The Xiaomi Mi 6 is officially the budget flagship entrant that can take on the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S8. The difference in price between the phones is heaven and earth. While the Xiaomi Mi 6 costs around $350, the Samsung Galaxy S8 costs $400 more. For the price of one Galaxy S8, one can buy two Mi 6. Does price really distinguish these two powerhouse smartphones? Let’s find out.
Display
On the display front, it’s clear to see that the Galaxy S8’s end-to-end curved screen is a sight to behold. It is an AMOLED panel measuring in at 5.8-inches with a resolution of 1440×2960. The screen contributes to the near bezel-less front of the S8, and offers beautiful viewing angles as well as an expanse of screen real-estate at the palm of the user’s hands.
Xiaomi Mi 6
The Mi 6 on the other hand has its shortcomings in the form of a smaller sized screen coming in at just 5.15-inches with a resolution of 1080×1920, which is not bad for its display size. The screen is an IPS LCD screen and although it is nowhere near as colourful as the Samsung Galaxy S8, it is still a reliable screen with better colour accuracy not as much exaggerated depth and contrast as much as Galaxy phones are known for. Technically, this round could go either way, depending on the preference of the user for a smaller screen or a larger one.
Design
The body of the S8 screams premium, being made of a combination of metal and glass. It has an IP68 rating, being resistant to dust and water. The design on the Mi 6 is also similar, with just as good aesthetics and very tastefully designed contours. The phone also comes in a better-looking ceramic trim. While the phone is not rated for extreme conditions, it is splash-resistant and for most, that will be good-enough. Based on build and looks alone, although this is Samsung’s best looking galaxy phone to date, it is also Xiaomi’s best looking Mi flagship to date as well.
Samsung Galaxy S8
In terms of functionality, the S8’s fingerprint scanner is a hit-or-miss. And as far is design is concerned, the application of the curved screen while viewing videos and content either results in glare or cropping, which will be an annoyance to most. The Xiaomi Mi 6 has everything tucked in just the right places and is extremely well spaced, with nothing left to desire. Hence, in terms of design-centricity and for the lack of a better phrase – better common sense – the Xiaomi Mi 6 becomes a more practical phone. That Bixby button on the S8 has only one function, when Samsung could have done so much more.
Camera
This one’s easy. The 12MP camera sensor on the Samsung Galaxy S8 with an f/1.7 is a brutal reminder to the competition that nothing can compare to an S8 camera. The Mi 6 is no slouch though, coming with an impressive dual-camera setup that isn’t just for show. It comes with two 12MP cameras – one with an f/1.8 aperture and one with an f/2.6 aperture for different scenes. Combining them for photos brings about beautiful depth of field.
The kind of innovation that Xiaomi has packed into its phone is commendable and the quality is on-par with some flagships, but considering that Samsung uses state-of-the-art tech in separating itself from the others, it comes out the clear winner, with sheer experience in camera quality. The Mi 6 is a brilliant camera too; just not when compared to the might S8. Here’s where the difference in costs lie. Both cameras feature decent 8MP sensors as well.
Specs
This is the most interesting segment. The S8, in its international variant, sports an Exynos 8895 chipset that is similar to the Snapdragon 835 chipset available in the US model. Xiaomi’s offering also features the powerful Snapdragon 835 chipset as standard across all variants. While storage options in the S8 range from 64/128GB, the same applies for the Mi 6, with the exception being that the S8 has expandable storage as well, while the Mi 6 is shortened in that aspect.
The S8 features only 4GB of RAM while the Mi 6 holds 6GB of RAM. performance-wise, the metrics can be measured when used in real-time and accessing multiple apps. The S8, however, adds face and Iris biometric verification methods apart from fingerprint scanning while the Mi 6 offers only a fingerprint scanner. The S8’s fingerprint module is not particularly in the most comfortable of places, while most people would prefer using the fingerprint scanner alone. Hence, Xiaomi’s more well-rounded and accessible specs which enable to take advantage of the power it has comes out on top of the S8, which is too varied across regions for consistency and has no proper security palette with all security methods falling short of functionality.
Another cause for concern is the battery life for the S8. With powerful specs such as huge processor and a big screen with high-resolution, just 3,000mAh would not be enough. The Xiaomi Mi 6 can offer a day’s worth of battery with its better 3,350mAh battery along with software that optimizes itself in order to make the most of the battery.
Verdict
The Galaxy S8 is beautiful phone that is meant to be celebrated since it brings the best of Samsung and Android together. For the next couple of years, users will receive the latest updates, and get experiences such as Bixby that will offer value over time. In the case of Xiaomi, all those features are received as well, since Google Assistant is still available, and Xiaomi’s flagship line, although slightly neglected during the updating process, still features good on the MIUI, which is considered one of the best Android interfaces in the world.
Practically speaking there are zero reasons why one should pay $400 more for the Samsung Galaxy S8 since the Xiaomi not only outnumbers the Samsung Galaxy S8 in terms of RAM credibility, but also matches each and every spec laid out by the S8. For a cost that allows for a flagship status alone, should be enough reason to consider the Xiaomi Mi 6. Android purists will have a difficult time choosing between the guaranteed reliable luxury of the S8 as opposed to the heavily customized Mi 6, which has stereo-speakers, while Samsung has a poorly configured mono-speaker for its flagship offering.
Innovation and budget trump classiness and luxury any time. Hence, the Xiaomi Mi 6 is our winner in this comparison.
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