Xiaomi Redmi 5 vs Micromax Bharat 5 Pro: Who wins value-for-money battle?

China-based smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi on March 14 announced the Redmi 5 in India. On the same day, home-grown electronics company Micromax announced a new budget offering, the Bharat 5 Pro. Both the smartphones compete in the same price segment of sub-Rs 10,000. 

While the Redmi 5 offers a modern look because of its futuristic 18:9 aspect ratio screen, the Bharat 5 Pro centres around the battery. Business Standard compared the Micromax Bharat 5 Pro and the Xiaomi Redmi 5 on ke parameters, and here is what we found: 

Where the Redmi 5 is ahead of Bharat 5 Pro

The Redmi 5 looks similar to the recently launched the Redmi Note 5. The smartphone looks modern with its 5.7-inch 18:9 aspect ratio HD screen. The metallic chassis looks plush and the form factor is better than most of the budget smartphones, except the Huawei Honor devices.

In terms of performance, the Redmi 5 uses better innards with three RAM and storage options to choose -- 2GB/16GB, 3GB/32GB and 4GB/64GB. The Redmi 5 features MIUI 9, which is an optimised Android Nougat-based operating system. It runs smoother and offers a lot of features and customisations in comparison with the unknown Android Nougat-based skin that the Bharat 5 Pro boots.

Where the Bharat 5 Pro beats Redmi 5

The Bharat 5A is primarily a battery-centric smartphone. It is equipped with a 5,000 mAh battery, which is good 1,700 mAh more than what the Redmi 5 offers. Interestingly, the mammoth battery doubles up as a power bank to charge other devices using a USB OTG cable; that is a major add-on for a budget smartphone. In terms of features and specifications, the Bharat 5 Pro comes with just one RAM and storage variant i.e. 3GB/32GB. However, it is more than what the Xiaomi is offering in the Redmi 5 base model (2GB/16GB).

Verdict

Though both are budget smartphones, the Bharat 5 Pro and the Redmi 5 come with their own distinct strengths. The Bharat 5 Pro is primarily a battery-centric smartphone, whereas the Redmi 5 shows some strength in every vertical.

	Xiaomi Redmi 5	Micromax Bharat 5 Pro
Screen	5.7-inch HD+ 18:9 screen	5.2-inch HD 16:9 screen
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 450	MediaTek 1.3 GHz quad-core
Camera	Rear camera: 12MP | Front camera: 5MP	Rear camera: 13MP | Front camera: 5MP
Battery	3,300mAh	5,000mAh
Variants	2GB/16GB, 3GB/32GB and 4GB/64GB	3GB/32GB
Price	Starts at Rs 7,999	Rs 7,999