Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 vs Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus: Which upcoming smartphone you should buy?

Xiaomi is all geared up to launch its affordable Redmi Note 3 smartphone in India Thursday, entering the highly-competitive budget space led by many rivals like LeEco, Huawei and others. The Chinese smartphone maker will have another competitor from its home country – Lenovo – which is all set to unveil its all-new Vibe K5 Plus in India this month, March 15 to be precise. 

Xiaomi and Lenovo are key players in both China and India, offering a wide range of spec-heavy affordable smartphones. Xiaomi's Redmi Note 3 will compete against Lenovo's K4 Note at launch, but the Vibe K5 Plus will offer another alternative to shoppers in the country.

Since Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus will be launched around the same time, consumers will have a tough choice to make if they look for best value for their money. Here is a comparison of the Redmi Note 3 and Vibe K5 Plus for shoppers' assistance.

Display

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 features a 5.5-inch Full HD display with 1080p resolution encased within a metallic unibody. The handset offers unique features such as sunlight, night and reading modes, for a better user experience. Comparatively, Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus has the same Full HD (1080p) screen resolution, but in a smaller display size. The Vibe K5 Plus measures 5 inches diagonally and has a metal structure with removable back cover.

Camera

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 features a 16-megapixel rear-facing camera with PDAF, HDR, face and smile detection, and dual-tone LED flash. On the front side of the device, there is a 5MP snapper with 36 smart beauty profiles for quality selfies.

Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus sports a 13-megapixel primary camera with LED flash, auto focus and a 5MP front snapper with fixed focus.

Processor

The Redmi Note 3 is powered by a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 hexa-core processor, while Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus has a 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 octa-core processor. In leaked benchmark results, the Redmi Note 3 beat LeEco Le 1s and it remains to be seen how it performs in the real world. Based on the specs on paper, Redmi Note 3 is a clear winner in this department against the Vibe K5 Plus.

Read: Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 price in India: New handset outperforms LeEco Le 1s, to cost more

RAM and storage

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 comes in 2GB RAM and 16GB storage, and 3GB RAM and 32GB storage options. The handset is tipped to be launched with 3GB RAM in India, suggesting the storage space on the handset will be 32GB. Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus, however, features 16GB onboard storage with microSD card support up to 32GB and 2GB RAM.

Battery

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 packs an impressive 4,000mAh battery, while Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus comes with a 2,750mAh unit. If it is any consideration, the Vibe K5 Plus has a removable battery unlike the Redmi Note 3.

Add-ons

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, once again, takes the lead with several add-ons like a fingerprint scanner, which is missing in the Vibe K5 Plus. There is no mention of dual SIM support on the Vibe K5 Plus, but the Redmi Note 3 supports two SIM cards at the same time. Both phones have 4G LTE support.

Key specifications of Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus: