Microsoft Lumia 532 vs. Xiaomi Redmi 1S: Entry-Level Handsets’ Specifications And Price Showdown
Microsoft's latest smartphone Lumia 532 has recently been unveiled alongside Lumia 435. Meanwhile, the widely popular Xiaomi's Redmi 1S smartphone was originally released back in May 2014, specific to China. However, the Redmi 1S handset can now be purchased from many global markets via its online store. Readers who are interested in the wallet-friendly Xiaomi Redmi 1S or the latest Microsoft Lumia 532 should check out the comparison between the two devices.
Display
The Microsoft Lumia 532 features a pocket-friendly 4.0-inch WVGA LCD display, bundled with a modest resolution of 480 x 800 pixels. The Redmi 1S handset, on the other hand, comes with a comparatively bigger 4.7-inch IPS LCD display and the screen resolution excels at 720 x 1,280 pixels. Hence, the pixel densities of Xiaomi and Microsoft phones stand at 312 ppi and 233 ppi, respectively.
When it comes to the handset design, more and more Lumia devices are starting to look similar in one way or the other. For example, the Lumia 400 and 500 series of devices share the same design philosophy of the discontinued Nokia X handset, says ZDNet. Similar to other Lumia devices, the Lumia 532 also comes with a plastic/polycarbonate chassis and therefore, the weight of the handset is quite less, notes GSM Arena. The stand out aspect of the handset is the 30 GB of free OneDrive cloud storage from Microsoft. In addition, this Lumia handset also supports Skype video calls. Like other Microsoft handsets, this phone also comes with built-in Microsoft Outlook, OneNote and Microsoft Office suite like MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint, reports Lumia Conversations.
The Redmi 1S, meanwhile, houses a plastic back panel. However, the back shell is only marginally shiny, unlike other inexpensive devices. But then, the housed front and the back panels have the tendency to collect fingerprints and smudges.
Nonetheless, according to Tech2, the plastic construction seen in the Xiaomi handset is relatively better looking than most other budget-friendly phones available in the market.
Speaking of size, the thickness and weight of the Redmi 1S and Lumia 532 are (0.39-inch and 158 g) and (0.46-inch and 136.3 g), respectively. Clearly, the latest Lumia 532 is lighter than the Xiaomi device, whereas the Redmi 1S is thinner when compared to the Microsoft handset.
Hardware, Software And Memory
The Xiaomi Redmi 1S is powered by a quad-core (Qualcomm Snapdragon 400) processor, whereas the Microsoft device settles for a relatively inferior quad-core (Qualcomm Snapdragon 200) processor. Despite the difference, both smartphones are backed by a respectable 1 GB of RAM. On the software side, the Xiaomi device runs on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean with MIUI 5.0 on top of it, whereas the Microsoft Lumia 532 runs on Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim update on board.
As far as the memory configuration goes, both the budget-friendly phones come equipped with 8 GB of internal storage. In addition, both the phones support microSD card. But then, the expansion limits of the Xiaomi and Lumia handsets stand at 32 GB and 128 GB, respectively.
Camera And Battery
The Redmi 1S sports a solid 8 MP primary camera unit with LED flash, while the Lumia 532 sports a relatively inferior 5 MP unit with no LED flash. Plus, the Lumia handset features a VGA snapper as the secondary unit, whereas the Xiaomi device sports a 1.6 MP shooter. Furthermore, the camera unit of the Redmi 1S supports smile/face detection and HDR, whereas the Lumia 532 doesn't. But as a saving grace, the Microsoft handset does come with the widely popular Lumia Camera app. Moving on to the battery configuration, the Redmi 1S comes equipped with 2,000 mAh unit, whereas the Lumia 532 houses a relatively inferior 1,560 mAh battery unit.
Misc
The Xiaomi Redmi 1S is a dual-SIM handset, whereas the Microsoft Lumia 532 comes as a dual-SIM variant along with the single-SIM model. Speaking of colour choices, the Lumia 532 comes in orange, green, white and black, while the Redmi handset comes in Chinese red, metallic gray/blue, black, green and yellow hues. Aside from the standard connectivity options like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G and microUSB port, both the handsets do not support 4G LTE.
Price
The Microsoft Lumia 532 is priced at 79 euro (before taxes and subsidies), which roughly translates to $93, reports GSM Arena. Also, the release date of this Lumia handset is set for February 2015. Meanwhile, the Redmi 1S will set the buyers back by $149.99.
Also Read
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2. LG G4 vs. LG G Flex 2: Two Snapdragon 810-Powered Devices' Specifications, Release Date And Price Showdown - [Read]
3. Samsung Galaxy A7 vs. Samsung Galaxy S5: Metal-Clad Galaxy A7 Is Ultra-Thin And Sports Bigger Screen Size Than The Flagship - [Read]
