“iPhone killer” for five thousand rubles. Xiaomi Mi Note: a real “iPhone killer”? iPhone 7 xiaomi killer

In recent years, an interesting trend has emerged - every time, following high-profile presentations of Apple gadgets, an armada of competitors fills the market with their copycat products. Still, Cupertino residents are unable to cope with all sorts of leaks - long before the release date of the flagship iPhones. After all, almost all the gadgets in the world are assembled at the same factories in China, and it is impossible to keep track of compliance with trade secrets.

Inspired by mega-popularitysmartphones Apple and record profits from their sales, many new companies began to develop similar devices, actively trying to compete with the giant.

However, few of the mentioned manufacturers are able to provide the level of operating comfort and service that the iPhone provides. But one cannot but agree that some of the mobile innovations presented last year deserve attention.

Xiaomi Mi 5S

The handsome Mi 5S, released in September 2016, from the Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi, can easily compete with iPhones in terms of characteristics. Its features, even in appearance, are painfully reminiscent of the outlines of the iPhone, the same “solid” aluminum, plastic inserts for antennas, colors and rounded edges.
It is equipped with a powerful Snapdragon 821 chip with 4 cores and a frequency of 2.15 GHz (for an iPhone - 2.23 GHz). It is controlled by MIUI OS - based on Android 6. RAM – 3 GB. The versatile 5.15-inch IPS display has very thin side bezels. The number of “dots” is 1080×1920, which ensures excellent image transmission without distortion.
Mi 5S also has a very cool ultrasonic scanner that recognizes even wet/dirty fingers of the owner. The button itself, like on iPhones, has become touch sensitive.

The cameras, however, are weaker in the S-series than in its predecessor, the Mi 5. The resolution of the main camera is the same as that of iPhones - 12 megapixels, and the front one - only 4 megapixels (for iPhone 7). However, this did not greatly affect the quality of the photo - everything is clear and contrasty.

Another innovation clearly adopted from Apple is the absence of a slot for memory cards. Now the user can choose one of the 32/64/128 GB versions. Two SIM cards are supported. The battery is 3300 mAh (iPhone 7 has only 1960 mAh).

Model cost from minimum volume memory is $325.

OnePlus 3

Another interesting new product is the “3” smartphone from the Chinese OnePlus. Since their inception, the brand’s gadgets have been positioned by the manufacturer as “killers” (or “FlagshipKillers”) of smartphones—all others, that is. And the 3rd sample finally begins to live up to this loud slogan.

A distinctive feature of this “dual-SIM” smartphone is its bright 5.5” Super AMOLED screen with very narrow bezels around it. Models are offered in two colors – silver and gold.
The gadget's processor is almost the same as that of the Mi 5S (i.e. Snapdragon 820 with 4 cores, 2.15 MHz). He has room to roam - almost 6 GB of RAM. Although OnePlus 3 shows excellent performance results, it still does not reach the level of iPhones. The device runs Oxygen OS.

The Troika is equipped with a 16MP camera (from Sony), with an f/2.0 aperture, and an 8MP selfie camera. Optical and digital stabilization is supported. Despite the fact that the camera looks somewhat bulky, it is completely justified high quality pictures. Although there are some flaws when shooting at night.

Battery capacity - 3000 mAh, incl. Dash fast charging is supported. Another plus of this model is that the assembly is well-executed; nothing is loose anywhere, just like with iPhones. Other gadgets from this review cannot always boast of this.

“1+3” in all its glory displays the best quality ratio for its price. For the basic new product they ask for $399, which is almost half as much as for the iPhone. You don't pay for a big name - only for functionality. Quite worthy, by the way.

LeEcoLeMAX 2

Another “Chinese”, simply stuffed with all sorts of bells and whistles - “Le MAX 2” , from LeEco. The company is aggressively storming the market and wants to “take” a potential client all at once. Here you have a metal case, two SIM cards, and a 21 megapixel camera, and that’s enough capacious battery– 3100 mAh, with the possibility fast charging.

It is curious that the ultrasonic sensor that scans the finger is not located under the screen, but on the reverse side - near the camera. It is also able to recognize dirty and wet fingers.
Be prepared for the fact that you will have to use it with two hands - the diagonal is 5.7 inches and the weight of 185 g is obligatory. Accordingly, the number of “dots” of its brightest QHD screen will be large - 2560x1440.

The processor is the same as its predecessor, OnePlus 3, as is the RAM (6 GB). It is controlled by an “axis” - EUI (currently version 5.8).

In this gadget, the company adopted the trend of abandoning the mini-jack from Cupertino. But while Apple also offers wireless “ears” for its smartphones, LeEco simply limited itself to an adapter.
As for the shooting quality, in fact, the “multi-megapixel” main camera of Le MAX 2 turned out to be not so good. Photos often turn out blurry, especially in low light. But the 8-megapixel selfie camera copes with the tasks quite adequately.

There are options to choose from in three colors, with memory capacities of 32/64/128 GB (with the first and last - tension). There is no option to expand memory.
For a device with a minimum amount of memory they ask for $315, for a maximum - $421. An excellent budget option, it’s a pity that it doesn’t have a mini-jack!

Meizu PRO 6

And finally, one more “clone” that is closest to iPhones is “PRO 6” from Meizu. Just as laconic, with rounded edges, everything is balanced - nothing superfluous.
The gadget is equipped with a powerful, three-cluster 10-core chip – “Helio X25” from Mediatek. It's fast and energy efficient - what more do you need from a processor? Four gigabytes of RAM is enough to ensure the fast operation of the system - “Flyme OS” (based on Android).

The 2560 mAh battery does a good job of powering the chip with the 5.2-inch “Super AMOLED” display. It will definitely withstand a day of loads. At the same time, take into account the additional charge consumption of two SIM cards.

The main camera of the gadget has an extension of 21.16 megapixels. However, in some special way outstanding characteristics she is no different. Fast focus, “correct” white balance, good quality of shooting in the twilight. “Front camera” here is 5 megapixels.
You can choose a model in three colors - 32 or 64 GB; there is no support for external memory cards. Prices start at $320 – quite an adequate price for such functionality.

So why are iPhones better?

Many people have a question: “Why then pay so much for iPhones, if you can buy gadgets with a lot of bells and whistles for almost half the price?” Yes, in terms of the overall range of functions, some of the smartphones mentioned are indeed superior to iPhones.

However, they do not stand up to any comparison in terms of productivity and quality of work. If you put smartphones side by side, even the response speed and trouble-free opening of applications by iPhones are visible to the naked eye. And iPhone hacking protection cannot be compared with competitors' security services.

The annual report of "Antutubenchmarks" - on the summary characteristics of smartphones, confirms the leading positions of flagship iPhones. In terms of points, they are confidently ahead of their opponents.
And even taking into account all the “troubles” of the Apple ecosystem, iPhones are many times more stable than any of the above-mentioned devices. All smartphones of the brand are assembled with high quality - nothing is loose anywhere. Even by the weight in your hand, you feel that you are holding a good thing.

Today you won’t surprise anyone with a good Chinese smartphone. For the last three years, when you sit down to write a review of the next flagship from the Middle Kingdom, you experience the greatest problems with the introduction. Again, to say that the inscription “Made in China” is no longer synonymous with low quality? Once again, retell the path of Chinese companies that managed to a short time learn how to make truly amazing devices at half the price of famous flagships?

Nevertheless, both are true. Chinese smartphones are not preparing to launch major league, they are already there, and every month more and more people understand this. Xiaomi Mi6- the new flagship of the “most beloved company by geeks” is another proof of this.

You can't tell it from the photographs, but Mi6- one of the most beautiful smartphones of our time. Similarity with iPhone, which catches the eye in the photographs, is not felt so strongly in reality. It's all because of attention to detail: last year I praised Mi5 for the design, but this year the Chinese have gone even further. The quality of assembly and workmanship is impressive: the smartphone feels very solid, well-built, and tightly built. The flimsy aluminum frame of last year's model, which could be damaged with a fingernail if you applied enough force, went to waste. Instead there is steel polished to a shine, shining in the sun even in black. The back surface is still glass, still easily soiled and prone to scratches, but it doesn’t seem fragile at all. Perhaps this is an illusion caused by increased weight. If so, then I am glad to be deceived: the feeling that you are holding an expensive thing in your hands arises immediately, as soon as you take it out Mi6 out of the box - and does not let go even after a couple of weeks.

Of course, to the level of stunning Galaxy S8 Xiaomi fell far short: the frames at the top and bottom say hello to 2015, the aspect ratio is still 16:9, and the buttons are somewhat loose, but the overall impression, both visual and tactile, is one of the strongest points Mi6.

The display doesn't let you down either. Nowadays, a good screen can be found even in public sector phones for 7 thousand rubles, not to mention flagships, but the matrix also has its share of praises Mi6 deserves it. I especially liked the color rendition: deep black, natural white, very high maximum brightness and very low minimum brightness. The character of the screen here is most similar to the one installed in iPhone 7- but it has the best IPS matrix for today. Oh yes, black stripes around the screen that irritated many owners of previous flagships Xiaomi, there is no.

Mi6- this is the flagship Xiaomi, and therefore the “hardware” here is the very best. QualcommSnapdragon 835(he, for example, works in the American version Galaxy S8) is the best thing in the world right now Android, and he is inferior only to A10 Fusion everything is the same iPhone 7 Plus. Anyway, it works Mi6 very fast: smooth animations, instant page loading in the browser, 60 frames in all existing 3D games. This is a level close to GooglePixel- and this is a big compliment. The Chinese did not mind the RAM - in Mi6 there are six gigabytes of it at once. Excess? If so, then it’s in the “it can’t get any worse” category.

Dual camera is a major trend in mobile photography, and Xiaomi We didn’t miss this moment. IN Mi6 two modules, both 12 megapixels, and the same as in iPhone 7 Plus, with different focal lengths. Hence the “optical” zoom function and portrait mode. IN Mi5 the camera was at most “very good”, and in Mi6 The situation has not changed. The smartphone takes good pictures - but no more. Sometimes sharpness drops at the edges of pictures, noise reduction works too actively at night, and in portrait mode the bokeh effect almost always extends to hair and the edges of clothes. You are unlikely to be disappointed with the “six” camera, but, unfortunately, it cannot be called a flagship.

Works Mi6 on the seventh Android, from which it is traditional for Xiaomi only horns and legs remained. Shell MIUI 8- not for everyone, and you can find different reviews about it. Personally, I rather like it (the main thing is to choose the most neutral design theme), but problems with it sometimes happen. My colleague, for example, complained about regular crashes and reboots - but this problem passed me by. It’s only a shame that I thoroughly “shoveled” Android, programmers Xiaomi forgot about several useful system functions. For example, here you cannot quickly switch to the previous application double click to the multitasking button.

The best part is that such joys cost only 30 thousand rubles. And this comes with an official guarantee, and not on the “gray market” (where, however, you can buy a smartphone even cheaper).

Main competitor XiaomiMi6- beautiful HuaweiHonor 9. On the side of the latter are more successful cameras and an interesting glare coating on the body, Mi6 It wins in speed, build quality and design.

This may not best smartphone for today and no “killer” iPhone“, but it’s definitely the best option to finally get acquainted with Chinese smartphones and understand that, by and large, they are in no way inferior to famous flagships.

Today Chinese smartphones at the peak of its popularity. Consumer interest in Huawei, Meizu and Xiaomi products has even made one of the market leaders worried Apple company. In the second quarter alone, sales of the Apple brand in China decreased by 33% compared to the same period last year, and Apple’s share of the smartphone market in China, according to Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, decreased by 1.8% to 17. 9%. The leaders in the Chinese market are Huawei with a share of 25.7% and Xiaomi with 18.5%.

Following the largest brands Huawei and ZTE, smaller companies have reached Russia - Meizu, Xiaomi, LeEco and OnePlus. Hi-Tech Mail published the opinions of owners of budget and flagship models of Chinese iPhone competitors and issued a verdict.

Meizu M3s mini

Pros: The “well-coordinated device” in a thin metal case with 2.5D glass won over RuNet users with its design and low price. Decent performance and battery life are noted: the battery will last two days of “moderate use.” The speed and accuracy of the fingerprint scanner is amazing: “It works better and faster than on the iPhone,” writes one of the owners.

Minuses: The case is made of low-quality material: “it is quite easily subject to cosmetic defects.” The vaunted fingerprint scanner often fails, and the same thing happens with the “Back” touch button. The camera is “washy”, the colors are faded, and at low lighting levels it “chokes” with noise. Users who switched to Meizu M3s mini from old iPhones regret what they did: “If not Apple, then who?”

Referee: Inexpensive, elegant, productive mid-ranger in a metal case. Amateur photographers will be disappointed by the quality of the camera. It is worth buying a smartphone in white retail, so that if the fingerprint scanner breaks down, there will be no problems with returns or warranty repairs.

Xiaomi Redmi 3s

Pros: The attention of the vast majority is attracted by the low price tag. Happy owners of the smartphone are delighted with the battery: it lasts for two days in intensive mode. At the same time, the hardware is quite powerful - you can even play. Final stroke - fast scanner fingerprint: the smartphone is unlocked in less than a second.

Minuses: You need to monitor the firmware updates so as not to drown in glitches - either the time zone will be reset after a reboot, or incoming calls are not detected, or your cheek presses on the screen during a conversation. There are tons of nuances! In general, “dancing with tambourines cannot be avoided,” sum up Runet users.

Referee: Average with impressive autonomy for little money. Everything about it is good, except for the “crude” firmware. For geeks, the need to rummage through a smartphone is only a joy, but for an ordinary person it will cause a bad mood.

LeEco Le 2

Pros: For little money you get everything in the world - from a metal case to powerful processor And USB-C port. There's even fast charging.

Minuses:“The battery drains as quickly as it charges,” writes one user. Under intense load, the charge may not be enough even for a day. Many people report a squeaking sound from the USB connector - it is not audible to the naked ear, but when recording video or audio, as well as during a conversation, it manifests itself. The camera lathers even when daylight, users note. The feature in the form of the lack of a 3.5 mm audio jack turned out to be a drawback of the smartphone for many.

Referee: Beautiful, powerful, modern smartphone. But, unfortunately, it leaves an impression of incompleteness. It seems that the manufacturer was in too much of a hurry to put it on sale.

Xiaomi Mi5

pros: “This phone has no compromises. He really does everything he’s supposed to do – and he does it beautifully!” The smartphone is not inferior to branded flagships with a similar filling and is much cheaper, RuNet users are sure. Not only high performance is noted, but also a fast charging function: up to 100% in one hour. Rear and front camera Simply gorgeous, smartphone owners write.

Minuses: Many people are annoyed by the black frames around the screen. “Eating battery like crazy.” The firmware is teeming with unpleasant little things. For an incoming call, the subscriber's number is indicated, not his name from phone book, even if the subscriber is recorded, one of the users clarifies. “After you add a fingerprint, then it is not deleted, it writes an error. But this can easily be solved by temporarily changing the language to English,” clarifies another. It is noteworthy that there are much fewer complaints about the firmware of this model than the budget Xiaomi Redmi 3s.

Referee: This flagship would be flawless if it were not for the “dampness” of the firmware and high power consumption.

Meizu MX6

pros: “Everything is like the famous flagships, only much cheaper,” - the opinion of RuNet users. Cool design a la iPhone 6. Performance is also excellent. No freezes or slowdowns were noticed, says one of the smartphone owners. They also praise the fast charging, thanks to which the smartphone is “filled up” to 100% in 75 minutes, the camera and the sound in the headphones.

Minuses: Users do not like the lack of a slot for microSD card. They also report that under intense load the smartphone gets quite hot, and the battery barely lasts until the evening.

Referee: Flagship Killer. Powerful, beautiful, inexpensive, but autonomy is poor.

OnePlus 3

pros: In addition to design, construction and materials, users note the ultimate performance and rave about the 6GB random access memory. They praise the mode switch button. “It’s a very convenient thing, especially for me, as a former iPhone owner,” explains one of the owners. A camera, fast charging, an accurate fingerprint scanner, an adequate price and “pure” Android 6.0 Marshmallow are the advantages of this smartphone, according to RuNet.

Minuses: Slippery body. Many people would like more autonomy. They write that the battery lasts for a little over a day. Several cases of random reboots have been observed. The camera performs poorly when shooting at night.

Referee: Considering the price, this smartphone can be called the best in the selection.

Has Lenovo gone crazy? What about making money from clients? What nonsense? If I had bought such a smartphone for my son right away, I would have saved a lot of money. He has already broken about 10 smartphones, from expensive to cheap. The record was with Asus, he dropped it on the first day and the glass shattered. It costs half the price to replace a smartphone; it’s easier to throw it away. So, Lenovo is returning the legendary Motorola brand to Russia, but not just returning, but turning its face to the buyer - an unbreakable screen, waterproof and with fast charging in 15 minutes to 8 hours of work.
For what? Don't they need profit?

Here, for example, is how much it costs to replace an iPhone screen. Holy crap 30,000 rubles, just for glass... Screw you to hell... with such prices.

The first devices presented on the Russian market will be the Moto X (Play, Style, Force) and Moto G series smartphones.
See the characteristics yourself

The new items run on the latest version of Android Lollipop OS (further OS updates are planned), are equipped with Qualcomm processors, capacious batteries, and have waterproof housings. The screens of the new smartphones are protected by Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 and share a common design element: an oblong platform on the back panel, which houses the main camera, dual LED flash that allows precise control of color temperature (CCT), and a logo. In Moto X series models, the main 21-megapixel camera has an instant response and shoots without delay (ZSL).

A 3630 mAh battery provides autonomous operation for two days and supports fast charging (8 hours of use in 15 minutes of recharging). The Moto X Play has a water-repellent nano-coating that protects against water droplets and splashes.

The main camera with a resolution of 21 MP is equipped with phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and is capable of shooting 4K video at 30 frames per second. Supports work with two SIM cards. The 3000 mAh battery lasts for a whole day with active use. The Turbo Power fast charging function provides up to 10 hours of battery life in 15 minutes.

The Moto X Force's display features Moto's exclusive ShatterShield system, a five-layer system that absorbs shock and prevents cracking and chipping. The body of the smartphone is lined with ballistic nylon.

And now the prices.
Moto smartphones will be available on the Russian market from March 2016: on March 1, sales will begin in stores of the Megafon, Euroset, and Svyaznoy chains, and in mid-March in other retail chains.
Moto G - priced at 16,990 rubles,
Moto X Play - priced at 29,990 rubles,
Moto X Style - priced at 39,990 rubles,
Moto X Force - priced at 49,990 rubles.

Throughout the presentation, the smartphone was floating in the aquarium, they took it out and continued to work...

Now my wife only has this smartphone) So as not to give a new one for every holiday

Brave claim. And we will definitely check it. We simply could not pass by and not try to catch Xiaomi by the tongue - such things are no joke, because the “seven” has been reliably holding the position of one of the main camera phones on the market for a year now, with which only comparable-price Android flagships can compete.

Plus, this is a great chance to see what it's like Android program One. If you've never heard of this, it's a Google initiative in which the corporation helps create high-quality, inexpensive devices in exchange for them being sold with fresh Android version without add-ons and unnecessary pre-installed applications.

Have we met somewhere before?

Of all the Android One versions released today, the Xiaomi version looks the most attractive: a unibody aluminum body, dual camera, a 5.5-inch screen, glass slightly rounded at the edges and antenna veins neatly inscribed into the edges of the body... wait, this has already happened somewhere. Well, yes, the iPhone 7 Plus was mentioned at the presentation for a reason - Mi A1 seemed to be designed by two designers from an old joke: one was holding the iPhone, and the second was tracing it. The device also resembles the OnePlus 5 with its narrower frames.

The color palette is almost identical to the iPhone: matte black, pink and gold. The polishing quality is also almost identical, it is pleasant to hold in your hands. In general, the product of the joint efforts of Google and Xiaomi looks quite good, but is completely devoid of individuality - only the branded three buttons under the screen and the fingerprint sensor placed on the back (like the Mi Max 2) save it from complete depersonalization. But these design solutions can hardly be called unconditionally successful - in 2017, touch buttons instead of on-screen buttons give off a Chinese budget phone a mile away.

Let's be honest - this is not an iPhone

When Jony Ive gets to work in his snow-white workshop in Cupertino, there can be no complaints about ergonomics. You can criticize the relatively unprepossessing design of the latter as much as you like. iPhone generations, but at least the smartphone itself is perfectly balanced and fits into the hand as if it had always been there: pleasantly heavy, smooth, fingers can easily reach all the necessary buttons - in a word, the Thing. With 5.5-inch iPhone screen The 7 Plus still feels like a shovel and you can’t do it without a second hand; even Apple is not capable of such miracles.

But the Mi A1 lacks this feeling of “Thing” with a capital T. It seems to be the same, almost 30 grams lighter, already a couple of millimeters, and the index finger fits perfectly on the fingerprint sensor, but still something is wrong. It may be a matter of weight, but there are other unpleasant little things. For example, although the edges of the glass are rounded, the joint with the metal is uneven; there is a noticeable “step” with a sharp edge.

And with such a diagonal, it is quite difficult to use the three touch keys under the screen - if you hold the device with one hand, your finger simply cannot reach them all. The iPhone has only one button, multitasking, in the center.

And for some reason they saved money on the NFC module, so what about Android Pay you can forget. In 2017, for a device supported by Google, this looks like an unacceptable redneck.

"Pure" Android is good, but there are problems

It's funny, but be it ordinary Xiaomi smartphone with the proprietary MIUI shell, there would be no problem with the keys. The company's engineers are well aware that with a large diagonal it is impossible to use them, and have long ago added to the firmware the ability to reassign them, add an alternative action for a long press, or even switch to a special universal button that can be freely dragged around the screen.

All this is implemented in the twin brother of Xiaomi Mi A1, which is called Mi 5X - this is literally the same device, but on MIUI instead of pure Android and a couple of thousand rubles cheaper (in China).

In “pure” Android 7.1.1 these options are not provided; even on-screen buttons cannot be activated. But swiping on the sensor on the rear panel opens a curtain with notifications and quick switches, just like on Google Pixel, and the whole system works faster, more stable and completely in Russian with access to Google Play“out of the box”, no need to bother with firmware.

In addition, Android, starting with version 7.0 Nougat, uses one of the best today on-screen keyboards G-Board, and swiping to the right from the main screen opens the search screen and personal feed - at first an unusual, but very convenient thing that will show the weather, traffic jams on the way home, and interesting news (I don’t know how exactly this happens, but I I almost always find something that I really would like to read). In addition, by the end of the year the device should be updated to Android 8.0 Oreo, and there are also several useful innovations there.

As for the talking Google Assistant, so far it only understands queries in English. But sooner or later it must be adapted for our country.

The only Xiaomi app that has crept into the Mi A1 is Mi Remote, which allows you to use the IR port built into the top edge as Universal remote for any home equipment such as a TV or air conditioner. And this is rather a plus, nevertheless, starting from version 7.0 Android has become exemplary operating system with good stability on all devices, which makes no sense to clutter with unnecessary elements.

There is enough power, but it doesn’t conquer peaks

Inside the Xiaomi Mi A1 there is an eight-core Snapdragon 625 and 4 GB of RAM. This is not a flagship level, but a good supply of RAM and OS optimization allows a mid-level processor to quickly cope with any everyday tasks: menus open and scroll through quickly and smoothly, applications launch and run without slowdowns, and even a heavy PDF document of almost 500 pages was loaded with all the graphics in seconds.

Mi A1 does not conquer the peaks of benchmarks, but thanks to the energy-efficient Snapdragon 625, Full HD IPS screen and 3080 mAh battery, it confidently lives for one and a half to two days with average use (several calls, one and a half hours of the Internet and social networks at 80% brightness, two hours of online music, periodic replies in instant messengers and mail with push notifications) and confidently lasts until late in the evening if you use maps a lot, take photos and watch videos on YouTube in addition to standard downloads.

The screen is good. For their money

For a device costing 15 thousand rubles, the Xiaomi Mi A1 has a really good, even excellent display. In direct comparison with the iPhone 7 Plus, it is inferior, but not without a fight: with identical resolution, brightness and pixel density, the Chinese budget device has less saturated colors and lowered contrast, which makes the image seem flat and less expressive. Viewing angles are excellent, but it could be calibrated better; blacks are a little purple.

The display is covered with a Gorilla Glass 3 panel, but there are some doubts about this - on the very first day a noticeable scratch appeared on the glass, although the smartphone was not put in the same pocket with keys or anything like that. It looks like an ordinary large speck of dust on the table was enough.

Between the white glass of the front panel and the screen, a thin black frame around the display is noticeable, but you can’t get away from it - white iPhone 7s also have it.

Camera - main test

A balanced verdict in the unexpected Xiaomi comparison Mi A1 and iPhone 7 Plus can be judged based on the results of the main comparison - the camera test. Below are examples of images taken from both devices under equal conditions.

When viewing the captured photos on smartphone screens, I was even a little upset; the iPhone 7 Plus looked like the undisputed winner. But upon closer examination on one computer monitor, the difference turned out to be not so significant. Photos from Xiaomi even look brighter and more contrasty!

You can check out more photo comparisons in our gallery. Photos are signed and presented in full resolution.

Apple iPhone 7 Plus

Xiaomi Mi A1

The devices take photographs in the same resolution of 12 megapixels (4000x3000 pixels), matrices with enlarged pixels are used, and pairs of modules consist of one wide-angle lens and one telephoto lens, but the characteristics of individual modules differ. Apple uses fast (f/1.8 and f/2.8) lenses with focal lengths of 28 mm and 56 mm, respectively, while Xiaomi has a simpler camera: f/2.2 at 26 mm and f/2.6 at 50 mm.

As expected, both smartphones cope well in bright daylight, but Xiaomi produces slightly oversaturated colors (this can be corrected in the camera settings, but we specifically shot at standard values).