Galaxy A25 5G review: and an MIUI vs One UI comparison

[Matthewoli98]

So I've been a huge Xiaomi fan and user for the last 9 years. I lived, breathed, and idolized the Xiaomi eco system and value for money that they offer or offered, depending on where you live.

My journey as a Xiaomi user started off with the Redmi Note 2, then I went onto the Redmi S2, and finally the Redmi 9t. But my positive perception of the brand began to change towards the middle of my usage cycle on the Redmi 9t, for reasons I'll list below.

(Mid way through this cycle I already made the jump from mi bands on to the Galaxy watch 4)

Importers importing Xiaomi phones into South Africa began artificially inflating prices to the point where Samsung became better value.

Samsung changed their software support policy, setting the bar far higher than any Xiaomi, even the budget Samsung's (which I currently use far outperform Xiaomi in terms of software support)

MIUI and Xiaomi devices, (all three devices I used suffered from frequent issues with wifi, Bluetooth and system stability) Bluetooth devices would randomly disconnect, as would WiFi, and occasionally the entire UI would crash with a “UI is not responding error” showing up on screen, even if no apps were open on the device.

So I finally decided to jump ship, and ended up on the Galaxy A25 which offers a comparatively amazing 4 OS updates with an additional year of software support. It significantly outperforms my old Redmi, and although not a powerhouse, it performs seamlessly for social media, typing word documents, photo editing via cloud services, etc. 

Porting over all my data was incredibly seamless via Smart switch, all I needed to do afterwards was re-sign into all my apps and set up my galaxy watch 4 (another huge reason I ended up making the jump, to unlock the additional Samsung only features).

I did Xiaomify One UI a bit to make the transition easier, for example, I changed my apps to open by swiping sideways rather than down like traditional Samsung's, but all the settings I changed are built into one UI itself, no mods or anything at all. 

One UI vs MIUI- 

I was absolutely astounded at the difference between MIUI and One UI 6.1, much of the functionality is the same, but the layout, and how user friendly and customisable the look and feel of the UI is feels so much easier and better on One UI. Everything, from the settings menu, to the setup process itself just feels so much more premium and professional in one UI. I will say that I miss some of the minor but very useful gestures on MIUI, like the three finger swipe for screenshots. Yes, there is a gesture for screenshots on one UI, but its quite awkward, I've resorted to using the volume down and power button method instead. The issue with this is you need both hands free to do this, so it does admittedly make the process a bit awkward, although this is a minor gripe. 

One UI came with some bloatware, a couple of games, and a couple of unnecessary Samsung apps, but nothing like MIUI which literally showed adverts in default apps, including the file explorer ( you can turn off ads, but need to do so in each app individually). So it's safe to say that I prefer one UI, I feel completely at home with all the features even after one week using this device. I will edit and update this review as time goes by too. The UI itself is way more stable, absolutely no stutters or lags, even with 6-12 apps open simultaneously. The extra 2 gigs of ram of course makes a difference, but I pin the majority of this stark difference down to the stability and efficiency of the actual UI/OS itself. One UI just feels more well thought out, polished, and efficient in every way imaginable, for me at least.

Hardware-

After turning on the A25 for the first time, the first thing that caught my attention is the gorgeous AMOLED display. The notch isnt even an issue for me, but man does this 1000 nit AMOLED blow the Redmi’s 400 nit IPS display out of the water. As does the 120hz refresh rate, it really makes the phone feel incredibly responsive and makes every animation buttery smooth. 

The exynos CPU, although not a powerhouse has performed exceptionally too, with no overheating with medium to high usage, the phone has not felt excessively hot in any benchmarks or stress tests I've put it through up until this point, so from my perspective, it performs perfectly adequately. For some people, the A35/55 might be a better option, but for the average person watching videos, taking photos for social media and browsing the internet and using communication apps like WhatsApp, the A25 is more than adequate. The significant difference in temperatures compared to my old phone is definitely partly due to the difference in lithography, 11nm vs 5nm.

At this price point, I genuinely have no issues with Samsung using an Exynos chipset. Yes, they should reserve the best CPUs money can buy for flagships, but for mid rangers I feel the exynos CPUs get the job done quite decently.

The camera is certainly a step up from the Redmi 9t too, especially in terms of video capability, the addition of OIS is absolutely worth all the hype it gets. While it by no means takes professional grade photos, it produces photos which are more than adequate for social media, especially if you take the time to play around with all the exposure settings, and figure out which settings to use in which lighting situations. Of course its higher end siblings will undoubtedly produce better photos, it really is quite amazing what entry level mid rangers are capable of these days.

Sound quality -

Another welcome surprise came in the form of stereo speakers, with the top earpiece doubling as an additional speaker at the top of the phone. The sound quality is decent, with a good amount of bass, and good clarity. Opting for the lower end A15, which I do not recommend, will result in you missing out on the stereo speakers, which in my opinion make quite a big difference. My previous Redmi had stereo speakers too, but the Samsung definitely beats it by quite a margin, both in terms of volume and overall clarity.

Battery life -

Battery life on the A25 is decent, you can easily get a full day out of it, in my case only just, I have the aggressive battery management turned on, so my device only tops up to 80%. On days I know I'll need extra juice, I either disable that setting to reach 100% or I take my 30,0000 mah fast charging power bank with. 

Xiaomi vs Samsung ecosystem overall-

I can quite conclusively say, that in my experience Samsung has Xiaomi beat in almost every department. Samsung pay is a huge convenience, and my galaxy watch connects straight to my medical aid which allows me to unlock bonuses and discounts based on my activity levels. Although I will definitely miss Xiaomi, switching to Samsung was incredibly seamless and painless to do. 

[Gabadin]

I don't have an access to open wifi,bluetooth and hotspot

[Matthewoli98]

Go to settings and search tethering or hotspot

[situat10N_]

👏