Which is the better Snapdragon 845-sporting phone?
Recently, it seems that ASUS and Xiaomi is going head-to-head with their recent phones. Previously, we compared the ZenFone 5 and Redmi Note 5 Pro, and both offer an impressive set of specs—at least on paper.
This appears to be the same thing with the ZenFone 5Z and the recently-announced Mi MIX 2S: Both Snapdragon 845-sporting models have impressive flagship-level specs at a competitive price. Let’s recap the specs first:
Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S specs
- AI-Powered Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 octa-core processor
- Qualcomm Adreno 630 graphics unit
- 6GB/8GB RAM
- 5.99-inch Full HD+ IPS display, 18:9 aspect ratio
- 64GB/128GB/256GB of non-expandable storage
- 12-megapixel wide-angle rear and 12-megapixel telephoto rear cameras with Sony IMX363 sensor,1.4µm pixels, 4-axis OIS, Dual Pixel AF, Portrait mode, and 2X optical zoom
- 5-megapixel front camera
- Dual SIM, with 4G LTE, LTE-A
- WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC
- Fingerprint scanner, USB Type-C port, Face Unlock, Wireless charging
- 3400mAh battery
- Android Oreo with MIUI 9
Asus Zenfone 5Z Specs
- AI-powered Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor
- Adreno 630 GPU
- 6GB/8GB RAM
- 64GB/256GB internal storage
- 6.2-inch Full HD+IPS display, 18.7:9 aspect ratio, 2246×1080 resolution, DCI-P3 wide color gamut
- 12-megapixel main rear camera, Sony IMX363 sensor, f/1.8 aperture, Night HDR, OIS, EIS, PDAF, RAW capture
- 8-megapixel secondary rear camera, 120-degree wide angle view
- 8-megapixel, f/2.0 front camera
- 4G, LTE
- Dual SIM
- WiFi, Bluetooth
- GPS, A-GPS
- Fingerprint scanner
- Facial Recognition
- USB Type-C port
- 3300mAh battery with BoostMaster and Smart Charging
- Android Oreo with ZenUI 5.0
Internals: Equally powerful
Aside from sporting the latest flagship processor from Qualcomm, both the Mi MIX 2S and ZenFone 5Z are on equal footing when it comes to RAM and internal storage configurations. The Mi MIX 2S gets a little edge as it offers a mid-end variant with a 128GB internal storage.
Display: Bigger display or a notch-free one?
While the ZenFone 5Z has a bigger display, there are mixed reactions to it since it sports the controversial notch. The Mi MIX 2S, on the other hand, uses the same notch-free display found on the Mi MIX. Because of this, the Mi MIX 2S makes a compromise by having the same awkward location for the front camera.
As to which display is better, it is hard to judge if we base it on paper. If you ask us, it is a matter of preference between a notch-free display with an awkward front camera location or a notched display with a conventional front camera location.
Camera: Quite a close match?
Speaking of cameras, both the Mi MIX 2S and ZenFone 5Z offer an impressive rear camera setup, especially with both phones using a Sony IMX 363 sensor. The Mi MIX 2S has a slight advantage by using a dual 12-megapixel wide-angle and telephoto setup for its rear cameras. The ZenFone 5Z, on the other hand, has an advantage with its front camera, which has a higher megapixel count than the front snapper of the Mi MIX 2S.
While the Mi MIX 2S has bragging rights with its high DxOMark score, we still need to do real-life tests for both phones to see which has the better camera setup.
Battery: A slight boost to the Mi MIX 2S
While both sport a power-efficient processor, the Mi MIX 2S has a slightly bigger battery. However, we still need to do our usual tests to determine which has a better battery life, as factors like software optimization can greatly affect battery efficiency.
Verdict: Price is the MOST crucial point
Given that they are almost head-to-head when it comes to specs. For the ZenFone 5Z, ASUS announced at MWC 2018 that they are pricing the base model, which has 6GB RAM and 64GB internal storage, at roughly Php 30.7k. Xiaomi, on the other hand, priced a similarly-specced Mi MIX 2S at around Php 27.6k.
While the pricing may change when both models arrive at our shores, the small price difference would mean a tight race for both phones.
Don’t forget to check out our announcement articles for both phones: