Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro vs Realme X3 SuperZoom

These two devices released mid-2020 are different in many ways but in others, feel like they should be in the same ball-park. I happen to have both here so thought I'd do a comparison of features, pros and cons, and declare which is more likely to host my SIM Card and be used as a main phone.

Reviews and Links

Before we go any further, some links of note. My Redmi Note 9 Pro review, RealmeX3 SuperZoom review and if you're going to buy one of these, please use my AmazonUK links so that I get a few quid to help content coming. Realme X3 SuperZoom and Redmi Note 9 Pro. Thanks for your help.

Physical

There's really not much to choose between these as they're both on the big side housing screens over six and a half inches. They are both around six and a half inches tall and three inches wide. They are even pretty much as fat/thin as each other and weigh almost the same, just over 200g. The similarities continue with the use of glass back and front with a plastic frame.

Around and About

The capacitive fingerprint scanner/power button on the right side is again, near identical though the Realme does shift the volume-rocker across to the left side, unlike the Redmi where it sits above the scanner on the right. Similarly equipped Dual SIM Card trays are in different places, left on the Redmi and bottom on the Realme, the Redmi leaving that space on the bottom for a 3.5mm audio-out socket, which the Realme leaves out. Single speaker and USB-C ports are the same at the bottom but whilst Realme place the elongated camera cluster top-right encouraging landscape use (even including logos and text), the Redmi has a central island with square arrangement, iPhone/Pixel style, sticking with everything portrait.

Screens

The phones both have flat 1080p LCD 20:9 screens with almost exactly the same c.400ppi. Both screens go out to the edges top, right and left, with a swipe-helpful small 'chin' at the foot. Screens that go out to the edges are fine with me if they're not waterfall/curved edges, which is where problems start. So much simpler to keep screens flat. I feel that we're moving back towards that generally now, not only because it keeps costs down but also because of that impracticality issue. Curves may look gorgeous, but I'm hoping it was just a phase which we can now move past. One difference with the Realme is that the screen has a 120Hz refresh-rate for the benefit of gamers and those with good eyes! The screens are both pretty bright but the Realme just wins here, if we're being picky, especially as before tweaking in settings, the Redmi has a very slight blue hue.

Selfie

Hiding or showing the Selfie camera, which makes the Notification Bar black, is handled differently with each. The Redmi offers a system-wide switch, hide or show, whereas the Realme offers this on an app-by-app basis with no system-wide switch. For me, that feels like a fiddle, but others will appreciate the fine control over the Redmi. The Realme has dual Selfie cameras, top-left, whilst the Redmi, a single central punch-hole. So choice there depends on how likely the user is to use the flexibility of a choice of selfie viewpoints against taking up more of the screen - or being prepared to black it all out anyway.

Notifications

The Redmi can be double-tapped to wake the screen at any time to see Notifications, clock, date and so on whereas the Realme does not support this feature. It lights up when Notifications come in for a few seconds, but in order to emulate the behaviour of the Redmi, the power button must be quickly pressed. There is a raise-to-wake option on both with face-unlock getting in on the act for entry, should you wish to set it up taking into account reduced security etc.

Driving Gear

This is where the Realme, at least on paper, pushes ahead with a more powerful SnapDragon 855+ chipset over the Redmi's 720G and will reflect some of the difference in prices here. There's also 12GB RAM on this 256GB version of the Realme (though there is also a cheaper 128GB/8GB version available in some markets) over the 128GB/6GB or 64GB/6GB versions of the Redmi. So you'd expect the Realme to fly and multi-task in greater abundance than the Redmi. Well, I hate to disappoint you, but I can't really tell much difference! I'm sure that a heavy gamer running a really processor-demanding game might disagree, but if this extreme is needed to demonstrate any difference, then surely the ordinary person wanting a generic Android phone won't notice - and will enjoy the benefit of potentially more battery life from the more economic chipset.

What's in Store

The Realme which I have here, as I mentioned above, has 256GB of UFS 3.0 storage supplied whereas the Redmi only has a maximum of 128GB UFS 2.1. UFS 3.0 potentially enables read/write speeds double that of 2.1 but maybe more importantly for ordinary folk, it executes that speed whilst using less battery power. So maybe worth a tick in the box, though in reality I wonder how often this will be utilised and appreciated by most folk. Bigger for me is that the Redmi has a microSD Card slot! So yes, it may not have as much storage as the Realme, but it can be expanded. Neither of these phones support HDMI-Out functionality, but both, USB OTG.

Snapping

The other area potentially justifying the Realme's increased cost is the, as you may have guessed, SuperZoom camera capability! As I said in my fuller thoughts linked to above, it's great to have the option of the SuperZoom, but it also has limitations. Both phones offer a Quad Camera setup (for 'tis the trend) with a similar main 64MP main shooter and 8MP wide-angle. They both have a Macro lens though the Redmi wins out here slightly with a 5MP count over the 2MP of the Realme. While the Redmi makes do with a 2MP depth sensor for it's 4th, the Realme steps out with this Periscope Telephoto offering 5x Optical Zoom with OIS (which is nowhere in sight with the Redmi). Furthermore, the SuperZoom claims 'hybrid' zooming (optical and digital) up to 60x! In reality, nothing after about 10x zoom is much use for any quality, though useful to get a shot at least. The question of whether or not it's any better than taking a photo and zooming in on the image later, remains! It's good fun though and most people will find 10x zoom more than usable - and certainly the 5x Optical. Great feature. Nice results. As I mentioned earlier, the Realme offers an extra wide-angle Selfie camera which can get more in of course for mates down the pub!

Platform

The platform for both is, of course, Android - and both are bang up-to-date with v.10 and, as I write in August 2020, July 2020 Google Security Patches. Where they differ is their own skins and to some degree and in different ways, each apply a layer over Vanilla Android which changes significantly the personality of the device. Realme's UI is actually less thick than Redmi's MiUI11 which was a surprise to me as I had feared that it might reflect my previous experience with stable-mate Oppo's near-iOS plastering. Both systems offer the basics of Android 10 with Gesture Navigation and Google Now Cards to the left of the Home Screen, not previously a given, but where they differ more is in their implementation of Settings.
There are all sorts of options, bells and whistles added to these phones over Vanilla and the Settings have been completely re-written and designed in their own way. The Realme is actually closer to Stock Android, but they both go their own way and completely confuse anyone coming into their systems anew. Stick around for a couple of years and of course, you'll learn how they do things. Searching Settings is often hit-and-miss as you have to learn first what they both call things as they meander away from labelling applied by Google for Android. So, not much to choose really but if I had to, I'd go Realme!
Worth noting that the Redmi is expecting MiUI12 any minute and this of course may make a difference to this section. Early adopters are saying that there are big improvements, so I shall be keen to see what they are and what impact on my decision in this portion of my thoughts. Some thoughts on this are available over at XDA. A lot of them look very much like iOS cloning to me!

Power

Not only does the Redmi have a more efficient chipset in terms of power but it is also supported by a bigger battery. 5,020mAh as opposed to the Realme's 4,200mAh. As you can see, this is the best part of 25% more and the package makes for longer and stronger use out on the road, especially when users are playing all day shooting 60x images because they can! I'm always one for more power being better. There's no Qi Wireless Charging on either of these phones, so it's plugging in or using a Qi Receiver, which means more reliance on and importance of a bigger battery. Having said that, anything over 4,000mAh really should be considered very good.

Sound

Sound output is an interesting one as although both are equipped with a downwards-firing mono speaker, they both actually sound pretty well balanced and are good enough for most uses for most people. The Realme has system-wide Dolby settings to play with whereas the Redmi does not, so when using the speaker users need to rely for adjustments on a Music App. There's a 3.5mm Audio-Out socket on the Redmi but the sound coming from it is nowhere near as good as the Realme's 24-bit audio available via USB-C 'phones or via an adapter. Bluetooth 5.0 is the same in both and output is excellent. Lastly, the Redmi has a recording FM Radio but the Realme doesn't. A small point, maybe, for many - but for some this is important in order to keep sounds coming when perhaps connectivity is poor for streaming.

Connectivity

Cellular connectivity appears to good on both phones and there's similarly nothing to choose between them for WiFi and GPS. Good strong locks in testing and NFC, incidentally working with both too.

An Odd Comparison

Yes, maybe it was, based on selling prices - but as I had both these phones in-hand I thought I'd like to explore the differences anyway! The Xiaomi is the budget offering at £240 at time of writing and the Realme, £470. Please note that the Realme price quoted is for the 256GB version and the Redmi, 128GB in the UK.
So the question is, whether or not that Periscope Zoom, more powerful chipset and more RAM of the Realme is enough of a draw, over the much more budget-friendly Redmi. Pros and cons all-round. Or perhaps you'd rather stay mainstream with a cleaner version of Android and stick to a more conservative 2x or 3x optical zoom. If so, there's plenty of choice between these price-points including loads from Motorola, Nokia, various AndroidOne Programme phones, the OnePlus' mid-ranger the Nord and if you fancy meandering off towards Apple, the excellent iPhone SE (2020).
Size is also an issue - these pair of phones are pretty big, whilst others more pocket-friendly. So many choices. Which way will you jump? For me, if I had to choose one of these two, I think it would be the Realme for the better audio experience, slightly cleaner UI and fun (at least) camera.