Lenovo K4 Note Vs. Xiaomi Redmi Note 3: Battle of Entry-level Phablets

Lenovo K4 Note made to the headlines all over the web in the last few days. It was a highly anticipated phone of the year 2016, and we had huge hopes from it because it had the responsibility to become better than its immensely popular predecessor (K3 Note) in every possible way.

Truth be told, from what it looks like the K4 Note holds the potential to become one of the best entry-level phablet supporting full HD display.

However, one can’t ignore the upcoming Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 when talking about affordable phablets supporting full HD displays.

Both these phablets support dual SIM (micro, dual stand-by) and have similar set of features too. So, let’s compare them head to head and see which of these smartphones can best suit your needs.

Lenovo K4 Note Vs. Xiaomi Redmi Note 3: Hardware Comparison

Specifications	Lenovo K4 Note A7010 a48	Xiaomi Redmi Note 3
Chipset	MediaTek MT6753	MediaTek MT6795 Helio X10
CPU	1.3 GHz octa-core	2.0 GHz Octa-core
GPU	Mali-T720MP3	PowerVR G6200
RAM	3 GB	3 GB
Storage	16 GB, Expandable up to 128 GB	32 GB, Non-expandable
Display	5.5” IPS FHD, Gorilla Glass 3	5.5” IPS FHD
Camera	13 MP, f/2.2 PDAF, dual-LED flash dual-tone, 5MP	13 MP, f/2.2 PDAF, dual-LED flash dual-tone, 5MP f/2.0
OS	Android 5.1 Lollipop (upgradable to Marshmallow)	Android 5.x Lollipop (upgradable to Marshmallow)
Battery	3300 mAh Li-Po (non-removable)	4100 mAh Li-Po (non-removable)
Dimensions & Weight	153.6 x 76.5 x 9.2 mm; 158 g	150 x 76 x 8.7 mm; 164 g
Connectivity	Dual SIM (micro), 4G LTE, BT 4.0, WiFi, GPS with A-GPS, NFC, Radio, microUSB 2.0 with OTG	Dual SIM (micro), 4G LTE, BT 4.1, dual-band WiFi, GPS with A-GPS, Radio, microUSB 2.0 with OTG
Sensors	Fingerprint, accelerometer, proximity, compass	Fingerprint, gyro, accelerometer, proximity, compass

 

Processing Power

Both these phones run on octa-core CPU embedded in a MediaTek SoCs of different types. K4 Note is based on MediaTek MT6753 housing an octa-core 1.3 GHz CPU complemented by Mali-720MP3 GPU. Redmi Note 3 on the other hand is powered by MediaTek MT6795 SoC. This chip also has an 2.0 GHz octa-core CPU, but has a PowerVR G6200 GPU.

So going by the raw processing power, Redmi Note 3 wins here.

Memory

Indian version of both the phones, Lenovo K4 Note and Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, have 3 GB RAM. K4 Note has 16 GB ROM while Redmi Note 3 has 32 GB ROM. However, K4 Note supports microSD cards up to 128 GB while Redmi Note 3 doesn’t have a microSD card slot.

In terms of storage Lenovo K4 Note is better.

Camera

Both these phones have 13MP/5MP camera combo with similar features. For instance, both of them support PDAF (phase detection Auto-focus), dual tone dual-LED flash, and f/2.2 13 MP rear cameras capable of recording 1080p videos.

Both phones also sport a 5MP front camera for taking selfies. So, we have a tie here.

Operating System

Both the phones run on Android Lollipop and are also slated to receive Android Marshmallow update in near future. K4 Note runs on Vibe UI whereas the Redmi Note 3 runs on MIUI 7.0.

As far as we know MIUI is very resource intensive. So, it will end up eating more CPU resources and hence will take a toll on the phone’s performance. However as we already noted, Redmi Note 3 already has a faster processor than the K4 Note, so you won’t be able to notice the difference in the overall performance as such. We have a tie here again.

Battery

Both phones have Li-Po based non-removable batteries. Lenovo K4 Note has a 3300 mAh battery whereas the Redmi Note 3 has a huge 4100 mAh battery. Both of them also support fast charging technologies so you won’t have to spend to fully charge them.

Now, as both these phones have similar hardware and feature set, we expect Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 to post a huge lead over the battery life of Lenovo K4 Note. Here, we would Redmi Note 3 for its greater battery life.

Connectivity Options

Lenovo K4 Note and Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 both are dual SIM phones supporting 4G LTE along with standard connectivity options like Bluetooth LE, Wi-Fi (Redmi Note 3 has dual-band Wi-Fi), GPS with A-GPS (GLONASS and BDS for Redmi Note 3), NFC support for K4 Note, FM Radio, and USB 2.0 along with USB-on-the-go. Both look equally good in terms of connectivity.

Others

One of the main features of Lenovo K4 Note is its support for VR technology that will give you a wide-screen cinematic experience when viewed through a VR headset. The phone also supports world’s first Dolby Atmos supported dual-front speakers of 1.5W each. This should make the phone your first preference if you watch a lot of movies on your phone.

K4 Note and Redmi Note 3 also have a fingerprint scanner. This will help you in making secured payments via NFC (in K4 Note) and unlocking your phone without entering any password or PIN or pattern in fraction of a second.

You should go for Lenovo K4 Note here, if you watch a lot of videos on loudspeakers.

Order Lenovo K4 Note

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is not available in India yet.

Both these phones have their own strengths and weaknesses. So, in the end it becomes a matter of your priorities and needs which you should consider while selecting a phone for your requirements. Happy shopping! J