While launching the Android One device, Google made it clear that Google One project is not just for cheap smartphones. Android One was introduced in 2014. The company was trying to make stock Android to the common customers and also guarantee regular updates to these phones of the budget segment. And India was one of the early countries where this OS was introduced. However, this project could not become so popular of Google’s expectations. But it is clear from the new launch that this project has not been closed, but the company has tried to revive it.
Xiaomi Mi A1 is being marketed with “Created by Xiaomi and Powered by Google” tagline. During the launch event, Google also said that Android One will soon be made part of different types of devices and it will not be limited to only affordable segments. Xiaomi Mi A1 is sure to get Android 8.0 Oreo update by the end of the year. By the way, it is too early to say anything. Android PK is also promised for next year.
The Mi A1 is a flagship smartphone for Xiaomi that has not been made available at a high price. That too when Xiaomi M6 has not been made available in India yet. According to the price, the specifications of Mi A1 are good and two rear cameras are welcome features. In such a situation, it will be very interesting to see what react to Xiaomi’s fans Mi A1? And how effective does this strategy prove to both companies?
Xiaomi Mi A1 Design and Texture
Xiaomi Mi A1 is upgraded to the design as compared to other Redmi devices launched in India. It has a glimpse of the old Redmi device, but it manages to create a distinct identity. Technically, it is a variant of Xiaomi Mi5X launched in China in July. This phone comes in black, gold and rose gold color. We were given a gold unit for review. Initially, only black and gold colored variants will be provided. Gold is expected to be brought later.
The front panel has a 2.5D curved gorilla glass design that gives the phone a premium feel. Due to the curved edges it fits the hands. It looks slightly thin due to a side profile of 7.3 mm. Xiaomi has repeatedly said that Mi A1 will give a good feeling in hands and we will not completely reject this claim. Full-metal body is solid. But the back part slips in the hands. While using the phone, we had to take special care of it. We would suggest not forget to take backward with the phone. Mi A1 is more premium than Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 and Mi Max 2.
Xiaomi has compared Mi A1 many times to iPhone 7 Plus and we are able to see similarities between the two. In the Mi A1, you will remind you of the iPhone 7 Plus instead of dual rear camera and antenna line. To overcome this deficiency, Xiaomi has talked about giving dual pyrolytic graphite sheet to the handset to overcome this deficiency. It releases rapid heat and reduces temperature by 2 degrees in a pinch.
Capacitive buttons are given for Android navigation under the screen. Power and volume buttons are on the right side and there is no problem in reaching them. Hybrid dual sim tray is on the left and infrared emitter top. You will get USB Type-C port at the bottom. Along with this, 3.5mm jack and speaker grill have also found a place.
The fingerprint reader is on the back and it works well. Both rear cameras are slightly higher than the surface. Two tone flash is given with them. There is no branding on the front panel. But on the back side, you will get the logo of Android One with the Mi logo at the bottom.
Overall, the Xiaomi Mi A1 looks better than another Xiaomi handset and gives a good feeling. Xiaomi has noticed every detail. Whether it is a speaker grill or an antenna band line. However, the main problem of Mi A1 is that the phone looks like Xiaomi and other models of Vivo. By the way, this is a completely new attempt from Xiaomi in terms of software and the series is also new. In such a situation, the company should have done more work on the design.
Xiaomi Mi A1’s specification and software
The Xiaomi Mi A1 uses the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor which has been part of the Redmi Note 4 and Mi Max 2. Xiaomi said during the launch that it has been trying to curb the price of Mi A1. The clock speed of this chipset is 2 GHz and 4 GB RAM is provided with it. Inbuilt storage is 64 GB and it will be possible to use microSD card up to 128 GB if needed. Like other devices of Xiaomi, Mi A1 also has a hybrid dual sim design. This means that you have to choose one of two nano SIM cards or one Nano SIM card and microSD card.
The phone has a 5.5 -inch LTPS display. Its resolution is full-HD (1080×1920 pixels). Pixel density is 403 PPI. The dimensions of the handset are 155.4×75.8×7.3 millimeters and weigh 165 grams. The battery is 3080 mAh. Mi A1 also has infrared emitter.
The company has praised two rear cameras of this phone. You will find two 12 megapixel cameras. One of these is a wide angle lens with F/2.2 aperture and the other is F/2.6 aperture telephoto lens. The front panel has a 5 -megapixel camera with F/2.0 aperture and comes with beautification mode.
Being an Android One device, you will get stock Android experience in Xiaomi Mi A1. It runs on Android 7.1.2 Nougat which is the latest OS for any Android device today.
The best thing about stock Android is that there is no unwanted app in it. This is a big change for budget phones. Even after the promise of stock Android UI, in Xiaomi Mi A1 you will get Mi Feedback, Mi Remot and Mi Store apps in advance. The camera app in this handset is also of Xiaomi. Because Google has not yet worried dual camera support for its stock Android camera app.
The new 7.1.2 version has removed the old deficiencies compared to Android 7.1.1 Nougat. You will get popular Android Nougat features like Spillit Screen Multitasking and App Shortcut. The avatar of quick settings has changed. If you want, you can open the notification shed by swiping the fingerprint sensor downwards. Apart from this, you can open the camera app by tapping the power button twice. Finally, you will get support from Jiff inside the keyboard.
Xiaomi Mi A1 camera
Two rear cameras of Xiaomi Mi A1 are its most important feature. You will get 2x optical zoom because of two lenses. You will also be able to bring Bokeh Effects in the pictures. Let’s start with depth mode. We managed to take great pictures with Bokeh Effect. The edges in most portrait photos were completely defined. But in some shots, parts of the subject along with the background were also blurred. This deficiency in low light is revealed. You have to do anything separately for this effect. It works better than Lenovo’s 8 Note (Review). Xiaomi claims that the performance of portrait mode is equal to the iPhone 7 Plus and OnePlus 5. But we believe that to reach that level, Xiaomi will have to issue several updates.
The Mi A1 rapidly autofocus and on most occasions it remains accurate. The camera is able to lose focus rapidly due to the phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and face detection. Landscape shots came well. But the macrose shot was lacking sharpness and details, especially compared to Mi Max 2. The phone captured photos with texture and details in sufficient light. However, we got to see a lot of noise in low light. The camera of Mi A1 falls behind in dark places and the photos come with very low details.
Xiaomi claims that the Mi A1 camera app has an innovation feature to take better pictures in low light. But after activating it, we did not show any big difference. Xiaomi Mi Max gave better results in low light.
The Mi A1 camera app will also guide you in depth mode. You will get warnings like “IT’s too Dark Now” and “Move Farthr From The Object”. It will like the new user.
You will be successful in taking tremendous pictures in good light from a 5 -megapixel front camera. There is also no shortage of details in them. The selfie taken in low light was very blurred.
Overall, it will be said that dual camera setup is a great feature in this price. And you will not usually be disappointed with this. But there is a need to work on performance in low light.
Xiaomi Mi A1 Performance
We got the screen of Xiaomi Mi A1 adequately bright. Photos and text sharp appear. The viewing angles are also good. However, the glass was more reflective than our choice. And while using sunlight the phone, we had to take brightness to the highest level.
Xiaomi Mi A1 has an octa-core Snapdragon 625 processor, like Redmi Note 4 and Mi Max 2. It is a competent processor. Common use apps went fast. 4 GB RAM makes multitasking smooth. Touch response is good. We did not see any shortage during the review. We enjoyed playing games with powerful graphics like Last Day on Earth and Asfault 8. We found that a 5.5 -inch display is excellent for watching videos. The benchmark score of Xiaomi Mi A1 came equal to Max 2 and Xiaomi Redmi Note 4.
Xiaomi says that it has used pyrolytic graphite sheet to control the temperature of the phone. We can say that even while playing games for a long time, we did not feel the phone being too hot. However, the phone definitely gets hot when charging.
Xiaomi Mi A1 has support for 4G VoLTE and the call quality was also good. The phone also connected to the network in weak areas. The IR Emitter worked with the Me Remot app without any problem.
There is enough sound from the speaker for a small room. The voice is also clear. Xiaomi says that smart power employees have also been used for better sound than earphones. Experience with earphones was good. If you want, you will be able to use Mi A1 as an entertainment device to listen to songs every day. The complaint is that no earphones will be available with the phone.
Xiaomi mi a1 battery life
The 3080 mAh battery lasted at about 15 hours when used fiercely. Outlook, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Telegram, Gmail and WhatsApp apps were always running in the handset’s background. In our HD video loop test, the Mi A1 battery lasted for about 10 hours 18 minutes. It will be called fine. There is a problem with Xiaomi Mi A1 that gives weaker battery performance compared to other devices of Xiaomi. It took about two hours for the battery of the phone to be completely charged, which cannot be called bad.
Our decision
When the Android One was launched, many types of promises were made. But they could not be fulfilled. Now Xiaomi and Google have tried to give a new face to Android One. But how effective it will prove, it will be known only in the coming time. The Xiaomi Mi A1 is a very powerful handset in terms of price. Metal body and oval finish are excellent. Display and common performance are good. The user will get stock Android experience in Xiaomi’s phone for the first time. If you do not like MIUI then this phone is for you. Dual camera works.
But the company should have paid more attention to photography in low light. Battery life is also average. Other phones of Xiaomi also do good work in these departments.
The Xiaomi Mi A1 of Rs 14,999 will be available at Flipkart, Mi.com, offline store and the company’s Mi Home Store. Its sale will start from September 12. Xiaomi has made a distinct identity about MIUI software. But it will be very interesting to see how customers react to this phone.