Mi A2 Review: Picture Perfect Camera!
by mitch002
Finally the Mi A2 has been Globally released after the announcement in Spain last July 24th. This embark another journey for Xiaomi with partnership together with Google to provide another Android One phone to the Mi Smartphones lineup. Now this time its not just one, but two Android One phones released by Xiaomi, A2 and A2 Lite are the names of the new released. A2 Lite will cater to the lesser budget consumers but like to take a test drive with the vanilla android, while on this article we will just focus ourselves on the A2.
Mi A2 Specs Sheet
Official Trailer (in the form of Mi 6X)
Video Unboxing:
What's in the Box:
Xiaomi made it a little more attractive than the box of the Mi 6X, this one has photos on it
Basic Specs printed at the back
Mi A2 prints at the sides
TPU Case, Manual, USB C, QC 2.0 Charger, Mi A2, Audio Adapter, Sim Ejector Pin
QC 2.0 Charger
Xiaomi units are now covered with a film in front that as the specs written, I like the plain ones before, I can freely use it even its still covered tho.
Mic, USB C Port, Loudspeaker can be found below
IR Blaster and Noise Cancellation Mic on Top
Sim Car Tray on the left side
Power Buton and Volume Rocker on the Right
Supports 2 NANO Sim
The back sports the dual camera and the finger print scanner on a unibody back cover
This one is more protuded than the Redmi Note 5, quite the downside of the thin unibody
Behold, no notch!
Design:
The Mi A2 has paved it way towards a newer design compared to its sibling the Mi A1, this time sporting a very thin unibody, the matte brushed aluminum finish is still similar to that of the Mi A1 tho, but the difference is the deployment of the 18:9 screen ratio and the 5.99 inch screen. The Dual Camera position well is quite similar to the Redmi Note 5 and the Mi 8 probably it will be the case for future dual camera phones by Xiaomi. One thing that we missed is that it no longer can add additional storage space via micro SD unlike the one from the A1, but overall design its really a headturner, we love the ultra thin body and probably one thing we don't like is the very protruded dual camera at the back, its probably 1mm more protruded than the Redmi Note 5, so beware of scratches on the camera lens cover if you are not careful with it.
Lets be honest, the theme of the A2 is very attractive
Connectivity
The Mi A2 supports 10 different LTE bands, it's easy to switch to LTE network inside the settings, this unit also supports dual 4G. You can freely choose which sim you want to use your LTE data, since this is a Dual LTE, Dual standby smartphone. We have experienced no problem surfing using LTE or 3G in our home country in the Philippines be it Globe or Smart as well as dual standby mode is working seamlessly. Wireless connectivity via Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac is also smooth and it also supports Wi-Fi Direct. Tethering data is also working perfectly. Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, and GLONASS are all present and working pretty good. We also have a smooth navigation using Google Maps while cruisin in the city using the Mi A2.
Bands:
GSM：B2/B3/B5/B8
WCDMA：B1/B2/B4/B5/B8
LTE FDD：B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B20
LTE TDD：B38/B40
Display and Audio
Supports H.265/HEVC (Main profile), H.264 (Baseline/Main/High profile), MPEG4 (Simple profile/ASP), and VC-1 (Simple/Main/Advanced profile) video formats, and supports PCM and AAC /AAC+/eAAC+, MP3, AMR - NB and WB, FLAC, WAV and other audio formats
We did watch some good movies on this unit and some anime and we were impressed with the display ratio that it has to offer. The screen resolution was pretty good as we tried to render some 4K movies on this unit. Sounds was also good on loudspeaker but one thing we noticed that the sounds really is not very loud as compared to the Mi Note 3, its brother with the same processor. But we used a Mi Bluetooth Headphone to watch the movie attaching and the sounds were awesome. Listening to music via streaming app was also seamless, no lag was experienced. Taking away the audio jack isnt really a good idea for a midrange unit like this one.
Snapdragon 660
The only 3rd unit from Xiaomi to deploy the SD 660 other than the Mi Note 3 and Mi 6X (statistically it should be the 2nd since Mi 6X and A2 are the same), the Mi A2 did pack some punch in this SoC. As we took the unit to the full extent, running games and multitask, in my opinion this unit did a very good job in multitasking, as well as playing some decent games, we even did play NBA2k18 and PUBG the graphics rendered was quite good on an all screen display phone. No lags were noticed during gameplay.
Surfing, Chatting, Calls and Navigating were all done at the same time and it was quite stable not seeing the unit clamp down due to too many task being done at the same time. The Snapdragon 660 did lived up to its expectations to deliver more performance than the SD 625. If asked wether the SD 660 or the SD 636 is better, based on specs and speed, the 660 is still the better choice.
AnTuTu gave it a score of around 120,231 points which was a good decent score for a mid range phone. This is a stepdown from Mi 6X score of 134,242 points.
Mi A2 and Mi A2 Lite
Just fortunate to be able to grab both units and give you a physical comparison on this article, the A2 is definite the more powerful one but A2 Lite probably is more stylish.
Camera:
Everytime we get our hands on a new phone, its always boils down to the camera. This probably is the most important part of the phone, how good it will capture the memories for you? The camera on the Mi AX will definitely be a game changer for Xiaomi as this is the first time that all 3 sensors being deployed are using a Sony IMX Camera Sensor (this is assumed that its the same as the Mi 6X since we cannot access the CIT Engineering mode on the A2). Sounds yummy from the specs sheet to be honest with you.
The camera takes pretty good photos in daylight and pretty decent low light areas it has vastly improved from Mi A1, well its still debatable if this camera can outshoot the Redmi Note 5 Pro India, The best performance of this phone is outdoors, taking crisp and great photos. Bokeh / Portrait mode was a good integration on this unit, it was expected from the Sony IMX 486 Sensor. Portrait selfie is also available here, the AI spells the difference between this unit and the Mi 6.
The manual mode from the camera is the difference between this unit and the Redmi Note 5 Pro India, as we have much more controls over the unit with 1s of shutter and 3200 ISO.
Video EIS is present on this unit and performed quite well as I intentionally shake the unit, but OIS is not being deployed on this unit based on the settings.
Actual Photos:
Featured Model: Ms. Dona Apolinar
Selfie Camera
Battery Performance
We were able to achieve a bad battery rating for this unit, its questionable since SD are known for its battery efficiency. But one downside on this unit is the 3010mAh as it the reason why this unit is ultra thin. PC Mark Battery Stress Test rated it at 6 hours 11 minutes SOT, which is quite low for a unit of its level and its down from a 7 hour and 4 minute result from the Mi 6X. Scoring a 10 hours will be much better, but due to its capacity, there is nothing we can do about it. 3A with a QC 3.0 charger. I was able to charge the battery from 20% to 100% in 1 hour and 40 Minutes based on proper monitoring.
Other Benchmarks:
Conclusion
After playing around with the Mi A2 for quite a while, its comes down to my final verdict, was it a worthy upgrade from Mi 5X/Mi A1? By no doubt on my mind I can look you straight in the eyes and tell you its a big Yes. In terms of processor, design and camera its pretty much a runaway winner with its price range. With the SD 660 equipped, you don't really have to worry much about those hell of a task you will let your smartphone do for you. The camera is more than outstanding, but its probably at par with Mi 6 but definitely not better, that's for sure. This unit will surely be one of the heavy favorites if you are not too concerned about the battery capacity.
Prices varies per country of release, check with your official www.mi.com of your home country.
Mi A2
by mitch002
Finally the Mi A2 has been Globally released after the announcement in Spain last July 24th. This embark another journey for Xiaomi with partnership together with Google to provide another Android One phone to the Mi Smartphones lineup. Now this time its not just one, but two Android One phones released by Xiaomi, A2 and A2 Lite are the names of the new released. A2 Lite will cater to the lesser budget consumers but like to take a test drive with the vanilla android, while on this article we will just focus ourselves on the A2.
Mi A2 Specs Sheet
- 5.99-inch Full HD+ display @ 2160 x 1080 pixels, 403ppi, 77.4% screen to body ratio, 18:9 Ratio
- 2.2GHz Snapdragon 660 Octa-core CPU Qualcomm SDM660 Kryo 260 (4x2.2Ghz + 4x1.8Ghz)
- Adreno 512 GPU 650Mhz
- 4GB / 6GB RAM
- 64GB/128GB Internal storage (No Expansion Slot)
- 12MP 1.25μm Rear Camera, f/1.75 Aperture, PDAF, single tone flash, face recognition, HDR, AI, Sony IMX 486 Sensor
- 20MP secondary lens, 2.0μm, f/1.75 Aperture, Sony IMX 376 Sensor
- 20MP front-facing camera, 2.0μm, f/1.8 Aperture with soft flash, 1080p, Smart Beauty 4.0, Sony IMX 376 Sensor
- Dual-SIM (Nano + Nano)
- 4G LTE, 4G+, Dual LTE Mode
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, 2.4G 5G Wifi
- Bluetooth 5.0, Bluetooth HID
- GPS w/ A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS
- Fingerprint scanner
- USB C Port
- 3010 mAh battery, Supports QC 3.0
- Android 8.1 on MIUI 9.5
- 158.7mm x 75.4mm x 7.3mm
- 168 grams
- Available in Black, Gold, Lake Blue
Official Trailer (in the form of Mi 6X)
Video Unboxing:
What's in the Box:
Xiaomi made it a little more attractive than the box of the Mi 6X, this one has photos on it
Basic Specs printed at the back
Mi A2 prints at the sides
TPU Case, Manual, USB C, QC 2.0 Charger, Mi A2, Audio Adapter, Sim Ejector Pin
QC 2.0 Charger
Xiaomi units are now covered with a film in front that as the specs written, I like the plain ones before, I can freely use it even its still covered tho.
Mic, USB C Port, Loudspeaker can be found below
IR Blaster and Noise Cancellation Mic on Top
Sim Car Tray on the left side
Power Buton and Volume Rocker on the Right
Supports 2 NANO Sim
The back sports the dual camera and the finger print scanner on a unibody back cover
This one is more protuded than the Redmi Note 5, quite the downside of the thin unibody
Behold, no notch!
Design:
The Mi A2 has paved it way towards a newer design compared to its sibling the Mi A1, this time sporting a very thin unibody, the matte brushed aluminum finish is still similar to that of the Mi A1 tho, but the difference is the deployment of the 18:9 screen ratio and the 5.99 inch screen. The Dual Camera position well is quite similar to the Redmi Note 5 and the Mi 8 probably it will be the case for future dual camera phones by Xiaomi. One thing that we missed is that it no longer can add additional storage space via micro SD unlike the one from the A1, but overall design its really a headturner, we love the ultra thin body and probably one thing we don't like is the very protruded dual camera at the back, its probably 1mm more protruded than the Redmi Note 5, so beware of scratches on the camera lens cover if you are not careful with it.
Lets be honest, the theme of the A2 is very attractive
Connectivity
The Mi A2 supports 10 different LTE bands, it's easy to switch to LTE network inside the settings, this unit also supports dual 4G. You can freely choose which sim you want to use your LTE data, since this is a Dual LTE, Dual standby smartphone. We have experienced no problem surfing using LTE or 3G in our home country in the Philippines be it Globe or Smart as well as dual standby mode is working seamlessly. Wireless connectivity via Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac is also smooth and it also supports Wi-Fi Direct. Tethering data is also working perfectly. Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, and GLONASS are all present and working pretty good. We also have a smooth navigation using Google Maps while cruisin in the city using the Mi A2.
Bands:
GSM：B2/B3/B5/B8
WCDMA：B1/B2/B4/B5/B8
LTE FDD：B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B20
LTE TDD：B38/B40
Display and Audio
- MP4
- M4V
- MKV
- XVID
- WAV
- AAC
- MP3
- AMR
- FLAC
Supports H.265/HEVC (Main profile), H.264 (Baseline/Main/High profile), MPEG4 (Simple profile/ASP), and VC-1 (Simple/Main/Advanced profile) video formats, and supports PCM and AAC /AAC+/eAAC+, MP3, AMR - NB and WB, FLAC, WAV and other audio formats
We did watch some good movies on this unit and some anime and we were impressed with the display ratio that it has to offer. The screen resolution was pretty good as we tried to render some 4K movies on this unit. Sounds was also good on loudspeaker but one thing we noticed that the sounds really is not very loud as compared to the Mi Note 3, its brother with the same processor. But we used a Mi Bluetooth Headphone to watch the movie attaching and the sounds were awesome. Listening to music via streaming app was also seamless, no lag was experienced. Taking away the audio jack isnt really a good idea for a midrange unit like this one.
Snapdragon 660
The only 3rd unit from Xiaomi to deploy the SD 660 other than the Mi Note 3 and Mi 6X (statistically it should be the 2nd since Mi 6X and A2 are the same), the Mi A2 did pack some punch in this SoC. As we took the unit to the full extent, running games and multitask, in my opinion this unit did a very good job in multitasking, as well as playing some decent games, we even did play NBA2k18 and PUBG the graphics rendered was quite good on an all screen display phone. No lags were noticed during gameplay.
Surfing, Chatting, Calls and Navigating were all done at the same time and it was quite stable not seeing the unit clamp down due to too many task being done at the same time. The Snapdragon 660 did lived up to its expectations to deliver more performance than the SD 625. If asked wether the SD 660 or the SD 636 is better, based on specs and speed, the 660 is still the better choice.
AnTuTu gave it a score of around 120,231 points which was a good decent score for a mid range phone. This is a stepdown from Mi 6X score of 134,242 points.
Mi A2 and Mi A2 Lite
Just fortunate to be able to grab both units and give you a physical comparison on this article, the A2 is definite the more powerful one but A2 Lite probably is more stylish.
Camera:
Everytime we get our hands on a new phone, its always boils down to the camera. This probably is the most important part of the phone, how good it will capture the memories for you? The camera on the Mi AX will definitely be a game changer for Xiaomi as this is the first time that all 3 sensors being deployed are using a Sony IMX Camera Sensor (this is assumed that its the same as the Mi 6X since we cannot access the CIT Engineering mode on the A2). Sounds yummy from the specs sheet to be honest with you.
The camera takes pretty good photos in daylight and pretty decent low light areas it has vastly improved from Mi A1, well its still debatable if this camera can outshoot the Redmi Note 5 Pro India, The best performance of this phone is outdoors, taking crisp and great photos. Bokeh / Portrait mode was a good integration on this unit, it was expected from the Sony IMX 486 Sensor. Portrait selfie is also available here, the AI spells the difference between this unit and the Mi 6.
The manual mode from the camera is the difference between this unit and the Redmi Note 5 Pro India, as we have much more controls over the unit with 1s of shutter and 3200 ISO.
Video EIS is present on this unit and performed quite well as I intentionally shake the unit, but OIS is not being deployed on this unit based on the settings.
Actual Photos:
Featured Model: Ms. Dona Apolinar
Selfie Camera
Battery Performance
We were able to achieve a bad battery rating for this unit, its questionable since SD are known for its battery efficiency. But one downside on this unit is the 3010mAh as it the reason why this unit is ultra thin. PC Mark Battery Stress Test rated it at 6 hours 11 minutes SOT, which is quite low for a unit of its level and its down from a 7 hour and 4 minute result from the Mi 6X. Scoring a 10 hours will be much better, but due to its capacity, there is nothing we can do about it. 3A with a QC 3.0 charger. I was able to charge the battery from 20% to 100% in 1 hour and 40 Minutes based on proper monitoring.
Other Benchmarks:
Conclusion
After playing around with the Mi A2 for quite a while, its comes down to my final verdict, was it a worthy upgrade from Mi 5X/Mi A1? By no doubt on my mind I can look you straight in the eyes and tell you its a big Yes. In terms of processor, design and camera its pretty much a runaway winner with its price range. With the SD 660 equipped, you don't really have to worry much about those hell of a task you will let your smartphone do for you. The camera is more than outstanding, but its probably at par with Mi 6 but definitely not better, that's for sure. This unit will surely be one of the heavy favorites if you are not too concerned about the battery capacity.
Prices varies per country of release, check with your official www.mi.com of your home country.
Mi A2
