Moto G 3rd gen or Xiaomi Mi 4i, which device is for you?
design
In terms of build quality, there is no major flaw in both the phones. We personally liked the grip of the Moto G 3rd gen compared to the Mi 4i. You may also like Xiaomi’s clean design. Both the phones come with non-removable batteries. Compared to Moto G 3rd gen Xiaomi Mi 4i It is much lighter and slimmer. If this matters to you then you know which handset to buy.
(See also: Comparison of specifications of Motorola Moto G 3rd Gen and Xiaomi Mi 4i,
display
In this matter Xiaomi Mi 4i easily wins. Both devices have a 5-inch screen. The Mi 4i has a full-HD display, while the Moto G 3rd gen has a 720p panel. We had praised its display a lot in the review of Mi 4i itself. Many budget phones today come with 1080p screens, but we like the Mi 4i the most so far. Moto G 3rd gen has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. At the same time, the custom solution of this company is present in Mi 4i. This handset also has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 level protection.
(Also see: Xiaomi Mi 4i review: Trying to replicate the hit formula)
Software and performance
The Xiaomi Mi 4i smartphone runs on an octa-core processor, while the Snapdragon 410 processor used in the Moto G 3rd gen has ‘only’ four cores. We have said earlier that having more cores does not mean better performance. The Motorola phone runs on the stock version of Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. At the same time, like other Xiaomi phones, MIUI has been used in Mi 4i which is a customized version of Android.
The devices being compared have 2GB of RAM. The Moto G 3rd gen has more memory available for user applications, compared to the Xiaomi Mi 4i. Xiaomi Mi 4i crashed several times during the review, which was not seen with Motorola. MIUI has many advantages, such as App Permission Manager. Both the smartphones come with 4G support. As far as call quality is concerned, both the devices are at par.
Many users and reviewers complained about the Mi 4i overheating. We did not have this problem with our review unit.
(Also see: Moto G 3rd Gen review: Not specifications, performance is more important)
Camera and battery life
Talking about the specifications, both the smartphones have 13 megapixel rear and 5 megapixel front camera, but in terms of image quality, the capabilities of both are different. The Moto G is better at photos taken outdoors or in good lighting, while the Mi 4i takes more detailed photos in low light. However, the camera performance of both the devices is not very good in low light.
The Xiaomi Mi 4i has a bigger battery, but in terms of daily usage, one phone cannot be said to be better than the other. When we reviewed Xiaomi Mi 4i, there was no 4G network in the city. However, on a combination of 3G + 4G networks, the Moto G 3rd gen and Xiaomi Mi 4i managed to last a whole day.
special feature
As we told you earlier that Xiaomi Mi 4i has many different software features such as App Permission Manager. Through this, users can decide which resources should be given access to the app. This feature is also said to be present in Android M i.e. Android 6.0 Marshmallow. This means that in the coming time, the feature of app permission will also come in Android devices, till then Mi 4i and MIUI are in advantage. Mi 4i smartphone comes with sunlight display. More details about this can be read in the review of Xiaomi Mi 4i. It is not easy for a common user to understand the way this feature works.
The Mi 4i supports faster 802.11ac Wi-Fi, but you’ll likely have to switch phones until a router supporting this feature is available in the market. So you don’t have to worry too much about it.
On the other hand, the Moto G 3rd generation has many features that will appeal to the average user. It supports expandable storage. Sadly, you will only be able to use microSD cards up to 32GB. The phone comes with IPX7 water resistance, which means the device is protected from water splashes.
our decision
Xiaomi Mi 4i is better in terms of design and display, but Moto G 3rd generation smartphone beats Xiaomi in daily use. The reason for this is the performance of MIUI. There is no significant difference between the two devices in terms of battery and camera performance.
Moto G 3rd gen is waterproof and its storage can also be increased. Apart from this, Motorola has an excellent record in releasing Android updates for its smartphones. Keeping all these things in mind, we consider the Motorola device to be better than the Xiaomi Mi 4i.
