XIAOMI REDMI NOTE 4 VS COOLPAD COOL 1 – FIGHT TO BE THE BEST

Indian market has soon become a battleground for several smartphone manufacturers. Whether we talk about low-end device manufacturers or the high-end ones, all of them are doing their best to lure more customers.

Today we are going to talk about recently-launched Redmi Note 4. Within such a short period of its entry in India, Xiaomi has managed to become one of the most trusted brands among Indians. Talking about company’s latest offering, the Redmi Note 4 is a budget smartphone which carries forward the legacy of its predecessor, the Redmi Note 3. Its features and pricing also pits it against other loaded offerings available in the same segment such as the Coolpad Cool 1.

Both the Xiaomi Redmi Note and Coolpad Cool 1 have 5.5 inch full HD display and run Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Other specifications of both the phones are also quite similar. So, which one among them will be the winner? Let’s find out in this comparison.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Unlike previous Redmi series phones, the new Redmi Note 4 has a sleek design with distributed weight that makes it easy to hold in hands. It is also less lengthy in comparison. This might be because Xiaomi has minimized the size below the screen where capacitive keys are placed. Similarly, the company has also minimized the top portion where earpiece and front camera are placed.

Much like iPhones, it has two set of speaker holes on the either sides of USB/charging port. Unfortunately, the two set of holes are just for design symmetry. It has a single speaker and that is placed underneath the right set of holes. As mentioned above, the Redmi Note 4 has capacitive keys for navigation –recent keys, home button, and back key. Additionally, MIUI allows you to customise those keys, which means that you can replace their actions as per your comfort.

Coming to the back side of Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, the camera and fingerprint sensors are placed together. Much like iPhones, at the top and bottom, Xiaomi has placed network antennas. The phone has metallic body which gives it a premium feel. It fits in hands as well as in the pocket. Talking about the sides, the left side is blank, while the volume rockers and power key are placed on the right edge.

The Coolpad Cool 1 on the other hand, also has metallic body and sports a premium construction. The phone is built around a 5.5 inch display and looks very similar to the LeEco Le 2. With the same boxed-type design, the Coolpad Cool 1 is easy to handle and fits well in hands and the pocket too. Coolpad has managed to make the phone smaller and this is the reason that even people with small palm can easily reach any corners of the screen.

Much like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, the Coolpad Cool 1 also has three capacitive keys. However, they aren’t customisable. Coming to the back panel of the phone, it has dual-camera setup. And below the camera lies the fingerprint sensor.

Both the phones have attractive rear panel as they sport smooth metallic texture. Although both smartphones have similar design, in our opinion, the winner is the Redmi Note 4. It feels smaller than Coolpad Cool 1 when held in hands and also provides a better grip.

DISPLAY

Both the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 and Coolpad Cool 1 have 5.5 inch IPS LCD capacitive full HD displays (~401 ppi pixel density). However, their screen-to-body ratio is slightly different. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 has ~72.7% screen-to-body ratio, while the Coolpad Cool 1 has ~73.3%.

As expected, Xiaomi Redmi Note 4’s display is vibrant and bright. Its auto brightness works fine. The display also comes with “read mode” feature which makes the screen brightness slightly yellowish, making it perfect for those people who want to read novels or books on the phone for long durations.

The Coolpad Cool 1 on the other hand, also has a great display. It shows realistic colors which is perfect when playing games or watching videos. However, I found some lag in its adaptive brightness as it’s not as responsive as the Redmi Note 4.

The capacitive display of both the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 and Coolpad Cool 1 is very smooth and responsive. Typing on both the smartphones is very smooth and lag-free.

Just like the previous section, the crown in this section also goes to the Redmi Note 4. The Redmi Note 4 has a useful “read mode” and its automatic brightness works perfectly.