Lenovo K3 Note vs Xiaomi Mi 4i


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Lenovo launched the K3 Note in India on June 25th this year and started sales on Flipkart on July 8th via Flash sale method. The Mi 4i was launched on April 23rd this year and started sales on April 30th through Amazon, Flipkart and Snapdeal.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGwXN2j2ZjU

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While the K3 Note does carry a ‘Note’ branding in its name, it essentially is an upgraded A7000 while the Xiaomi Mi 4i is a cheaper variant of the Mi 4 with a slightly downgraded processor and enhanced camera.

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The K3 Note’s USP is being a very well spec’d device with LTE support and good performance with a competitive price tag. The Mi 4i sets out to offer a very good display, octa-core, CPU, good battery and premium feel at a good price.

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The K3 Note is a larger device as it houses a 5.5” screen compared to the Mi 4i which has a 5” screen. The K3 Note measures 152.6×76.2×8 mm and weighs 150 grams while the Mi 4i measure 138.1×69.6×7.8 mm and weighs 130 grams.

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Both the screens are IPS LCD screens with 1080p resolution but the Mi 4i has a higher pixel density of 440.58ppi compared to 400.53ppi of the K3 Note.

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Both the displays have good brightness and viewing angles. The colours are quite vibrant on both but does feel washed out at certain angles on the K3 Note. The colour temperature is warmer on the K3 Note while it is cooler on the Mi 4i. Sunlight legibility is on par with both the devices but the Mi 4i is sharper due to the higher pixel density.

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Above the display, both the phones have their earpiece, sensors as well as 5 Megapixel cameras. Below the display, both the devices have three set of capacitive keys which stand for options, home and return. However only the Mi 4i has backlighting for the capacitive keys while the K3 Note just has White paint on them.

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At the right side of the device, both the devices have their volume rockers as well as the power/lock buttons.

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At the back, the K3 Note has a 13 Megapixel camera with Dual-LED flash, Lenovo branding, mic and the speaker grill. The Mi 4i also has a 13 Megapixel camera at the back but has a Dual-Tone LED flash, Mi branding, mic and speaker grill.

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The backpanel on the K3 Note is removable but isn’t removable on the Mi 4i. The battery on the K3 Note is removable as well and has a capacity of 2900 mAH. The Mi 4i has a larger capacity of 3120 mAH built-in battery.

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While both the devices have octa-core processors clocked in at 1.7GHz, the K3 Note opts for a Mediatek MT6752 processor with Mali-T760MP2 GPU while the Mi 4i houses a Snapdragon 615 CPU with Adreno 405 GPU. Both the devices have 2GB of RAM and the K3 Note and Mi 4i have 1.1GB and 1GB of usable RAM when idle. Performance is also good on both and they are able to open and switch between apps quickly.

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The K3 Note is only available in a 16GB capacity but comes with a microSD card slot that can take cards upto 32GB. The Mi 4i on the other hand comes in both 16GB and 32GB capacities but lacks a microSD card slot. Apps can be installed or moved onto the microSD card on the K3 Note.

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Both the devices have the same 13 Megapixel resolution for their main camera and 5 Megapixel resolution for the front camera. Both the devices can capture up to 1080p videos using their main and front facing cameras.

UI is slightly customized and easy to use on the K3 Note. The settings are present at the left corner and makes changing modes and scenes easy. The UI is well customized on the Mi 4i and it relies on gesture to shift between front and rear cameras as well as change the filters, modes and settings.

Images are good in daylight on the K3 Note but the detailing isn’t that good while the Mi 4i takes good images with plenty of details in both daylight and lowlight. With flash, the images are noisy and lack detail on the K3 Note while the Mi 4i has low noise and offers good detailing. HDR mode is good on both devices and has good dynamic range however the shutter time is quite a bit longer on the K3 Note as opposed to the Mi 4i which means you’ll have to hold it steady for longer.

Check out some camera comparison samples (Click the image for high resolution sample). The left one is K3 Note and the right one is Mi 4i

Lenovo-K3-Note-Sample-1_daylight Xiaomi-Mi4i-Sample-1_daylight

Lenovo-K3-Note-Sample-2_HDR  Xiaomi-Mi4i-Sample-2_HDR

Lenovo-K3-Note-Sample-3_macro Xiaomi-Mi4i-Sample-3_macro

Lenovo-K3-Note-Sample-4_flash Xiaomi-Mi4i-Sample-4_flash

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Both the devices ship with Android 5.0.2 out of the box but each come with their own custom UI layer on top. The K3 Note comes with Vibe UI while the Mi 4i has MiUi. Both offer customizations for the lockscreen and homescreen options. However, the Vibe UI on the K3 Note is limited in terms of custiomization for the notification area compared to the Mi 4i. Neither of them offer app drawers but have customizable page layouts. MiUi has an edge here with better customizations, themes, stability and animations while Vibe UI sticks close to stock UI by offering limited customizations but does provide stability.

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The gallery app remains the stock Android app on the K3 Note while the Mi 4i offers segmented view for the images and also lets you view both offline as well as online images that are there on the Mi Cloud. Pinch to zoom works smooth and fast on both the devices and the stock video player on both the devices are well equipped and plays files smoothly.

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K3 Note has the stock Google Play Music app and offers good and clear output but lacks a bit in terms of loudness through earphones. It has Dolby Atmos app to tweak the equalizer and offer a better sound experience. The Mi Music Player on the Mi 4i offer good and loud output via headphones and it also has Dirac settings for a better experience. Loudspeaker performance is good on both with good voice and sound however the Mi 4i lacks a bit in terms of loudness.

Gaming performance is good on the K3 Note but it is very good on the Mi 4i. Both the devices support USB OTG and gaming controllers. The Mi 4i gets heated up more than the K3 Note. The K3 Note with its 3000 mAH battery achieved a one charge rating of 10 hours and 47 minutes in our battery test while the Mi 4i achieved a one charge rating of 10 hours and 54 minutes in our battery tests. The charge rating is almost similar since the K3 Note is slightly better in talk time test, the Mi 4i is better in all the other test. Check out a couple of battery test charts.

Lenovo K3 Note vs Xiaomi Mi 4i 3G Browsing

Lenovo K3 Note vs Xiaomi Mi 4i Video Playback

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Concluding, the advantages of the Lenovo K3 Note are expansion slot, no heating issues and affordable price tag. Advantages of the Mi 4i over Lenovo K3 Note include, better display, camera and software features.

Srivatsan contributed to the comparison


Author: Sandeep Sarma

Sandeep Sarma is a blogger and a freelance photographer. Apart from gadgets and phones, he also has a passion for movies and cars. He currently uses the S7 Edge as his main phone. Catch him on twitter at @sandeep9sarma