Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi is famous for their ability to produce smartphones whose overall quality seems to belong to much costlier handsets. This makes the brand the perfect redeemer to the troubled Android One platform plagued by poor build quality and performance. Combining the company’s penchant for building inexpensive yet value-laden smartphones and Android One’s stock OS experience seemed like an excellent value-proposition back then which resulted in a collaboration between Xiaomi and Google.
The Mi A1, the partnership’s first foray into the Android One program, got the attention of Google diehards. It looked and felt like an iPhone 7+ but with a stock Android OS that was similar to the Google Pixel. For some Android enthusiasts, this is the perfect combination as iPhones have always had an advantage in the build-quality department while Android’s lack of restrictions was always preferred over the constricting nature of iOS devices.
It looks just as highly anticipated as its predecessor as the company sent out teasers for the launch event on July 24. Through the teasers, the company reveals that this time around, they’ll be releasing two variants of their Android One lineup stating that “#2 is better than 1”. They’re expected to be named the Mi A2 and the Mi A2 Lite with the latter having a slightly watered down specs.
A2 Specs
The A2 is expected to be powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 660 chip from Qualcomm with the graphics load taken care of by an Adreno 512 GPU. It's expected to come in three configurations - 4GB of RAM with a 64GB internal storage, a 6GB RAM also with a 64GB of onboard storage, and a fully decked out 6GB RAM with 128GB of storage.
Another trait the A2 inherited from its predecessor is the double camera feature. It even improves on the sensors by upgrading to a f/1.75 aperture 12MP IMX486 with 1.25μm pixel size and a F/1.75 aperture 20MP IMX376 with 1.25μm pixels on the back. The front cam is also upgraded to a 20MP and a soft LED flash.
As for ports, it’s expected to be Quickcharge 3.0 compatible device through a USB Type C port with a 3,010mAh battery so charging it up should be a top-notch experience. Going against the grain, the A2 will still sport a 3.5mm headphone jack. Another notable upgrade will be the Bluetooth 5.0 LE that will allow users to pair up to more than one device at once.
The display should be updated to a 5.99” 2.5D screen with a 2160x1080 pixels with an aspect ratio of 18:9 that seems to be industry standard nowadays.
A2 Lite Specs
The A2 Lite is expected to go the more modest route by sticking with the Snapdragon 625 chipset from Qualcomm. It is the same chipset that Xiaomi’s original Android One phone had but it’s expected to perform just as well today as it did a couple of months ago. The graphics load, on the other hand, should be powered by an Adreno 506 GPU. There will be three different variants as well with two 4GB RAM models with either 32GB or 64GB storage and a 3GB RAM model with 32GBs of storage.
While it still has a dual camera feature on the back, it wouldn't be as compelling as the shooters on the A2. It's going to have a f/2.2 aperture 12MP Sony IMX486 with 1.25μm pixels and a f/2.2 aperture 5MP Samsung S5K5E8 with 1.12um pixel size. There will also be a 5MP front-facing camera sans the LED flash from the A2.
Ports-wise, it’s going to carry over almost all features from the A1 with only the battery improving to 4,000mAh. It's not going to be compatible with Qualcomm's Quickcharge technology and Bluetooth will still be the 4.2 standards.
The infamous notch of the iPhone X will be featured on the 5.84” screen that comes with a 2280 x 1080 pixels and a 19:9 aspect ratio.
Opinions
It’s interesting to see how the two different versions of the new line of Android One phones will perform with the A2 Lite’s internals being almost exactly the same as its predecessor. Noting that the A1 still hasn’t stopped production, will the A2 eat up at the demand for the highly successful A1 or will people stick with the original? The notch is also an interesting aspect to look out for in the A2 Lite as it has already proven to be an inconsequential upgrade because phones without it have been selling just as well or even better than phones that come with it.
It's the full-grown upgrade in the A2 that seems like the most compelling upgrade. It's better in all aspects except for the battery size but the introduction of the Quickcharge 3.0 could possibly make up for that.
The Mi A1, the partnership’s first foray into the Android One program, got the attention of Google diehards. It looked and felt like an iPhone 7+ but with a stock Android OS that was similar to the Google Pixel. For some Android enthusiasts, this is the perfect combination as iPhones have always had an advantage in the build-quality department while Android’s lack of restrictions was always preferred over the constricting nature of iOS devices.
It looks just as highly anticipated as its predecessor as the company sent out teasers for the launch event on July 24. Through the teasers, the company reveals that this time around, they’ll be releasing two variants of their Android One lineup stating that “#2 is better than 1”. They’re expected to be named the Mi A2 and the Mi A2 Lite with the latter having a slightly watered down specs.
A2 Specs
The A2 is expected to be powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 660 chip from Qualcomm with the graphics load taken care of by an Adreno 512 GPU. It's expected to come in three configurations - 4GB of RAM with a 64GB internal storage, a 6GB RAM also with a 64GB of onboard storage, and a fully decked out 6GB RAM with 128GB of storage.
Another trait the A2 inherited from its predecessor is the double camera feature. It even improves on the sensors by upgrading to a f/1.75 aperture 12MP IMX486 with 1.25μm pixel size and a F/1.75 aperture 20MP IMX376 with 1.25μm pixels on the back. The front cam is also upgraded to a 20MP and a soft LED flash.
As for ports, it’s expected to be Quickcharge 3.0 compatible device through a USB Type C port with a 3,010mAh battery so charging it up should be a top-notch experience. Going against the grain, the A2 will still sport a 3.5mm headphone jack. Another notable upgrade will be the Bluetooth 5.0 LE that will allow users to pair up to more than one device at once.
The display should be updated to a 5.99” 2.5D screen with a 2160x1080 pixels with an aspect ratio of 18:9 that seems to be industry standard nowadays.
A2 Lite Specs
The A2 Lite is expected to go the more modest route by sticking with the Snapdragon 625 chipset from Qualcomm. It is the same chipset that Xiaomi’s original Android One phone had but it’s expected to perform just as well today as it did a couple of months ago. The graphics load, on the other hand, should be powered by an Adreno 506 GPU. There will be three different variants as well with two 4GB RAM models with either 32GB or 64GB storage and a 3GB RAM model with 32GBs of storage.
While it still has a dual camera feature on the back, it wouldn't be as compelling as the shooters on the A2. It's going to have a f/2.2 aperture 12MP Sony IMX486 with 1.25μm pixels and a f/2.2 aperture 5MP Samsung S5K5E8 with 1.12um pixel size. There will also be a 5MP front-facing camera sans the LED flash from the A2.
Ports-wise, it’s going to carry over almost all features from the A1 with only the battery improving to 4,000mAh. It's not going to be compatible with Qualcomm's Quickcharge technology and Bluetooth will still be the 4.2 standards.
The infamous notch of the iPhone X will be featured on the 5.84” screen that comes with a 2280 x 1080 pixels and a 19:9 aspect ratio.
Opinions
It’s interesting to see how the two different versions of the new line of Android One phones will perform with the A2 Lite’s internals being almost exactly the same as its predecessor. Noting that the A1 still hasn’t stopped production, will the A2 eat up at the demand for the highly successful A1 or will people stick with the original? The notch is also an interesting aspect to look out for in the A2 Lite as it has already proven to be an inconsequential upgrade because phones without it have been selling just as well or even better than phones that come with it.
It's the full-grown upgrade in the A2 that seems like the most compelling upgrade. It's better in all aspects except for the battery size but the introduction of the Quickcharge 3.0 could possibly make up for that.