Here is the Xiaomi Mi A1 review, this handset comes with a attractive price tag and also performs in all areas be it gaming, battery life, overall quality and camera. This review will help you know how the handset performed and you can also check the sample images.
Xiaomi launched the Mi A1 handset that is actually AndroidOne powered which means Xiaomi is taking care of the hardware and Google will be handling the software part. The biggest advantage of Mi A1 is it will continue getting Android updates, the next one will be Android O and the next will be Android P.
Talking about performance the Snapdragon 625 14nm chipset does a very good job, powerful and hardly heats up, perfect for gaming. Screen quality is also pretty good with a FHD resolution and Corning Gorilla Glass protected.
Key highlight is the dual cameras on the back, check the camera section to get an idea how the camera performed.
Xiaomi Mi A1 features, specifications
Inside the box (unboxing the Xiaomi Mi A1) : Handset, data cable (USB to USB Type C), travel charger 5V/2A, user guide, warranty card, and SIM Ejector Pin
SAR Value : 1.26 W/kg @ 1g head and 0.17 W/kg @1g body (15mm distance)
Body : Build and finishing is very good, weight is 163 gram, easy to use and hold, comfortable, metal body with curvy design
SIM Type : Nano SIM + Nano SIM / Micro SD card (Hybrid slot), 4G VoLTE supported
Weight and Dimensions : 163 grams, 7.3mm thick
Screen : 5.5 inches, 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution, viewing angles, touch response and color reproduction are very good, 2.5D curved glass and corning gorilla glass protected for added protection
Connectivity : 4G, VoLTE (work on both SIM), WiFi, GPS, IR Blaster and Bluetooth
Sensors : Accelerometer, Proximity, light and magnetic, Gyro, hall and Step counter
LED Notification : Yes, single color
OTG : Yes supported
RAM : 4GB (about 2.8GB free on first boot)
ROM : 64GB (about 52GB free on first boot)
Micro SD : Yes 128GB MAX
OS : Android Nougat 7.1.2, will get Android Oreo and Android P updates, this is pure android and not running MIUI
Xiaomi Mi A1 Performance
CPU : Qualcomm Snapdragon 14nm 625 octa core @ 2Ghz
GPU : Adreno 506 GPU
Heating : low
Max Battery Temperature : 36 degrees
Handset is powerful, hardly heats up, max battery temp I encountered was 36 degrees.
Xiaomi Mi A1 Benchmark
Antutu : 63395 / 13021
NenaMark3 : 59.4fps (3-3)
Multi Touch : 10 points
Disk Speed : 214 MB/s read and 230 MB/s write
Xiaomi Mi A1 Gaming Review
I installed Asphalt 8 and Modern Combat 5. Both these games played really well, no lags, very smooth and after playing it for few minutes the battery temp was pretty normal in fact.
Xiaomi Mi A1 Camera Review
Rear Camera : 12MP wide angle (f/2.2) – 25mm focal length + 12MP Telephoto (f/2.6) 50mm focal length, auto focus, flash, dual tone LED flash
Front Camera : 5MP, f/2.0, beauty mode
Video Recording : max 4K resolution
The camera quality is excellent. You get really good shots in dual camera mode, however follow the instructions when you enable dual camera mode, cause if you don’t you will complain about subject not focusing, blurry etc. So once you understand how the dual camera works you will be able to make the most out of it (check the samples below).
Normal shots are also excellent, there is 2x optical zoom that also does a very good job, using when you want to zoom in without moving forward. The selfie shots were good. Mi A1 can shoot 4K videos, video quality is very good, you also get time-lapse and slow motion video recording options.
Night / low light shots also turned out great. There is manual mode option for still photos, however the shutter control option is limited, would have been better if you get to control it a bit more.
Camera Rating : 4.4 out of 5
Mi A1 camera sample
Download Original Image files (right click and save) (do not use it for commercial purpose, without permission of gogi.in).
Other features
The finger print sensor on the back is not very fast but also not really that slow, and its accurate. Sound is loud and clear, no issues. I did not face any issues with networks, I was using the Reliance Jio SIM + Airtel SIM.
Xiaomi Mi A1 Battery Review
Battery capacity : 3080mAh (non-removable)
Charging Time : I used the QC 3.0 fast charger to charge it took 2 hours to charge from 0% to 100%, so fast charger really did not charge that fast, handset does not support fast charging, use the charge provided
Battery Life : 5 to 9 hours non-stop (moderate to heavy)
Daily usage battery life : One to One and a Half days of mixed usage
Battery Test Results
Battery Temp at idle : 33 degrees
Running Benchmark app : 17 minutes / 3% / 34 degrees
Mc5 + Asphalt 8 game play : 15 minutes / 5% / 35 degrees
4K video playback with full brightness (WiFi /4G on) : 25 minutes / 7% / 36 degrees
Verdict
Another excellent handset from Xiaomi, and add to it powered by AndroidOne – this makes it even more special. Now this handset is not running MIUI, the experience will be different. In case you are in love with MIUI this is not for you, unless you are looking for a change.
Mi A1 performs, hardly heats up (do not mix battery temp with CPU Temp – Battery Temp limit is up to 60 degree and CPU Temp limit is up to 100 degree), camera is excellent and battery life is also pretty good.
A very good buy if you are planning to get one, go ahead.
Rating : 4.5 out of 5
Xiaomi Mi A1 price in India is Rs. 14,999 sale begins from 12th September 2017.