Realme 6 vs Redmi Note 8 Pro vs Galaxy M31: Which is the best smartphone under Rs 15,000?

The Realme 6 series recently launched in India with the vanilla Realme 6 debuting as the successor to the Realme 5 Pro. Starting at Rs 12,999, the Realme 6 is shaping up to be a real game-changer in the under 15K smartphone market.

However, the Realme 6 series is not alone in this competitive smartphone market space as it will face competition from the Samsung Galaxy M31 and Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro. So how does the latest addition to Realme’s smartphone portfolio fare against the competition; let’s find out.

Realme 6 vs Galaxy M31 vs Redmi Note 8 Pro

Specs	Galaxy M31	Realme 6	Redmi Note 8 Pro
Chipset	Exynos 9611	MediaTek G90T	MediaTek G90T
Display	6.4-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED (1080*2340 pixels), 411 ppi, 60Hz	6.5-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED (1080*2400 pixels), 405 ppi, 90Hz	6.53-inch FHD+ IPS LCD (1080*2340 pixels), 395 ppi, HDR, 60Hz
RAM	6GB	4GB/6GB/8GB	6GB/8GB
Storage	64GB/128GB	64GB/128GB	64GB/128GB/256GB
Rear Camera	64 MP, f/1.8 + 8 MP, f/2.2 + 5 MP, f/2.2 + 5 MP, f/2.2	64 MP, f/1.8 + 8MP, f/2.3 + 2MP, f/2.4 + 2MP, f/2.4	64 MP, f/1.9 + 8MP, f/2.2 + 2MP, f/2.4 + 2MP, f/2.4
Front Camera	32 MP, f/2.0	16 MP, f/2.0	20 MP, f/2.0
Software	Android 10; One UI 2.0	Android 10; Realme UI	Android 9.0 (Pie); MIUI 10
Battery & Charging	6,000 mAh, 15W	4,300 mAh battery, 30W Flash Charging	4,500 mAh, 18W
Starting Price (Rs)	14,999 / 15,999	12,999 / 14,999 / 15,999	13,999 / 15,999 / 17,999

Design

The Realme 6 and Redmi Note 8 Pro feature a glass back and front along with an aluminium frame. Samsung, on the other hand, opts for a plastic frame for the Galaxy M31, which is light but feels cheap. The Realme 6’s new comet design coupled with its punch-hole notch looks better than the Redmi Note 8 Pro and Galaxy M31. However, design is always subjective, and preferences can vary.

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Display

In terms of display, Realme and Redmi have opted for an IPS LCD panel, while Samsung sticks to its Super AMOLED screen. While the Galaxy M31’s Super AMOLED screen is more colour accurate and vibrant than the competition, the Realme 6 does offer a 90Hz refresh rate, which is much smoother than the typical 60Hz. While the 90Hz screen might not make a difference now, it will be great when game designers begin to raise fps limitations. But as things stand, we’d prefer Samsung’s AMOLED panel as it has a clear advantage in saving battery, watching content and can be less strenuous on the eye.

Performance

While the MediaTek G90T on the Realme 6 and Redmi Note 8 Pro is one of the best mid-range chipsets for gaming, the Exynos 9611 on the M31 does leave a lot to be desired. All three phones will be able to run all games, but in the case of Redmi and Realme, we’re talking about being able to run all games on high settings. We’d also recommend opting for the 6GB+128GB Realme 6 variant, which is 1K more than the Redmi Note 8 Pro, making it the winner in terms of price-to-performance.

Camera

All three phones have a similar quad-camera setup on the back with a 64-megapixel primary sensor, an ultrawide lens, and two cameras for depth and macro mode. The front camera setup on all three devices is also pretty evenly matched, although Samsung has an edge in megapixel count. While we still have to put the Realme 6 through its paces, it is safe to assume that Samsung is going to have a clear advantage here as its camera software is way ahead of Realme and Xiaomi.

Software

Speaking of software, none of these three phones delivers the stock Android experience, but Samsung’s One UI is the closest. The new Realme UI isn’t technically bloatware-free but is a lot cleaner than previous ColorOS skins. The Redmi Note 8 Pro is still stuck on Android 9 Pie, while its MIUI skin is a little bloatware heavy. If you want the best software experience go with the Galaxy M31 and its One UI 2.0 skin over Android 10.

Battery

There’s very little difference between the battery capacity of the Realme 6 and Redmi Note 8 Pro. However, the Galaxy M31’s 6,000 mAh battery is significantly larger than its competition. But what Realme lack in size, it makes up for in fast charging, offering almost double the charging speed of the M31 and Note 8 Pro. While the Galaxy M31 will get you a day and a half of battery life, the Realme 6 offers twice the charging speed, capable of juicing your phone up to 100% in a little over 60 minutes.

Verdict

All three smartphones offer excellent value with their top tier mid-range specs. However, if we had to pick one, we’d go with the Realme 6. While the Galaxy M31 has the best camera and software; the Realme 6 is not far behind on both fronts and well ahead in terms of performance. Moreover, the Realme 6 also looks and feels like a premium offering. The Redmi Note 8 Pro does offer performance on par with the Realme 6 but falls short on most other fronts.