Indian smartphone brand Xolo from Lava International has launched a new series with its Omega 5.5 smartphone, offering a 5.5-inch HD display, octa-core processor, 1GB RAM, 8MP rear camera and 2,600mAh battery at a pocket-friendly price of Rs 9,999. Sounds great, right? Except that if you look around closely, there are good options around.
There is Panasonic P81 and Xolo's own Q2100, which are decent offerings, but the biggest competitor for Xolo Omega 5.5 would be Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G smartphone at the price.
So, which is better — Xolo Omega 5.5 or Xiaomi Redmi Note? Find out here:
Both Xiaomi Redmi Note and Xolo Omega 5.5 have 5.5-inch IPS displays with 720x1280p resolution, putting both of them on even keel. Both smartphones are powered by MediaTek octa-core processors, but the Xiaomi phone gets a slight edge because of higher clock speed (1.7GHz for Redmi Note vs 1.4GHz for Omega 5.5). Both phones have 8GB internal storage and support microSD cards with up to 32GB storage capacities.
When it comes to RAM, Xiaomi Redmi Note is definitely the better phone as it has 2GB memory vs 1GB for Omega 5.5, making the former the better option if you plan to use several apps. Xiaomi Redmi Note has a 13MP rear camera, which we found to be pretty good in our detailed review. Xolo Omega 5.5 also has a 13MP camera, but we reserve judgement on the photo quality till a full review. For selfie lovers, Redmi Note (5MP front camera) is obviously the better choice than Omega 5.5 (2MP front camera).
The 3,100mAh battery on Xiaomi Redmi Note lasts 17-18 hours with moderate usage, even at maximum brightness and 3G turned on at all times. It is unlikely that the 2,600mAh battery of Xolo Omega 5.5 will last as long.
Xiaomi Redmi Note's support for India's 4G networks is the real clincher for any smartphone user, as it is the best model you can buy if you want a future-ready phone under Rs 10,000. Xolo Omega 5.5, like most other smartphones in this price range, can only support 2G and 3G networks.
On the software side, both Xiaomi and Xolo have used their own custom ROMs on top of Android in their respective phablets. Xiaomi's MIUI, based on Android 4.2, is a feature-rich custom skin that gives users access to many themes and different operating modes. The phablet will get Android 4.4 version in Q1 2015, Xiaomi says. For a detailed review of Redmi Note's software, click here.
Xolo's HIVE UI is an unfinished ROM and the phablet will get software updates every 15 days for bug fixes and performance enhancement. When we reviewed HIVE UI, it was a little buggy and not at all comparable to the much more refined Xiaomi MIUI.
Going by the hardware and software, it becomes apparent that Xiaomi Redmi Note is the better option of the two and the best phablet under Rs 10,000 you can buy right now.