After MTN rolled out the first 5G network in Nigeria in September last year, the telecom regulator Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) also issued a licence to Airtel to deploy the same technology. This brings to 3 the number of telecom operators with 5G licences in Nigeria, including Mafab Communications, which was licensed alongside MTN and is expected to roll out the service this month.
With this development, many Nigerians on 4G smartphones may have to change their devices to 5G-enabled ones to be able to enjoy this new service that offers high speed and low latency. Smartphone vendors in the country are also moving in sync with this development by shipping 5G phones into the country, albeit, still in limited quantity compared with 4G smartphones.
Of the few 5G smartphones that are available in the market today, the Samsung A22 and Xiaomi Poco M4 Pro fall within the range of those that could be described as affordable. Aside from being 5G smartphones, the two midrange devices share some things in common, yet have some differentiating features that should be considered before buying either of them.
Here’s a look at the two devices and how they compare in terms of features and pricing:
Samsung A22’s key features
Body: 167.2×76.4×9.0mm, 203g; Glass front, plastic frame, plastic back.
Display: 6.60″ TFT, 90Hz, 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 399ppi.
Chipset: MediaTek MT6833 Dimensity 700 5G (7 nm): Octa-core (2×2.2 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G57 MC2.
Memory: 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM; microSDXC (dedicated slot).
OS/Software: Android 11, One UI Core 3.1.
Rear camera: Wide (main): 48 MP, f/1.8, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 5 MP, f/2.2, 115-degree, 1/5.0″, 1.12µm; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.
Front camera: 8 MP, f/2.0, (wide).
Video capture: Rear camera: 1152p@30fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
Battery: 5000mAh; Fast charging 15W.
Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); FM radio; 3.5mm jack.
Xiaomi Poco M4 Pro key features
Body: 163.6×75.8×8.8mm, 195g; Gorilla Glass 3 front, plastic back, plastic frame, IP53-rated for dust and splash protection
Display: 6.60″ IPS LCD, 90Hz, 450 nits (typ), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 399ppi.
Chipset: MediaTek Dimensity 810 5G (6 nm): Octa-core (2×2.4 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G57 MC2.
Memory: 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM
OS/Software: Android 11, MIUI 12.5.
Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.8, 26mm, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 119˚.
Front camera: 16 MP, f/2.5, (wide).
Video capture: Rear camera: 1080p@30/60fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
Battery: 5000mAh; Fast charging 33W, 100% in 59 min (advertised)
Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); Infrared port; 3.5mm jack.
Features compared
Camera: While the two phones share similar features in major departments, there are a few differences distinguishing them aside from the brand names. While the Samsung A22 spots a 48MP main camera, Poco M4 Pro has it high at 50MB. The same goes for the front camera with Poco’s 16MP higher than Samsung’s 8MP, although a higher pixel does not mean a better quality picture in some cases as a lot of other factors add to the camera output’s quality.
Chipset: Although both devices are using the Mediatek chipset Poco M4 Pro comes with Dimensity 810 which offers better performance and is the latter technology while Samsung A22 comes with Dimensity 700.
Charging: Packed with the same battery capacity of 5000mAh, Poco M4 Pro comes with a 33W charging system, which automatically means that it will charge faster than Samsung A22 which comes with 15W charging.
Price compared: While the two devices come in various configurations, 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM, and 128GB 8GB RAM, a comparison of the price for the basic variant of the two, 64GB/4GB RAM, shows that Samsung is priced higher. On Konga for instance, the Poco M4 Pro goes for N118,000, while Samsung A22 has a price tag of N139,000.
Users’ reviews
Poco M4 Pro
Users’ reviews of the Poco M4 Pro online show mix of positives and negatives. For instance, one user described the phone thus: Very nice phone with all features expected from a midrange phone. Good for gaming as well.
However, another user said:
- “I have been using this poco M4 Pro 5G for a while now, When the phone is hot, its function is disrupted. For example, when the mobile phone is connected to the charger, it automatically shuts off hotspots and GPS. This is exactly what happens when driving and using the routing programme, and even with restarting.”
Expressing disappointment with the phone’s display, another user posted:
- “I have this Poco M4 Pro, it is a good phone with a decent selfie camera but its LCD screen is below average level of quality. Old LCD IPS phones that are also midrange from a couple of years ago had better displays than this. Xiaomi really tried to use the worst possible LCD display and that is a disappointment, Xiaomi had used higher quality LCD screens in the past. Don’t be misled by its 90hz refresh rate.”
- “From my experience after four months of usage, the Poco M4 Pro 5G is a good smartphone. It has a large and fluid screen, stereo speakers, okay performance, capable cameras, all-around connectivity with 5G, and long-lasting battery life with fast charging,” another user said.
Samsung A22 5G
Sharing his experience with the Samsung device online, a user identified as Martin wrote:
- “This is my second phone, and it’s been pretty great so far, with the only minor downside to it being the camera quality, which isn’t terrible, but definitely not impressive either in any way.
Another user wrote:
- “It’s been about a year since I have had this phone A22 5G. It is butter smooth. Almost feels like an iPhone and it is very fast. Games work in HD. The screen is extra-long which is good for playing games and watching movies. The sound is excellent. The music sounds good, and I love the big screen. A single charge lasts a whole day and if you use less battery, it can last two days.”
But the experience is not the same for this user who said:
- “I am really disappointed with the A22 5G model I acquired just 2 weeks ago. I previously had the A8 and it was a gem of a phone. I don’t need anything fancy with 4 different types of cameras or whatever. The fingerprint sensor on the side now is something to get used to, but that’s ok. What I didn’t expect was that it doesn’t support NFC so I can’t use paywave like Samsung’s default or even Google Pay. Now, it has also not included the “Secure Folder.”
Bottomline
Except for the few differences in features, the two phones share a lot in common that makes it difficult to say which is better. However, except for a die-hard Samsung fan with strong brand loyalty, the little differences such as the price, camera pixel, and even the higher version of the Mediatek chipset in the Xiaomi Poco M4 Pro make it a better choice of the two.
