Formerly a subsidiary of Oppo, Realme is now a standalone brand with a rapidly growing operation. The company has taken huge steps in cementing its position in India in short time, having launched its first product in May this year. Since then, the company has launched four more products, with the Realme U1 being its latest entry into the competitive affordable and mid-range smartphone space.
The new Realme U1 is priced from Rs 11,999 onwards, the Realme U1 is quite similar to the Realme 2 Pro, but key changes in the specifications and cameras are what set it apart and help it achieve a lower price tag. We’ve compared the Realme U1 with the Honor 8X and Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro to help you choose the best sub-Rs 15,000 smartphone to buy today.
Price and Availability
At Rs 11,999 onwards, the Realme U1 is the most affordable of the three devices being compared here. However, the phone sports 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage on its base variant, thus explaining the price difference to an extent. In comparison, the Honor 8X starts at Rs 14,999 and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro starts at Rs 13,999, but both of these phones come with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage on the entry-level option. The Realme U1 does have a 4GB + 64GB option as well, which is priced at Rs 14,499.
The Realme U1 and Honor 8X are available to buy on Amazon India, while the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro can be purchased on Flipkart. The Honor and Xiaomi smartphones can also be bought on the companies’ respective e-stores and through select offline channels.
Design and Display
All of the smartphones being compared here come with notched displays. However, the notch designs are different on the three devices. The Realme U1 has the smallest notch, with a waterdrop-style design on a 6.3-inch full-HD+ screen. The Honor 8X has the largest screen here at 6.5 inches, but a slightly larger regular notch. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro has the widest notch of the three phones here, with a screen size of 6.26 inches.
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro features a classic metal build, while the Honor 8X sports a glass build at the back along with a metal frame. The Realme U1 has a glass-like polycarbonate back that adds a glossy effect to the device. Therefore, it’s safe to say that the Realme U1 doesn’t feel as premium as the competition.
WATCH: Realme U1 First Look
Specifications
The three devices here sport specifications that are more or less similar, despite the three difference SoCs powering the phones. The Realme U1 is powered by the new MediaTek Helio P70 SoC, which is considered on par with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset. The Honor 8X uses the HiSilicon Kirin 710 chipset, while the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro sports the oldest SoC here, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636.
The Realme U1 starts with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, while the other two phones here sport 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage on their base variants. Xiaomi offers up to 6GB of RAM, while the Honor 8X comes with up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro has the largest battery of the three phones with a 4,000mAh unit under the hood, while the Honor 8X and Realme U1 have 3,750mAh and 3,500mAh batteries respectively. You also get dual-SIM connectivity and the option of storage expansion on all three phones.
Camera
The smartphone camera is an important factor in any purchase, and the three phones here all have distinct advantages to their cameras. The Realme U1 features a 25-megapixel front camera as it focuses on better selfies, along with a 13-megapixel + 2-megapixel dual-camera setup at the rear that also features AI capabilities.
The Honor 8X also features a dual-camera setup at the back with a 20-megapixel + 2-megapixel combination along with a 16-megapixel front camera, while the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro sports a 12-megapixel + 5-megapixel rear camera setup. At the front, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro has a distinct advantage over the Honor 8X and Realme U1, thanks to a dual-camera setup with a 20-megapixel + 2-megapixel camera combination.
| Features | Realme U1 | Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro | Honor 8X |
| Display | 6.3-inch full-HD+ | 6.26-inch full-HD+ | 6.5-inch full-HD+ |
| Processor | MediaTek Helio P70 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 | HiSilicon Kirin 710 |
| RAM | 3GB / 4GB | 4GB / 6GB | 4GB / 6GB |
| Storage | 32GB / 64GB (expandable) |
64GB (expandable) |
64GB / 128GB (expandable) |
| Rear Camera | 13-megapixel + 2-megapixel | 12-megapixel + 5-megapixel |
20-megapixel + 2-megapixel |
| Front Camera | 25-megapixel | 20-megapixel + 2-megapixel |
16-megapixel |
| Battery | 3,500mAh | 4,000mAh | 3,750mAh |
| Connectivity | 4G LTE, Dual-SIM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | 4G LTE, Dual-SIM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | 4G LTE, Dual-SIM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
| OS | Android 8.1 Oreo / ColorOS | Android 8.1 Oreo / MIUI | Android 8.1 Oreo / EMUI |
| Price | Rs 11,999 (3GB/32GB) Rs 14,499 (4GB/64GB) |
Rs 13,999 (4GB/64GB) Rs 15,999 (6GB/64GB) |
Rs 14,999 (4GB/64GB) Rs 16,999 (6GB/64GB) Rs 18,999 (6GB/128GB) |
