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Heroes of might and cheap: Xiaomi Mi 4 vs Huawei Honor 6 vs ZTE nubia Z7 mini specs comparison

Heroes of might and cheap: Xiaomi Mi 4 vs Huawei Honor 6 vs ZTE nubia Z7 mini specs comparison

Posted: 22 Jul 2014, 08:25, by Daniel P.

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Tags : Android -Android + ZTE -ZTE + Huawei -Huawei +

Heroes of might and cheap: Xiaomi Mi 4 vs Huawei Honor 6 vs ZTE nubia Z7 mini specs comparison

A time has come, when brand-name juggernauts like Samsung, Sony, LG or HTC, are still releasing their flagships for north of $600 starting price without a contract, while Chinese newcomers like Oppo, Xiaomi or Huawei, are outing very similar handsets for half the price. The newly announced Xiaomi Mi 4, as well as the Huawei Honor 6 and ZTE Nubia Z7 mini before it, will be available very soon, and they sport most everything that the big boys like the Galaxy S5, HTC One (M8), or the Xperia Z2 have to offer.

Granted, don't expect fingerprint scanners, waterproof chassis, or OIS tech, but if you don't care about those, you will be getting svelte and powerful 5-inchers, saving a few Benjamins in the process. Starting off with the design and dimensions, the Mi 4 is indeed about 1 mm narrower than its competitors, which shouldn't make that much of a difference in your hand. The thinnest and lightest, however, is Huawei's Honor 6, despite that it too features a metal rim around its sides. In addition, the Honor 6 and Z7 mini sport a microSD card slot extensions, so you can get the cheapest 16 GB versions, and build on that. The Mi 4 strikes back with an infrared sensor at the top, though, coming to replace your multiple remote control units.

As for the silicon inside, while Huawei's homebrew Kirin 920 has yet to prove itself in battle, the Snapdragon 801 processors in the Mi 4 is the same one would find in the Galaxy S5, for instance, so you won't be longing for much more performance out of the handset. Moreover, both Huawei, and Xiaomi, one-up the S5 by offering 3 GB of RAM instead of two. All phones come with 13 MP Sony camera sensors that are the newest IMX214 models in the Honor 6 and the Mi 4. Xiaomi's phone takes the photography prowess up a notch with 4K video recording, and an 8 MP wide-angle front camera that boasts a Sony sensor Exmor sensor, too.

The Z7 mini has a slower Snapdragon processor than the Mi 4, 2 GB of RAM instead of 3 GB, and a modest 2300 mAh battery, compared to 3000+ in the other two, but it also comes at the most affordable price - about $240 without a contract in China, while the Xiaomi Mi 4 takes off with a $320 tag for the 16 GB model, and $400 for the 64-gigger. Huawei Honor 6 is the most "expensive" of the three, if this word can be used about such value-for-money propositions at all. Huawei pegged it at $370 for the 16 GB one, and $410 for the 32 GB unit, but you also get a memory card slot for expansion. Which one of these affordable flagships from China would you pick?

Design
OS	Android (6.0, 4.4.3), MIUI 6 UI	Android (5.1, 4.4), Emotion 2.3, Emotion 3.1 UI	Android (4.4.2), Nubia 2.5 UI
Dimensions	5.48 x 2.70 x 0.35 inches (139.2 x 68.5 x 8.9 mm)	5.50 x 2.74 x 0.30 inches (139.6 x 69.7 x 7.5 mm)	5.55 x 2.73 x 0.32 inches (140.9 x 69.3 x 8.2 mm)
Weight	5.26 oz (149 g) the average is 5.4 oz (155 g)	4.59 oz (130 g) the average is 5.4 oz (155 g)	5.04 oz (143 g) the average is 5.4 oz (155 g)
Features	Touch sensitive control keys

Display
Physical size	5.0 inches	5.0 inches	5.0 inches
Resolution	1080 x 1920 pixels	1080 x 1920 pixels	1080 x 1920 pixels
Pixel density Pixel density - The pixel density of a display represents the number of pixels over an area of one inch. It’s measured in “pixels per inch”, or ppi. The higher the number, the more detailed and good-looking the display is.	441 ppi	445 ppi	441 ppi
Technology Technology - There are two main screen technologies currently used in phones and tablets: LCD and AMOLED. The former usually features a light source and liquid crystals, while the latter is based on organic light-emitting diodes. Newer LCD variations like IPS-LCD and Super-LCD allow for very accurate color reproduction and very wide viewing angles, where no significant image quality loss is observed. Current AMOLED screens differ in such a way that they can exhibit much more saturated colors (sometimes too much) and incredibly high contrast levels, which is due to black color being completely black in AMOLED displays.	IPS LCD	IPS LCD
Screen-to-body ratio Screen-to-body ratio - Shows what part of the frontal area of a phone its screen occupies.	72.20 %	69.48 %	70.50 %
Colors	16 777 216	16 777 216	16 777 216

Camera
Camera	13 megapixels	13 megapixels	13 megapixels
Flash	LED	LED	LED
Aperture size Aperture size - The aperture of a camera is the opening through which light travels before it reaches the camera sensor. The smaller the number is, the bigger this opening is, allowing for more light to pass.	F1.8	F2.0	F2.0
Camera sensor size Camera sensor size - A bigger camera sensor is able to capture more light, and thus produce better photos.	1/3.06"
Hardware Features	Autofocus, CMOS image sensor	Autofocus, Back-illuminated sensor (BSI)	Autofocus, CMOS image sensor
Software Features	Touch to focus, Smile detection, Face detection, Geo tagging	Face detection, Geo tagging	Face detection, Geo tagging
Camcorder	3840x2160 (4K) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (1080p HD) (60 fps)	Yes	3840x2160 (4K), 1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps)
Recording format		MPEG4, H.263, H.264, H.265
Features	High Dynamic Range mode (HDR)
Front-facing camera	8 megapixels	5 megapixels	2 megapixels
Video capture			1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps)

Hardware
System chip System chip - Most modern handsets use an advanced chip that includes many of the device’s hardware modules like the processor, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and sometimes even the wireless radio. This field shows what particular system chip (or System-on-a-Chip) is used in the phone.	Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 8974-AC	HiSilicon Kirin 920	Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 8974-AA
Processor Processor - The processor is the main computing component of a phone and is a major factor when it comes to the overall speed of the device. Some more powerful smartphones use dual-core and quad-core processors designed to deliver greater performance.	Quad-core, 2500 MHz, Qualcomm Krait 400	Octa-core, 1700 MHz, Cortex-A15 and Cortex-A7	Quad-core, 2000 MHz, Krait 400
Graphics processor Graphics processor - The graphics processor is important for the smooth operation of the system and especially in games and other applications that may involve complex graphics and animations.	Adreno 330	Mali-T628 MP4	Adreno 330
System memory System memory - System memory, or RAM memory is the type of memory that the device uses to temporarily store data from the OS or currently-running apps. The more RAM available to the device, the better the performance will be when multiple or heavier programs are running.	3 GB RAM (933 MHz) / LPDDR3	3 GB RAM (Dual-channel) / LPDDR3	2 GB RAM / LPDDR3
Built-in storage Built-in storage - Bigger storage capacity allows you to keep more content saved onto your device, such as more applications, photos or video. Games and video content typically take up the biggest amount of storage space.	64 GB	16 GB	16 GB
Storage expansion Storage expansion - Some handsets allow you to expand their storage capacity by using a memory expansion card – most often microSD. Expansion memory is mostly suitable for media storage, such as photo, video or music content.		microSD, microSDHC	microSD, microSDHC

Battery
Capacity Capacity - The bigger, the better! However, battery capacity is not the only factor that has an effect on battery life. Those include the chipset in use, the software running on the device, as well as the consumer's unique usage pattern.	3080 mAh	3000 mAh	2300 mAh
Fast Charge	Yes
Stand-by time	11.7 days (280 hours) the average is 19 days (463 h)
Talk time (3G)			30.00 hours the average is 18 h (1071 min)
Stand-by time (3G)			24.2 days (580 hours) the average is 25 days (606 h)

Multimedia
Screen mirroring	Wireless screen share, MHL	DLNA	DLNA

Cellular
CDMA CDMA - Code Division Multiple Access. A technique of multiplexing, also called spread spectrum, in which analog signals are converted into digital form for transmission. For each communication channel, the signals are encoded in a sequence known to the transmitter and the receiver for that channel. The foremost application is digital cellular phone technology from QUALCOMM that operates in the 800MHz band and 1.9GHz PCS band. CDMA phones are noted for their excellent call quality and long battery life.			800 MHz
GSM	850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz	850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz	850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
UMTS	850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz	1900 MHz	850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz
LTE (FDD)		Bands 20, 3, 1, 7	Bands 1, 3, 7
LTE (TDD)		Bands 38	Bands 38, 39, 40
Data	LTE, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSDPA+ (4G) 21.1 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s	LTE-A Cat 6 (300/50 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s

Shopping information
MSRP price	$ 400

Related phones

Honor 6

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nubia Z7 mini

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Xiaomi Mi 4

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10 Comments

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posted on 22 Jul 2014, 08:33

1. itsdeepak4u2000 (Posts: 3718; Member since: 03 Nov 2012)

I personally prefer Mi 4's design this time from the above lot.

posted on 22 Jul 2014, 08:58

2. joey_sfb (Posts: 6601; Member since: 29 Mar 2012)

I prefer MIUI interface. Its make XiaoMi phone very attractive to me. Use it with SmartStay EX app did it for me.

posted on 22 Jul 2014, 09:15

3. NexusX (Posts: 562; Member since: 16 May 2013)

Chinese phones have really caught up and, arguably surpassed Korean giants in terms of design, software optimization and hardwares over the years.

posted on 23 Jul 2014, 16:11

9. Ethos (unregistered)

well they realized , instead of making crappy fake copys they got it that they can make really beautiful phones.. bcos at end of day all devices are done in china .. even iphones.. samys lgs etc.. it is about chassis design .. all inside is same... same components and BIG plus for them is that they ar no so greedy as those known brands.. that is main ! half price phone with same perform.!!!

posted on 22 Jul 2014, 09:19

4. ManusImperceptus (Posts: 724; Member since: 10 Jun 2014)

The cost of the low prices are horrible sweatshop conditions for the workers, who get no protection from a western parent company (Finnish, American, South Korean or Japanese)... Worth remembering!

posted on 22 Jul 2014, 10:12 2

5. 9_HeLLs_oF_DrOid (Posts: 127; Member since: 02 Jan 2012)

Did any one else notice how the title of this article changed from "Heroes of cheap:...." to "Heroes of Might and Cheap:...."? Too bad everything's isn't as 'pricey' as precious iPhone, is it not, Phonearena?

posted on 22 Jul 2014, 19:23

7. aksa123 (Posts: 342; Member since: 30 Jan 2014)

It's a pun from a game The Heroes of Might and Magic.

posted on 22 Jul 2014, 14:27

6. Suo.Eno (Posts: 528; Member since: 17 Feb 2013)

All are just about even except that this around to me Mi 4's the real clear winner when it comes to fw/sw upds. The lot all aren't really AOSP/GPL compliant but MIUI has faster and better dev discipline.

Unfortunately though if you're on Snapdragon 800 already then I fail to see the NECESSITY to upgrade anything less than 808 - 810 save for maybe that miscalculated want for 3Gb RAM config, which is overkill when most people find it very hard to hit that 2Gb ceiling very often.

posted on 23 Jul 2014, 16:09 1

8. Ethos (unregistered)

Shame Mi4 is so thick .. i think honor wins here ..

posted on 16 Dec 2014, 03:14

10. JJOPQ (Posts: 55; Member since: 15 Nov 2014)

Nubia Z7 mini has a function slipt screen,, do u know that??
so i like Z7 mini.

ghdeal.fr/nubia-z7-mini-4g-snapdragon-801-2go-16go-5-0pouces-1920x1080-px-blanc.html