Meizu M3S vs Xiaomi Redmi 3S: The Battle for the Best Budget Smartphone

Confused between Xiaomi Redmi 3s and Meizu m3s? Here’s our comparison to help you make a right choice.

By Rohit

| Updated: Wednesday, October 26, 2016, 14:45 [IST]

Chinese consumer electronics company Meizu has finally launched its budget handset-m3s in the Indian market.

The Battle for the Best Budget Smartphone

Launched first in June in China, Meizu m3s challenge the likes of sub Rs 10,000 smartphones selling in the country that includes some popular handsets from Lenovo, Motorola, LeEco, Xiaomi and Indian smartphone makers.

Meizu m3s will be sold exclusively through Snapdeal at a starting price point of Rs. 7,299, which makes it a direct competitor of the popular Xiaomi Redmi 3S.

Both the smartphones sell in two configurations and offers everything you would expect from a modern mobile handset.

Now the big question is, which one you should buy? To make things easier for you, we have compared the smartphones' specifications and features, which will help you make the right choice. Here you go.

Meizu is Slimmer and Lighter than Redmi 3s

Both the handsets offer unibody metal design and look quite similar. However, Redmi 3s is a bit heavier and thicker than the Meizu m3s. It measures 139.3 x 69.6 x 8.5 mm and weighs 144 grams. The handset is available in Gold, Gray and Silver colour variants.

Compared to redmi 3s, Meizu m3s measures 141.9 x 69.9 x 8.3 mm and weighs 138 grams, which make it lighter and sleeker than Redmi 3s by a small margin. Meizu m3s will also be available in Grey, Silver and Gold colour options.

Xiaomi Redmi 3s has a fingerprint sensor at the back panel, while Meizu m3s has one on the front integrated in the home button.

Meizu has an edge over Display

While both the handsets offer a 720p display, Meizu m3s wins over Redmi 3s because it has a 2.5D curved glass, which is mostly seen on mid-range and flagship smartphones and gives a seamless design to the handset. Xiaomi on the other hand is offering a 720p display with a standard glass.

Both the displays have a pixel density of 294ppi and serves well for watching videos, reading text and playing games.

Both offers 2GB and 3GB RAM variants

Both the handsets come in two variants. Meizu m3s 2GB RAM+16GB ROM variant is priced at Rs 7,999 and the 3GB RAM+32GB ROM costs Rs. 9,299.

Xiaomi on the other hand is selling the 2GB RAM+16GB Redmi 3s at Rs. 6,999 and you have to shed Rs. 8,999 for the 3GB RAM+32GB ROM variant. The pricing clearly makes Xiaomi Redmi 3s a winner here.

Octa-Core processors

Xiaomi Redmi 3s is backed by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 octa-core processor, which is clocked at 1.4GHz. We have tested the handset and it offers smooth performance in everyday tasks.

Meizu m3s also runs on an octa-core chipset, but it is provided by MediaTek and is clocked at 1.5GHz. The clock frequency is a bit faster on Meizu m3s but we are yet to test its real-life performance.

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13MP Rear and 5MP Front Cameras

As far as imaging goes, both the handsets have a 13MP rear-facing camera and a 5MP front camera. But Meizu m3s wins by a slight margin here as its rear camera is paired up with a dual-tone LED flash while Xiaomi Redmi 3s only has a single LED flash. The dual-tone LED flash light results in better low light images. It saves images from getting over expose by bright white light, and results in pictures with comparatively natural colors.

Both the phones have 5-megapixel selfie camera.

Both offer VoLTE, dual-SIM and microSD card support

You don't need to worry about storage expandability, dual-SIM connectivity and VoLTE support on both the handsets. The smartphones have microSD card support that allows you to expand the inbuilt storage by up to 128GB and also offers support for Reliance Jio 4G services.

Xiaomi Redmi 3s is a clear winner in terms of Battery and Software

As far as battery goes, Redmi 3s is better option as it packs in a large 4,100mAh battery unit as compared to 3020mAh battery unit on Meizu m3s.

Moreover, Meizu m3s runs on previous Android 5.0.1 Lollipop while Xiaomi offers Android 6.0.1 Lollipop. Xiaomi Redmi 3s also has MIUI 7 and Meizu m3s offers company's Flyme 5.1 customized layer.

Verdict

Seeing the specifications, we can say that both the handsets are in head to head competition but Xiaomi Redmi 3s is a bit lighter on pocket and will definitely last longer because of its bigger battery unit. If you are a power user and watch videos and play games on your smartphone, then you should go for Xiaomi Redmi 3s as it will offer a better battery backup and is also Rs. 1,000 cheaper than the Meizu m3s.