New Xiaomi Mi A1 is Android One's best hope for survival

IF you thought Android One had gone the way of Betamax, think again. As reported earlier, Xiaomi held a press conference in India to announce the Xiaomi Mi A1, the new face of Google’s Android One platform, which delivers a pure Android experience to those who don’t have the budget for a Pixel or Nexus device.

Except the Xiaomi Mi A1 wasn’t built in the mold of previous Android One phones. By this we mean it is a midrange offering in and out, and even includes dual cameras round the back for optical zoom and snapping portraits with a shallow depth of field, aka bokeh.

Yes, similar to the Apple iPhone 7 Plus. Xiaomi even posted this image on Twitter to really drive the comparison home, almost certainly to Apple’s chagrin:

Xiaomi Mi A1 Android One price and specs_iPhone 7 Plus_Revu Philippines

Xiaomi boasts that the Xiaomi Mi A1 is just like the Apple iPhone 7 Plus — only cheaper. Much, much cheaper. (Via MIUI)

Interestingly enough, the Mi 6 and Mi 5X rock a dual-camera setup for the same reasons, but Xiaomi decided to poke around the iPhone just the same. The back-facing cameras have 12-megapixel sensors, one carrying a wide-angle lens with f/2.2 aperture and the other with a zoom lens and f/2.6 aperture.

Resized sample photos taken with the Xiaomi Mi A1

Inside, the Mi A1 uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The LCD screen is 5.5 inches diagonally and outputs at 1080p resolution. The 3,080mAh battery charges over a future-proof USB-C connection.

The biggest highlight here, of course, is the software: stock Android — the way Google intended it to be. When it ships, the Xiaomi Mi A1 will have Android 7.1.2 Nougat on tap, though it is expected to be updated to Android 8.0 before the year ends. The Mi A1 will also be one of the first devices to get Android P (Pancake? Popsicle? PAPAYA?!) sometime next year.

The biggest highlight of the Xiaomi Mi A1, which is priced at 14,999 rupees (around P11,962 or $234) in India, is the software: stock Android — the way Google intended it to be.

Available in black, gold, or pink, the Xiaomi Mi A1 is priced at 14,999 rupees (around P11,962 or $234) in India. The good news is that it won’t be limited to the Indian market, as the phone is scheduled for a global release on September 12. Unfortunately, the Philippines isn’t among its intended audience at launch.

Where Xiaomi Mi A1 Android One is available_Revu Philippines

The countries that are getting the Xiaomi Mi A1 at launch

Main image via India Today

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Ramon Lopez

Reviews editor: Ramon "Monch" Lopez has 16 years of professional experience creating and editing content for print and digital publications such as Yahoo. He headed the gadgets-merchandising division of one of the Philippines’ largest retail operators somewhere in between.