Why are we making this comparison? For all possible reasons and purposes, not everyone can buy an iPhone X. And seeing as to how the Mi A1 performs here, it is actually a formidable competitor when it comes to price-to-performance.
This is Caesar of ManilaShaker, for a comparison of the iPhone X and Mi A1.
| SPECS | Apple iPhone X | Xiaomi Mi A1 |
| Display | 5.8″ 1125 x 2436 pixels Super AMOLED (~458 ppi)
Ion-strengthened glass |
5.5″ 1080 x 1920 LTPS IPS LCD (~403 ppi)
Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Dimensions & Features | 143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7 mm, 174g
Single nano SIM tray, metal + glass unibody, IP67-certified |
153.3 x 75.2 x 7.3 mm, 153g
Hybrid SIM tray, metal unibody |
| Chipset | Apple A11 Bionic | Qualcomm SD625 |
| CPU | Hexa-core 2.39 GHz (2x Monsoon + 4x Mistral) | Octa-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 |
| GPU | Apple 3-Core GPU | Adreno 506 |
| Memory | 3 GB RAM, 64/256GB | 4GB RAM, 64GB (expandable up to 256GB) |
| Connectivity | LTE Cat. 12, 802.11ac, dual-band, BT 5.0, GPS, Lightning port, | LTE Cat. 5/4, 802.11ac, BT 4.2, GPS, USB Type-C, 3.5mm audio jack |
| Cameras | Rear: Dual 12 MP (28mm, f/1.8; 52mm, f/2.4) Quad-LED flashVideo: 2160p@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fpsFront: 7 MP, f/2.2, 32mm Video: |
Rear: Dual 12 MP (26mm, f/2.2; 50mm, f/2.6) Dual-LED flashVideo: 2160p@30fps, 720p@120fpsFront: 5 MP, f/2.0 Video: |
| Battery | Non-removable Li-Ion 2716mAh | Non-removable Li-Ion 3080mAh |
| OS | iOS 11 | Android 7.1.1 |
| SRP | PhP 50,000.00/$1000 | PhP 10,000/$200 |
Design
Just with the design, the iPhone X holds that spot with its glass-covered front and back and chrome sides. Of course, there still are people who do not fancy glass backs due to handling and grip issues when used bare. Albeit smaller in size, it has a larger screen than the Mi A1’s 16:9 FHD display.
The feel of both phones does vary due to their form factor, down to the buttons. The compact design that the iPhone X is presented at is surprisingly good and ergonomic despite being slippery.
What most may feel more of the Mi A1’s win is its dual-SIM and microSD single-tray compared to the iPhone’s single-SIM tray.
Display
It has been said by DisplayMate themselves that the iPhone X’s dense display as the best at the moment. With Apple finally making the switch to AMOLED, colors are even more vibrant and accurate with a really good brightness values.
The Mi A1 doesn’t fall back with its 1080p IPS LCD by having reputable color contrast and details. It is more than enough for watching videos and playing games.
User Experience
Even though we’ve had our run-ins with iOS 11 with the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, the iOS 11 experience on the iPhone X is vastly different. First, because of its full-screen display, and second, because of the absence of a 3D Touch home button.
Compared to the fully-stock Android experience that the Mi A1 offers, it doesn’t fall too far from the tree whence it came.
Cameras
It is actually ridiculous to see how far cameras in smartphones have come nowadays. Even with the Mi A1, quality is commendable for the price it is offered for, even with a side-by-side with the iPhone X.
In both daylight and night-time scenes, both did well, with Apple’s still-present grainy outputs with little-to-no post-processing as compensation for the high ISO in dark areas.
With selfies, the difference becomes more significant with the iPhone X’s more advanced front camera.
Moving on the videos, the iPhone X takes this with the capability to do 4K60 videos without dropping a beat and better stabilization.
Performance
| Device | AnTuTu | Geekbench | 3DMark SlingShot Extreme |
| Apple iPhone X | 211323 | SC: 4197 MC: 10051 |
2681 |
| Xiaomi Mi A1 | 59904 | SC: 874 MC: 4716 |
464 |
In the performance department, the iPhone X stomps on the $200 wonder with its A11 Bionic chipset. Even so, the SD625 still kicks ass, considering its price point.
At games though, the difference becomes apparent with the iPhone X being in a league of its own.
Battery
| Device | Battery | MS Battery Rating | Charging-Time (0-100) |
| Apple iPhone X | 2716mAh | 41h 16m | 2h 5m |
| Xiaomi Mi A1 | 3080mAh | 30h 27m | 1h 52m |
Even with the iPhone X’s smaller battery, it lasted longer in our MS Battery Rating than the Mi A1. However, for the charging time, the Mi A1 bounced back by being over 10 minutes faster.
Audio
There is a world of difference between the two when it comes to the speakers. The stereo setup of the iPhones this year is simply amazing, and the iPhone X does away with the formula – upper half on the front-firing, and the low frequencies get to be output on the bottom speaker.
The Mi A1 does well too, provided that its sole speaker wouldn’t be blocked by anything.
Verdict
So, what did you like more? Is it the Apple iPhone X or the Xiaomi Mi A1? Let us know in the comments and below and click the Subscribe button below for more videos like this.
As always, this has been Caesar of ManilaShaker, and thank you for reading! ‘Til then!
