Compared: Top Smart Phones you can get for under RM800

The Mi 4i has finally launched for Malaysia and it packs quite a punch for just RM749. If you’re wondering what else you can get for the same price range, we’ve compared the Mi 4i with 5 other devices that come with 4G LTE.

Is the Mi 4i the best smart phone you can get for less than RM800? Read on to find out.

In Malaysia, the current top contenders that are priced below RM800 include the Meizu M1 Note (RM739), Honor 4X (RM619), ASUS Zenfone 2 (RM749), Lenovo A7000, Acer Liquid Jade Z (RM799) and the newly launched Xiaomi Mi 4i (RM749). Just for clarity, the Zenfone 2 featured here is their mid-range ZE550ML which comes with a 5.5″ HD 720p display and lower 1.8GHz Intel Quad-Core processor with 2GB of RAM.

Display
If you’re into big screens, the first 4 models are having a larger display size of 5.5″ where as the Liquid Jade Z and Mi 4i is having a more compact 5″ screen. When you look at the screen resolution, the Meizu m1 Note and the Mi 4i are the only smart phones to offer Full HD 1920×1080 screen solution with pixel density of over 400ppi. Obviously the Mi 4i would be the sharpest as it packs the same amount of pixels in a smaller screen size than the m1 Note.

Processor & RAM
To keep the price down, most brands tend to use alternative processors such as MediaTek, Intel or Hi-Silicon to deliver the best performance for your buck. We haven’t tried all 6 yet but from our evaluation with the Lenovo A7000, this could be the better performer in terms of benchmarks as it scored over 43,000 points on Antutu. The MediaTek MT6752m seems to be on par with a Galaxy S5’s Snapdragon 801 processor in benchmarks. As comparison, the Mi 4i with Qualcomm’s 2nd generation Snapdragon 615 processor claims that it would score slightly over 40,000 points on Antutu. In terms of RAM, all 6 are having 2GB RAM which is pretty decent in this category.

Storage and microSD support
Storage is quite a deal breaker for most users and these days it is hard to live on 8GB alone. On the list, the Meizu M1 Note, Zenfone 2, Liquid Jade Z and the Mi 4i are generous enough to pack 16GB of on-board storage. However out of these 4, only the Zenfone 2 and the Liquid Jade Z comes with a microSD expansion slot.

Camera
As selfies being a mandatory requirement these days, all 6 phones are having a 5MP front camera. For main photography shots, all of them comes equipped with a 13MP main shooter except for the Lenovo A7000 which comes with a 8MP camera instead. For a more natural looking photos while using flash, the Meizu M1 note, Zenfone 2 and the Mi 4i comes with dual-tone LED flash.

Connectivity
All devices here support dual-SIMs with 4G LTE connectivity but there’s a difference in the slots. Usually dual-SIM phones have their secondary slot restricted to just 2G only, so if you need to use the 2nd SIM for faster data, you would need to physically swap the SIM card onto the first slot for 4G. For the Honor 4X, Liquid Jade Z and Mi 4i, both slots support 4G so you can enjoy full speed connectivity regardless of which SIM is active for data.

Battery
No matter how good the specs are, the battery is also a critical point for a smart phone. In this comparison, the m1 Note has the biggest battery at 3,140mAh and it is followed by closely with the Mi 4i with a 3,120mAh battery which is respectable for a 5″ device. For those who care about removable batteries, the A7000 is the only one here with the option.

Dimensions
Among the 6, the Mi 4i is the most compact of the lot and it is the thinnest at just 7.8mm. In terms of weight, the Acer Liquid Jade Z is the lightest at only 110g but this comes as no surprise as it has the smallest battery capacity at 2,300mAh.

Operating System
If you’re getting a new phone, it is recommended to get one with the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop. Out of the box, the ASUS Zenfone 2, Lenovo A7000 and Xiaomi Mi 4i are running on Lollipop from the start. Eventually the other models are likely to be upgraded from Android 4.4 KitKat to Lollipop but the only question is when.

Which would you pick?
If you have RM800 to spend, is the Mi 4i the best choice? From the comparison, the Mi 4i ticks all the right boxes except for its lack of microSD expansion. Share with us which would you go and why in the comments below.