Xiaomi Redmi 9C vs Samsung Galaxy A03s
Here we compared two budget smartphones: the 6.53-inch Xiaomi Redmi 9C (with MediaTek Helio G35) that was released on June 30, 2020, against the Samsung Galaxy A03s, which is powered by MediaTek Helio P35 and came out 14 months after. 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 9C
- Delivers 17% higher peak brightness (417 against 356 nits)
Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy A03s
- Modern USB Type-C port
- Supports 15W fast charging
- More recent OS version: Android 13 versus 11
- The phone is 1-year and 2-months newer
- Supports Dolby Atmos sound technology
Review
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Performance
CPU and memory performance (apps, system)
Gaming
Capabilities for playing modern games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
Scores with a red asterisk (
*
) are approximate and may change in the future as we gather more data.
Value for money
Tests and specifications
Comparison table of technical specifications and testsDisplay
| Type | IPS LCD | PLS TFT |
| Size | 6.53 inches | 6.5 inches |
| Resolution | 720 x 1600 pixels | 720 x 1600 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 20:9 | 20:9 |
| PPI | 269 ppi | 270 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | No | No |
| Max rated brightness | 400 nits | 400 nits |
| HDR support | No | No |
| Screen protection | Tempered glass | Tempered glass |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 81.1% | 81.8% |
| RGB color space | 92.9% | 93.9% |
| PWM | 17120 Hz | 806 Hz |
| Response time | 47 ms | 43 ms |
| Contrast | 881:1 | 1126:1 |
Peak brightness test (auto)
Design and build
| Height | 164.9 mm (6.49 inches) | 164.2 mm (6.46 inches) |
| Width | 77 mm (3.03 inches) | 75.9 mm (2.99 inches) |
| Thickness | 9 mm (0.35 inches) | 9.1 mm (0.36 inches) |
| Weight | 196 g (6.91 oz) | 196 g (6.91 oz) |
| Waterproof | No | No |
| Rear material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Frame material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Colors | Gray, Blue, Green, Purple | White, Black, Blue |
| Fingerprint scanner | Yes, rear | Yes, in-button |
Screen-to-body ratio
Performance
| Chipset | MediaTek Helio G35 | MediaTek Helio P35 |
| Max clock | 2300 MHz | 2350 MHz |
| CPU cores | 8 (4 + 4) | 8 (4 + 4) |
| Architecture |
- 4 cores at 1.8 GHz: Cortex-A53
- 4 cores at 2.3 GHz: Cortex-A53 |
- 4 cores at 1.8 GHz: Cortex-A53
- 4 cores at 2.3 GHz: Cortex-A53 |
| Lithography process | 12 nanometers | 12 nanometers |
| Graphics | PowerVR GE8320 | PowerVR GE8320 |
| GPU shading units | 32 | 32 |
| GPU clock | 680 MHz | 680 MHz |
| FLOPS | ~43.5 GFLOPS | ~43.5 GFLOPS |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
AnTuTu Benchmark 10
| CPU | 56191 | 51263 |
| GPU | 10892 | 20113 |
| Memory | 43135 | 35388 |
| UX | 45809 | 36853 |
| Total score | 157574 | 144853 |
Memory
| RAM size | 2, 3, 4 GB | 3, 4 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR4X | - |
| Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Storage size | 32, 64, 128 GB | 32, 64 GB |
| Storage type | eMMC 5.1 | eMMC 5.1 |
| Memory card | MicroSD | MicroSD |
| Memory card max size | Up to 256 GB | Up to 1024 GB |
Software
| Operating system | Android 10 (Can be upgraded to Android 11) | Android 11 (Can be upgraded to Android 13) |
| ROM | MIUI 12 | One UI Core 5.0 |
| OS size | 18 GB | 13.2 GB |
Battery
| Capacity | 5000 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| Max charge power | 10 W | 15 W |
| Battery type | Li-Po | Li-Ion |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Wireless charging | No | No |
| Reverse charging | No | No |
| Fast charging | No | Yes (15% in 30 min) |
| Full charging time | 2:59 hr | 3:38 hr |
| Web browsing | - | 15:57 hr |
| Watching video | - | 14:23 hr |
| Gaming | - | 06:16 hr |
| Standby | - | 124 hr |
General battery life
Camera
| Matrix | 13 megapixels | 13 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 4128 x 3096 | 4128 x 3096 |
| Zoom | Digital | Digital |
| Flash | LED | LED |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
| 8K video recording | No | No |
| 4K video recording | No | No |
| 1080p video recording | Up to 30FPS | Up to 30FPS |
| Slow motion | No | No |
| Lenses | 2 (13 MP + 2 MP) | 3 (13 MP + 2 MP + 2 MP) |
| Wide (main) lens |
- 13 MP
- Aperture: f/1.8 - Pixel size: 1.12 micron - Sensor: 1/3.1" (CMOS) - Phase autofocus |
- 13 MP
- Aperture: f/1.8 - Phase autofocus |
| Macro lens |
- 2 MP
- Aperture: f/2.4 |
- 2 MP
- Aperture: f/2.4 |
| Depth lens | - |
- 2 MP
- Aperture: f/2.4 |
| Camera features | - Bokeh mode | - Bokeh mode |
| Megapixels | 5 megapixels | 5 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 2560 x 1960 | 2560 x 1960 |
| Aperture | f/2.2 | f/2.2 |
| Pixel size | 1.12 microns | - |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Video resolution | 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS | 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | Wi-Fi 4 (802.11 a/b/g/n) | Wi-Fi 4 (802.11 b/g/n) |
| Wi-Fi features |
- Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
| Bluetooth version | 5 | 5 |
| Bluetooth features | LE, HID, A2DP | LE, A2DP |
| USB type | Micro USB | 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 | No | 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 * | 4 | 4 |
| 5G support | No | No |
Sound
| Speakers | Mono | Mono |
| Headphone audio jack | Yes | Yes |
| FM radio | Yes | No |
| Dolby Atmos | No | Yes |
Speakers test
Max loudness
Other
| Category | Budget | Budget |
| Announced | June 2020 | August 2021 |
| Release date | September 2020 | August 2021 |
| SAR (head) | 0.355 W/kg | 0.36 W/kg |
| SAR (body) | 0.729 W/kg | 1.09 W/kg |
| Sensors |
- Proximity sensor
- Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Fingerprint |
- Proximity sensor
- Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Fingerprint |
| Bundled charger | - | Yes, 15 W |
*
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 A03s is definitely a better buy.