Lenovo K4 Note vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 3: Which smartphone is better?

Lenovo K4 Note vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 3: Which smartphone will prevail in India?Lenovo India via Twitter (screen-shot)

The year 2015 was great for affordable smartphones, and it looks like the trend will continue in 2016. Lenovo is hosting an event on 5 January wherein it will unveil the successor to its highly popular K3 Note with notable improvements. Over the course of the last few days, Lenovo has been teasing key details of the K4 Note, which is building a lot of hype among consumers. With such hyped specs, Lenovo is upping the ante in the budget premium smartphone race.

There are a lot of companies selling affordable smartphones with premium features. Xiaomi is one such brand that competes against Lenovo in this category. In November, Xiaomi launched its Redmi Note 3 in China and touted the high-end specs offered at extremely low price. Indian availability of the handset is unknown, but consumers have shown extreme interest in the device.

If and when Xiaomi launches the Redmi Note 3 in India, it will have a tough battle with Lenovo's upcoming K4 Note. In preparation for that, here's a quick comparison of Redmi Note 3 against the teased specs of Lenovo K4 Note to help fans determine which smartphone is better.

[Note: Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 official specs are already out, but Lenovo is yet to reveal the K4 Note's specs. This comparison is based on the teasers and rumours about Lenovo K4 Note's specifications.]

Display and design

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 features a full metal body and rounded edges. The handset is 8.65mm thick and weighs 164 grams. The sealed unibody of the Redmi Note 3 houses the volume and power buttons on the right, a SIM card tray on the left, camera module and fingerprint scanner on the rear and speakers at the bottom of the handset. The Redmi Note 3 features a 5.5-inch Full-HD sunlight/night display and it supports reading mode.

Comparatively, Lenovo K4 Note is expected to come with a metal body for a premium experience. This is going to be a major upgrade from the K3 Note's plastic body. The handset will likely feature Full-HD resolution like in the K3 Note, but with some enhanced display tech to improve viewing experience. Screen size is still a mystery, but it might get the same 5.5-inch screen as its predecessor.

Processor, RAM and storage

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 has some killer specs under the hood. It is powered by MediaTek's Helio X10 chipset, 2GB DDR3 RAM and has 16GB storage. The handset also comes in a 32GB variant that packs 3GB RAM. It runs Android 5.1 Lollipop-based MIUI 7 OS.

Lenovo K4 Note will take performance a notch up. Lenovo has confirmed that its K4 Note will feature 3GB RAM and it is only expected to see 32GB expandable storage to accompany that. The processor to power K4 Note is unknown, but it will definitely be an upgrade from K3 Note's MediaTek MT6752.

Camera

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 features a 13-megapixel sensor with PDAR 0.1s ultra-fast focus and dual-tone flash. On the front side of the device, there's a 5MP sensor with 36 smart beauty profiles. Lenovo, however, hasn't teased the camera capabilities of the K4 Note and there haven't been any leaked reports on the matter. Lenovo is keeping a pretty tight lid on the specs of the K4 Note.

Battery

Xiaomi draws its power from a mighty 4,000mAh battery. Lenovo hasn't slipped details of the K4 Note's battery, but it is expected to be better than the K3 Note, which has a 3,000mAh battery. So it is safe to assume Lenovo will put up a good fight against Xiaomi Redmi Note 3.

Fingerprint sensor and other features

Fingerprint scanner is being widely adopted and no longer exclusive to flagship devices. Lenovo confirmed the K4 Note would feature a fingerprint sensor on the device. Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 has a fingerprint scanner too placed at the rear side of the device just below the camera. It remains to be seen where the fingerprint scanner be placed on the K4 Note.

Lenovo also revealed that its K4 Note would feature NFC, a feature that has largely been left out by many brands like OnePlus. Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 also lacks the NFC feature, which allows easy sharing of files with a single tap between two devices.

Release date and price

In China, Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 16GB variant costs RMB 899 and the 32GB model sells for RMB 1,099. Currency conversion leads us to believe the Redmi Note 3 will cost around Rs 9,100 in India, while the higher-end model will cost Rs 11,100. There is no word on Redmi Note 3's arrival in India. If it does plan to arrive, Xiaomi will need to settle its legal dispute with Ericsson.

As for Lenovo K4 Note, the handset will launch on 5 January and will be available shortly after. The handset may be available exclusively through Flipkart in a weekly flash sale model. The company hasn't revealed the price of its new handset, but the K4 Note is expected to be priced nearly the same as the K3 Note.

Source: Lenovo K4 Note vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 3: Which smartphone is better?