Category: Xiaomi

Xiaomi Redmi 5 With 4GB RAM Launched

In November 2017, Xiaomi launched the Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus in China. Two budget-oriented devices with thin bezels and an 18:9 aspect ratio. At the time of its launch, the Redmi 5 was priced at CNY 799 (Rs 7,800 approx) for the 2GB RAM/16GB storage variant and CNY 899 (Rs 8,800 approx.) for the 3GBRAM/ 32GB storage variant. It is available in Black, Blue, Gold and Rose Gold colour variants.

In order to keep up with the market demands, Xiaomi has launched a 4GB RAM variant of the Redmi 5in China at a price of CNY 1099 (Rs. 11,000 approx.). The 4GB RAM variant, however, is only available in Blue, Black and Gold colour variants.

Xiaomi Redmi 5 Specifications

The Xiaomi Redmi 5 has a 5.7-inch 1440 x 720 px display with an 18:9 aspect ratio.

Under the hood, the Redmi 5 has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 chipset, a 1.8GHz octa-core processor, Adreno 506 GPU, 2GB, 3GB or 4GB of RAM, 16GB or 32GB of onboard storage which will be expandable via microSD card. There is a fingerprint sensor placed at the back of the phone just below the camera.

Redmi 5 Plus

Powering the device is a 3300 mAh battery which, Xioami claims has a standby time of up to 12 days. The battery is charged via a micro USB slot which means no fast charging. There is a 3.5mm headphone jack placed next to the charging port as well.

The Redmi 5 has a 12MP camera at the back with 1.25-micron pixel size. The camera surprisingly only records 1080P videos at 30fps. To the front of the device is a 5MP camera with Beautify 3.0, which is Xiaomi’s software for enhanced selfies.

It doesn’t look like the Redmi 5 will make its way to the Indian market. For starters, Xiaomi has strong contenders in the price segment and the Redmi Note 5 is expected to grab all the headlines if and when it is launched.

Buy it here

January 26, 2018
Xiaomi Mi A1 Android 8 Oreo Update Suspended Again

Xiaomi Mi A1 was the first ever smartphone from Xiaomi to run stock Android OS. The Mi A1 was promised to have much better update experience thanks to Android One support. That, however, has not been the case so far.

After releasing the Android 8.0 Oreo on December 31st, the company had to suspend the rollout. On 16th January, the company resumed the rollout. It seemingly fixed all the bugs that were reported by users who updated their phones in the first wave of the rollout. Now, the company has been forced into suspending the update rollout once again.

New bugs have been unearthed in the latest build. Xiaomi would like to fix these as soon as possible. One of the USPs of the Mi A1 was the smartphone’s software experience for people who did not fancy MIUI and all its bells and whistles.

Xiaomi isn’t the first company to suspend the Android 8 Oreo update. OnePlus had to recently halt the Android 8 Oreo update for the OnePlus 5 devices due to performance issues reported by users. However, the issues were fixed soon and the official rollout resumed a few days ago.

Xiaomi Mi A1/5X

Xiaomi Mi A1 Overview

The Mi A1 has a 5.5 inch LTPS display with a 1920 x 1080 px resolution.

The smartphone has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, 8x ARM Cortex A53 2.0GHz 64-bit processor, 4GB RAM and 64GB of onboard storage which is expandable via microSD card.

The Xiaomi Mi A1 has a 12MP equipped with a wide-angle lens with an f/2.2 aperture while the other one is a 12MP telephoto lens with an f/2.6 aperture. For landscape shots, Xiaomi has introduced a wide angle lens while on the front is a 5MP camera.

Watch our full review of the Xiaomi Mi A1:

January 26, 2018
Leaked: Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Specifications And Price

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 continues to be a best-seller in the India market. Its successor, the Redmi Note 5 has been subject to a lot of speculation since the launch of the Redmi 5 Plus. While many believed that the Redmi 5 Plus will be launched in India as the Redmi Note 5, new leaks tell a different story.

It is being reported that the Chinese smartphone maker wants to launch the Redmi Note 5 before the Mi 7. This means that the phone could see an early or mid-February launch. Recently, the Xiaomi MEE7S and MET7S devices received 3C approval in China. It is now being reported that these are indeed two variants of the Redmi Note 5 and will soon be made official. The Redmi Note 5 is rumoured to be priced at 1499 Yuan (Rs. 15000 approx.) and 1799 Yuan (Rs. 18000 approx.).

What Do We Know About The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 So Far?

As a 2018 smartphone, the Redmi Note 5 is expected to look different from its predecessor. The smartphone is expected to have a 5.99 inch display with a 2160 x 1080 px resolution which translates into an 18:9 aspect ratio.

Under the hood, the phablet will have two variants. One will run on the Snapdragon 630 chipset, have 3GB RAM and 32GB of onboard storage. The other one will be powered by the Snapdragon 636 chipset, have 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Both the variants are expected to support storage expansion via microSD card.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 Launched in Early-2017

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 will run MIUI 9 out of the box. There is still no word on whether it’ll run Android 8 Oreo or Android 7 Nougat.

The Redmi Note 5 could also be the first Redmi phone to feature a dual-camera setup. It is expected to have a 16MP primary sensor that will be accompanied by a 5MP sensor. To the front will be an 8MP camera.

Xiaomi knows that once launched, the Redmi Note 5 will be met with a lot of demand. Hence, there are reports claiming that it is stocking as many units of the Redmi Note 5 as possible. The rumoured price could be a bit off, especially for the Indian market. Xiaomi would want to launch the Redmi Note 5 at a price of about Rs.11000-12000, similar to what it did with the Redmi Note 4.

January 25, 2018
Xiaomi Mi 6X Leaked In Live Images

Xiaomi has announced that it will be present at the upcoming Mobile World Congress event. It is likely that the Xiaomi Mi 7 will be announced at the event. But, with leaks of the Mi 6X coming thick and fast, could we see an early announcement at MWC? However, expecting an early announcement of the phone might be a leap. Xiaomi usually launches its mid-range phones in China first. However, the Mi 6X leaks look promising so far.

After a couple of renders and sketches, two images of the Xiaomi Mi 6X reveal the device out in the wild. In line with previous leaks, the images reveal an 18:9 aspect ratio of the phone with thin bezels. The front of the phone looks very similar to the Redmi 5 Plus wherein it has a tall display but, the bezels are not the thinnest by any means.

The interesting bit, however, is on the back of this smartphone. With a move that will surely help Xiaomi grab the headlines, the Mi 6X has a vertically placed dual-camera setup. The catch here is that the camera placement is uncannily similar to the iPhone X. It is noteworthy the LED flash is placed in between the two camera sensors as well. The fingerprint sensor, as suspected is placed on the back as well, which means no in-display fingerprint sensor right now.

What Do We Know About The Xiaomi Mi 6X So Far?

A few days ago, two leaks of the Xiaomi Mi 6X revealed that the device will continue the trend of having dual cameras and a tall display. The new images seemingly confirm that and it appears that the Mi 6X will have an 18:9 5.99 inch display. The company could use an IPS LCD panel, similar to its predecessor and a lot of other Xiaomi mid-range devices.

The Xiaomi Mi6X will be powered by the recently leaked Surge S2 chipset. The Surge S2 will have an octa-core CPU with four Cortex-A73 cores running at 2.2 GHz and four Cortex-A53 at 1.8 GHz. Accompanying the chipset will be the Mali-G71 MP8 GPU which is a great improvement over the Mali-T860 from the Surge S1. A report claims that Xiaomi is looking to par the Surge S2 with the Kirin 960 by Huawei.

Previous Leaks

There has been no information leaked regarding the battery capacity or the camera setup as of now. However, with the launch of the smartphone still a few months away, we could see a lot of other information about the device being leaked as well.

January 25, 2018
Xiaomi’s New Surge S2 Chipset To Power The Mi 6X

There is no denying that Qualcomm rules the roost when it comes to chipsets powering Android smartphones. Big smartphone makers opt for Snapdragon chipsets for their best devices and it seems like this will be the case for a long time. However, a lot of companies are preparing in-house chipsets and use these chipsets for a lot of important smartphones. Samsung uses its Exynos chipsets for devices sold in the US and South Korea, while Xiaomi only recently started developing its in-house chips.

In 2017, Xiaomi launched its first-ever chipset, the Surge S1. The Surge S1 powered the Xiaomi Mi 5c but, the device remained a China-exclusive like a lot of other Xiaomi smartphones. However, it looks like the next iteration of Xiaomi’s in-house chipsets will power a device that could potentially see a release outside China. Specifications of Surge S2 have surfaced online and it is being reported that the Xiaomi Mi 6X will be powered by the new chipset.

Mi 6X leaks

The Surge S2 will have an octa-core CPU with four Cortex-A73 cores running at 2.2 GHz and four Cortex-A53 at 1.8 GHz. Accompanying the chipset will be the Mali-G71 MP8 GPU which is a great improvement over the Mali-T860 from the Surge S1. According to the report, Xiaomi is looking to par the S2 with the Kirin 960 by Huawei.

It is reported that the first device to be powered by the new chipset is the Xiaomi Mi 6X. It is worth noting that the Xiaomi 5X was launched as the Xiaomi Mi A1 in the global market and if Xiaomi continues the trend, the Surge S2 could power the Xiaomi Mi A2 or Mi A1 (2018). So far, there have been two leaks that seemingly confirm a design change for the Mi 6X.

The two leaked images reveal that the Xiaomi Mi 6X will have a vertically placed dual-camera setup on the back, similar to the Apple iPhone X. The front of the phone will see reduced bezels and a tall display, presumably a 6 inch IPS LCD display with a 2160 x 1080 px resolution.

The launch of the smartphone might be far but, the Surge S2 is expected to be announced at the MWC 2018, where Xiaomi could also unveil the Mi 7.

January 23, 2018
Xiaomi Mi 6X Case Leak Confirms The iPhone X Style Dual Camera Setup

The past couple of years have seen a promising growth in the popularity of mid-range smartphones. Consumers are genuinely interested in the upcoming smartphones rather than just looking at them as a cheap alternative until they buy a flagship phone. Xiaomi has been a big player in the budget category of smartphones and especially in India, it has seen an exponential growth thanks to popular phones like the Redmi Note 4 and Xiaomi Mi A1.

The Xiaomi Mi A1 was an Android One variant of the Mi 5X which was launched in July of 2017, and a successor is eagerly anticipated by many suitors. The Mi 5X/Mi A1 had a great camera setup for its price point and nothing less than an upgrade is expected of the upcoming Mi 6X. However, there might be a design change that might interest a few people more than others.

A leaked image of the back panel of the Xiaomi Mi 6X revealed that it will sport a vertically placed dual-camera setup, uncannily similar to the iPhone X. A leaked image of a case has also surfaced, which reveals the same camera placement along with a rear-facing fingerprint sensor. The accompanying front angle image reveals that the Mi 6X will have thin bezels and an 18:9 aspect ratio. The resolution is expected to be 2160 x 1080 px.

The image of the back panel did not reveal a fingerprint sensor instead, had a small hole.

The Xiaomi Mi 6X could very well be the Xiaomi Mi A1 (2018) or Mi A2 in India as the Mi A1 was extremely well-received for its software and camera performance. Even though the Mi A1 got off to a rough start after the first Android 8.0 Oreo update, things have gotten better since then as the company released a new update.

So far, apart from two sketchy leaked images, we have no information about the Mi 6X however, with its launch presumably a few months away, there is plenty of time for more leaks. Only time will tell whether the Xiaomi Mi 6X will ever make its way to India as the Mi A2 or under any other moniker.

January 23, 2018
Xiaomi Mi 6X Back Panel Reveals iPhone X-Like Dual Camera Setup

Xiaomi consistently launches smartphones in its native market and sometimes, these devices get a global launch. In 2017, the Chinese smartphone maker launched the Mi 5X in China and a few weeks later, the Mi 5X with stock Android OS was launched as the Mi A1 in India. The successor to the Mi 5X, the Mi 6X is expected to be launched close to mid-2018 and a new image reveals a key detail about the device.

The leaked image of the back panel of the upcoming Mi 6X reveals a dual-camera setup vertically placed. Similar to the iPhone X, it appears that the LED flash will also be placed between the two sensors. Apart from the dual-camera setup, the build quality looks to be metallic with an aluminium unibody design. There is no cutout for a fingerprint sensor which either means that the device will have thick bezels and a fingerprint sensor housed inside the home button, or an in-display fingerprint sensor.

Even though a fingerprint sensor inside the display for a mid-range device sounds outlandish right now, the smartphone is expected to be launched in mid-2018 which gives Xiaomi a lot of time to perfect the technology. If Xiaomi does go for a 16:9 aspect ratio, it might be a bad move especially if it wants to launch the device in markets other than China. The Indian market already has more modern looking mid-range smartphones like the Honor 7X. There are rumours that the Moto G6 Plus will have an 18:9 aspect ratio which will soon become an industry norm.

Xiaomi Mi A1/5X

There are no details about the specifications of the upcoming smartphone however, this could very well be the Mi A1 (2018) or Mi A2 as its predecessor, the Mi 5X was launched as the Mi A1 in India back in September 2017. Whether Xiaomi decides to launch it in India is a different case but, the popularity of the Mi A1 might inspire the company to launch a successor here in India.

January 22, 2018
Xiaomi Mi 7 Renders Reveal Dual Cameras And A Rear Facing Fingerprint Sensor

Xiaomi is expected to make a big announcement at the upcoming MWC 2018 and many expect it to be of the Mi 7. Xiaomi will launch the next iteration of its ‘Mi’ flagship phones in 2018 and the announcement could be made as soon as February. While one very important aspect of the upcoming device was confirmed by the company itself, there have a been a few conflicting renders and reports regarding some of the features that the Mi 7 might sport.

One such thing was the fingerprint technology. Ever since Vivo unveiled the first-ever smartphone with an in-display fingerprint sensor, there have been plenty of rumours of more Chinese smartphone makers adopting the Clear ID technology. A few weeks ago, two conflicting reports claimed that the Mi 7 will have an in-display fingerprint sensor while the other claimed that it will adopt Face ID-like facial recognition system owing to the popularity of AI. A new render appears to have revealed that Xiaomi will, at the least, not introduce a Clear ID fingerprint sensor in its next flagship device.

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A new render of the Mi 7 has surfaced and it reveals that the device will have a rear-facing fingerprint sensor. The image also shows a horizontally placed a dual-camera setup on the back. Unfortunately, there is no image of the front of the phone accompanying this render which means that what we have so far, are just speculations. The Mi 7 is expected to have a 6-inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio and a bezel-less design. It will be interesting to see if Xiaomi takes the Mi Mix route and house everything in a bottom bezel or have even bezels around the display.

The build of the smartphone appears to be made of glass which means that Xiaomi could finally introduce wireless charging in its smartphone lineup. Previous renders revealed almost zero bezels around the display and a small cutout on top for the front-facing camera and sensors.

Previous Mi 7 Renders

The company has confirmed that the Mi 7 will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset, and is expected to have either 6 or 8GB of RAM along with 128GB of storage which won’t be expandable. Thanks to the Snapdragon 845 chipset, the smartphone is expected to have some enhanced AI features like the Honor View10 and a facial recognition software could be one of the marquee features of the device.

The Xiaomi Mi 7 is expected to have a 19MP + 19MP dual camera setup with an f/1.7 aperture and 4X optical zoom. To the front, it is rumoured to have a 16MP camera.

January 22, 2018
Xiaomi’s New 50 Inch Mi TV 4A Has 4K Resolution And Costs US $375

A lot of consumers globally know Xiaomi as a smartphone maker but, the company’s smartphone lineup barely represents its prowess. One look at Xiaomi’s Mainland China website is enough for someone to realise that Xiaomi makes much more than just smartphones. It has smart home products, crazy electronic scooters and televisions as well.

The latest addition to Xiaomi’s list of products other than smartphones is the new Mi TV 4A. The Mi TV 4A offers a 4K display and is priced at US $375 (Rs. 23000 approx.).

The 50 inch Xiaomi Mi TV 4A comes with a 4K UHD display with a 3840 x 2160 resolution and a 178-degree viewing angle. The TV has a refresh rate of 60Hz and it also offers support for HDR10+ HLG. The device has a “frameless design” and incorporates Mi TV Bar with 10 speakers, 2 wireless rear satellite speakers, and a subwoofer. It also comes with Dolby Atmos audio technology.

Interestingly, the trend of AI and machine learning is bleeding into the television industry as well, it seems. The Xiaomi Mi TV 4A comes with AI support and can make recommendations. It has a UI called PatchWall and is based on Android OS which allows for content curation based on recommendations. The TV also has speech recognition and voice control, but, since it is only available in China as of now, it doesn’t work with the English language.

Under the hood, the TV is powered by a 64-bit Amlogic L962 chipset with four 1.5GHz Cortex-A53 cores along with 2GB of RAM and 8GB of onboard storage. As for connectivity, the Xiaomi Mi TV 4A has Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 4.2, three HDMI ports, two USB ports, AV in, Ethernet port, and S/PDIF audio output. There is also the new Xiaomi remote for controlling the TV which has infrared as well Bluetooth connectivity options.

At a price of just over Rs. 23000, the Xiaomi Mi TV 4A appears to be an excellent product. Sadly, as is a lot of other great Xiaomi products, this will remain a China-exclusive

January 19, 2018
Xiaomi Mi Max 3 With Dual Cameras Leaked In Live Images

Xiaomi is expected to launch the next iteration of its phablet series in mid-2018. The Xiaomi Mi Max and Mi Max 2 were great devices with a huge display and battery but, it looks like the upcoming Xiaomi Mi Max 3 will concentrate on more than just media consumption.

In line with the previous leak, a new image has surfaced online which is believed to be of the Mi Max 3. While the image doesn’t reveal the front of the phone, the back of the device is clear as a day. It will have the same metal unibody build and a fingerprint sensor in the middle. However, that is not the interesting bit, as there appears to be a dual-camera setup on the back of the phone, a first for the ‘Mi Max’ series.

The image is similar to the one that was leaked a few days ago with a similar placed fingerprint sensor and cameras. However, the LED flash, is now placed to the left of the cameras as opposed to the right side in the previous image.

While the new leak doesn’t shed a lot of information on other aspects of the smartphone, we have a few key specifications of the device already, thanks to the previous leak.

The Xiaomi Mi Max 3 will sport a 6.99-inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio.

Under the hood, according to the image, it will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 635 chipset, have 3GB or 4GB of RAM along with 64GB or 128GB of onboard storage.

The smartphone will also be powered by a massive 5500 mAh battery. It will, in all probability, support some form quick charging, otherwise charging up a 5500 mAh battery on your primary device could be a pain.

While the front of the smartphone is not visible, it is possible that the smartphone will have an 18:9 display with thin bezels. Although this will soon be a norm for even the mid-range devices, thin bezels on such a large display might be cumbersome especially due to accidental touches. Xiaomi’s implementation will have to spot on if it goes for a modern looking bezel-less design for the Mi Max 3.

January 18, 2018
Xiaomi Mi 7 Could Be Announced At MWC

The Mobile World Congress is scheduled to take place from the 26th of February to March 1st. Two of the most anticipated smartphones of 2018, the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are confirmed to be launching at MWC while Sony is expected to launch the Xperia XZ Pro as well. It looks like Xiaomi will also take to stage and launch its upcoming flagship device.

This screenshot from the MWC official website of Mobile World Congress confirms that Xiaomi will be attending the event as one of the exhibitors. This could mean that the company will announce its next device, which in all likelihood, will be the Xiaomi Mi 7. Lei Jun, founder of Xiaomi had previously confirmed that the Mi 7 would be unveiled during the Chinese spring season which indicates a timeline between the end of February and early March.

When Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 845, the flagship chipset for 2918 smartphones, Xiaomi conceded that its upcoming flagship smartphone will be powered by the same chip. This was an indication towards the Xiaomi Mi 7 and if true, we could potentially witness three smartphone launches, all powered by the latest Snapdragon 845 chipset.

Recent reports regarding the design of the Xiaomi Mi 7 hinted at an important change in the design of Xiaomi flagship phones. The leaked images revealed a stellar design with nearly zero bezels around the display. While some speculated that Xiaomi will implement a screen embedded fingerprint sensor in its next flagship, the other report claimed that it will have a Face ID-like facial recognition technology.

Lei Jun recently said that the company is focussing on AI a lot. This could mean that a facial recognition technology might be coming to its next flagship, the Mi 7. Xiaomi smartphones are known to be affordable yet, have great features and design. Only time will tell whether the Mi 7 will ever make its way to India and what its price would be.

January 18, 2018
MIUI 9 Is Coming To These 40 Xiaomi Smartphones

Xiaomi has announced 40 of its smartphones, some dating back to 2012, will receive MIUI 9 update soon. MIUI 9 was officially launched in India back in November along with the Redmi Y1 and Redmi Y1 Lite.

The list of the smartphones that can be upgraded to MIUI 9 are Xiaomi Mi Mix 2, Mi Note 3, Mi 6, Mi Max 2, Mi 5X, Mi Mix, Mi Note 2, Redmi 5, Redmi 5 Plus, Redmi Note 4X, Redmi Note 5A, Redmi 5A, Mi 5, Mi 4, Mi 3, Mi 2, Mi 5C, Mi 5s, Mi 5s Plus, Mi Max, Mi 4s, Mi 4C, Mi Note, Redmi 4X, Redmi 3S, Redmi 3X, Redmi 4A, Redmi 4 high version, Redmi Note 2, Redmi Note 3, Redmi Note 4, Redmi Pro, Mi 2S, Redmi 2, Redmi 2A, Redmi 1S, Redmi Note, Mi Pad 3, Mi Pad 2 and Mi Pad.

One of the most noticeable aspects of this announcement is that some smartphones in the list were launched more than six years ago. In a world where new smartphones are launched with old software and two-year-old devices lose support from their OEMs, this move by Xiaomi is commendable.

As far as MIUI 9 is concerned, here are a few key features of the new version of MIUI.

Faster App Launching Speed

One of the main criticisms of MIUI has been its sluggish nature and the slow speed of general usage even in the flagship devices. Keeping that in mind, Xiaomi has promised much faster app launching speeds and navigation between multiple apps will be snappier as well. Performance enhancements are always welcome and this looks to be a step in the right direction for the Chinese giant.

Split-screen

The split-screen feature was one of the major upgrades in Android Nougat and a plethora of phones from mid-rangers to flagships have embraced this handy little feature. Xiaomi, on the other hand, has launched it just now with MIUI 9 and it’s a welcome update.

Under The Hood Updates

Xiaomi has also introduced MIUI 9 with a few features that run in the background for example application prioritisation. This basically means that apps in the foreground will use up more power, but that has been on Android for a while. It also has better cache management, a new file system and a bunch of other tweaks to make the user experience crisper and snappier.

There is no timeline defined by the company regarding the seeding of the update. For 40 devices, the seeding might be a slow process but, owners of smartphones like the Redmi 1S will not mind it.

January 18, 2018
Xiaomi Mi Max 3 Leaks Reveal Dual-Camera Setup At The Back

Xiaomi launched the Mi Max 2 back in June of 2017 and is expected to launch the next iteration in the ‘Mi Max’ series by mid-2018. While not a lot is known about the device so far, a new leak has revealed a few key details about the upcoming phablet.

An image was posted on Weibo which has revealed that the Xiaomi Mi Max 3 will sport a 6.99-inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. Something that will get increasingly common among smartphones of all price segments.

Under the hood, according to the image, it will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 635 chipset, have 3GB or 4GB of RAM along with 64GB or 128GB of onboard storage.

The fingerprint sensor will be placed on the back of the smartphone since the bezels are extremely thin on the display. The smartphone will also be powered by a massive 5500 mAh battery.

There are no details about the launch date of the smartphone yet, but, it is expected to be launched during the same time as its predecessor.

January 16, 2018
Xiaomi Mi A2- What To Expect?

In September of 2017, Xiaomi surprised a lot of people by launching the Xiaomi Mi A1. While a lot of people expected a flagship device in the ‘Mi’ lineup, the Chinese smartphone maker announced its first ever stock Android OS running Mi A1. The device is a part of Google’s Android One program which means that it will receive consistent software updates for a longer period than other smartphones by OEMs that are not a part of the Android One program.

While it could be possible that the Xiaomi Mi A1 was a one-off from Xiaomi since the company truly promotes its own MIUI and there are reports that it has already started working on MIUI 10 called, MIUI X. However, the company won’t be able to ignore the popularity of their stock OS smartphone in India.

If there is a remote possibility of the Xiaomi MI A2 becoming a possibility, what can we expect?

Price

The price of the Xiaomi Mi A1, at the time of its launch, was Rs. 14999 which was marginally cheaper than the Moto G5s Plus. However, the launch of the Honor 7X might have made the company reduce the price of the Mi A1 to Rs. 13999. If the Mi A2 were to be launched in India, the price would remain the same at Rs. 14999.

Display

2018 will, in all likelihood, see a lot of budget and mid-range smartphones launching with a bezel-less design. Xiaomi Mi A2 will have to keep up with its competition, which will be devices like the Moto G6 Plus and Honor 8X. The Xiaomi Mi A2 might have a 6 inch display with a 2160 x 1080 px resolution. Xiaomi is also expected to retain the IPS LCD display as well.

Honor 7X

Hardware

The Xiaomi Mi A1 was powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, a very commonly used chip in the budget segment. 2018 budget-oriented smartphones are expected to be powered by the new gen chipsets by Qualcomm. Qualcomm is expected to launch the Snapdragon 670, 640 chipsets which means that the Mi A2 could be powered by one of these chipsets. It is expected to retain the 4GB RAM/64GB storage specification and it might be the only variant the smartphone will be launched in.

Camera

Up until the Xiaomi Mi A1 was launched, Motorola’s Moto G5 Plus and G5s Plus had the best cameras in the segment. However, the Xiaomi Mi A1 had a great dual-camera setup as well and the Mi A2, in order to sway customers will have to have a great camera performance as well. The Xiaomi Mi A2 is expected to have the same “wide-angle and telephoto lens” combination for the primary cameras. The dual-camera setup on the front is becoming popular as well, meaning the Xiaomi Mi A2 could also have a dual-camera setup on the front as well.

Conclusion

The Xiaomi Mi A2 may never be launched but, it could be a great prospect for Xiaomi to further tap into the segment of consumers which still prefer stock Android OS over a customisable third-party skin. If priced competitively just like its predecessor, the Xiaomi Mi A2 could be a very popular smartphone in the budget-segment.

January 16, 2018
Xiaomi Mi A1 Android 8.0 Oreo Update Rollout Resumes

A few days ago, it was reported that the Android 8.0 Oreo update for the Xiaomi Mi A1 was suspended. Xiaomi launched the Mi A1 back in August of 2017 with stock Android 7.1 Nougat. The company promised an update to Android 8 Oreo by the end of the year. Technically, the company delivered on the promise and released the first software update to Android 8.0 Oreo on the 31st of December.

Xiaomi had to suspend the rollout of Android 8 Oreo because a lot of users were complaining about performance-related issues. Users had complained about issues pertaining to an unresponsive camera and dialer app, battery drain when Bluetooth is turned on, unresponsive ambient light sensor and recent app button.

Xiaomi is now pushing out a new version of the Oreo update for the Xiaomi Mi A1. This new update will fix all the bugs that were reported by users. For people who downloaded the previous version, the new update is only 89MB in size while for people who have are still on Android 7.1 Nougat, then it’s a more substantial 1112MB update.

Xiaomi’s update took a lot less time than expected to release a fix and hopefully, this time around, the company won’t suspend it again.

The Mi A1 has a 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 px LTPS display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top for protection and aluminium unibody build.

The smartphone has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, 8x ARM Cortex A53 2.0GHz 64-bit processor, 4GB RAM and 64GB of onboard storage which is expandable via microSD card.

The Xiaomi Mi A1 has a 12MP equipped with a wide-angle lens with an f/2.2 aperture while the other one is a 12MP telephoto lens with an f/2.6 aperture. For landscape shots, Xiaomi has introduced a wide angle lens while on the front is a 5MP camera.

January 16, 2018