Nokia 2 vs Xiaomi Redmi 4: Worlds apart

Nokia's cheapest Android smartphone has arrived in India in the form of the Nokia 2. Acting as an entry point into Nokia's new Android world, the Nokia 2 brings with it the promise of two day battery life along with a premium build, stock Android and a high contrast LTPS display. Priced at Rs 6,999, the Nokia 2 is set to go on sale today via all major retail stores.

Xiaomi has redefined the definition of budget smartphones over the last few years. The Redmi 4 and Redmi Y1 Lite are the latest in a line of cheap and cheerful smartphones by the Chinese company. As we have already compared the Nokia 2 to the Y1 Lite, it is time to see how Nokia's cheapest Android offering fares off against the Redmi 4. What makes this comparison even more interesting is the fact that the Redmi 4 starts off at exactly the same price as the Nokia 2 -- Rs 6,999.

Both the Redmi 4 and Nokia 2 have premium designs despite their extremely affordable price tags. Save for the plastic caps on the top and bottom of the back panel, the Redmi 4 is crafted almost entirely out of metal which lends it a premium feel in the hand. 2.5D glass on the front and rounded edges enhance the phone's in-hand feel. The Nokia 2 on the other hand comes with a polycarbonate back which is mated to a frame made out of series 6000 aluminium. Despite the plastic back, the Nokia 2 looks and feels like a phone far above its price range.
Nokia's cheapest Android smartphone not only looks and feels extremely premium but is built like a tank - a trait becoming commonplace in Nokia smartphones as of late. The Redmi 4's build quality is also on point but just lags slightly behind the Nokia 2. Where the Redmi 4 wins over the Nokia 2 is the presence of a fingerprint scanner - a feature the cheapest Nokia smartphone does without.
On paper atleast, both smartphones are equally matched when it comes to the display up front. Both the Nokia 2 and Redmi 4 come with a 5-inch 720p panel which is par for the course in this price range. The Nokia 2 has a high contrast LTPS display which HMD Global claims uses less power and helps the smartphone achieve its claimed two day battery life.
To put it bluntly, the Nokia 2 is not a powerhouse. When it comes to specifications, the Redmi 4 trumps Nokia's cheapest offering by quite a margin. While the Nokia 2 is powered by the Snapdragon 212 processor paired with 1GB of RAM, the base model of the Redmi 4 - which falls under the purview of this comparison - comes with the Snapdragon 430 processor alongside 2GB of RAM. On the storage front as well, the Redmi 4 wins over the Nokia 2 - while the latter has only 8GB of internal storage, the former offers 16GB of internal storage as standard. Both smartphones offer storage expansion via a microSD card.
While the Nokia 2 promises a full two days of battery life on a single charge, the actual battery capacity of the device is the same as the Redmi 4 - both smartphones have a 4,100mAh battery on board. The Nokia 2 however has a few more battery saving tricks up its sleeve. Firstly, the efficient Snapdragon 212 processor is said to deliver great battery life. Secondly, the phone uses a high contrast LTPS display which HMD Global claims uses less power. We will have to wait till we can test the Nokia 2 comprehensively to see whether Nokia's bold 2 day battery life claim actually translates over to real life. The Redmi 4 meanwhile delivers 1.5 days of battery life with moderate use.
The Nokia 2 might not be a powerhouse, but it strikes back when it comes to the software. Just like the rest of Nokia's Android smartphone line-up, the Nokia 2 runs on a stock version of Android. It is Android as Google intended it to be - clean and devoid of gimmicks and overlays. We will have to wait and see how it performs on the Nokia 2 though as the internals remain a question mark. While stock Android fans will be let down by the fact that the Redmi 4 runs on Xiaomi's own custom skin, MIUI has made great strides in its current iteration. Not only have a lot of stock Android features like split screen multitasking and Google Assistant found their way onto MIUI 9, it has become cleaner and smoother. However, stock Android is still the one to beat.
On the imaging front, the Nokia 2 comes with an 8MP rear camera with autofocus and an LED flash paired with a 5MP shooter up front for selfies. The Redmi 4 on the other hand has a 13MP camera at the the rear with phase detection autofocus and an LED flash accompanied by a 5MP front camera.
The Nokia 2, which has been priced at Rs 6,999 is set to go on sale from November 24 onward from all major retail stores across India. It is available in three colours - Pewter/Black, Pewter/White and Copper/Black The Redmi 4 on the other hand is available in three variants - one with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage for Rs 6,999, one with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage for Rs 8,999 and one with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage for Rs 10,999. It is available in two colours - Black and Gold.