Xiaomi Mi A2 vs Mi A1: what’s new

“The Xiaomi Mi A2 is a significant upgrade over its predecessor with a better spec sheet and cameras”

Last year’s Xiaomi Mi A1 (review) was an important device because it ditched the company’s MIUI software and adopted the Android One platform. This delighted many who loved the company’s hardware but were not eager to use its software. The Mi A2 (first impressions) is a new iteration of this vision. It has been equipped with hardware upgrades, but the software is the same stock version of Android that promises quick updates among other things. Here’s a detailed comparison between the two handsets from Xiaomi.

Xiaomi Mi A2 vs Mi A1: what’s different

Adhering to the market trend, the Mi A2 has gone for a taller display which is sized at 5.99 inches and bears a resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels. The one on the Mi A1 is a 5.5-inch panel with 1080p resolution. The chipset upgrade from Snapdragon 625 to Snapdragon 660 might not sound much, but the former has proved to be quite a powerful option compared to its predecessor. Thanks to this setup, the new device gets a 2.2GHz octa-core processor and an Adreno 512 GPU. The Mi A1, on the other hand, carries a 2GHz processor and an Adreno 506 GPU. One of the biggest changes in this year’s model is the absence of a microSD card slot which will surely disappoint those who feel the need for additional storage. The Mi A1 used the second SIM slot to offer 128GB of additional space. However, the Mi A2 has tried to compensate for the lack of a microSD card slot by offering more storage options. You can grab 32GB and 64GB variants on its 4GB RAM variant, or opt for the 128GB storage model which comes with 6GB of RAM.

Dual cameras were the main selling point of the Mi A1, and unsurprisingly, they have been retained on its successor. While the earlier model offered a set of two 12MP snappers, the Mi A2 has gone for a 12MP + 20MP setup, with both cameras offering wide f/1.8 apertures. The front camera also sees a huge update from the 5MP unit that was present in the Mi A1. The new phone has adopted a 20MP f/1.8 snapper for selfies and video calling. With MIUI 10, Xiaomi introduced its software-based AI Portrait Mode which has made its way into a number of devices. However, it is still a no-show on the Mi A1 due to its stock Android nature. That has changed with the Mi A2, which gets the beloved feature right out of the box.

One thing that we were dreading can happen, has indeed happened. The Mi A2 has ditched the headphone jack. Xiaomi will be providing a Type-C to 3.5mm adaptor along with the handset to help you connect your old headphones to the device. What’s also surprising is that the new handset has grabbed a slightly smaller battery than its predecessor. The Mi A2 features a 3000mAh cell, as opposed to the 3080mAh power unit inside the Mi A1.

Xiaomi Mi A2 vs Mi A1: what’s the same

Just like the Mi A1, the newly launched Mi A2 features aluminium on its back surface and Corning’s Gorilla Glass on its front surface. With both the devices, you still get a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and the regular sensors like an accelerometer, a gyro, a proximity sensor and an IR blaster. The batteries of these Xiaomi phones support Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 standard, offering great charging speeds. USB Type-C connectivity has also been retained by Xiaomi on the new device. Speaking about the cameras, thanks to the incorporation of dual cameras, 2X optical zoom and portrait mode effects are both parts of the user experience on these phones.

Price and availability

When the Xiaomi Mi 1 was launched in India last September, it was being sold at Rs 14,999. Subsequently, its price had dropped to as low as Rs 12,999. But a few days ago, the model was discontinued by the company in preparation for the arrival of the Mi A2. Despite this, the earlier device can still be purchased online if you’re willing to shell out higher amounts than the original price. As for the Mi A2, it is still to get its Indian pricing, but in Europe, it will be sold at a starting price of EUR 249 (approximately Rs 20,100). Now that’s quite a big increase in the cost than the predecessor.

Conclusion

The Mi A2 is, by all means, a great update to the Mi A1. You get a taller display, better cameras, faster performance and much more. The only thing that might pull your towards the Mi A1 is its incorporation of a headphone jack. Whatever the device, the Android One software present on both these handsets would still be their main selling point thanks to the promise of timely software updates.

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