Like other Xiaomi handsets, Indian customers are also curious about Xiaomi Mi A1. However, it will also be interesting to see how customers react to stock Android instead of the company’s popular MIUI operating system. Let us tell you that Xiaomi started as a software company. MIUI was the company’s first product. Now the company is bringing a new handset on a completely new platform.
The company’s new series has also been launched with Xiaomi Mi A1. But the future of the series will depend on the response received from the customers to the phone launched on Tuesday.
The launch of Xiaomi Mi A1 also makes it clear that Google is still committed to its Android One program. It is possible that Xiaomi’s new Android One phone will be one of the first handsets in this series. Apart from the stock Android experience, Xiaomi Mi A1 is the company’s first dual camera smartphone in India. Its specifications are strong and the company is also calling it a flagship smartphone. We got the Xiaomi Mi A1 handset before the launch. At first glance, this handset looked like this…
Xiaomi Mi A1 Design
At first glance, the finishing and look of Xiaomi Mi A1 makes it clear that it is a premium Mi range device. Much better than Xiaomi’s budget Redmi series. The front panel looks beautiful due to the metal unibody and 2.5D curved edge glass. The curved edges give a comfortable feel in the palm.
There is no branding on the front which is good in our opinion. You will find the Xiaomi logo and the Android One tag at the bottom of the back of the phone. The Xiaomi Mi A1 will be manufactured in India and will come with the Made in India tag. However, the initial units are being imported from other countries. The antenna lines are hidden. And the design is very different from the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Review). In our opinion, the Xiaomi Mi A1 is the best-feeling phone in the current Xiaomi product lineup.
The software experience is completely different. But the Xiaomi Mi A1 does not have a new design language. It still feels like an older Xiaomi product. It looks like a smaller version of the Xiaomi Mi Max 2.
Xiaomi Mi A1 specifications and software
We can say that Xiaomi Mi A1 is the international version of Xiaomi Mi 5X launched in China last month. The specifications of both the smartphones are almost the same. Xiaomi Mi A1 has a 5.5-inch full-HD display with 2.5D glass protection. It has 4 GB RAM with octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor. The inbuilt storage is 64 GB and it will be possible to use a microSD card if needed. Mi A1 comes with a hybrid dual SIM design. If you do not use a microSD card, you will be able to insert two nano SIMs. The fingerprint scanner is on the back. The smartphone has a USB Type-C port and the battery is 3080 mAh.
The handset has two camera sensors at the back. The company is marketing this feature aggressively. You will get two 12-megapixel sensors. One is a wide-angle lens with f/2.2 aperture and the other is a telephoto lens with f/2.6 aperture. We saw the same camera setup in the flagship Xiaomi Mi 6. Due to the telephoto lens, you will also get 2x optical zoom, which is a notable feature at this price. The camera app also has a portrait mode for bokeh effect like the iPhone 7 Plus and OnePlus 5. The Mi A1 has a 5-megapixel camera on the front panel that comes with real-time beautification.
Mi A1 has 4G VoLTE along with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3.5mm audio jack. Like other Xiaomi smartphones, Mi A1 also has an infrared emitter on the top. Xiaomi has also provided a separate headphone amplifier in this phone for better audio.
Talking about the software, this Xiaomi phone will run on Android 7.1.2 Nougat. This is the latest Android OS for non-Google smartphones as of today. This is an Android One device, so Google will guarantee software updates for at least 18 months. This means that the phone is also sure to get Android 8.0 Oreo update.
Apart from the Google branded apps, the Mi A1 also comes with a number of Xiaomi software features such as the Mi Remote and Mi Store apps. Thankfully, Xiaomi fans won’t miss the company’s software features.
Xiaomi Mi A1 Initial Thoughts
In terms of performance and software, the Xiaomi Mi A1 is a very powerful handset. The phone responded quickly to our touch inputs. It didn’t stutter even when switching between apps. The full-HD display has decent viewing angles. It is crisp too, but more reflective than we would have liked. You also won’t have to worry about unwanted apps with MIUI.
The Mi A1 has Xiaomi’s own camera app, as Google’s default camera app does not support dual cameras yet. It launches quickly and autofocuses in a jiffy. Xiaomi claims that the Mi A1 takes excellent portrait shots with the help of dual cameras. However, we will discuss the general performance and camera quality of the phone in detail in the review.
Along with Xiaomi, Google also has high expectations from Mi A1. This time Android One has been made a part of a slightly expensive handset. In such a situation, the response of the customers will be eagerly awaited. Let us tell you that Android One was first launched worldwide as a cheap device.
The Xiaomi Mi A1 priced at Rs 14,999 comes with stock Android with the familiar Xiaomi design. However, the road will not be easy for this Android One device from Google. Because the Moto G5S Plus with stock Android and two rear cameras is already available in the market at almost the same price.
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