Panasonic launched two smartphones yesterday, of which one was Eluga Max Ray. The device comes in two variants -a 32GB model priced at Rs 11,499, and a 64GB model priced at Rs 12,499. However, Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, which was launched a couple of months back currently rules the sub 15K price segment. The Redmi Note 4 comes with a variant boasting 4GB RAM + 64GB internal storage priced at Rs 12,999. There is not much difference in terms of pricing, however, things change when we dig into the specifications. Let’s put both these devices head to head and find out which device is worth you hard earned money.
Design and Display
Hitting the exteriors first, both the Panasonic Eluga Ray Max and Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 has a metal unibody design and full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) 2.5D curved glass display. The Eluga Ray Max has a smaller 5.2-inch screen with Gorilla glass 3 protection, while Redmi Note 4 is a slightly bigger device with a 5.5-inch screen, which by all means is considered as an ideal screen size for any smartphone these days.
Both the smartphones come with a fingerprint scanner for added security, however, the Eluga Ray Max has a front mounted fingerprint scanner, whereas the Redmi Note 4’s fingerprint scanner placed on its rear panel, which is more convenient, in our opinion. The Eluga Ray Max measures at 148 x 73 x 9.5mm and weighs 165 grams, whereas Redmi Note 4 measures 150.2 x 74 x 7.9mm and weighs 155 grams. Redmi Note 4 is apparently a thinner device with 7.9mm thickness and is 10 grams lighter than Eluga Ray Max.
While both the devices will give a your pretty solid experience in the display department, the final verdict purely depends on your preference. If you have smaller hands, the Panasonic Eluga Ray Max will be a more comfortable piece of hardware to hold while if you don’t mind a bigger screen, the Redmi Note 4 will do the job for you.
Processor, Storage and Memory
Once done with the exteriors, let us dig into the interiors The Eluga Ray Max comes armed with 1.4GHz 64-bit Octa Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 Processor with Adreno 505 GPU, while Redmi Note 4 comes equipped with a 2.0 GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 625 14nm processor.
As far as memory and storage is concerned, both the phones comes with 4GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage, which can be further expanded up-to 128GB via microSD card. Moreover, both the phone has a Dual SIM Slot, however, the Redmi Note 4 has a Hybrid Dual SIM slot, while the Eluga Ray Max has a dedicated expandable card slot which is surely a plus point here.
In terms of performance, the Redmi Note 4 clearly has a upper hand here with a relatively powerful Snapdragon 625 Chipset and the fact that its is built on a 14nm process makes it more efficient as well. Note that the Snapdragon 430, in no way, is a poor chipset and will get you through most of the tasks, however, it apparently falls short when compared to the Snapdragon 625 present on the Redmi Note 4.
Camera
Camera is certainly where a lot of decision fall and because we haven’t tested out the camera on the Eluga Ray Max, it will be unfair for us to give any verdict here. Nevertheless, listing the specs, the Eluga Ray Max comes with 16-MP rear-camera with LED flash whereas the Redmi Note 4 offers a 13MP rear camera with PDAF, Sony IMX258 sensor, dual-tone LED Flash and f/2.0 aperture. On the front, Eluga Ray Max comes with an 8-MP front camera with LED flash, while Redmi Note 4 only has 5-megapixel selfie camera.
Now based on solely Megapixel count, the Eluga Ray Max has an advantage here, but, a smartphone camera is a lot more than just megapixels. A lot depends on the post image processing and the software which is why we recommend you to wait for our detailed camera comparison of these devices before you fire a dart.
Operating system, Battery and Connectivity
Moving on to the software, both the devices run on Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system with their own customised skin UI on top which entirely depends on your personal performance. However, one thing which is surely exclusive to Panasonic Eluga Ray Max is its new Arbo smart assistant. Panasonic claims that the new virtual assistant is a self-learning technology that understands the user behaviour and then maps their daily activities for them accordingly. The AI-powered assistant takes care of all the daily tasks and activities like calls and messages that need to be framed and sent out on a regular basis. It also keeps a detailed list of all the applications functioning on the smartphone, gathers detailed information on their habits and informs them about it accordingly.
However, Xiaomi is already testing Android Nougat on Redmi Note 4 whereas there has been no confirmation about the same for the Eluga Ray Max from Xiaomi.
As far as battery is concerned, Eluga Ray Max gets its strength from a 3000mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0, while Redmi Note 4 is backed up by a bigger 4100mAh battery. A larger battery capacity and a battery efficient Snapdragon 625 chipset, Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 is definitely a winner here but it lacks fast charging.
On the connectivity front, both the devices come with Dual SIM Slots (hybrid Dual-SIM in the case of Redmi Note 4), 4G with VoLTE, Bluetooth, GPS/A-GPS, with Google Maps, Wifi-802.11 b/g/n, and Wi-Fi hotspot.
Wrapping up
If we compare specs sheet on paper, Redmi Note 4 looks to have edged this battle with its relatively powerful Snapdragon 625 SoC and bigger 4100 mAh battery. Meanwhile, the Eluga Ray Max manages to shine with its Arbo virtual smart assistant and slightly compact factor. Another thing to note here is the availability. Redmi Note 4 is available only through weekly flash sales while the Eluga Ray Max will be available via open sale. If you ask us, go for the Redmi Note 4 if you can get it.