The Realme X7 Max is Realme’s second attempt at a 2021 flagship and it has got it all right this time. The price is reasonable, the specifications are latest, and the value is great. In fact, the Realme X7 Max left us mighty impressed in our review as it checks the boxes Indians seek in a sub-Rs 30,000 price. Most importantly, it challenges the Xiaomi Mi 11X at its own game.
The Mi 11X starts at Rs 29,999 and has been our favourite in this segment since its launch. The inclusion of a Snapdragon 870 chip and a good display were the main factors it appeals highly. That said, the Realme X7 Max is cheaper by some margin and it manages to do all the same things.
Since we have reviewed both the phones, it would be criminal to not pit these against each other. Realme or Xiaomi, which one trumps the sub-Rs 30,000 segment?
Xiaomi Mi 11X vs Realme X7 Max
Design
Design is subjective and in a comparison involving Realme and Xiaomi, it becomes difficult fo the consumer. The Mi 11X goes for a modern take on its premium image, with a design inspired from the Mi 11 flagship. The “squircle” camera hump with large lens design is surely eye-catchy upon a glossy rear. The front is dominated by an edge-to-edge display, with the camera cutout prominently sitting in the center.
The Realme X7 Max goes for a tried and tested design, one that has been done umpteen times. While the design is boring, it is the tasteful paintjob that gives it an identity. The matte colours and finish intersected by a glossy strip running down the camera hump is new and look fresh.
While both of them are equally attractive, note that the Mi 11X uses a glass rear while the Realme X7 Max has a unibody plastic construction. The build quality is top-notch on both the phones.
Display
Both phones use an AMOLED display with refresh rates of up to 120Hz. That said, the Mi 11X gets a bigger 6.67-inch canvas whereas the Realme’s display measures slightly smaller at 6.4-inches. Realme uses Dragontail glass protection while Xiaomi offers Gorilla Glass 5. The Mi 11X also offers HDR10+ and up to 1300 nits of peak brightness; the Realme maxes out at 1000 nits and misses out on HDR10 ratings. This difference shows while using the phones, as the Mi 11X look livelier.
Taking everything into consideration, the Mi 11X has a superior display.
Performance
This is where it all changes. The Mi 11X’s Snapdragon 870 and the Realme’s Dimensity 1200 are neck-n-neck in terms of raw performance, with the former taking slight leads in synthetic benchmark. In real world, the performance couldn’t be more similar between these two.
The Mi 11X gets to run on the MIUI 12.5 based on Android 11 and those of you familiar with MIUI know what’s what. The user experience is smooth overall but Xiaomi’s interface is often found difficult to grasp for newcomers. Plus, MIUI wants to pull users into its own ecosystem with the GetApps app store, theme stores and more. Gaming performance on the Snapdragon 870 is impressive but unlike the Snapdragon 888, graphics-intensive games often drop frames after a while. The phone supports 5G but it only gets two 5G bands.
The Realme X7 Max runs on RealmeUI 2.0 based on Android 11. The user interface is neatly laid out and easy to grasp, despite several pre-installed first and third party apps. RealmeUI also offers customization but the tweaking is limited in comparison to MIUI. Gaming performance on the Dimensity 1200 is as good as the Snapdragon 870 as it can play high-end games like Genshin Impact, Call of Duty: Mobile and Asphalt 9 in the best of ways. There’s 5G support too but you get nine 5G bands as well as Dual SIM dual 5G on both slots.
Cameras
With the Mi 11X, Xiaomi offers a restricted camera setup, i.e., a 48-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 5-megapixel macro camera. The Realme X7 Max gets a similar setup too, i.e, a 64-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel ultrawide, and a 2-megapixel macro camera.
While none of these are meant for photography enthusiasts, it is the Mi 11X that does it slightly better than the Realme X7 Max. The camera is tuned well to appeal to Indian users more and the macro camera is more useful than the one on the Realme X7 Max. That’s not to say that the Readme’s cameras are bad but it is Xiaomi who makes the most out of the given setup. The X7 Max’s main camera output in good lighting is likeable.
Battery
Both phones have similar battery capacities – 4500mAh on the Realme and 4520mAh on the Xiaomi. In daily use, both of these easily last a day and then some. If you play games on an average of an hour a day, both of these phones will need a top-up by night.
The Mi 11X relies on a 33W wired fast charger that takes up to an hour for a full recharge. The Realme X7 Max does better with its 50W fast charger that tops the battery in almost 40 minutes.
Prices
This is where the Realme takes a massive leap. The base version of the X7 Max is priced at Rs 26,999 with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. That’s cheaper than the base Mi 11X by Rs 3,000, which itself offers 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. The 12GB RAM variant of the Realme X7 Max costs Rs 29,999 — the same as the base version of the Mi 11X.
Verdict
Let’s sum up all the pros and cons of both these smartphones.
Xiaomi Mi 11X
– Slightly faster Snapdragon 870 chip
– Better camera performance
– Better display
– Premium glass design
Realme X7 Max
– Dimensity 1200 as fast as Snapdragon 870 in real world
– Faster charging
– Superior ergonomics
– Better value
– More 5G bands support, dual SIM 5G
While both of these are equally capable, it is the Realme X7 Max that comes across as a superior choice right now in June 2021. Not only is it cheaper by Rs 3,000, but the performance and the overall package also impart a premium midrange smartphone experience. It is also secured with better 5G support.
The Xiaomi Mi 11X is pricier but you still can’t find faults with its reliable Snapdragon 870 performance and superior camera output. However, in a world where the Realme X7 Max exists, the Xiaomi Mi 11X doesn’t make sense as a Rs 3,000 expensive option. Xiaomi needs to revise the price in order to make the phone more competitive.
