The budget segment of the smartphone industry is flooded with great options since the last year, and some smartphones are ruling the market after their launch. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 has been the all-time hit budget smartphone with great looks and great specs at the most affordable price. The Lenovo ZUK Z1 was the next to follow, and the recently-launched Moto G4 Plus is also a beast in terms of specs and performance.
With great specs under their hood, all the three phones compete with each other ferociously. So which one should you buy? Let’s compare.
Looks and Appearance
Looks are subjective, but mass appeal is also a major concern. The Redmi Note 3 sports an all-metal body and so does the ZUK Z1, but the Moto G4 Plus is probably the best of them all. Of course, it does not have a full metal shell, but it gets a metal frame with the familiar rubber back for extra grip. It is the slimmest and the lightest and has great build quality.
Screen and Software
All the three phones come with 5.5-inch 1080p screens with Gorilla Glass protection. But the Redmi Note 3 gets the best brightness level, with the Moto G4 Plus following closely behind. The Z1 is okay-okay and can be gotten used to. As for the software, all the three phones are great. ZUK Z1 and Redmi Note 3 bring great and uncluttered skins over Android, while Moto G4 Plus comes with the bare Android Marshmallow OS that you need to customize on your own, which is a good thing for many users.
Processor and Memory
If you go by the specs on paper, the Redmi Note 3 is the best phone here. It gets a six-core Snapdragon 650 processor that zooms past the ZUK Z1’s Snapdragon 801 and Moto G4 Plus’ SD 617. All the three phones come with 3GB of RAM, but the Z1 does not get expandable memory like the other two but flaunts 64GB internal storage.
Camera, Battery, and Others
Both the Moto G4 Plus and Redmi Note 3 gets 16MP rear cameras, but it is being said that the ZUK Z1’s 13MP camera with OIS is better. Some reports say that the Moto G4 Plus takes better photos than the iPhone 6s Plus. So we need to wait for more camera tests before making a decision, but Moto G4 Plus looks like a good bet.
As for the battery, the Redmi Note 3 and the ZUK Z1 have larger 4000mAh batteries while the Moto G4 Plus carries a 3000mAh one. Again, tests say that the Z1 lasts the longest. But the other two phones charge quicker as they come with fast charging. All the phones get fingerprint sensors.
Verdict
The Redmi Note 3 looks like the best package here as it is the cheapest and comes with solid specs. If you are a Moto fan, go with the Moto G4 Plus and it won’t disappoint you. But if you want to try something new, we highly recommend the ZUK Z1 as it is also a trustworthy budget smartphone.