Xiaomi Mi 8 SE vs Vivo X21: Which one is better and offers better value for money?

Here we take a look at how the Xiaomi Mi 8 SE and Vivo X21 stack up against each other since they both are the premium yet affordable offerings from their receptive manufacturers with multiple industry-firsts features tagged to their names.

Xiaomi Mi 8 SE and Vivo X21

When Xiaomi confirmed that the company is skipping the Mi 7 smartphone in order to launch the Mi 8th anniversary smartphone, which is the Xiaomi Mi 8, everybody had high hopes from the company and at the end of all that, here we are, with not one but three smartphones to mark the 8th anniversary of Xiaomi’s Mi-lineup, namely, the Xiaomi Mi 8, Xiaomi Mi 8 SE and Xiaomi Mi 8 Explorer Edition.

While the Xiaomi Mi 8 Explorer Edition is the most premium smartphone out of the three, the Xiaomi Mi 8 is the true flagship from the company. However, it’s the Xiaomi Mi 8 SE which has caught the attention of the world with being the first smartphone to be powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 710 processor, which is said to offer the best combination of power and efficiency.

 

Apart from being the first smartphone to be powered by the Snapdragon 710 processor, Xiaomi Mi 8 SE comes with AI-powered dual cameras, AMOLED display from Samsung among other interesting features and here we compare the Xiaomi Mi 8 SE with one of its closest rivals in the smartphone world as well as a smartphone, which is said to be one of the first smartphones to come with an in-display fingerprint scanner. Yes, it is the Vivo X21.

For the unknown, the Vivo X21 is also making headlines for features such as AI-powered dual rear cameras, an almost bezel-less display panel and being one of the best premium yet budget offerings from a Chinese smartphone maker. Here we take a look at how the Xiaomi Mi 8 SE and Vivo X21 stack up against each other.

Xiaomi Mi 8 SE vs Vivo X21: Display

The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE sports a 5.88-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a notch and 2.5D curved glass, offering 2244×1080 pixels resolution, 18.7:9 aspect ratio, 86.12 per cent screen-to-body ratio, 60000:1 contrast ratio and 600 nits brightness.

Also see: Mi 8 SE (Special Edition) smartphone launched: Specifications and features

The Vivo X21, on the other hand, sports a 6.28-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display also with a notch, offering 19:9 aspect ratio, 1080x2280 pixels resolution, and 90.3 per cent screen-to-body ratio coupled with 1.79mm and 5mm on the top and bottom, respectively as well as 1.66mm narrow bezels on the sides.

Xiaomi Mi 8 SE vs Vivo X21: Specifications compared

The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 710 Soc clocked at 1.7GHz coupled with Adreno 616 GPU, 4GB/6GB LPDDR4x RAM and 64GB of (eMMC 5.1) inbuilt storage. While the smartphone runs Android 8.1 (Oreo) out-of-the-box with MIUI 9 on top, it is upgradable to MIUI 10. There is also a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner coupled with facial recognition for biometrics and connectivity options include dual SIM, dual 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth 5 LE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz / 5GHz) 2×2 MIMO, GPS + GLONASS, USB Type-C, USB Type-C Audio and a 3.5 mm audio jack.

The Vivo X21 is powered by the octa-core Snapdragon 660 SoC which is clocked at 1.8 GHz and paired with Adreno 512 GPU, 6GB of RAM, Qualcomm AIE Artificial Intelligence Chip for AI capabilities and 64GB/128GB of internal memory, which is expandable up to 256GB via microSD. While the smartphone runs Android 8.1 (Oreo) out-of-the-box based on Funtouch OS 4.0, it also comes with an in-display Fingerprint sensor along with facial recognition for biometrics. On the other hand, connectivity options include 4G VoLTE, GPS/GLONASS, Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz), 3.5mm audio jack, micro USB support and AK4376A Hi-Fi audio chip.

Xiaomi Mi 8 SE vs Vivo X21: Cameras compared

The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE features a 12-megapixel primary rear camera with LED flash, Dual PD, f/1.9 aperture, 1.4μm pixel size, EIS and a 5-megapixel secondary camera with f/2.0 aperture, 1.12um pixel size coupled with AI and intelligent scene detection. At the front, there is a 20-megapixel camera for selfies and video calling. The front camera also has AI portraits as well as AI beautification while it uses pixel binning technology which combining the information gathered from four pixels in order to create one large 2.0µm pixel.

Also see: Vivo X21 with in-display fingerprint scanner launched: Price in India, specifications, and launch offers

The Vivo X21 comes with a dual rear camera setup which includes a 12-megapixel primary camera backed by f/1.8 aperture, Samsung 2L9 sensor and coupled with Dual Pixel technology. There is also a 5-megapixel secondary rear sensor which comes with f/2.4 aperture in order to capture depth information. While the rear camera setup is backed by AI scene recognition, it can detect 17 scenes automatically. On the other hand, there is a 12-megapixel front camera which comes with f/2.0 aperture, AI beauty recognition while it can output 24-megapixel resolution images.

Xiaomi Mi 8 SE vs Vivo X21: Battery and Price

While the Xiaomi Mi 8 SE is backed by a 3120mAh non-removable battery coupled with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, the Vivo X21 is backed by a 3200mAh in-built battery with fast charging support. Coming to the pricing, while the Vivo X21 has been launched in India with a price tag of Rs. 35,990, the Xiaomi Mi 8 SE is yet to debut in India but it is priced at 1799 yuan (Rs. 18,960 approx.) for the 4GB RAM/64GB storage version and 1999 yuan (Rs. 21,070 approx.) for the 6GB RAM/64GB storage version.