Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi India has launched the Xiaomi Mi A1 Smartphone in India at a price of Rs 14,999. With the Mi A1, Xiaomi has brought its first dual-camera phone to the Indian markets. The phone will be available exclusively on Flipkart and Xiaomi’s online mobile store and also be available offline in Mi Home stores across India. It will start selling from 12 September at 12 pm.
Xiaomi Mi A1 is the first smartphone developed by the company under Google’s Android One initiative. As an Android One phone, the new Mi A1 comes with stock Android 7.1.2 baked in and will get timely Android Oreo update. It will also be among the first devices to get Android P when the software version launches next year.
Despite being part of the Android One initiative, the smartphone retains some Xiaomi services, such as the Mi Camera, Mi Remote, and Mi Store apps, apart from a Mi Services section within Settings. Google Photos also gives users unlimited high-quality photo storage.
Xiaomi India has revealed to us that the Mi A1 will be manufactured in India at some point, sporting the ‘Made in India’ tag; however, at launch, units will be shipped in from different countries. It will be available in Black, Rose Gold, and Gold color options.
Xiaomi Mi A1 Offers
The smartphone will also be available via offline retail chains (including Sangeetha, Poorvika, Big C, LOT, UniverCell, E-Zone, Croma, and Vijay Sales) as well as Mi Preferred Partner stores, on the same day. Mi A1 launch offers include up to 300GB of additional 4G data from Airtel. Notably, Google in a separate statement revealed that the Xiaomi Mi A1 will be available in dozens of countries apart from India, including Indonesia, Russia, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
Xiaomi Mi A1 Specifications
The dual-SIM (Nano-SIM) Xiaomi Mi A1 is the same as the Mi 5X. It sports a 5.5-inch full HD resolution display, 2.0 GHz Octa Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, which is expandable upto 128GB, coupled with a 3080 mAh battery. Mi A1 features include a metal unibody design, 2.5D curved glass, and features a fingerprint sensor on the rear panel.
- 4 GB RAM | 64 GB ROM | Expandable Up to 128 GB
- 5.5 inch Full HD Display
- 12MP + 12MP Dual Rear Camera | 5MP Front Camera
- 3080 mAh Li-polymer Battery
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 64 bit Octa Core 2GHz Processor
- Android Nougat 7.1.1 | Stock Android Version
- 2X Optical Zoom on Rear Camera
- Android One Smartphone – with confirmed upgrades to Android Oreo and Android P
- Unlimited Storage on Google Photos
The Xiaomi Mi A1 bears two 12-megapixel sensors, with one featuring a wide-angle lens with a 1.25-micron pixel sensor and f/2.2 aperture, and the other sporting a telephoto lens, 1-micron pixel sensor, a f/2.6 aperture, and capable of delivering 2x optical zoom. As can be expected with the setup, Xiaomi says the smartphone comes with a Portrait Mode for delivering the depth of field effects like Bokeh. The smartphone bears a 5-megapixel front camera with a real-time beautification mode.
The smartphone, in the Indian market, sports a dual pyrolytic graphite sheet, which helps radiate heat, helping reduce thermal performance by up to 2-degrees Celsius. It also sports an IR blaster.
The smartphone bears 64GB of inbuilt storage that is expandable via microSD card (up to 128GB) in a hybrid dual-SIM configuration. The Xiaomi Mi A1 offers 4G VoLTE, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac, GPS/ A-GPS, USB Type-C port, and 3.5mm headphone jack as connectivity options. Sensors on board the Xiaomi M A1 include an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, infrared, magnetometer, and proximity sensor. The smartphone bears a 3080mAh battery, measures 155.4×75.8×7.3mm, and weighs 168 grams. The company is touting several audio enhancements, such as the inclusion of a 10V smart power amplifier, DHS Audio Calibration Algorithm, and support for high impedance headphones.
As we mentioned, the biggest highlight of the Xiaomi Mi A1 is that it is part of the Android One initiative. In a separate press statement, Google revealed exactly what this means for the Xiaomi smartphone. The Xiaomi Mi A1 will offer a “pure Android experience with a clean design and a small, carefully curated set of preinstalled apps.” It will be optimised for Google Assistant while Google Photos will be the default gallery for the smartphone.
Mi A1 will also be secure, with “regular security updates” and built-in malware protection from Google Play Protect. Finally, the smartphone will also receive timely upgrades, with Google promising an Android Oreo update for the smartphone before the end of the year, and adding that the Mi A1 will be the amongst the first to receive an upgrade to Android P next year.
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