Honor 8C vs Realme U1 vs Redmi Note 6 Pro: Battle of sub-15k Smartphones

Honor recently launched its Honor 8C smartphone with Snapdragon 632 SoC in India at a starting price of Rs. 11,999. This makes things interesting in the sub-15k price segment as we’ve witnessed launch of several handsets in the same. Today we’ll compare the Honor 8C with recently launched Realme U1 and Xiaomi’s popular Redmi Note 6 Pro as all three of them come loaded with mid range specifications along with powerful processors and camera set up. The comparison will be based on below parameters to find out which one provides a better value for money,

• Design and Display
• Software
• Processor
• Memory (RAM and Storage)
• Battery Capacity
• Rear Camera
• Front Camera
• Price and Availability in India

Honor 8C vs Realme U1 vs Redmi Note 6 Pro: Design and Display

The Honor 8C features a polycarbonate body along with glass-like finish which gives it a slightly premium look. It comes with a notched display and slim bezels. The Redmi Note 6 Pro on the other hand, features an aluminium back and is just like any other metal-clad phone around. The Realme U1 also features a polycarbonate body. Although design is a matter of choice, we feel that the Realme U1 is a better-looking device of the three due to its glass-like finish and water-drop shaped notch.

In terms of display, the Honor 8C sports a 6.26-inch HD+ display with 1520 X 720 pixel resolution and a 19:9 aspect ratio resulting into screen-to-body ratio of 88%. It comes with an iPhone X like wide notch at the top which houses the selfie camera and other sensors. The Realme U1 features a 6.3-inch full-HD+ LCD display with 1080 x 2340 pixel resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio and 90.8 percent screen-to-body ratio. The display features a unique water drop shaped notch, 2.5D curved glass and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 layer of protection. The Redmi Note 6 Pro bears a 6.26-inch Full HD+ display with 1080 x 2280 pixel screen resolution and 19:9 aspect ratio. The display comes with 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass and has rounded corners. The Realme U1 is a winner in this department due to larger screen size and better screen-to-body ratio, thanks to the water drop shaped notch.

In terms of dimensions, the Honor 8C measures 158.72 x 75.94 x 7.98 mm and weighs 167.2 grams. The Redmi Note 6 pro measures 157.9 x 76.4 x 8.26 mm and weighs in at 182 grams. While the Realme U1 has dimension of 157 x 74 x 8 mm and weight of 168 grams. So, the Honor 8C is the slimmest and the lightest of the three phones.

Honor 8C vs Realme U1 vs Redmi Note 6 Pro: Software and Battery

In terms of software, the Honor 8C runs EMUI 8.2 based on Android 8.1 Oreo operating system out of the box. The Realme U1 is shipped with ColorOS 5.2 based on Android 8.1 Oreo and the Redmi Note 6 Pro is shipped with Android 8.1 Oreo-based MIUI 9 out of the box.

In terms of battery, the Honor 8C packs a 4,000mAh battery that promises a two-day battery backup on a single charge. The Realme U1 is fueled by 3,500mAh battery and the Redmi Note 6 Pro is backed by a 4000mAh battery with support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0. The Realme U1 lags behind in this department while the Redmi Note 6 Pro has an edge over the Honor 8C due to its Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging support.

Honor 8C vs Realme U1 vs Redmi Note 6 Pro: Processor and Memory

The Honor 8C is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 632 chipset that clocks at 1.8GHz along with Adreno 506 GPU and 4GB of RAM. There are two options in terms of internal storage- 32GB and 64GB. Both the variants support storage expandability via microSD card up to 256GB.

The Realme U1 draws power from an octa-core MediaTek Helio P70 SoC clocked up to 2.1GHz along with ARM G72 GPU. There are two storage options available- 3GB RAM + 32GB inbuilt storage and 4GB RAM + 64GB inbuilt storage. The storage can be expanded further up to 256GB via microSD card.

The Redmi Note 6 Pro is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC with Adreno 509 GPU and 4GB or 6GB of RAM. The internal storage capacity of the device is 64GB, which is expandable via microSD card

Honor 8C vs Realme U1 vs Redmi Note 6 Pro: Camera Set up

All three phones feature a dual camera set up on the back, just like any other mid-range phone launched these days, however the configuration differs.

The Honor 8C features a 13-megapixel primary rear sensor + a 2-megapixel secondary rear sensor along with an LED flash. The Realme U1 bears a dual rear camera consisting of a 13-megapixel primary sensor with an f/2.2 aperture + a 2-megapixel secondary sensor with an f/2.4 aperture, coupled with an LED flash. The Redmi Note 6 Pro has dual rear camera comprising of a 12-megapixel primary sensor with f/1.9 aperture + 5-megapixel secondary sensor with f/2.2 aperture. The camera set up supports Dual Pixel Autofocus, HDR, Panorama, Burst mode, EIS for video recording and Dynamic Bokeh.

For selfies, the Honor 8C features a an 8-megapixel camera with fixed focus lens, an f/2.0 aperture and a selfie toning light. The Realme U1 sports a 25-megapixel Sony IMX576 sensor with an f/2.0 aperture. While, the Redmi Note 6 Pro features a dual front-facing camera consisting of a 20-megapixel primary lens with f/2.0 aperture + 2-megapixel secondary lens with f/2.2 aperture.

Overall, the Redmi 6 Pro seems to have a better camera set up out of the three devices.

Honor 8C vs Realme U1 vs Redmi Note 6 Pro: Price and Availability in India

The Honor 8C price in India is set at Rs. 11,999 for the base variant i.e. 4GB RAM + 32GB storage and Rs. 12,999 for the 4GB RAM + 64GB storage. The Realme U1 is priced at Rs. 11,999 for the 3GB RAM + 32GB inbuilt storage variant and Rs. 14,999 for the top variant i.e. 4GB RAM + 64GB inbuilt storage. The Redmi Note 6 Pro base variant i.e. 4GB RAM + 64GB storage comes with a price tag of Rs. 13,999 and the top variant i.e. 6GB RAM + 64GB storage comes with a price tag of Rs. 15,999.

CompareRaja’s Verdict

The competition is neck-to-neck here as all three phones come loaded with good set of features and specifications. Xiaomi is known to offer power packed phones at an aggressive price tag and Redmi Note 6 Pro is no exception. However, our verdict goes in favour of Realme U1 as it features good design, display, processor and selfie camera along with an attractive price tag.

Here’s a quick specs comparison between Honor 8C, Realme U1 and Redmi Note 6 Pro for your reference…