Xiaomi and Google have together introduced the latest Android One with “flagship dual cameras” through an unveil event that was held in New Delhi, India at 12 PM today. The smartphone not only boasts topnotch dual cameras, but it is also equipped with a premium design, impressive specs and stock Android.
Xiaomi Mi A1 Design and Display
In July, China was treated with a new mid-range Xiaomi phone called the Mi 5X. The MI 5X has been reintroduced under the Android One program as the Xiaomi Mi A1 for various global markets. It has a full metallic chassis with rounded corners. The discreet looking antenna bands are placed on the top and bottom edges of the back panel. It has a thickness of 7.3 mm and its weight is 165 grams. It comes in three color variants: Black, Rose Gold and Gold. The Black version of the Mi A1 has anti-fingerprint layer on the rear that protects it from attracting fingerprint marks.
The 5.5-inch IPS LCD display of the Mi A1 produces a Full HD resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. The screen is overlaid with a 2.5D curved glass. Xiaomi has also included Corning Gorilla Glass protection on the display.
Xiaomi Mi A1 Dual Rear Cameras
The USP of the Xiaomi Mi A1 is the “flagship dual cameras” that resides on its rear. It comprises of a f/2.2 aperture 12-megapixel wide-angle lens for capturing panoramic shots and a f/2.6 aperture telephoto lens that is coupled with 2x optical zoom and 10x digital zoom. The 1.25micron pixels lets 56 percent more light for each pixel that helps in producing brighter images.
Both camera sensors work together using stereoscopic imaging and deep learning algorithm to shoot DSLR-like impressive images with bokeh effect. During the unveil event, Xiaomi also compared the bokeh effect photo shot on Mi A1 with iPhone 7 Plus and OnePlus 5. It claimed that Mi A1 can shoot better bokeh effect images with well-defined edges and color reproduction than the aforementioned flagship phones.
The MIUI camera app brings Beauty 3.0 feature to enhance portrait shots. The Smart Beautify feature can accurately detect various points on the face to identify the skin color to maintain genuine facial features with natural color correction. The Mi A1 is flanked with a 5-megapixel selfie camera that can beauty faces while shooting photos or videos in real-time.
Xiaomi Mi A1 Performance and Other Features
The Snapdragon 625 chipset is present under the hood of the Mi A1. It is the same chipset that powers couple of other popular phones from Xiaomi such as Redmi Note 4, Mi Max and Mi Max 2. Even though Snapdragon 625 chip is known for its power-efficiency and thermal performance, Xiaomi has included two layers of pyrolytic graphite sheet that assists in dissipating heat quickly.
The SoC is supported by 4 GB of RAM and it comes with an inbuilt storage of 64 GB. The hybrid SIM slot has one slot allotted for a nano-SIM card and users can either use another slot for nano-SIM or a microSD up to 128 GB. It features a 3,080mAh battery that supports fast charging. The Mi A1 also features IR blaster for using it as a remote control for various home appliances.
The Mi A1 is designed for playing visually intensive games as it can run games like Asphalt Airborne 8 at 30fps without any lag. The phone has a 3.5mm audio jack and is powered by 10-volt smart power amplifier that can amplify sound when the phone is used in external speaker mode. The smartphone also features standalone audio amplifier as well as DHS Audio Calibration Algorithm that helps in producing natural sound experience. Users can also enjoy amplified audio output by connecting 3.5mm headsets to the phone.
Xiaomi Mi A1 Software and Other Features
The Android 7.1 Nougat comes preloaded on the Mi A1 and it does not feature MIUI 9 skin that is usually available on all the Xiaomi phones. Since it is an Android One phone, it delivers stock Android experience and comes with a few Xiaomi MIUI apps like MIUI camera, Mi Store, and Mi Remote. Google is providing unlimited cloud storage on Google Photos for Mi A1 users.
It is 4G LTE enabled phone that comes with usual connectivity features like 4.2 Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, USB Type-C and GPS.
Xiaomi Mi A1 Pricing and Release Date
The Xiaomi Mi A1 will be available for buying on Mi.com and Flipkart at 12 PM from 12th September. The handset is priced at Rs. 14,999 and it will be also sold through various Mi Home Stores in the country and offline channels as shown below.
Airtel is providing 200 GB of 4G data for existing and new subscribers. Including India, the Xiaomi Mi A1 Android One will be arriving in 37 international markets as shown in the below image.
What do you think about the pricing of this new Android One phone from Xiaomi? Share us your views by commenting below.
