Xiaomi launched it’s mid-range devices the Mi A2 and Mi A2 Lite hours ago and definitely worth talking about. These two phones are Android One phones, Android One being a project initiated by Google years ago with the intention of bringing pure stock Android to mid-range devices manufactured by other brands to offer the best Android experience at a cheaper price. The two are the second generation of Android One phones from Xiaomi, the first being Xiaomi’s Mi A1.
Xiaomi’s devices by default ship with it’s own Android skin called MIUI. Whether a particular set of users like it or not is based on personal preference but it has a striking resembleness to Apple’s iOS. It looks clean and polished. Many users have however expressed their dislike about this skin for reasons that it’s too modified of an Android skin that it’s resource hungry and tends to slow Xiaomi phones more with time compared to what stock Android does. There is also the other fact that it takes long to receive Android updates. Pure Android aims at solving all these issues hence phones like the Mi A2 and A2 Lite released running Google’s own stock Android rather than Xiaomi’s MIUI.
Judging by their cost and what they offer as far as performance, these are arguably the best budget Android smartphones anyone would get right now.
Xiaomi Mi A2 Features and Specifications
The Mi A2 is the better and more powerful of the two. It boasts a metal unibody and an edge-to-edge display with tiny bezels on top and bottom. It has a 5.99 inch Full HD LTPS IPS LCD display with a 1080 by 2160 resolution and an 18:9 aspect ratio. On the top is a single 20 megapixel camera with f/2.2 aperture.
On the back it has a vertical camera set-up with two lenses, one a 12 megapixel sensor and a second one a 20 megapixel sensor both with f/1.8 aperture. They take the best images in a mid-range smartphone aided by Xiaomi’s camera AI within software. A flash is mounted in between the two sensors. A fingerprint sensor is also located at the back.
The Mi A2 is powered by an Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chip, the best you’ll find in a mid-range device, with Adreno 512 GPU, backed up by either 4GB RAM in a 32/64GB storage version and 6GB RAM in a 128GB storage version. The phone doesn’t come with an SD Card slot. This is enough power to run many graphics intense apps smoothly. The phone is juiced by a 3080 mAh battery charged via USB Type-C (2.0).
It runs the latest Android 8.1 Oreo with planned update to Android P when the Android version is officially released. The phone will also have two years of support. Since it’s an Android One phone, updates and security patches are expected to come rather fast compared to other Xiaomi phones. It also comes with bluetooth 5.0.
Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite Features and Specifications
This is the less powerful of the two but carries with it a slightly different display design. It has a notch, something that has been trending this year. It spots a 5.84 inch display with 1080 by 2280 resolution with a 19:9 aspect ratio. On top is a 5 megapixel selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture.
At the back a vertical camera configuration with a 5 megapixel sensor and a 12 megapixel sensor both with f/2.2 aperture. A fingerprint sensor is also available at the back.
Inside, the Mi A2 Lite is powered by a lesser Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor with Adreno 504 GPU with 3GB RAM for the 32GB storage variant and 4GB RAM for the 64GB storage variant. The phone has an SD Card slot for expandable storage up to 128GB. It also has a larger battery than the Mi A2 at 4000 mAh.
It runs Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box with fast updates and 2 years of support.
Xiaomi will be bringing the Mi A2 and Mi A2 Lite to 40 markets starting late July. The 4GB/32GB model of the Mi A2 will be priced at €249, whereas the 4GB/64GB one will retail for €279 and the 6GB/128GB variant will set you back €349. The base model of the Mi A2 Lite with a 3GB/32GB memory configuration will have a €179 price tag and the 4GB/64GB version will be offered at €229.
