Motorola finally took wraps off its new line of mid to low-end budget smartphones that includes Moto G6, Moto G6 Play and the Moto G6 Plus. The Moto G6 Plus is the top line phone of the new G series. Another device currently in this mid-range category is the Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 5 Pro. Motorola disappointed many users by going with the Snapdragon 630 SoC for the Moto G6 Plus because Xiaomi has already used the Snapdragon 636 SoC on the Note 5 Pro. But the G6 Plus scores on the design front, which has been the forte for Motorola over the last couple of years. So how will Moto G6 Plus hold against its main competitor.
Design & Display
The Moto G6 Plus comes with an updated design featuring a bezel-less 18:9 screen format and 3D glass rear panel. The front also houses the physical home button with integrated fingerprint scanner under the display. Overall, the Moto G6 Plus has a very premium look, especially in the mid-range category.
The Xiaomi Note 5 Pro’s design is as mainstream as G6 Plus, though it sports full metal unibody design. The lack of physical home screen button on the front forces the company to go with a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.
As for the display, the Moto G6 Plus packs in a 5.9-inch IPS LCD display with Full HD+ resolution, 18:9 aspect ratio and is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro also has a 5.99-inch IPS LCD with FHD+ resolution and Corning Gorilla glass protection.
Performance
The Moto G6 Plus is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 SoC paired with either 6GB or 4GB of RAM. While the base model comes with 4GB RAM and 64GB onboard storage, the top-tier model will have 6GB and 128GB of memory.
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro, on the other hand, is far more powerful device packing in the Snapdragon 636 SoC. Similar to the G6 Plus, it ships with two RAM options a 6GB RAM and a 4GB RAM, but both devices come with 64GB onboard storage.
However, in terms of sheer performance, users will definitely find a difference between the two phones as the Snapdragon 636 SoC is powerful than the Snapdragon 630 SoC.
Camera
Both smartphones ship with dual rear cameras. The Moto G6 Plus sports 12MP + 5MP sensors with PDAF on the back with dual-tone LED flash. Video recording at 1080p is possible at 60 fps while the front-facing shooter is just an 8MP camera.
Xiaomi has gone with slightly similar dual setup at the back. The Redmi Note 5 Pro earned much of its praise for its camera unit which is a dual lens module with 12MP (f/2.2, 1.25µm) + 5MP (f/2.0, 1.12µm) sensors. The camera comes with phase detection autofocus, face detection and an LED flash. On the front is a 20MP selfie shooter with 1µm pixel size and f/2.2 aperture.
Battery
The Moto G6 Plus is fueled by a 3200mAh battery with 15W TurboCharging support via USB Type-C port. The Redmi Note 5 Pro in comparison has a 4000mAh battery, but lacks fast charging and has a micro USB port. Though the Moto G6 Plus with USB Type-C support is a great option, but the Redmi Note 5 Pro certainly has a bigger battery which will result in better battery life.
Price in India
Motorola has yet to reveal Moto G6 Plus pricing and availability in India. The handset was launched at €299 in Brazil, which roughly translates to around Rs 24,000. However, the device is expected to be launched at Rs 16,999 in India.
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro with 4GB RAM is priced at Rs 13,999 while the 6GB RAM model costs Rs 16,999. The handset is available exclusively on Flipkart and can also be picked from Mi Home stores.
Conclusion
Clearly, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro with its powerful processor, highest resolution front-facing camera, and the largest battery will easily trump the Moto G6 Plus. However, Xiaomi sells the Redmi Note 5 through flash sales which makes hard it grab. This could swing the votes in favour of the Moto G6 Plus which will be readily available in Indian market. Also, if Motorola manages to price the device aggressively around Rs 15,000 mark, people might be interested in going for it.
