After a long year, we have an Android One smartphone launching in India. If you are new to Android One, then these smartphones are built with the help of Google and will come with stock Android. The best part you will get regular updates similar to Google Pixel and Nexus devices, directly from Google. This time, you get a power packed mobile with decent hardware, dual camera and most importantly from a popular mobile vendor Xiaomi.
Xiaomi in an event held in New Delhi has launched Mi A1, the ‘Android One’ smartphone in India. It’s also the first Android One smartphone for the Chinese mobile vendor. On a quick glance the mobile runs on stock Android OS without the MIUI skin over the top, Snapdragon SoC, dual back camera and 4G with VoLTE support.
First, to the pricing, Xiaomi Mi A1 will come with a price tag of Rs 14,999 placing it in direct competition with recently launched Moto G5s Plus. The mobile will be available exclusively via Flipkart and Mi’s official Indian store. The first sale for the mobile will start at 12 noon on 12th September 2017 and there will be a slew of launch day offers. You can also get hands on the mobile via Xiaomi partner offline retail stores across India. Xiaomi has partnered with Airtel to offer additional 200GB of 4G data benefits for new and existing customers.
Design and Performance
The Mi A1 has a premium look and feel thanks, to the full-metal unibody build with rounded back edges. The device is really thin with just 7mm thickness and weights 168g. The mobile flaunts a 5.5 inch full HD display covered in 2.5D curved glass and protected with Corning Gorilla glass. For colour choice, you get to choose from Black, Rose Gold and Gold colour variants.
Under the hood, the Mi A1 is powered by a 2.02GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor coupled with 4GB of RAM. For storing all your media content the mobile carries 64GB of internal storage. You can further expand the storage up to 128GB using MicroSD card. As the mobile is an Android One smartphone, it runs on Android 7.1.2 Nougat OS with stock UI instead of MIUI. Soon, the mobile will be updated to the latest Android Oreo OS. In addition, it will pack some pre-installed apps like the Mi camera app, Mi remote app and Mi App store.
Dual Camera and Connectivity
One of the main highlights of Mi A1 is its dual camera setup at the rear. At the back, you get a pair of 12-megapixel sensors with one being the 26 mm wide-angle lens and other a 50 mm telephoto lens. The telephoto lens captures the main image, while the wide-angle lens helps in the depth of field measurement. Both this lens works together with Xiaomi’s stereoscopic imaging and deep learning algorithm. In addition, you also get 2X optical zoom and 10X digital zoom capabilities in the dual camera.
With the camera, you can shoot DSLR like bokeh or background blur photos. For those classic portraits, the camera app comes with a professional portrait mode. Other camera features include Natural colour correction, Smart beautify and Beautify 3.0. If you want a feel of its camera, you can check Xiaomi’s social media accounts, as the company has been teasing pictures taken by this camera. For selfie addicts, the mobile packs a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
On the connectivity front, the Mi A1 supports 4G LTE networks that work with every Indian 4G bands. It also supports VoLTE allowing you to make HD voice calling and video calling. Other connectivity options include 3G and 2G networks, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, BlueTooth 4.2, USB Type-C and IR blaster. For audiophiles, there is a 10V smart power amplifier along with DHS Audio Calibration algorithm and stand-alone audio amplifier. This combination offers high-quality audio experience. For extra security, the mobile comes with a fingerprint scanner placed at the back of the device. The mobile is fueled by a 3080 mAh battery supporting quick charging option.