The recently launched Xolo 8X 1000i is priced at Rs 6,999 putting it firmly in the same category as the Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime, which is also available for Rs 6,999. Let us see how do the two budget smartphones fare against each other in terms of specifications.
Design
The Xolo 8X 1000i has thin bezels all around, while the entire phone is dominated by glass. The rear of the phone has an unusual ridge along the sides, which are likely to aid gripping the slippery glass phone. The Xolo 8X 1000i measures 140 x 70 x 7.9 mm. In pictures looks stylish and has a dash modern design. 
On the other hand, Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime has the same design language that has been used by its elder sibling, Redmi 1, which is not a bad thing. It has thinner bezels, and it is slightly smaller and lighter too, as it measures 134 x 67.2 x 9.4 mm and tips the scales at 133 grams.
Both these phones are fairly compact, but it seems Xolo has an EDGE simply because of its new design philosophy.
Display
The Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime has a 4.7 inch HD IPS display with a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels and has Corning Gorilla Glass 2. While the Xolo 8X 1000i has a 5 inch HD IPS display with a resolution of 720 x 1280 and has Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
The larger and tougher display makes the Xolo 8X 1000i the winner of this round.
Processor & Memory
The Xolo 8X 1000i has a 1.4 GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6952M processor, which runs with 2 GB of RAM. The internal storage stands at 16 GB, to which you can add another 32 GB via a microSD card.
The Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime has a quad-core 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 410 Processor which runs with 2 GB of RAM. The internal storage stands at 16 GB which can be expanded by up to 32 GB via a microSD card.
This round is a no contest; the Xolo 8X 1000i has a newer generation chipset, and 4 extra cores for multi-tasking and gaming. A clear winner!
Software
The Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime runs on Android KitKat, but has the latest MiUI 6.0, and it is likely to get the Android Lollipop upgrade at some point.
On the other hand, Xolo 8X 1000i runs on Xolo’s own Hive OS (based on Android KitKat). Hive is supposed to add many more functionalities around language support and the needs of Indian customers, but it is still an evolving operating system(OS).
The Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime runs an OS ( user interface) that has widely used but Hive OS still has teething issues.
Battery
The Xolo 8X 1000i has a 1920 mAh battery while the Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime has a 2200 mAh battery.
Xiaomi hasn’t said how long the battery will last, but Xolo claims up to 321 hours of standby or 7 hours of Talk time on 3G.
Since both phones run on the same Android version, and the Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime has a battery that is nearly 300 mAh bigger, it is the winner.
Camera
The Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime has an 8 Megapixel primary camera; with auto-focus, geo-tagging, smile detection, flash, HDR, and video recording at 1080p at 30 fps. The front has a 2 megapixel camera that can record videos at 720p.
The Xolo 8X 1000i has an 8 megapixel primary camera with Exmore R sensor, scene detection, autofocus, touch-focus, smile detection, scene mode, HDR, face beauty, object tracking, voice capture, flash, and video recording at 1080p. The front of the Xolo 8X 1000i has a 2 megapixel shooter.
Spec for spec, this round is a draw too, but we will reserve final judgement till a real world camera test.
Connectivity
The Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime is a Dual-SIM phone with 4G, GPS, Bluetooth 4.0, and WiFi. The Xolo 8X 1000i is the same, except it has only 3G.
Wrapping up
Xolo 8X 1000i is a nice looking phone with a bigger display, faster processor; hindered by a smaller battery, 3G, and an under development OS. Since an OS can be ironed out, and 4G penetration is not high, and the battery is not too much smaller, one can ignore these flaws (if you reside in a non 4G circle), and go for the Xolo 8X 1000i; but for those that are keen on the tried, tested, and reliable – go for the Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime.