Xiaomi Mi A2 (left) and Mi A2 Lite (right) Android One smartphones launched at a global launch event held in Spain. Mi A2 (Mi 6X) is the successor to Mi A1 (Mi 6X) smartphone launched last year as the company’s first Android One smartphone. Xiaomi, this time, also launched a lite variant featuring 19:9 display with a notch up top housing the front camera system, earpiece and ambient light sensor.
Coming to the pricing first, Mi A2’s 4GB/ 32GB storage variant has been priced at EUR 249 (approx Rs. 20,000 or $290) while the 4GB/ 64GB variant comes with a price tag of EUR 279 (approx Rs. 22,500 or $325). The top variant featuring 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage is gonna cost you EUR 349 (approx Rs. 28,000 or $408). On the other hand, Mi A2 Lite comes in two storage options- 3GB/ 32GB and 4GB/ 64GB priced at EUR 179 (approx Rs. 14,390 or $210) and EUR 229 (approx Rs. 18,410 or $267) respectively. In France and Italy, both smartphones will go on sale starting July 27 and August 8 respectively via Mi.com, authorized Mi Stores and other online channels. In Spain, the smartphones are set to go on sale starting August 10 via Mi.com, authorized Mi stores, Amazon, and AliExpress. Both smartphones will be offered in three color options- Black, Blue, and Gold.
Xiaomi Mi A2 sports full metal unibody and ultra-thin design with 5.99-inch FHD+ (2160×1080 pixels) LTPS IPS LCD display boasting 18:9 aspect ratio, 403 ppi pixel density, and on top of it is the 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 5. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon octa-core (4×2.2 GHz Kryo 260 & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 260) 660 SoC paired with Adreno 512 GPU and your choice of RAM i.e. 4GB/6GB. Internal storage options include- 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB with no option for further expandability so select the one that fits your usage.
While Mi A2 Lite sports notched 5.84-inch FHD+ (1080×2280 pixels) IPS LCD display with a 19:9 aspect ratio, 432 ppi pixel density, and 2.5D glass on top. It is powered by a 2.0GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon octa-core 625 SoC paired with Adreno 506 GPU and up to 4GB of RAM. It offers two internal storage options- 32GB and 64GB expandable up to 256GB via microSD card that goes into the dedicated card slot.
Camera department on Xiaomi Mi A2 includes dual rear camera setup consisting of 12MP Sony IMX486 primary sensor with 1.25μm pixels and f/1.75 large aperture and 20MP Sony IMX376 secondary sensor with 2.0μm pixels, 4-in-1 Super Pixel based on pixel binning, and f/1.75 large aperture. The 4-in-1 Super Pixel based on pixel binning technique brightens photos in low-light conditions. The dual rear camera setup possesses features like portrait mode, light enhancement technology, HDR, panorama, burst mode, Face recognition, AI Beautify 4.0, and comes paired with an LED flash. On the front side, the smartphone features 20MP Sony IMX376 selfie sensor with 2.0μm pixels, 4-in-1 Super Pixel based on pixel binning, f/2.2 aperture, 4500K soft-toned selfie light and supports features like AI-powered portrait mode, AI-powered Beautify 4.0, HDR, face recognition, and Group Selfie. Both side cameras come integrated with AI-based features such as AI Scene recognition which recognizes the scene and adjusts camera settings accordingly to capture improved photos with better colors and we have already mentioned AI-powered bokeh effect and smart beautify algorithm. Mi A2 can shoot 4K video at 30fps and 720p slow-mo video at 120fps.
On the other hand, Mi A2 Lite features AI integrated 12MP + 5MP dual rear camera setup with a f/2.2 aperture, large 1.25μm pixels, PDAF (phase detection autofocus), AI-powered portrait mode, depth mode, and LED flash. The notch on the front panel houses a 5MP selfie sensor with f/2.0 aperture, 67.9-degree wide-angle lens, AI-powered portrait mode, HDR, Beautify 4.0, and face recognition.
Both smartphones run stock Android 8.1 Oreo and being a part of Google’s Android One initiative, the phones will receive regular security and software updates including a guaranteed upgrade to Android P. Other features include unlimited high-quality photos and videos storage on Google’s cloud-based Google Photos and search what’s in your captured photos using Google Lens to get answers, look up information, copy/paste text, and more. The interface is simple and clean with more storage because of the curated set of pre-installed apps and no third-party customizations, all thanks to stock Android ROM, however, there are some Xiaomi-installed apps such as Mi Camera, Mi Remote, and Mi Store. It goes without saying that the phone supports Google’s smart AI-based assistant called Google Assistant that lets you control the phone using your voice. Mi A2 can be unlocked using a fingerprint or face as it supports both the phone unlocking methods while the Mi A2 Lite does not support face unlock feature but there is a fingerprint sensor mounted on the rear panel.
Mi A2 accepts two Nano SIMs, comes packed with 3010mAh battery and supports QuickCharge 3.0 fast charging technology which fuels up the phone up to 50 percent in just 30 minutes while Mi A2 Lite also accepts two Nano SIMs, has a dedicated memory card slot, and packs 4000mAh large battery. Connectivity options onboard Xiaomi Mi A2 include 4G LTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, WiFi Direct, Miracast, Bluetooth v5.0, IR blaster, GPS/ A-GPS, and USB Type-C port. On the other hand, connectivity options on the Mi A2 Lite include 4G LTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.2, IR blaster, GPS/ A-GPS, micro USB 2.0 port, and 3.5mm audio jack. Sensors on the Xiaomi Mi A2 and Mi A2 Lite include proximity, accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, and ambient light.
Xiaomi Mi A2 will also be launched in India but the Lite variant won’t make it to the Indian shores, company has confirmed. Mi A2 is set to arrive in India on August 8. See you then!
