Redmi A1 vs Itel S18 vs Samsung A03 Core

Hello and welcome to another triple threat match between the Redmi A1 vs Itel S18 vs Samsung A03 Core.

These three phones are all entry level devices and are designed to service the low end markets.

The Redmi A1 is Xiaomi’s latest attempt at placating the low end market which they’ve ignored for a while now.

The Itel S18 in the other hand is Itel’s attempt to improve on their previous Itel S17 offering that was terrible.

The Samsung Galaxy A03 Core is also another entry level device that is released by Samsung for the low end market. It is about a year old now.

All three phones are entry level devices that are designed for people that have low earning power or those looking for a secondary device.

Let’s look at these devices and see which one’s the better option.

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Redmi A1 vs Itel S18 vs Samsung A03 Core

Specs	Redmi A1	Itel S18	Samsung A03 Core
Body	Plastic 192g	Plastic	Plastic 211g
SoC	Helio A22	Unisoc SC9836A	Unisoc SC9863A
GPU	PowerVR GE8320	PowerVR IMG8322	PowerVR IMG8323
Soft ware	Android 12 Go MIUI 12	Android 12 Go	Android 11 Go
RAM	2/3GB LPDDR4x	2GB LPDDR4x 2GB extended RAM	2/3GB LPDDR4x
Storage	32GB eMMC 5.1 MicroSD slot	64GB eMMC 5.1 MicroSD slot	32GB eMMC 5.1 MicroSD slot
Display	6.52" 720p IPS-LCD, 269ppi, 400nit	6.6" 720p IPS-LCD, 270ppi, 400nit	6.5" 720p IPS-LCD, 270ppi, 400nit
Camera	8MP main 0.3MP QVGA	8MP main 2MP depth 0.3MP QVGA	8MP main
Selfie	5MP	8MP	5MP
Video	1080p @30fps	720p @30fps	1080p @30fps
Battery	5000mAh	5000mAh	5000mAh
Connec tivity	4G, Dual SIM, Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi 5, GPS, USB 2.0, MicroUSB, USB 2.0	4G, Dual SIM, Bluetooth 4.2, WiFi 5, GPS, USB 2.0, MicroUSB, USB 2.0	4G, Dual SIM, Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi 5, GPS, USB 2.0, MicroUSB, USB 2.0
Sensor	Proximity sensor, accelero- meter, light sensor	Proximity sensor, accelero- meter, light sensor	Proximity sensor, accelero- meter, light sensor
Price	₦56,900 $130 ₹10,770	₦62,500 $143 ₹11,783	₦63,000 $144 ₹11,878

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Body

All three phones are made with a plastic frame and covered with a plastic back. There’s no splash protection or water resistance here.

Performance

When it comes to the SoC, the Redmi A1 uses the Helio A22 while the Itel S18 and the Samsung A03 Core use the Unisoc SC9836A.

These SoCs are very close and are only separated by fine margins. Whilst the Unisoc 9863A has the slightly better performance, it is hot and inefficient. It also suffers from thermal throttling as well.

On the other hand, I’ll go with the A22 for better performance, efficiency and battery conservation.

Memory and Storage

All three phones use 2/3GB of LPDDR4x RAM and offer eMMC 5.1 storage as well. However, the Itel offers 64GB of storage and this more than what its competition is offering.

Software

The Redmi A1 and the Itel S18 run on the latest Android 12 Go whilst the Samsung A03 core uses last year’s Android 11 Go which is starting to become a bit dated now.

Display

For the display, all three phones use 720p IPS-LCD displays. It’s then left for the user to choose based on size. It’s a draw here.

Cameras

For the cameras, all three devices use single 8MP cameras. I consider all other depth and QVGA cameras redundant. Now, this should be a tie but the hardware only tells one half of the story. We also have to consider software.

The image software on the Redmi A1 and Samsung A03 Core are ahead of the Itel S18. So there’s that. In addition, the Helio A22 on the Redmi A1 has an AI unit (Neural pilot) to help with image processing. Point goes to the Redmi A1.

Battery

When it comes to the battery, the Redmi A1 will conserve it’s 5,000mAh battery better than the other two by a long way due to its more efficient SoC.

Connectivity and sensors

While all three devices use the same Cat 7 LTE Modem, Dual SIM slots, WiFi, FM radio, GPS, MicroUSB, USB 2.0 etc., the Redmi A1 has the better Bluetooth radio.

Prices

The Redmi A1 is the more affordable device, although it is not by much.

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Score table:

• Body: tie
• Performance: Redmi A1
• RAM: tie
• Storage: Itel S18
• Software: Redmi A1
• Display: tie
• Camera: Redmi A1
• Battery: Redmi A1
• Connectivity: tie
• Prices: Redmi A1

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Summary and conclusion

If you’re looking for a device that will give you a lot of storage to keep big apps out of the box as well as space to multitask, go for the Itel S18.

If you are looking for brand name, go for the Samsung.

Finally, if you’re looking for an all rounder that does everything well, as well as save you an extra five thousand Naira, go for the Redmi A1.

With that we can now bring the Redmi A1 vs Itel S18 vs Samsung A03 Core to a close.

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