Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 vs Samsung Galaxy M31
Here we compared two mid-range smartphones: the 6.53-inch Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 (with MediaTek Helio G85) that was released on April 30, 2020, against the Samsung Galaxy M31, which is powered by Exynos 7 Octa 9611 and came out 2 months before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.
Key differences
Reasons to consider the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9
- Reverse charging feature
- 13% faster in single-core GeekBench 5 test: 372 and 328 points
- Has a built-in infrared port
Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy M31
- Comes with 980 mAh larger battery capacity: 6000 vs 5020 mAh
- Delivers 32% higher peak brightness (619 against 468 nits)
- Ability to record video in 4K resolution
- Slow-motion recording at 240FPS
- Super AMOLED display (versus competitor's IPS LCD)
- Faster storage type - UFS 2.1 versus eMMC 5.1
- More energy-efficient CPU – Exynos 7 Octa 9611
- Supports Dolby Atmos sound technology
- The front-facing camera can record video at 4K
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Review
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Performance
CPU/GPU performance in apps and games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
NanoReview score
Final comparison evaluation
Value for money
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Tests and specifications
Comparison table of technical specifications and testsDisplay
| Type | IPS LCD | Super AMOLED |
| Size | 6.53 inches | 6.4 inches |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2340 pixels | 1080 x 2340 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 19.5:9 | 19.5:9 |
| PPI | 395 ppi | 403 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | No | No |
| Max rated brightness | 450 nits | 600 nits |
| HDR support | No | Yes, HDR10 |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 83.5% | 84% |
| Display features | - | - Always-On Display |
| RGB color space | 97.7% | 142% |
| PWM | Not detected | 208 Hz |
| Response time | 32.2 ms | 8.5 ms |
| Contrast | 4608:1 | ∞ Infinity |
Peak brightness test (auto)
Design and build
| Height | 162.3 mm (6.39 inches) | 159.2 mm (6.27 inches) |
| Width | 77.2 mm (3.04 inches) | 75.1 mm (2.96 inches) |
| Thickness | 8.9 mm (0.35 inches) | 8.9 mm (0.35 inches) |
| Weight | 199 g (7.02 oz) | 191 g (6.74 oz) |
| Waterproof | No | No |
| Rear material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Frame material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Colors | White, Gray, Green | Black, Blue, Red |
| Fingerprint scanner | Yes, rear | Yes, rear |
Screen-to-body ratio
Performance
| Chipset | MediaTek Helio G85 | Samsung Exynos 7 Octa 9611 |
| Max clock | 2000 MHz | 2300 MHz |
| CPU cores | 8 (2 + 6) | 8 (4 + 4) |
| Architecture | - 6 cores at 1.8 GHz: Cortex-A55 - 2 cores at 2 GHz: Cortex-A75 |
- 4 cores at 1.7 GHz: Cortex-A53 - 4 cores at 2.3 GHz: Cortex-A73 |
| Lithography process | 12 nanometers | 10 nanometers |
| Graphics | Mali-G52 MP2 | Mali-G72 MP3 |
| GPU clock | 1000 MHz | 850 MHz |
| FLOPS | ~59 GFLOPS | ~259 GFLOPS |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 5 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 5 (Multi-Core)
AnTuTu Benchmark 9
| CPU | 70992 | 62115 |
| GPU | 58131 | 56904 |
| Memory | 36905 | 51495 |
| UX | 83025 | 74539 |
| Total score | 249960 | 246471 |
3DMark Wild Life Performance
| Max surface temperature | 39.2 °C | 45.2 °C |
| Stability | - | 74% |
| Graphics test | - | 4 FPS |
| Graphics score | - | 820 |
Memory
| RAM size | 3, 4, 6 GB | 6 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR4X | LPDDR4X |
| Memory clock | 2133 MHz | 1866 MHz |
| Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Storage size | 64, 128 GB | 128 GB |
| Storage type | eMMC 5.1 | UFS 2.1 |
| Memory card | MicroSD | MicroSD |
| Memory card max size | Up to 512 GB | Up to 512 GB |
Software
| Operating system | Android 10 (Can be upgraded to Android 12) | Android 10 (Can be upgraded to Android 12) |
| ROM | MIUI 13 | One UI 4.1 |
| OS size | 16.5 GB | 15 GB |
Battery
| Capacity | 5020 mAh | 6000 mAh |
| Charge power | 18 W | 15 W |
| Battery type | Li-Po | Li-Ion |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Wireless charging | No | No |
| Reverse charging | Yes | No |
| Fast charging | Yes (50% in 40 min) | Yes, Samsung Adaptive Fast Charge (45% in 60 min) |
| Full charging time | 1:30 hr | 2:25 hr |
| Web browsing | 12:34 hr | - |
| Watching video | 14:56 hr | - |
| Gaming | 05:48 hr | - |
| Standby | 120 hr | - |
General battery life
Camera
| Matrix | 48 megapixels | 64 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 8000 x 6000 | 9248 x 6920 |
| Zoom | Digital | Digital |
| Flash | LED | LED |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
| 8K video recording | No | No |
| 4K video recording | No | Up to 30FPS |
| 1080p video recording | Up to 30FPS | Up to 30FPS |
| Slow motion | 120 FPS (720p) | 240 FPS (720p) |
| Angle of widest lens | 118° | 123° |
| Lenses | 4 (48 MP + 8 MP + 2 MP + 2 MP) | 4 (64 MP + 8 MP + 5 MP + 5 MP) |
| Wide (main) lens | - 48 MP - Aperture: f/1.8 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 0.8 micron - Sensor: 1/2.0", Samsung S5KGM1 (ISOCELL Plus CMOS) - Phase autofocus |
- 64 MP - Aperture: f/1.8 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 0.8 micron - Sensor: 1/1.72", ISOCELL Bright GW1 (ISOCELL CMOS) - Phase autofocus |
| Ultra-wide lens | - 8 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Pixel size: 1.12 micron - Sensor: 1/4.0" (CMOS) |
- 8 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Focal length: 12 mm - Pixel size: 1.12 micron - Sensor: 1/4.0" (CMOS) |
| Macro lens | - 2 MP - Aperture: f/2.4 |
- 5 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 |
| Depth lens | - 2 MP - Aperture: f/2.4 |
- 5 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Pixel size: 1.12 micron - Sensor: 1/5.0" (CMOS) |
| Camera features | - Bokeh mode - Pro mode |
- Bokeh mode - Pro mode |
| Megapixels | 13 megapixels | 32 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 4128 x 3096 | 6528 x 4896 |
| Aperture | f/2.3 | f/2.0 |
| Focal length | 29 mm | 26 mm |
| Pixel size | 1.12 microns | 0.8 microns |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor size | 1/3.1" | 1/2.8" |
| Video resolution | 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS | 2160p (4K) at 30 FPS |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) |
| Wi-Fi features | - Dual Band - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
- Dual Band - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
| Bluetooth version | 5 | 5 |
| Bluetooth features | LE, HID, A2DP | PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP |
| USB type | USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| USB version | 2 | 2 |
| USB features | - Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo |
| NFC* | Yes | Depends on the region |
| Infrared port | Yes | No |
| Number of SIM* | 2 | 2 |
| Type of SIM card | Nano | Nano |
| Multi SIM mode | Standby | Standby |
| eSIM support* | No | No |
| Hybrid slot | No | No |
| LTE Cat* | 7 | 12 |
| 5G support | No | No |
Sound
| Speakers | Mono | Mono |
| Headphone audio jack | Yes | Yes |
| FM radio | Yes | Yes |
| Dolby Atmos | No | Yes |
Speakers test
Max loudness
Other
| Category | Mid-range | Mid-range |
| Announced | April 2020 | February 2020 |
| Release date | June 2020 | March 2020 |
| SAR (head) | 0.8 W/kg | 0.48 W/kg |
| SAR (body) | 1.14 W/kg | 1.13 W/kg |
| Sensors | - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
- Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.
Conclusion
After analyzing all the data, we think that the Samsung Galaxy M31 is definitely a better buy.
Cast your vote
Total votes: 194