Comparison huawei p20 lite vs xiaomi mi a1
Table of contents:
- Comparative sheet
- Design
- screen
- Photographic set
- Processor and memory
- Autonomy and connectivity
- Conclusions
The mid-range of this year and part of the previous one is more interesting than ever. Part of the blame is on brands like Huawei or Xiaomi, with two of the best smartphones seen to date in a price range between 200 and 400 euros. How could it be otherwise, we refer to the P20 Lite and the Mi A1. The first was presented this year along with two more terminals, the P20 and the P20 Pro, although it has features that we already saw in smartphones from the brand last year. As for the Xiaomi terminal, it has been with us for a few months. Specifically at the end of September. If you want to know the differences between the Huawei P20 Lite vs Xiaomi Mi A1, we invite you to continue reading the article.
Comparative sheet
| Huawei P20 Lite | Xiaomi Mi A1 | |
| screen | 5.84 inches in size with FullHD + resolution (2,244 x 1080 pixels), 18.7: 9 format and 408 dpi | 5.5 inches in size with FullHD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) and 403 dpi |
| Main chamber | 16 megapixel primary sensor and f / 2.2
focal aperture 2 megapixel secondary sensor and f / 2.4 focal aperture for portrait mode (blur) |
Primary sensor of 12 megapixels and focal aperture f / 2.2
Secondary sensor of 12 megapixels and focal aperture f / 2.6 for portrait mode (blur) |
| Camera for selfies | 16 megapixels of resolution and focal aperture f / 2.0 | 5 megapixels of resolution and focal aperture f / 2.0 |
| Internal memory | 64 GB | 64 GB |
| Extension | MicroSD cards up to 256GB | MicroSD cards up to 128GB |
| Processor and RAM | Kirin 659 and 4 GB of RAM | Snapdragon 625 and 4 GB of RAM |
| Drums | 3,000 mAh with fast charge | 3,080 mAh without fast charging |
| Operating system | Android 8.0 Oreo under EMUI 8 | Android 8.0 Oreo under Android One |
| Connections | Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, USB Type-C and NFC | Bluetooth 4.2, GPS and USB type C |
| SIM | Dual nanoSIM | Dual nanoSIM |
| Design | Metal and glass construction
Colors: black, blue, pink and gold |
Metal construction Colors: black, pink and gold |
| Dimensions | 148.6 x 71.2 x 7.4 millimeters and 145 grams | 155.4 x 75.8 x 7.3 millimeters and 165 grams |
| Featured Features | Face unlock and fingerprint reader | Fingerprint reader and FM radio |
| Release date | Available | Available |
| Price | 380 euros | 229 euros |
Design
The design is one of the sections where both smartphones differ the most; you just need to take a look at the images to realize it.
Huawei, for example, has chosen to imitate the design of its high-end by manufacturing a terminal with quite low margins and very well-used frames. The elongated ratio of 18.7: 9 also helps this better optimization of space, making the Huawei P20 Lite a quite comfortable smartphone despite its almost 6-inch screen size. Regarding its construction materials, there are no surprises here. In short, it is a terminal made of glass on the back and metal on the edges of its frames.
If we go to the Xiaomi mid-range model, we find a terminal with clear differences compared to the Huawei P20. On the one hand, the design of its front part has lines that are somewhat more similar to what we could see in the mid-range of 2017, with quite generous frames both along and across the phone. Unlike the Huawei, the Xiaomi Mi A1 has a typical ratio of 16: 9, which makes it less compact and comfortable in the hand than the P20 Lite. Regarding its construction, we find metal throughout the body.
screen
The first thing we see when interacting with a mobile is the screen, and in this case both smartphones have decided to play it safe: Full HD resolution and IPS technology.
In the Huawei P20 Lite we find a 5.84 panel with an 18.7: 9 ratio that lengthens the size of its screen to improve the grip of the terminal. The technology used in this case, and as we have just mentioned, is the well-known IPS. Finally, its resolution is based on a variant of Full HD, mainly due to its longer ratio. Worth mentioning is its notch, located at the top of the panel. This includes the front camera and front speaker for calls.
As for the Xiaomi Mi A1, its panel is quite similar to that of the P20 Lite. Despite being smaller (5.5 inches), it is somewhat wider due to the 16: 9 ratio. Regarding its resolution and technology used, we find the same parameters as in the Huawei terminal, with traditional Full HD in this case and IPS.
Photographic set
The most interesting section of the two smartphones has arrived: the photographic one. If in the previous point we found few differences, in this the opposite.
Referring to the technical data, in the Huawei P20 Lite we find a double rear camera of 16 and 2 megapixels of resolution and focal apertures f / 2.2 and f / 2.4. This translates into very sharp photographs and a fairly successful portrait mode due to the difference between apertures and resolution. The images at night in this case are somewhat affected by that minimum aperture of f / 2.2 on the main sensor.
As for the Xiaomi Mi A1 cameras, they are based on two sensors with identical resolution (12 megapixels) and focal apertures somewhat smaller than the previous one; specifically f / 2.2 and f / 2.6. Translated into Christian it means that we will get a better portrait mode and some more achieved night photographs - worth the redundancy - in luminosity, although we lose definition and image quality due to its lower resolution.
The front cameras of both terminals also show clear differences. While in the P20 Lite its sensor is 16 megapixels with an aperture of f / 2.0, in the Mi A1 it is somewhat smaller (5 megapixels) with exactly the same aperture. If you are looking for a camera for selfies, the P20 Lite is undoubtedly the best.
Processor and memory
In this section the differences are also minimal, and this is due to both the amount of RAM and the chosen processor.
In the case of the Huawei P20 Lite, the processor implemented is a Kirin 659 from last year with 8 cores at a maximum frequency of 2.36 GHz accompanied by a Mali-T830 MP2 GPU. The RAM in this case is 4 GB, nailed to that of the Xiaomi Mi A1. The processor and GPU of the latter is based on an octa-core Snapdragon 625 also at 2.2 GHz and an Adreno 506.
The different benchmarks and performance tests report that the Kirin is better in tasks with a single processor, not being so in tasks that require several processors. The gaming performance of both GPUs is significantly higher in the case of the Adreno 506 of the Xiaomi Mi A1. Specifically 11%, something worth noting. The energy efficiency is similar in the two cases, with 14 nanometers of manufacture in the two processors.
Autonomy and connectivity
Another of the most decisive sections when opting for one terminal or another, although the two smartphones are similar.
As you can see in the technical sheet, the battery capacity is practically traced, being 3000 mAh in the case of P20 Lite and 3080 mAh in the Mi A1. The only theoretical difference between the two is fast charging, which the Xiaomi model lacks.
The connections and connectivity do vary somewhat. Mainly on the NFC chip and FM radio integration. The first is the Huawei model, with the possibility of making payments without any type of limit per chip or software. The FM radio, on the other hand, is kept by the Mi A1, although it is not activated as standard: we will have to access a hidden configuration to listen to it through the headphones. The rest of the features in this section are the same: Bluetooth 4.2, the same WiFi and infrared certification to change channels on television and other compatible electronic devices.
Conclusions
Having seen all the technical data of surely the most interesting mobiles in the mid-range today, it is time to draw conclusions. As we have seen throughout the comparison of characteristics between the Huawei P20 Lite vs Xiaomi Mi A1, both terminals are very similar. The differences are mainly found in the design of the terminals and cameras to a lesser extent. So what makes one smartphone better than another? The price and the system or customization layer.
The official price of both terminals starts from a difference of just over 100 euros, something to take into account in this type of range. Although it is true that both smartphones can be found in external stores at cheaper prices, the price difference is still maintained at those 160 euros.
As for the second reason, this is perhaps one of the most important. Xiaomi has decided to implement Google's Android One program on its system, with all that this entails (pure Android experience, more updates, better optimization). In the case of the P20 Lite, we find a layer that, although it has been on the market for several years (EMUI), may not be to the liking of ordinary users. We already saw its excellent performance in the respective analysis of the Huawei P20 Lite in your expert, so performance should not be a definitive factor when deciding on one or the other.
This, added to the fact that both terminals have Android Oreo 8.0, would leave the choice of one software version or another at a personal valuation point, without forgetting the price. Another important point is that the Huawei smartphone has fast charging, unlike the Xiaomi model. We must also add that the Xiaomi Mi A1 has a version of 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage for a somewhat lower price, about 189 euros in the official store.
