Xiaomi Redmi 2 beats Motorola Moto G

The Xiaomi Redmi 2 is on of the more recent smartphone releases from the Chinese company that has become quite famous over the past few months. Xiaomi tries to make devices that are both affordable and powerful, similarly to how OnePlus works with their hardware. Xiaomi is one of the biggest smartphone manufacturers in the world and the Xiaomi Redmi 2 is proof of why it is so popular. Compared to the Moto G (both generations), the Xiaomi Redmi 2 is cheaper, but still retains powerful specs that will satisfy anyone looking for a budget-friendly phone that can become their daily driver or second smartphone.

The Xiaomi Redmi 2 is admittedly smaller than the Moto G, but that can constitute an advantage more than a disadvantage. The 4.7 inch IPS OGS touchscreen comes with a rad resolution of 1280*720 that adds up to 312 ppi pixel density, which is a tad bit better than the pixel per inch density that we find on the Moto G 2nd gen. It’s also lighter, and of course, smaller and comes with a more modern design that is a preference of mine. Design is subjective, so you might like the Moto G design better than the Xiaomi Redmi 2 design, but in my honest opinion, it’s an ergonomic, thin phone that is easily maneuverable. The 4.7 inch display facilitates ease of use and user-friendliness and the thin bezels on the side make it pretty neat. The capacitative buttons on the front are a plus in my mind, although they might not be for others. I personally prefer capacitative buttons to software buttons, but once again, that is a subjective opinion. Which do you prefer?

When it comes to processing power, the Xiaomi Redmi 2 surfaces ahead of the Moto G 2014, which comes with a Snapdragon 400, 1 GB RAM and 8 GB internal storage. The Xiaomi Redmi 2 comes with a slightly better Snapdragon 410, 1 GB RAM and 8 GB storage but also with the same processor backed by 2 GB RAM and 16 GB internal storage. Both these mid-rangers have microSD card slots for expansion, so there’s tie there. But the performance of the Xiaomi Redmi 2 seems a bit superior to that of the Moto G 2014. It comes with LTE and Android 4.4.4 KitKat with MIUI 6.0 on top, which might be a very good trait of the phone, seeing as Android 5.0.2 Lollipop is still rather buggy on the Motorola Moto G 2014 and 2013. Still, there’s a Xiaomi Redmi 2 update to Android Lollipop available as well, so you can take your pick.

The camera setup is mostly the same, although there are some minor differences. The Xiaomi Redmi 2 camera is an 8 MP sensor on the rear with autofocus and LED flash, which is the same as the Moto G 2014 camera. The difference here is that while the Xiaomi Redmi 2 can record 1080p video at 30 fps, the Moto G 2014 can only record 720p video at 30 fps. The Moto G has the advantage of stereo sound recording and better speakers, though. Otherwise, both these phones have 2 MP cameras on the front, so there’s no noticeable difference in that department. Although an 8 MP camera cannot be as good as a 13 or 16 MP one on a flagship phone like the Moto X or Galaxy S6, the Xiaomi Redmi 2 can take great photos.

The battery in the Xiaomi Redmi 2 measures 2200 mAh, which is just slightly bigger than the Moto G 2014 battery measuring 2070 mAh. Battery life on these phones is rather different, though, as the Moto G 2014 can hold out for about two days with moderate use, but the Xiaomi Redmi 2 managed to go about 5 hours longer, which is pretty admirable. In our battery life tests, the Xiaomi Redmi 2 did very well, and we managed to get 4 full days of battery life with light use. That, for me,  means that if you choose the Xiaomi Redmi 2 as your second phone or backup phone, it’s the perfect fit. The fact that the Xiaomi Redmi 2 is dual-SIM by default is also a bonus.

Now we’ve a good idea of why the Xiaomi Redmi 2 can be a great mid-range smartphone and that it is better than the Motorola Moto G 2014. If you would like to pick one up, we’ve a great deal for you. As usual, our friends at GearBest are offering you guys a coupon code that you can use to purchase the Xiaomi Redmi 2 for only $119 unlocked. You can get the 1 GB RAM and 8 GB ROM variant for that price if you use the coupon code REDMI2 on your purchase over at GearBest. Make sure to mention in the comments what language you need the phone to run on, in case it’s not English which is default. This promotion is only available until tomorrow, and you have to be among the first 20 people to confirm their order to benefit form the coupon code, so you should hurry up if you want to benefit from the offer. Any takers?