Design
The new Xiaomi Redmi Y2 comes with a rather surprising polycarbonate build with brushed metallic finish that we used to see long back. In comparison, the Redmi Note 5 comes with an aluminum body and metal frame with small pieces of plastic on top and bottom near the antennas. However, the RealMe 1 manages to dramatically stand out here with its unique rear which might seem like glass but is made out of plastic and a polymer composite material. So yeah, the Realme 1 is the most unique, while Redmi Note 5 has a sturdier build and finally, the Redmi Y2’s polycarbonate body ends up looking like a compromise.
Display
The displays on the Redmi Note 5 and the Realme 1 are pretty identical — a 5.99-inch (6.0-inch on the RealMe 1) FHD+ LCD screen with an aspect ratio of 18:9. But the Redmi Y2 carries a lower resolution 5.99-inch HD+ screen (with 18:9 aspect ratio). There is no mention of protection on the Redmi Y2 display, while the other two phones do come with Corning Gorilla Glass.
Internals
While the Redmi Note 5 and the Redmi Y2 are powered by Xiaomi’s favorite Snapdragon 625 chipset, the RealMe 1 comes with a significantly more powerful Helio P60 processor. There are 3GB RAM / 32GB memory variants available for all of them but the RealMe 1’s highest-end option carries 6GB RAM, 128GB storage, whereas the Redmi Note 5 and Redmi Y2’s most expensive flavor has 4GB RAM, 64GB storage. The Redmi Y2 runs on the smallest battery among the three — a 3000mAh pack. The RealMe 1 has a 3,410mAh battery and the Redmi Note 5 comes with the biggest 4000mAh battery. The storage is expandable on all three of them but the Redmi Note 5 doesn’t have a dedicated slot for the MicroSD card like the Redmi Y2 and Realme 1.
Software
The software, as you’d expect, is a similar story between the Redmi Y2 and the Redmi Note 5 — MIUI 9.5. Although it’s worth noting that the former is running on Android 8.1, while the latter comes preloaded with Android 7.1.2. The RealMe 1 also has Android 8.1 but the custom skin is Oppo’s ColorOS 5.0 instead of MIUI. An important thing to note here is that both Redmi Y2 and Realme 1 lack support for the WiFi 5GHz band, while the Redmi Note 5 comes with dual-band WiFi support.
Cameras
In this trio, the Redmi Y2 is the only one with two camera sensors on the rear — a primary 12-megapixel lens and another 5-megapixel for depth-sensing and most certainly, that is its unique selling point as you must have seen looking at the other points above. Its front camera also has the highest resolution — a 16-megapixel snapper which is even assisted by a soft LED flash. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5, on the contrary, lacks the secondary 5-megapixel camera on the rear and the selfie camera too is a meager 5MP one. The RealMe 1, lastly, features a 13-megapixel lens on the back and an 8-megapixel one on the front.
Price
And finally, the price. Both the Redmi Y2 and the Redmi Note 5 start at Rs 9,999, while the Realme 1 starts at Rs 8,990 for the 3GB RAM/32GB ROM variant. Clearly, the Realme 1 holds the ace up its sleeve when it comes to the pricing. So that’s it for this quick comparison between the Redmi Y2, the Redmi Note 5 and the Realme 1. Let us know if you have any specific question about the same in the comments section below.
