While we often talk about the intense competition of the flagships, there is another battle brewing the lower segment that offers much better value for money. Particularly in growing markets like India, there has been a surge of such devices where brands like Xiaomi and Oppo command a considerable market presence and Nokia still commands positive brand recognition. Now if you are looking to buy a new phone in the ballpark of 15K, all these brands offer very compelling devices- Realme 2 Pro, Mi A2, and Nokia 6.1 Plus. Let’s see how they fare against each other. Have a look on the detailed comparision of Realme 2 Pro vs Xiaomi Mi A2 vs Nokia 6.1 Plus.
| Specs | Realme 2 | Mi A2 | Nokia 6.1 Plus |
| Display | 6.3-inch IPS LCD | 6-inch IPS LCD | 5.8-inch IPS LCD |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 660 | Snapdragon 660 | Snapdragon 636 |
| Memory | 4/6/8GB | 4GB | 4GB |
| Storage | 64/128GB | 64GB | 64GB |
| Primary camera | 16MP+2MP | 12MP+20MP | 16MP+5MP |
| Secondary camera | 16MP | 20MP | 16MP |
| Battery | 3,500mAh | 3,000mAh | 3,060mAh |
| Platform | Android 8.1 (ColorOS) | Android 8.1 (Android One) | Android 8.1 (Android One) |
| Price (4GB+64GB) | Rs 13,990 | Rs 16,999 | Rs 15,999 |
Realme 2 Pro vs Xiaomi Mi A2 vs Nokia 6.1 Plus-Design
Before we get down to the specs, it is worth pointing out that these phones have significant variations in design as well. In fact, there are as different as phones these days can be! To with Realme 2 Pro, it comes with glossy plastic cover and a waterdrop notch on the front. The Nokia 6.1 Plus has a more premium look due to its mix of glass and metal built but its standard broad notch might be an issue for some. the Mi A2, on the other hand, has an absolutely traditional design- that some even find boring, with its metallic unibody built and a standard rectangular display.
Winner- Nokia 6.1 Plus
Realme 2 Pro vs Xiaomi Mi A2 vs Nokia 6.1 Plus-Display
In terms of quality, all phones carry the same IPS LCD display but with slight variations in size. The display on Nokia 6.1 Plus is the smallest of all while the one on Realme 2 Pro is the largest. As mentioned, Realme 2 Pro and Nokia 6.1 Plus have notched display while the one on Mi A2 doesn’t have one.
Winner- Realme 2 Pro
Realme 2 Pro vs Xiaomi Mi A2 vs Nokia 6.1 Plus-Performance
Running on same mid-range processor, you can expect Realme 2 Pro and Mi A2 to perform almost the same. There might be slight variations due to different platforms- something we will get to in a moment. The Nokia 6.1 Plus however, is powered by a slightly older chipset. Though you might not notice the difference in casual tasks, it would become evident during gaming.
Winner- Mi A2
Realme 2 Pro vs Xiaomi Mi A2 vs Nokia 6.1 Plus-Camera
All the three devices come with the dual-camera setup at the back with some kind of AI capabilities. The camera on Mi A2 has received quite positive reviews and can be easily claimed to the best among these three phones. For the second spot, however, you can choose anyone between Realme 2 Pro and Nokia 6.1 Plus- they are both good but nothing exceptional.
Winner- Mi A2
Realme 2 Pro vs Xiaomi Mi A2 vs Nokia 6.1 Plus-Platform
While the three devices ship with Android 8.1, the Mi A2 and Nokia 6.1 Plus come under Android One program- that offers stock Android and quick guaranteed updates. This means both these devices would be surely running the latest version of Android for at least 2-3 release cycles. The Realme 2 Pro runs a custom skin called ColorOS, which isn’t guaranteed to be updated as frequently. Plus as we hinted earlier, despite running on an older chipset, Nokia 6.1 Plus would a reasonably good performance- particularly due to its lack of boltware.
Winner- Mi A2 & Nokia 6.1 Plus
Realme 2 Pro vs Xiaomi Mi A2 vs Nokia 6.1 Plus-Miscellaneous
As you can see in the spec sheet, Realme 2 Pro comes with the largest battery while the other two devices have almost the same battery capacity. Also, Realme 2 Pro comes in a range of memory and storage variants of up to 8GB RAM and 128GB storage- a major plus for those looking for extra storage.
Winner- Realme 2 Pro
Our verdict
If you want a good looking phone that performs reasonably well and can spare that extra 2K compared to Realme 2 Pro, Nokia 6.1 Plus should be your ideal purchase. For exceedingly good performance and camera, go for Mi A2 but you would have to settle for a boring design and spend a few extra bucks. If you are highly budget conscious and don’t mind the plastic body and custom skin, you would be more than satisfied with Realme 2 Pro.
