Xiaomi Mi A1 vs Samsung Galaxy J7 Plus Comparison + Review

The Xiaomi Mi A1 has the same specs as with its variant, the Mi 5X. We wanted to see what the Mi A1 has against the newly released Samsung Galaxy J7 Plus specially with both having dual rear cameras.

Design

The Mi A1 does not only share the exact same specs as the Mi 5X but also its design, as with its rival for today also sharing the same design to its other variant J7s. The most significant feature in both phone’s design is the Dual rear cameras, with the Mi A1’s dual rear camera place horizontally compared to center placed vertical design of the J7 Plus.

Also, the Navigation keys on the Mi A1 are backlit capacitive buttons compared to the J7 Plus which has a physical home button in between the capacitive keys. The J7 Plus is slightly heavier than the Mi A1 with both phone having a matte back finish, which provides the user with grip and comfort.

Display

The Mi 5A and J7 Plus has the same screen size at 5.5-inch and resolution at 1080p, only being different in panel type with the Mi A1 having an LTPS IPS LCD while a Super AMOLED for the J7 Plus. The Mi 5A also has a higher brightness level at 550 nits compared to the J7 Plus at 442 nits. Although the Mi 5A is a tad brighter than the J7 Plus on paper, colors are more saturated on the J7 Plus compared the latter with a more serious color palette. Either way, both are still visible at direct sunlight and are easy on the eyes.

Camera

Both phones have a dual rear camera with a dual 12MP for the Mi A5 and dual 13MP for the J7 Plus. Camera specs may seem almost at par on paper, but these photos say otherwise. Color accuracy is on point on the Mi A1 compared to the high saturation for the J7 Plus. Both cameras are of good quality but the J7 Plus has sharper details as opposed to the Mi A1.

Front camera shots are flattering on the J7 Plus probably due to the Samsung’s color saturation compared to the selfie shots of the Mi A1 which is quite nosier compared to the J7 Plus. Video recording for both phones can go up to 1080p at 30 fps, both on good detail and sharpness. The lack of stabilization is the only issue on the Mi A1.

Chipset/Processor/Rom

The Mi A1 is powered by a Snapdragon 625 while J7 Plus has a chipset of Mediatek Helio P20 both having 4GB of ram and running on Nougat. The Mi A1 on the other hand does not use the MIUI 8 but is running on stock android. Using the following benchmarking tools, we received these results in the process:

And because Specs and benchmarks are somewhat at par, gaming experience in both phones are also somewhat the same, both with decent quality at best and at 30 frames per second. Either way, smooth gaming is attainable with both phones but expect a little heat from the two over time.

Fingerprint scanners on both phones are neck and neck at speed and are equally convenient even through their differences in placement.

Battery

Through our ManilaShaker Battery Rating, we can confirm the following overall lifespan of both devices:

Audio

Loudspeaker placements are different on both phones with the Mi A1’s located at the bottom phone and being notably louder than the speaker of the J7 Plus which is located at the right side of the phone. A good placement to prevent muffling the audio while holding it with both hands compared to the Mi A1.

Price

Both the Xiaomi Mi A1 and Samsung J7 Plus are available in local and online stores with the J7 Pro retailing at $280 or ₱ 13,995.00 while the J7 Plus at $390 or ₱19,990.00, although prices will differ in countries after taxes. How about you guys? Which Dual rear camera phone is for you? Comment down below what you think, like if you loved the video, subscribe if you want to see more of our videos. This has been Clark of Manila Shaker and see you on the next one.