Xiaomi Mi A1 Review

Hi guys, it’s been a while since my last post. Few days ago I bought a new Android phone, which is today’s theme. It’s not a well-known brand, but probably most of you have already heard of the Xiaomi brand. For some time, I searched for phones on the Internet, because I had a certain budget. I compared some of the phone models that attracted me attention, but in the end I nevertheless picked Xiaomi Mi A1 (5X), which I first noticed and that gave me a good impression on me.

About Xiaomi brand you can see here.

Short specification:

• Processor: Octa-core Cortex-A53 2.0GHz
• GPU: Adreno 506
• OS: Android 7.1.2 (Nougat), upgradable to Android 8.0 (Oreo); Android One
• Memory: 4GB RAM, 32/64 GB ROM, microSD up to 128GB
• Display: 5.5” LTPS IPS LCD 1080x1920 pixels
• Dimensions:
  • Height: 155.4 mm
  • Width: 75.8 mm
  • Thickness: 7.3 mm
  • Weight: 165 g
• Main Camera: Dual Camera 12MP+12MP, 2x optical zoom, 2 tone flash
• Selfie Camera: 5MP
• Battery: Non-removable Li-Po 3080 mAh
• Body: Front glass, aluminium frame, back, fingerprint sensor (rear-mounted)
• Package Contents: Mi A1, Power adapter, SIM insertion tool , USB cable, User guide/ Warranty card

Good:

• Stock Android with some Mi enhancements
• Premium design
• Dual Camera
• Good fingerprint sensor

Bad:

• Average battery life
• Poor photo quality in low light

Android One
The phone is made in partnership with Google. It’s first Android One phone with software experience designed by Google. Android One comes with all your favorite Google apps (Google Photos, Google Play Music, etc.) . Google Photos lets you safely store an unlimited number of photos and videos and access them from any device for free. And since everything is automatically organized and searchable, you can quickly find what you’re looking for. Android One phones are optimized for Google Assistant where Google Assistant is available. Ask it questions. Tell it to do things. It’s your own personal Google, always ready to help.
Mi A1 ships with Android Nougat, and will receive 2 years minimum of OS upgrades. And since Android One users are among the first to get new OS upgrades when they’re released, you’ll have access to the latest features and innovations even sooner.

Design
Mi A1 isn’t water resistant, which is one of the defects. The Xiaomi Mi A1 is one of those phones that delivers a ton of features for the money. You don’t get a lot of software features, but you get stock Android. There is so much to offer for 160 euros (I paid it so much), the Xiaomi Mi A1 is the mid-range phone to look out for.

The always-on fingerprint reader is located on the back, is well centered and easy to reach and really responsive to wake up your phone. In my opinion, the sensor is very good for use and does not cause any problems.
Audio is high-quality and conversations are pure without any suspicions. You’ll hear clearly even in loud areas. There’s a 3.5 millimeter audio jack at the bottom, along with the USB type-c port. Like other Xiaomi devices, there’s an IR blaster built into the A1 which can turn appliances on and off.

Display
With these, above mentioned dimensions, the phone is great in the hand. The backlit navigation touch keys are located below the 5.5 inch screen, which I personally don’t prefer because I had bad experiences. Before Xiaomi, I used a Lenovo phone that also had touch keys, after the phone fell to the asphalt, the screen worked perfectly except the part of touch keys.
The Mi A1’s IPS LCD has a 1080p resolution and is covered by Gorilla Glass, which is slightly curved along the edges. It’s really amazing display which gives a high-quality image and video.

Platform
Inside the Mi A1 is a Snapdragon 625 chipset with 4GB of RAM. It’s not the fastest available these days, but it’s known for its power efficiency. It’s stays cool even after heavy use. And in everyday tasks it runs really smooth. I didn’t notice any lag. The internal storage is expandable via microSD, which takes up second SIM slot.

Battery
Battery life isn’t the best I’ve seen, but is ok. One of the defect is that there is no quick charge option.

Camera
In good lighting the camera snaps pictures blazingly fast with a great deal of detail and low noise. In low-light, performance is a bit underwhelming due to the lack of OIS, but select the HHT low-light option can help you to get a decent photo. The telephoto also helps to create a blurred background effect behind your subject in portrait mode. For videos, clips taken in 1080p resolution are not very good. The level of detail is low and everything is way too over-sharpened, and the audio quality isn’t the best. 4K videos on the other hand are great if you keep your hand steady. There’s plenty of resolved detail, good colors and contrast, low noise and above-average dynamic range.

PS. Images are taken from the Internet. My English is still in progress.