Xiaomi has announced Mi A1 – the first Android One device from Xiaomi for the Indian smartphone market. Xiaomi Mi A1 is the most remarkable gadget created by the Chinese manufacturer, in fact, it is the most powerful Android One device ever released. Runs on Google’s Pure Android, not the MIUI, this midrange smartphone offers a dual camera setup at the back, a full metal design, and comes at a ₹14,999 price.
Xiaomi Mi A1 Specifications
- Display: 5.5-inch Full-HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) IPS LCD display with 2.5D curved glass with Gorilla Glass protection
- Operating System: Android 7.1.2 Nougat (to be upgraded to Android 8.0 Oreo by the end of 2017)
- Fingerprint Scanner: Yes, at the back
- CPU: 2.0 GHz Snapdragon 625 octa-core processor
- GPU: Adreno 506
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Storage: 64 GB internal, Expandable up to 128 GB via microSD card
- Rear Camera: 12 MP (wide-angle lens with f/2.2 aperture) + 12 MP (telephoto lens with f/2.6 aperture) with PDAF, Portrait Mode, 2x optical zoom, 10x digital zoom and dual-tone LED flash
- Front Camera: 5 MP
- Cellular: 4G LTE support, VoLTE calling, Dual SIM (GSM), 2x nano SIMs, microSD on SIM2
- Connectivity: 4G VoLTE, GPS, Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, FM Radio, USB Type-C, 3.5 mm headphone jack
- Other: IR Blaster, DHS Audio Calibration Algorithm, Standalone Audio Amplifier, Unlimited high-quality photo backup on Google Photos
- Colors: Black, Gold, Rose Gold
- Battery: 3,080 mAh (with custom 380V charger)
- Price: ₹14,999
- Availability: September 12 on online stores (Flipkart, Mi.com, and Mi Home stores) and offline stores (Sangeetha, Poorvika, Big C, LOT, Croma, Vijay Sales and more)
- Offers: Additional 200 GB 4G data to Airtel users
The Xiaomi Mi A1 is said to be cloned from the Mi 5X, however, the truth beneath it is, there’s more inside the phone than you think it’s cloned. Xiaomi has worked alongside the big G to create an Android One smartphone. The Xiaomi Mi A1 has Pure Android and what that means is the Mi A1 no longer uses the MIUI software rather the employs Google’s stock version of Android. Being an Android Once device, this is the first Xiaomi phone to offer stock Android.
Built in an all-metal body, thin as 7.3mm, 2.5D curved on top, the Xiaomi Mi A1 is quite sleek and feels rich. The back doesn’t prone to fingerprints, the front has a 5.5-inch Full HD display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass.
Getting on to the main highlight of the phone is the dual camera. There are two cameras 12 MP each at the back with dual-tone LED flash. The 12 MP primary camera has wide angle lens whereas the secondary 12 MP camera has a telephoto lens. It has an ability to create bokeh effects, there’s a Portrait mode, 2x optical zoom, and a Beautify mode. The dual camera setup is similar to the Mi 6 smartphone (not yet released in India) but there’s no OIS on it. On the front side, the selfies are taken care by a 5 MP camera that supports Beautify mode.
Xiaomi MI A1 sports Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 CPU which we saw on Redmi Note 4 already. The CPU fits well for the pricing and most smartphones at this price range offer a similar performance. For a price of ₹14,999, nobody’s expecting a groundbreaking performance, the processing power is enough for daily tasks and some decent gaming. Moreover, there’s only one variant having 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage variant with microSD support and unlimited high-quality photos on Google Photos, a great advantage of being an Android One device.
It is worth mentioning that Xiaomi has done a fantastic job putting a stock Android with the latest Nougat version 7.1.2 and upgradeable to Android Oreo and Android P. Stock Android users will feel home and Xiaomi users have to adopt a new interface.
And when we are talking about the software, it’s completely pure, well almost pure you can say since it comes with a few additional apps that make it possible to use all the functions of the smartphone which includes the dual cameras and the ability to act as a remote. Besides all these, the Xiaomi Mi A1 is no different than a Nexus and Pixel phone from the inside.
The power and volume buttons are located on the right side, the left side contains a hybrid SIM tray that holds dual nano SIM cards and the SIM2 can be used as microSD expansion.
The Redmi Note 4 with a large 4,000 mAh battery is cheaper than the Mi A1 that sports an average 3,080 mAh battery. We don’t think the battery performance will be eye popping or extremely surprising, but it will be good enough to survive a day long. We will hold our judgment till the full review.
That’s probably the perfect device for the price and I admit that. The Xiaomi Mi A1 has latest Android updates, dual cameras to give you DSLR experience, strong metal casing, plenty of RAM and storage, unlimited cloud on Google Photos, a large display, and a decent CPU. The rest things include 10V smart power amplifier, DHS Audio Calibration, Pyrolytic graphite sheet that reduces temperature by 2 degrees, USB Type-C port, and IR Blaster to control any infrared devices.
What things should be there on the phone is the support for NFC and a larger battery, but I don’t think there’s a problem, the phone has enough to offer. Our review is under process, until then, what do you think about the Xiaomi Mi A1? Let us know in the comments.
