Since then, many companies have become part of Google’s Android One program. But only few of them launched their products in the Indian market. HMD Global, the maker of Nokia-branded smartphones, announced that all its Android smartphones will be part of the Android One program. All Nokia-branded phones launched at Mobile World Congress 2018 have been brought to the Indian market. Now Xiaomi has introduced the Mi A2, an update to its first Android One smartphone, the Xiaomi Mi A1. It comes with better hardware than stock Android. Should Xiaomi Mi A2 be the purchase for those looking for a pure Android experience? We have tried to find the answer to this question.
Xiaomi Mi A2 Design
Xiaomi Mi A2 is a smartphone with the best design. It comes with a single piece of metal and feels premium in the hands. The first major change compared to the Xiaomi Mi A1 is the display. The phone has a 5.99-inch 18:9 aspect ratio display. Due to this, the phone looks tall and slim. The edges are curved and therefore there is a good grip in the hands. The black variant taken for review comes with a matte finish. Fingerprints don’t fall easily on it. But the phone slips easily in the hands and we suggest our readers use the cover that is included in the box.
The power and volume buttons are on the right side. Your answer is great. We found the power button to be well positioned, but the volume buttons are a bit high for our liking. Xiaomi has placed the selfie Camera, earpiece, selfie light and notification light above the screen. The bottom of the screen is blank. The smartphone has a single color notification LED.
There is a USB Type-C port at the bottom. There are speaker grills on both sides, but only the right houses the speaker. Infrared emitter is also present in the phone, with the help of which the phone can be used as a remote control. It has a place with the secondary microphone at the top. There is no 3.5mm headphone jack on the phone. Instead, a USB Type-C dongle has been included in the box. Xiaomi ensures that it has used a better quality amplifier, so that the speaker and headphones sound good.
Xiaomi has given a dual camera setup at the back, in a vertical position. There is a 12-megapixel main camera, a 20-megapixel secondary lens, and an LED flash on the back. The chamber is convex. Due to this, the phone remains elevated on a flat surface. The fingerprint sensor has a place next to the camera module. Xiaomi has given 3000 mAh battery in Mi A2.
Specifications, software and features of Xiaomi Mi A2
The Chinese smartphone manufacturer has used the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor in the Mi A2. The Adreno 512 GPU is integrated with this. Xiaomi Mi A2 has 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. Sadly, there’s no microSD card slot, which means you’ll have to compromise on the phone’s storage. This dual SIM smartphone has room for two Nano SIM slots. There is support for 4G and VoLTE on both SIMs.
The 5.99-inch screen has a Full HD+ resolution. Its pixel density is 403 pixels per inch. Corning Gorilla Glass 5 has been used for protection. Viewing angles are decent, but the screen doesn’t get very bright. You will also not be able to control the output. The ambient display feature wakes your phone when you receive a notification.
The battery capacity of the phone is 3000 mAh which is small compared to other phones in this price segment. For example, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 (Review) comes with a huge 4000 mAh battery. Xiaomi Mi A2 has support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+. But you will get only a standard 10W charger in the retail box. The connectivity options of the Xiaomi Mi A2 include Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11ac dual band, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS and Baidu.
Xiaomi has kept the focus on the camera of the Mi A2. There is a 12-megapixel main camera with an F/1.75 aperture on the back. The secondary camera is 20 megapixels and its aperture is also F/1.75. To recall, the secondary camera of the Mi A1 had a zoom lens for 2X optical zoom. But Xiaomi Mi A2 will give good performance in low light.
The stock Xiaomi Mi A2 runs on Android 8.1 Oreo. The company has definitely provided feedback, the file manager, and the Me Drop app. The Feedback app cannot be disabled or uninstalled, but the other two apps can be removed from the phone. The camera app has also been customized by Xiaomi. This is different from the default Android app. Google apps are already installed on this phone. When we started reviewing the phone, it was equipped with the June security patch. But during the review, it received an update, after which the phone was equipped with the August security patch.
If you like pure Android, you’ll love the Mi A2 software experience. It has an app drawer. You can see all installed apps by swiping up. You can find Google Feed by swiping right on the home screen. The Google Assistant can be activated by holding down the home button. We did not find any application to use the infrared emitter on the phone. This means that the phone cannot be used as a remote control out of the box. You can do this by downloading the Mi Remote app from the Play Store. Xiaomi told Gadgets 360 that it will bring an update after which the Mi Remote app will come pre-installed on the phone. The camera app can be activated by double pressing the power button on the Mi A2.
Xiaomi Mi A2 performance and battery life
We have used the Nokia 7 Plus and it comes with the same processor as the Xiaomi Mi A2. Nokia’s phone also runs Android as standard. The performance of Xiaomi Mi A2 is also similar. We didn’t have any problems multitasking or using the phone’s UI. 4 GB of RAM will prove to be sufficient for general use. The fingerprint sensor is fast and unlocks the phone quickly.
We play games like PUBG, Clash Royale, and Asphalt 9 on the phone. PUBG by default has a medium setting. We didn’t have any performance complaints. We played this game for about 25 minutes. During this, I found that the phone did get warm, but not too hot. Asphalt 9 ran without any lag or issues.
In our HD video loop test, this Xiaomi phone’s battery lasted 8 hours and 13 minutes, which is less than average. In our review, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro (Review) and Redmi Note 5 managed up to 16 hours, although they come with larger batteries. Active WhatsApp and Gmail accounts, almost an hour of gameplay, some time on Instagram and a few phone calls, the battery saver mode kicked in only after about 7 hours and 30 minutes. If your user behavior is similar, don’t forget to take the charger with you. The charger provided with the retail box takes around 2 hours to fully charge the phone. In this case, we suggest that you use the charger that comes with the Qualcomm Quick Charge mount.
Xiaomi Mi A2 cameras
Xiaomi has worked on the camera app of this phone and it is different from the Android camera app. You’ll find Shot Video, Portrait, Square, Panorama, and a Manual mode. In manual mode, users will be able to control white balance, focus, shutter speed, and ISO. During this time, wearers can also choose between regular and low light lenses. Xiaomi claims that it has tweaked the portrait mode to use the 12-megapixel camera in bright enough light and activate the secondary 20-megapixel camera in low light. But we find that this is not the case. When one lens is in use, the other acts as a depth sensor.
The Mi A2 detects light very quickly and locks the focus. Photos taken outdoors with the Mi A2 come with plenty of detail and the colors are accurate too. Even after zooming in, you’ll be able to see the details in the image and the noise isn’t much either. We also found that the camera app automatically switches to HDR mode when necessary. Autofocus is fast when taking macro photos. We found that the Mi A2 is also capable of focusing on very small objects. The macros shot out. The phone showed a clear distinction between the subject and the background.
In low light conditions, the Mi A2 increases the ISO and slows down the shutter speed so that the main camera captures more light instead of using the secondary camera. We think Xiaomi should have automatically used the given secondary for better low-light photography. But if you want, you can do it by going to manual mode. Photos also came with detail in these photos, but we found that aggressive noise reduction has been done in the dark area, so the watercolor effect appears when zooming in.
Touch the image to see samples of the Xiaomi Mi A2 camera
Selfies also come with details. Inside, the images came out sharp. The selfie fill light proves to be very effective in low light conditions. HDR is also available for the selfie camera and is automatically activated when needed. You can decide the embellishment level according to yourself.
In Xiaomi Mi A2 you can record 4K videos with the main camera and up to 1080p with the selfie camera. You will have the possibility to record 1080 pixel resolution videos at a speed of 60 frames per second from the main camera. However, we found that the camera had trouble locking focus at higher frame rates. Video stabilization is available for the rear camera.
our decision
Xiaomi Mi A1 (Review) has always been the first choice for Android experience in the budget range. However, the situation has changed. Especially after HMD Global brought Nokia Android One phones. Faced with such a situation, Xiaomi will have to take special care of the price and something similar has been done by the company with the new release.
The cameras of the Xiaomi Mi A2 are great. If seen, it is one of the best camera phones in this price range. Apart from this, the powerful Snapdragon 660 processor has been a part of the most expensive phones so far. In such a situation, this phone will definitely appeal to customers who want solid performance at a budget price.
The price of Xiaomi Mi A2 is Rs 16,999. Considering the hardware, this is a very aggressive price. However, the Xiaomi Mi A2 also has some drawbacks. Battery capacity is below average. This results in poor battery life. Xiaomi has omitted the 3.5mm headphone jack and there is also no microSD card slot. Buyers pay special attention to these two aspects. If you want stock Android and aspire to have powerful cameras, then the Mi A2 is made for you. If you don’t care about MIUI, then the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro (Review) is still a better option and costs less. We suggest you keep an eye on Honor Play.
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