A budget and a mid-ranger device squares – off in this review comparison, as the well-known mid-ranger, Sony Xperia C5 Ultra (Priced at Php19,190) faces off with Xiaomi’s budget 5.5-incher, the Redmi Note 3 (Priced at Php10,500). Which among these budget-wise phones fits you better in specs, features and even price capability?
Related:
The C5 Ultra has a pretty neat oleophobic back coating, which makes it glossy and quite easy to carry, while the Redmi Note 3 packs a polycarbonate and metal construction that are very simple, though makes it easy for the user to hold it. Another advantage is the almost zero-bezel of the Xperia C5 Ultra, which maximizes the space capacity of the device. The simple semi-metallic Note 3 keeps up with the C5 Ultra in terms of handling, but overall, style and utility in the design department has to go to the C5 Ultra.
However, for you, which do you prefer? The simplicity-wise semi-metallic Redmi Note 3 or the utility-wise glossy C5 Ultra?
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 packs a 5.5-inch 1080p FHD Display while the Xperia C5 Ultra sports a bigger 6-inch 1080p IPS LCD Bravia display. For accuracy and vividness, it seems that the C5 Ultra is showing off better in terms of said traits, which is unsurprising since the BraviaEngine is quite a powerful display mechanism and Sony’s X-reality plays a huge role in vividness and accuracy of the display. However, thanks to its smaller display, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 was able to show off an overall sharper display, in comparison to the C5 Ultra. In terms of photo recognition or viewing, the C5 Ultra showcases a more pincy viewing experience, which makes its output a bit cute and positive.
Which among these two would be more suitable in your eyes? The Redmi Note 3’s sharp display or the C5 Ultra’s accurate and vivid display?
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 carries a 13MP rear shooter, backed up by a 5MP selfie shooter while the Sony Xperia C5 Ultra packs a dual setup of 13MP rear and selfie shooter. In the overall shooting quality department, the Sony Xperia C5 Ultra heavily beats the Redmi Note 3, with the C5 Ultra showing off better and sharper outputs. In daylight, the sharpness of the C5 Ultra is undeniable, with the C5 Ultra dishing out accurate and clearer outputs than the Redmi Note 3.
HDR Shot of the Xperia C5 Ultra and Redmi Note 3, Features the C5 Ultra with sharper output
For night shooting, the C5 Ultra showcased sharper and brighter outputs than the Redmi Note 3, which is quite expected on the Xperia C5 Ultra. The overall sharper and brighter image are overall shown to overcast the Redmi Note 3’s outputs well. Selfies on the other hand were a bit aggressive in colour on the C5 Ultra, while the Note 3 paired on with better white balance.
Selfie on C5 Ultra and Note 3. high white balance on Note , aggressive colour on C5 Ultra
Both smartphone shooters are capable of shooting 1080p videos and in terms of quality, both seem to be at par with one another, with the edge of the C5 Ultra being on the accuracy department, though overall, they were a bit at par to say the least.
Night shot of Xperia C5 Ultra and Note 3. C5 Ultra seen to be brighter and sharper
Which among these smartphone shooters would you choose? Share us your pick on the comments section below.
The Redmi Note 3 is carrying a Mediatek MT 6795 Helio X10 chipset while the Xperia C5 Ultra packs a MediaTek 6753 chipset. For RAM, the Redmi Note 3 provides more option with its 2 or 3GB of RAM, in comparison to the fixed 2GB of RAM of the Xperia C5 Ultra. The Redmi Note 3 also offers options in ROM, with 16 or 32GB of ROM, while the Xperia C5 Ultra has a fixed 16GB of ROM. For benchmark scores, the ratings favoured the Note 3 a bit, with the latter showing off better ratings in 2 out of 3 benchmark tests.
AnTuTu
Basemark OS II
Geekbench 3
For microSD card, there is no microSD card support on the Redmi Note 3, while the Xperia C5 Ultra supports it and has an expandability limit of 128GB.
The Xperia C5 Ultra packs a 2950mAh battery capacity while the Redmi Note 3 carries a larger 4000mAh battery capacity. After a usual standard battery test, the Xperia C5 Ultra and Redmi Note 3 was able to last for at least 2 days on moderate use while a 10-hour longevity level is seen while the screen is up. However, the Xperia C5 Ultra provided a faster charging time of 2 hours and 30 minutes, in comparison to the 2 hours and 50 minutes of the Redmi Note 3.
The C5 Ultra had the edge in speaker positioning thanks to its front-facing speaker, whilst the Redmi Note 3 had its speaker on its back, which projects sound away from the user. This results to the C5 Ultra having a better volume level than the Redmi Note 3 in a side-by-side comparison of their speaker and was able to showcase a more excellent output. Quality-wise, they were a the same in, with both of them showing a bit on tinniness in their sound outputs, but overall, both device’s outputs were still audible.
Price-wise, the Redmi Note 3 and Xperia C5 Ultra are a bit far off with each other, with the Redmi Note 3 being priced at Php10,500, while the Xperia C5 Ultra, being at around Php19,190. However, in terms of quality in a shooting, display and design, the Xperia C5 Ultra surely is a better buy than the Redmi Note 3. Despite showing off better qualities in some department, the Redmi Note 3 was still able to keep up with the C5 Ultra in some parts of the review comparison, such as the performance and battery department. Now, everything depends on you, which do you prefer? The slicker and bigger Xperia C5 Ultra or the more budget Redmi Note 3?
What do you think of our comparison? Hit us up on the comments section and share us your thoughts and also, check out the video version of this comparison review
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 specs, PH price, features |
Sony Xperia C5 Ultra specs, PH price, features |
| Display: 5.5-inch 1080p FHD display | 6-inch 1080p IPS LCD display BraviaEngine 2, 367ppi |
| Chip: Mediatek MT 6795 Helio x10 chipset | MediaTek 6752 octa-core chipset |
| Memory:16 or 32GB of ROM, 2 or 3GB of RAM, no microSD card | 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, microSD card up to 128GB |
| Camera: 13MP rear shooter, laser autofocus +5MP selfie shooter | 13MP rear shooter, AF, LED flash + 13MP selfie shooter, LED flash |
| Ports and charging: microUSB v2.0, USB On-The-Go, Fast battery charging | microUSB v2.0, MHL |
| Connectivity: LTE, WiFI ac, BT 4.1, GPS, GLONASS BDS, FM Radio | WiFi a, BT 4.1, GPS, NFC, dual-SIM 4G LTE, FM Radio |
| Battery: 4000mAh battery capacity | 2950mAh battery |
| OS: Android 5.1 Lollipop, Mi UI 7.0 | Android 5.0 to be updated to Android 6.0 Marshmallow |
| Official price: Php 10,500 price on Online stores | Php 19,190 from Sony PH| bought device from onestoptech |
ManilaShaker is a tech media producing insightful and helpful content for our local and growing international audience. Our goal is to create a premier Philippine digital consumer electronics resource that provides the most objective reviews and comparisons globally.
