Is the Indian Bharat 5 better than Chinese Redmi 5A?

Khalid Anzar compares the Micromax and Xiaomi budget smartphones.

Photograph: Courtesy stevepb/pixabay.com

Home-grown smartphone manufacturer Micromax recently launched the Bharat 5 smartphone at ₹5,555.

The device promises class-leading battery life and the best-in-class selfie camera performance.

However, the launch of the Redmi 5A by Xiaomi at ₹ 4,999 (only for the first 5 million units) seems to challenge the Bharat 5 in the affordable smartphone segment.

Business Standard compared the Micromax Bharat 5 and the Xiaomi Redmi 5A on several parameters to see who takes the crown in this budget smartphone battle.

Photograph: Courtesy mi.com

Where Redmi 5A is ahead of Bharat 5

The Redmi 5A looks similar to its year-old predecessor, the Redmi 4A, but it is only more refined and user-friendly in design when compared with the Bharat 5.

The Redmi 5A feels more plush in hand and comfortable in pocket.

In terms of performance, the Redmi 5A is miles ahead of the Bharat 5.

Even the base model of the Redmi 5A offers twice the RAM (2GB) that the Bharat 5 carries, and the result is evident while using the smartphone.

The highly optimised Android Nougat-based MIUI 9 runs smoother and offers a lot of features and customisations in comparison with the unknown Android Nougat-based skin that the Bharat 5 boots.

Photograph: Courtesy micromaxinfo.com

Where Bharat 5 beats Redmi 5A

The Bharat 5A is equipped with a 5,000 mAh battery, which keeps the phone alive for more than a day and a half.

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.

The 5.2-inch HD IPS screen in the Bharat 5 is a little bigger than the 5-inch screen that Redmi 5A carries.

But the curved glass on top of the Bharat 5 makes it more comfortable to use when compared with the flat glass of the Redmi 5A screen.

Verdict

Though both are budget smartphones, the Bharat 5 and the Redmi 5A come with their own distinct strengths.

The Bharat 5 is primarily a battery-centric smartphone, while the Redmi 5A shows some strength in every vertical.

While both smartphones supports 4G, VoLTE, dual SIM and microSD card expansion slots, the Redmi 5A is more of an all-rounder than the Bharat 5.