Just a day after Redmi 5A launched in India, Bharat 5 has been unveiled by Micromax as its new budget warrior. The new Bharat 5 smartphone has a huge 5000mAh battery as its highlight, along with a 5.2-inch HD screen, and is aimed at entry-level smartphone buyers in Tier-3 and -4 cities. Unsurprisingly, it may see some tough competition its way as Xiaomi has a proven track record in the low-end segment, where Redmi 5A will be marketed. Also in the running is the slightly more expensive Nokia 2, which would be hoping for nostalgia and “great experience” to keep pushing sales.
With three new smartphones to choose from, it can become a little daunting for potential buyers to find the right pick. Here’s a run-down of the price in India, specifications and features of Redmi 5A, Micromax Bharat 5 and Nokia 2 to simplify things for you.
Redmi 5A vs Micromax Bharat 5 vs Nokia 2 price in India
Redmi 5A price in India is Rs. 5,999 for the variant with 2GB RAM and 16GB storage, and Rs. 6,999 for the 3GB RAM + 32GB storage model. It will go on sale on December 7 via Mi.com and Flipkart in the country, and the first 5 million buyers of the 2GB RAM variant will get a Rs. 1,000 discount. On top of that, Jio customers buying the handset will get Rs. 1,000 cashback in the form of recharge vouchers. This brings down the effective prices of the respective handsets to Rs. 3,999 and Rs. 5,999.
The Micromax Bharat 5 is priced at Rs. 5,555 and comes in one configuration only. Vodafone buyers will get 10GB of additional data on buying 1GB recharges for a period of five months, meaning 50GB of complimentary data. Nokia 2 buyers will have to shell out Rs. 6,999, and will get complimentary 12-month accidental damage insurance plan by Servify. Those on Jio network will also get 5GB of extra data on recharges of Rs. 309 or above for 9 months, totalling 45GB of additional data. Both the Micromax and Nokia handsets can be purchased from offline stores only.
Redmi 5A vs Micromax Bharat 5 vs Nokia 2 specifications and features
The Xiaomi Redmi 5A runs MIUI 9 based on Android Nougat, and sports a 5-inch HD display. It is powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 SoC, coupled with 2GB or 3GB of RAM. The smartphone bears a 13-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel selfie camera. The inbuilt storage can be expanded via microSD card (up to 128GB) in a hybrid dual-SIM configuration.
Connectivity options on the Redmi 5A include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.1, GPS/ A-GPS, Infrared, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and Micro-USB port. It runs on a 3000mAh battery, with 5V/1A charging, rated to deliver up to 8 days of standby time.
The dual-SIM Micromax Bharat 5 runs Android Nougat, and sports a 5.2-inch HD display. It is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor (unspecified make), coupled with 1GB of RAM. The smartphone has a pair of 5-megapixel cameras on board, on the front and back, both featuring LED flash modules. Micromax has put 16GB of inbuilt storage on the Bharat 5, expandable via microSD card (up to 64GB). Connectivity options include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.0, FM radio, 3.5mm audio jack, and Micro-USB.
Of course, the highlight of the Bharat 5 is the 5000mAh battery, which Micromax claims is rated to deliver up to 2 days of battery life, and standby time of up to 3 weeks.
The Nokia 2 competes with the 3GB RAM variant of the Redmi 5A, but comes with just 1GB of RAM. However, HMD Global Chief Product Officer Juho Sarvikas says the handset is a value proposition despite the low system memory because the optimisations the company has made ensure the end-user experience doesn’t suffer.
The Android 7.1.1 Nougat smartphone sports a 5-inch HD LTPS In-Cell Touch display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. It is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 212 SoC, and has 8GB of onboard storage, and up to 128GB microSD support in hybrid dual-SIM setup. The Nokia 2 sports an 8-megapixel rear autofocus camera with LED flash, and a 5-megapixel front fixed focus camera.
Nokia 2 is IP52-rated for drip protection and features connectivity options such as 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.1, GPS/ A-GPS, FM radio with RDS, Micro-USB, and 3.5mm headphone jack. The smartphone packs a 4100mAh battery that the brand says will deliver two days of juice