Display and Processor
The Lenovo A6000 boasts of a 5 inch display, whereas the Redmi 1S houses a smaller 4.7 inch display. Otherwise, both the screens are IPS panels resulting in wide viewing angles and they pack in HD screen resolution of 1280×720 pixels. Notably, the Redmi 1S comes with increased pixel count and its display is protected with Dragontrail glass. In terms of processor, the Lenovo smartphone incorporates a 64 bit 1.2 GHz quad core Snapdragon 410 processor and Redmi 1S comes equipped with a 1.7 GHz quad core Snapdragon 400 processor. Both the smartphones make use of 1 GB of RAM for moderate multitasking. Notably, the 64 bit processing capability will render useful only when the Lenovo A6000 receives the Android Lollipop update and until then there could be no significant difference between the two chipsets.
Camera and Internal Storage
On the imaging front, the Lenovo A6000 flaunts an 8 MP primary camera at its back with auto focus and LED flash. Up front, there is a 2 MP selfie snapper that will be responsible for video conferencing. Going by comparison, the Redmi 1S boasts of an 8 MP main snapper at its rear with Sony Exmor RS sensor with auto focus, LED flash and 1.4 micrometer sensor. Also onboard is a 1.6 MP front facer that should be capable of handling video conferencing and snapping self portrait shots with support for HD 720p video recording. In terms of storage, both the Lenovo and Xiaomi offerings are pretty identical with 8 GB of native storage capacity that can be further extended by another 32 GB with the help of a micro SD card. These storage aspects are pretty standard among smartphones in this price bracket and there are no complaints in this regard.
Battery and Features
Lenovo A6000 appears to be a better one in this segment with a relatively juicier 2,300 mAh battery in comparison to the 2,000 mAh battery in the Redmi 1S that should be capable of pumping in decent hours of backup. Again, on the software front, the Lenovo offering appears to be better with Android 4.4.2 KitKat based on Vibe UI 2.0 on top, whereas the Xiaomi phone comes with the dated Android 4.3 Jelly Bean OS that is topped with MIUI 5.0. Connectivity wise, the Lenovo A6000 and Xiaomi Redmi 1S come with similar features expect for the inclusion of 4G LTE support in the former.
Key Specs
Conclusion
While the Lenovo 6000 is an advanced offering with 4G LTE connectivity in the entry level market segment, the Redmi 1S comes with relatively better aspects such as better imaging aspects, stronger display and a lesser pricing. Also, both the smartphones are available exclusively via Flipkart following pre registrations. While Xiaomi is known for its flash sales causing frustration among potential buyers, we expect Lenovo to let out enough number of units of the A6000 to address the demands of Indian buyers.