Each time a new potential best-buy gets released, we usually make a specs comparison with the other hottest devices from the concurrence in the same price range. Today is the turn of the Vivo S1 Pro: several days after the launch, we think it is having a lot of attention because of its very high value for money, so much that it deserves to be compared to other potential best-sellers of this year. We decided to compare it to the Redmi Note 8 and the Realme 5 Pro for pretty obvious reasons: if you do not want to speed more than €200, they are among the best options you can choose if you need high performance and well-balanced specs sheet.
Design
Something you can not easily find on specs sheets is the info regarding the design. When it comes to affordable phones, a lot of manufacturers decide to opt for cheap materials in order to cut costs. That is the case of the Realme 5 Pro which is made out of plastic. However, it is splash resistant, unlike Vivo S1 Pro and Redmi Note 8. But with those devices, you get a premium glass design and even a very original look in the case of Vivo S1 Pro. On the other hand, you should consider that, besides being splash resistant, Realme 5 Pro is more compact than Redmi Note 8, even though it comes with the same display size (thanks to a higher screen-to-body ratio).
Display
On the display side, Vivo S1 Pro is at a higher level. Besides having a wider panel, it features the Super AMOLED technology delivering more vibrant colors and deeper blacks. Further, it integrates an in-display fingerprint scanner. The whole trio has Full HD+ displays, but Realme 5 Pro and Redmi Note 8 have IPS LCD panels. Redmi Note 8 has a more resistant front panel thanks to the amazing Gorilla Glass 5 protection (which also covers the glass rear side).
Specs & Software
Realme 5 Pro is the most performing smartphone out there you can find for less than €200. It is powered by the awesome Snapdragon 712 chipset, an upgrade of the Snapdragon 710 running at a max frequency of 2.3 GHz. It even has up to 8 GB of RAM and up to 128 GB of internal storage you can furtherly expand with a micro SD. Both Redmi Note 8 and Vivo S1 Pro feature a lower-end Snapdragon 665 SoC and, while the Vivo S1 Pro has an 8/128 GB, Redmi Note 8 does not exist with 8 GB of RAM. Android 9 Pie is preinstalled and customized by Color OS, Funtouch OS and MIUI depending on the phone.
Camera
The rear camera department of these handsets is exactly the same for all of them. They boast a main 48 MP camera, an 8 MP ultrawide sensor, a 2 MP dedicated macro camera and a 2 MP depth sensor. However, at the moment, the MIUI camera algorithm seems to manage the image quality in a better way. On the other hand, Vivo S1 Pro has a better front camera: the only with a 32 MP resolution.
Battery
Vivo S1 Pro is equipped with a bigger 4500 mAh battery and it lasts more on a single charge than both Realme 5 Pro and Redmi Note 8 coming with 4035 and 4000 mAh batteries, respectively.
Price
Vivo S1 Pro’s price starts from about €287/$316, Redmi Note 8 from less than €130/$143, and Realme 5 Pro from less than €180/$200. Overall, Vivo S1 Pro wins the comparison due to a better selfie camera, bigger battery, AMOLED display and more. Realme 5 Pro is the one with the highest performance, while Redmi Note 8 has a higher value for money than both.
