Xiaomi A1 vs Xiaomi A2 : Is it worth upgrading?

Xiaomi is scheduled to launch its new smartphone MI A2 on August 8^th in India. The Mi A2 is a successor to last year’s Mi A1. The online marketplace Amazon ran an exclusive trailer confirming the launch date. The Mi A2 was earlier launched in Spain in July. The price is not revealed but it should cost around USD 280/Rs 19,000. MI A1 launched last year costs USD 230/Rs 15000.

Let’s see the major differences between MI A2 and Mi A1 and see why it is more worth buying or upgrading to an MI A2.

Operating System

The Operating system used in Mi A1 is Android 7.1.2 and the operating system used in Mi    A2 is Android Oreo 8.1- a better operating system than Mi A1.

Processor

The key difference between the two is the internal hardware- The Mi A2 is powered by the Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660, which is one of the fastest chips, while Mi A1 has a Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor.

RAM and Storage 

Mi A2 has different options of memory variants- 4 GB and 6 GB RAM while A1 has only 4 GB of RAM. Mi A2 has options between 32/64/128 GB of storage, while Mi A1 has a fixed storage of 64 GB with an option to upgrade up to 128 GB which is not available in Mi A2.

Battery

Mi A1 and Mi A2 have similar battery capacity with 3000mAh and 3010mAh. The battery can last a whole day. Both have features of quick charge.

Display

The Mi A2 has a much stronger screen in 5.99-inch 18:9 FHD+ (2160×1080) IPS LCD panel
Gorilla Glass 5 while Mi A1 has 5.5-inch 16:9 FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS LCD panel Gorilla Glass.

Camera

REAR– Mi A2 has a much superior rear camera in 12MP + 20MP, LED flash, and 4K video recording, compared to A1’s 12MP + 12MP, LED flash 1080p video recording.

FRONT– Mi A2 also dominates with its front camera with 20MP (f/1.75, 2.0um) AI portrait mode LED selfie light and Beautify 4.0, while the A1 only has 5MP f/2.2 lens.

Design

The Mi A1 has the Home and back buttons on the panel, Mi A2 has them on the screen. The Mi A2 (158.7 x 75.4 x 7.3mm) is larger than the Mi A1 (155.4 x 75.8 x 7.3mm). However, both the phones have the fingerprint sensor on the back. The colors Mi A1 is available in, are Black, Gold, Rose Gold, and Mi A2 will be available in Black, Gold, Blue and Rose Gold.

Connectivity

Mi A2 has LTE with VoLTE Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS and GLONASS, but misses out on Audio Jack. Users will have to connect Bluetooth with their wireless earphones, headphones or speakers. Mi A1 has LTE with VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, 3.5mm audio jack, GPS and GLONASS.

Pricing

MI A1 launched last year costing USD 230/Rs 15000. While the pricing of MI A2 is unknown, it is expected to be around USD 280/Rs 19000.

It is clearly understood that Mi A2 is much better than its predecessor. Getting 4 GB ram and  32/64/128 GB storage; 12MP + 20MP rear camera and 12MP + 12MP front camera with AI at Rs 19000. Mi A2 features considerable hardware upgrades, and the camera is likely to be one of the best yet on a $300 phone. The phone is set to debut for just $50 more than the Mi A1, making it a great bargain.

Xiaomi Mi A2 vs. Mi A1: Specs