0 Flash Charge4,045mAh battery w/ VOOC 3.0 Flash Charge3,070mAh battery w/ 18W Quick Charge
156.6 x 74.3 x 9.0 mm156.8 x 74.2 x 8.3 mm147.5 x 70.5 x 7.5 mm
185 g172 g155 g

Display

Let’s start with the display. The OPPO Reno already has the advantage for having the largest screen size and a more immersive display because of its notch-less design, which is a plus for those who don’t like notches getting in the way of their viewing. It also has Gorilla Glass 6, which is newer than the Gorilla Glass 5 found on its competitors.

All sport the same Full HD+ resolution, but since the Mi 9 SE has the smallest screen, the pixels are denser. Although I don’t think you’ll notice the difference.

As for the display type, both the Reno and Mi 9 SE sport AMOLED panels while the Realme 3 Pro has IPS. Both display types have their own advantages, but if you’re going to ask me, I’ll go for AMOLED for deeper blacks and punchier colors.

Cameras

If you’re after the number of cameras, the Mi 9 SE has the advantage for having three which includes an ultrawide and telephoto lens. The other two only have two cameras with the secondary used for depth-of-field effects. In terms of resolution, the Reno and Mi 9 SE are tied at 48MP, but the former has a wider F1.7 aperture. The Realme 3 Pro also has an F1.7 aperture but with a lower 16MP resolution.

For the selfie cameras, the Realme 3 Pro wins in terms of resolution at 25MP, this is followed by the Mi 9 SE at 20MP, then the Reno at 16MP. All have F2.0 apertures.

As for the quality, we’ll know once we have all units for a shoot-out so stay tuned for that.

Storage

When it comes to storage, the Reno wins in capacity, offering up to 256GB. The Realme 3 Pro and Mi 9 SE, on, the other hand, maxes out at 128GB. In terms of speed, then we recommend the Reno and Mi 9 SE for sporting UFS 2.1. However, if you’re looking at expandability, the Realme 3 Pro blows the two out of the water for having a dedicated microSD card slot.

CPU and RAM

This is one of the reasons why these three devices were compared. The Reno and Realme 3 Pro share the same Snapdragon 710 chipset, while the Mi 9 SE has the higher-clocked Snapdragon 712. All three have the Adreno 616 GPU. As for the memory, the Realme 3 Pro and Mi 9 SE maxes out at 6GB RAM while the Reno offers up to 8GB RAM.

Given the configuration, we can expect the same level of performance from all three. Unless you opt for the Reno with 8GB RAM as it can handle more background processes than the other two.

Battery

In terms of capacity, the winner here is the Realme 3 Pro, followed by the Reno, then the Mi 9 SE. To top it off, the Realme 3 Pro and Reno support VOOC 3.0 flash charge. So if you want the biggest battery capacity with the fastest charging technology, go with these two.

Other features

Now let’s take a look at the bells and whistles. Both the Reno and the Mi 9 SE have NFC and USB Type-C, while the Realme 3 Pro has microUSB.

The Reno and the Realme 3 Pro has a 3.5mm audio port which is a great feature for those with wired headphones. Sadly, the Mi 9 SE doesn’t have that and relies on a dongle.

The Reno and Mi 9 SE have in-display fingerprint scanners, while the Realme 3 Pro uses the traditional rear-mounted one.

The Realme 3 Pro is the only device with an FM Radio, while the Mi 9 SE is the only one with an IR blaster for controlling appliances.

Price

The differences between these devices can be highlighted in their prices. The OPPO Reno starts at PHP 26,990 (6GB + 256GB). The Xiaomi Mi 9 SE goes for PHP 15,990 for the 6GB + 64GB and PHP 17,990 for the 6GB + 128GB. The Realme 3 Pro, on the other hand, costs PHP 12,990 for the 4GB + 64GB and PHP 14,990 for the 6GB + 128GB.

Which one to get?

If budget is an issue, the Realme 3 Pro is the best choice. You miss out on some cool features, but you get the essentials and then some, at a lower asking price. If you can stretch the budget a bit for some extra features, then you can go for the Mi 9 SE. But if you can splurge for that fancy pop-up camera, immersive screen, and attractive design, the Reno is the one to get.

How about you, which one do you think provides the most value? Let us know in the comments below.

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Avatar for Diangson Louie

This article was written by Louie Diangson, Managing Editor of YugaTech. You can follow him at @John_Louie.

2 Responses

  1. Avatar for chowmee chowmee says:

    wait for k20/k20 pro

  2. Avatar for Minx Minx says:

    Why would you get the Oppo Reno at that price? Choose the other two, or wait for the mi 9t/mi 9t pro for something better and cheaper.

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