Nokia 3.1 Plus vs Redmi 6 Pro vs Zenfone Max Pro M1: Top budget phones compared

HMD Global earlier this week launched the Nokia 3.1 Plus. The new budget smartphone stands out for its large display which surprisingly doesn't have a notch.

Nokia 3.1 Plus is a no-nonsense budget smartphone with a focus on design and performance. The soon-to-be available smartphone will compete against the likes of Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro and Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1.

Here's our detailed comparison between the three phones.

Design, display

HMD Global's new device is one of the best looking smartphones in the market. Nokia 3.1 Plus has an aluminium body wrapped in matte finish. It retains the vertical camera design like the other Nokia phones. While it may not offer the premium glass design, Nokia 3.1 Plus looks good in a sea of similar looking phones.

Redmi 6 Pro is a mix between its sibling phones - Redmi Note 5 Pro and Mi A2. It has a thick build as compared to the slim factor which is more popular these days. Like the Nokia 3.1 Plus, it has a less protruding camera module and a circular fingerprint sensor below.

Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 is also undeniably heavy and bulky. It has a metal body with the rear cameras placed at the top left corner.

Nokia 3.1 Plus along with the Zenfone Max Pro M1 feature a notch-less display but offer 18:9 aspect ratio. Redmi 6 Pro features a notch on its 5.84-inch display with a full HD+ resolution.

Performance

Under the hood, Nokia 3.1 Plus is powered by MediaTek's Helio P22 processor. Redmi 6 Pro and Zenfone Max Pro M1 runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 625 and 636 processors respectively. All three processors are placed in the same category in terms of performance. Redmi 6 Pro and Zenfone Max Pro M1 are tested performers. A detailed review of Nokia 3.1 Plus will shed more light on how it competes against the two.

For power, Nokia 3.1 Plus packs a 3,500mAh battery which is claimed to offer two days of juice on a single charge. Redmi 6 Pro and Zenfone Max Pro M1 come with bigger 4,000mAh and 5,000mAh batteries. Battery life will again be judged better after a thorough review of the Nokia 3.1 Plus.

Camera

In the photography department, all three phones feature a dual-camera setup at the rear. Nokia 3.1 Plus has a combination of 13-megapixel f/2.0 aperture and 5-megapixel f/2.4 aperture cameras. For selfies, there's an 8-megapixel camera.

Redmi 6 Pro sports an AI dual-camera setup of 12-megapixel and 5-megapixel sensors with f/2.2 aperture, LED flash, and AI portrait mode. Up front there's a 5-megapixel camera with AI Beautify and portrait mode.

On the Zenfone Max Pro M1 you get a setup of 13-megapixel and 5-megapixel dual rear cameras, and an 8-megapixel front camera. The smartphone also offers bokeh mode along with a soft LED flash.

Price

All three phones are available around the same price point. Starting with the Nokia 3.1 Plus, it carries a price tag of ₹11,499. Redmi 6 Pro starts at ₹10,999 for the base model (3GB+32GB), while the 4GB+64GB variant is priced at ₹12,999.

Zenfone Max Pro has the same starting price of ₹10,999 (3GB+32GB) going up to ₹12,999 for the 4GB+64GB model.