Xiaomi’s latest midranger has just graced us with its presence in this world of middles and riddles. After seeing as to how the Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro won the latest triple comparison, we figured that it’d be wise to put it up against Xiaomi’s new contender.
Before getting started, let me remind you that discussion is going to be light and is going to be divided into 8 categories – Accessories, Design, Display, ROM/UI, Performance, Camera, Audio, and Battery. Each category will either have one winner or end with a tie. The one with the highest points at the end will be the winner of this Head-to-Head.
So, let’s get started!
Both do include an adapter and their respective cables, but the Mi 5X doesn’t come with a headset. Round 1 goes to the J7 Pro.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro
Starting out front, the J7 Pro has thinner bezels but doesn’t have a notification LED. Also, the other stark difference is the home button which is a capacitive button for the Mi 5X. Keeping their tradition, the multifunctional fingerprint scanner is at the back, which I’ll get to later.
Moving to the sides, antenna lines are visible on the frame at this point. Even though both only have a single speaker, it’s the placement that differs.
Talking about buttons, the J7 Pro’s lock and volume rockers are located on opposite sides as opposed to the Mi 5X’s single-sided button placement.
Port-wise, both have 3.5mm audio ports. What differs is the USB port. The Mi 5X has a Type-C while the J7 Pro has a microUSB.
Turning them over, I find the Mi 5X’s arrangement more pleasing. Despite its bulged dual-lens setup, I find the centered multifunctional fingerprint scanner more accessible.
Popping the trays out, the J7 Pro allows users to have 2 nano SIMs with a microSD card with separate trays for maximum functionality while the MI 5X stuck to the usual hybrid single-tray.
Form-wise, the J7 Pro is smaller but heavier. I find their handling pretty much the same despite this difference.
If any, the Mi 5X design wins for me.
Winner: Xiaomi Mi 5X
Both may sport 1080p panels, but the difference between the Mi 5X’s LTPS IPS LCD and J7 Pro’s Super AMOLED is night and day. The whites and blues are more prevalent on the Mi 5X but the rest are the J7 Pro’s domain.
They are similarly sized but the bezels are smaller on the J7 Pro with the front panel as the end-reference.
And to wrap things up, the J7 Pro’s display can be calibrated.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro
I don’t know what is it with Chinese smartphone manufacturers, but the absence of an app drawer in Android is a cardinal sin. Despite its colorful arrangement, I find Samsung Experience to be the better of the two.
Even though MIUI 8.5 seems pleasing at a glance, further exploration only puts my eyes back on the more optimized Samsung Experience.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro
Both performed admirably, but the Mi 5X’s SD625 chipset will repeatedly beat the Exynos 7870’s capabilities both in benchmark and in real-life usage.
| Benchmark | Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro |
Xiaomi Mi 5X |
| AnTuTu | 47941 (~3pts/PhP) |
61796 (4.58pts/PhP) |
| Geekbench | Single-core: 732 Multicore: 3706 |
Single-core: 811 Multicore: 3410 |
| PCMark Work 2.0 | 3780 | 5114 |
| Androbench | Random Read: 24.87 MB/s Random Write: 11.76 MB/s |
Random Read: 66.43 MB/s Random Write: 22.12 MB/s |
| SPECS | Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro | Xiaomi Mi 2 |
| Display | 5.5″ 1920×1080 LTPS IPS LCD(~403 ppi) |
5.5″ 1920×1080 IPS LCD (~401 ppi) |
| Dimensions | 152.4 x 74.7 x 7.9 mm, 181 g | 153.3 x 75.2 x 7.3 mm, 153 g |
| Chipset | Exynos 7870 Octa | Snapdragon 625 |
| CPU | Octa-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A53 | Octa-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 |
| GPU | Mali-T830MP2 | Adreno 506 |
| Memory | 32/64 GB, 3GB RAM, microSD <256GB |
32/64 GB, 4 GB RAM, microSD <256GB |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, BT 4.1, A-GPS, NFC, FM Radio, microUSB 2.0, 3.5mm audio jack | Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, BT 4.2, A-GPS, FM Radio, USB 2.0 Type-C 1.0, 3.5mm audio jack |
| Price | PhP 15,990 | PhP 13,500 |
Responsiveness is equal on both with my Classic Drum test. And on games, the Mi 5X wins too.
Winner: Xiaomi Mi 5X
UI-wise, the J7 Pro’s wins for better flexibility, access and functionality. Props to Xiaomi for retaining the fingerprint scanner as a shutter button, which selfie lovers will find themselves using.
| Phone | Rear Camera | Front Camera |
| Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro | 13 MP, f/1.7, autofocus, LED flash
Video recording: 1080p@30fps |
13 MP, f/1.9, LED flash, 1080p |
| Xiaomi Mi 5X | Dual 12 MP (26mm, f/2.2; 50mm, f/2.6), phase detection autofocus, 2x optical zoom, dual-LED (dual tone) flash
Video recording: 2160p@30fps, 720p@120fps |
5 MP, 1080p |
Putting specs aside, let’s move to the actual performance of each camera.
Under daylight, the Mi 5X’s dual 12MP camera comes out a bit ahead of the J7 Pro’s rear shooter. Colors also look more accurate on the Mi 5X’s end with better HDR too. Also, with phase detection autofocus, it’s the faster of the two.. under daylight.
It’s a totally different story once the sun sets. With the J7 Pro’s savvy f/1.7 aperture, night shots are a treat albeit at a lesser detail.
And moving on to video recording, the Mi 5X may seem to have the upper hand in terms of resolution, but the J7 Pro wins this segment for me. The quality, consistency, and stability it provides still remain unmatched at its price point.
The front cameras’ performance aren’t any different than their counterparts. To add, the J7 Pro has a front flash which does exceptionally well even when used with a group.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro
At maximum volume, the Mi 5X wins because it uses its body to resonate the sound further as opposed to the J7 Pro’s isolated output. Another thing to note is the J7 Pro’s speaker’s weird positioning, which may be off-putting to some.
Clarity-wise, I find myself favoring more the Mi 5X’s treble and mid-rich signature without sacrificing the bass frequencies a lot.
And using my KZ ZS3’s again this time around proved no difference between the two due to the lack of a DAC for either.
Winner: Xiaomi Mi 5X
These two differ a lot in capacity. The Mi 5X carries a 3080mAh pack while the J7 Pro has a 3600mAh battery. Both are non-removable, as with today’s standards, but what baffled me the most is the performance difference between the two.
| Phone | ManilaShaker Battery Rating | Charging Time (0-100%) | Battery Capacity |
| Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro | 46h 36m | 2h 38m | 3600mAh |
| Xiaomi Mi 5X | 25h 36m | 1h 52m | 3000mAh |
Even after doing our battery testing repeatedly, we got similar results for the Mi 5X. It got back up on the charging time thanks to fast charging, but I suspect that it’s the Snapdragon 625 that’s the culprit behind its battery rating. Also, MIUI 8.5 may be the other main culprit too. There’s a lot of factors to consider, but for this round, I’ll leave this at a draw.
Winner: Tie
Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro – 4
Xiaomi Mi 5X – 3
The Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro yet wins another Head-to-Head. So to speak, if you’re more into a phone’s performance with a cheaper price, go for the Mi 5X. And if you’re into having a better camera and battery life, the J7 Pro is still your best midrange bet for this year.
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J7 master race says:
Maganda music Video ni liza soberano. Galing nya sumayaw. Yan dahilan bkit ko pinili ang J7 pro. Imbes kasi ibenta nila specs at sample shots ng phone nila. Sayaw pang akit nila. 5/5, would buy again.