The Lenovo A7000 released earlier this year and has been a popular device in some markets. The much-awaited Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 Prime was officially announced last week with a release heading to various regions, and this will be a contender to the Lenovo smartphone. With this in mind we’re looking at the Redmi Note 2 Prime vs. Lenovo A7000 in a specs and price shootout.

These phones are fairly close in pricing and have the same display size. They are both dual SIM handsets running the Android operating system and also they both have 4G LTE connectivity. By highlighting the key specs and more we hope to clarify the differences between the two so that you can see which would suit you best.

Processors
The Redmi Note 2 Prime has a 2.2GHz MediaTek Helio X10 octa-core processor and PowerVR G6200 graphics. The Lenovo A7000 has a 1.5GHz MediaTek MT6752m octa-core processor with Mali-T760MP2 GPU.

Display
Both have 5.5-inch IPS displays. However, the Redmi Note 2 Prime has Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 and 401 ppi while the A7000 has HD resolution of 1280 x 720 resulting in 267 ppi.

RAM and Storage
The Redmi Note 2 Prime has 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage (a lesser Redmi Note 2 variant has 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage). The Lenovo A7000 has 2GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, expandable to 32GB via microSD.

Camera set-up
The new Xiaomi Redmi handset has a 13-megapixel rear camera with autofocus and LED flash, with a 5-megapixel front-facing snapper. The Lenovo A7000 has an 8-megapixel rear shooter with autofocus and LED flash, also with a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.

Battery
The Redmi Note 2 Prime has a removable 3060 mAh battery while the Lenovo phone has a removable 2900 mAh battery.

Connectivity
Both handsetw support 4G LTE, 3G, WiFi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, and microUSB 2.0. The Redmi Note 2 Prime has WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac and WiFi Direct while the Lenovo A7000 has WiFi 802.11 b/g/n.

Operating System
The Note 2 Prime runs Android 5.0 Lollipop with Xiaomi’s MIUI 7.0. The A7000 runs Android 5.0 with Lenovo’s Vibe UI.

Dimensions and Weight
The Redmi Note 2 Prime measures 152mm x 76mm x 8.3mm and weighs 160g. The Lenovo A7000 measures 152.6mm x 76.2mm x 8mm and weighs 140g.

Price
These are both affordable smartphones although pricing will vary according to region and retailer. The Redmi Note 2 Prime has only launched in China so far where it has a price of CNY 999. That’s equivalent to around $156, Rs. 10,100 or £100 although these are merely indicators and regional pricing will be announced with availability. For example an expected price tag for India is approximately Rs. 9,999. By comparison the Lenovo A7000 is currently on sale from around Rs. 9,300 and on Amazon US it’s around $240.

Potential buyers of these phones will also want to take into account after-sales service in their market, design choice, and build quality, but as far as specs are concerned the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 Prime is a clear winner. It has a faster processor, higher display resolution, more inbuilt internal memory, better camera capabilities, and a slightly higher capacity battery. The two phones are very close as far as their overall sizes are concerned, although the Lenovo A7000 is lighter.

Considering the above an ultimate decision between these two smartphones may come down to the difference in pricing where you are. However, pricing aside we’d have to recommend the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 Prime as the better handset. When you’ve weighed up the differences we’d like to hear your verdicts. Are you more likely to buy the Lenovo A7000 now or wait for the Redmi Note 2 Prime to release in your region?