*Both smartphones come with displays of similar dimensions and resolutions
*The Galaxy M20 starts at ₹10,990 for the 3GB/32GB variant. The Redmi Note 7 hasn't been launched in India, but it starts at 999 Yuan (about ₹ 10,000)
Samsung's latest entry in the Indian smartphone is the
Galaxy M20, which is targeted at the so-called budget and image conscious millennials. The M20 comes with several features that weren't found in Samsung smartphones of the same price until now, but are standard among other Chinese smartphones. This includes fingerprint scanning, facial recognition and a notched display. With Xiaomi closing up in its rearview mirrors in terms of market share, the M-series is very important to Samsung. The volume segment is a major area of opportunity to widen its gap to the Chinese giant.
Then we have the
Redmi Note 7, which is the torch bearer of the beloved Note series by the Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi. The
Note 6 Pro (The only Note 6-series smartphone launched in November 2018 in India) failed to be as popular as its predecessor, the Note 5 Pro. This along with the woes of dying smartphone sales throughout the makes it a crucial smartphone for Xiaomi.
But how do the two devices compare? Let's find out.
Coming to the similarities first, both smartphones are firsts for both manufacturers in terms of display and design. Both smartphones come with displays of the same dimensions (6.3-inches diagonally) and essentially the same notch design. Samsung likes to call it the Infinity-V display, which is nothing but a dewdrop/teardrop/water drop notch, while Xiaomi hasn't really given a name to it. Both devices also have the same resolution, at 2340x1080. However M20 has a display with heavy saturation, which really makes the colours stand out. We haven't tried the Redmi Note 7's display, so we will hold our judgement for now.
The M20 features a glossy plastic back without any colour gradients or patterns and comes in Ocean Blue and Charcoal Black colour trims. The Redmi Note 7 has a 2.5D glass back panel with dual tone gradient. The phones come with all three ways to unlock the smartphone—the good old alphanumeric/pattern unlocking, fingerprint scanning and facial recognition.
In terms of performance, the Galaxy M20 is powered by Samsung's new in-house Exynos 7904 octa-core processor. This is paired with up to 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. It comes with dedicated storage slot expandable to 512GB and have dual SIM VoLTE support.
Tthe Redmi Note 7 is powered by Snapdragon 660 SoC paired with up to 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. It comes with a MicroSD card slot with maximum capacity of 256GB.
The Galaxy M20 is backed by a 5,000mAh battery and ships with a 15W charger.
The Redmi Note 7 is backed by a 4,000mAh battery and supports QuickCharge 4. It ships with a 10W charger; although for even quicker charging, Xiaomi is also separately selling an 18W charger.
Both smartphones come with USB Type-C ports and 3.5mm jacks for charging and connectivity.
In terms of optics, the Galaxy M20 boasts a dual camera setup with a 13MP+5MP configuration. While the 13MP sensor has a lens with regular field of view, the 5MP sensor has a ultra-wide angle lens sitting on top of it. At the front, the M20 comes with an 8MP sensor for selfies.
The back of the Redmi Note 7 boasts a 48MP+5MP AI-enabled dual camera setup. It has a pixel size of 1.6 microns and an aperture of f/1.8. Thanks to the size of its sensor and pixel binning, the Note 7 promises good low light performance. The front of the smartphone sports a single 13MP selfie camera under the dew drop notch.
The Samsung Galaxy M20 is priced at ₹12,990 for the 4GB/64GB variant, while the 3GB/32GB variant costs ₹10,990.
The Redmi Note 7 has not been launched in India but in China it is priced at 999 Yuan (about ₹ 10,000) for the 3GB/32GB variant, 1,199 Yuan (about ₹ 12,500) for 4GB/64GB variant and 1,399 Yuan (about ₹ 14,500) for the 6GB/64GB variant.