Xiaomi Mi A1 Review

Xiaomi is one of those manufacturers with a powerful polarizing effect on the market. The Chinese constructor does not leave indifferent, neither to his legions of fans nor to the long line of detractors that pursues each of his releases. We could say that it has giant wood , although its exits to the outside for now are dropper, or it was to this Xiaomi Mi A1 , a version of the Mi 5X but with pure Android inside.

His coat is largely responsible for this effect, a sheet to cover Android that looks a lot like iOS, maybe too much, something that has won him little criticism. And this is precisely what disappears with this Xiaomi Mi A1that we have in hand. A phone born of the marriage between Google and Xiaomi and that carries Android One in its bowels .

If you like, accompany us during your analysis. We have approached the phone with the illusion that it can become the new "Moto G" , when it comes to recommend it and, why not, also sales, but also with caution. Things do not tend to be as pretty as they seem, but all of this we will gradually shed along the following lines, do we begin?

Xiaomi Mi A1, technical specifications

When we talk about this Xiaomi Mi A1 we do it with the understanding that it is a mid-range device, with interesting features but far from superior powers, and also more expensive. A phone with the Snapdragon 625 on board and with a promising double camera, but with defects such as the absence of an NFC chip . Before going into the analysis, let's see them in the following table.

SCREEN	5.5 inches FullHD  400 pixels per inch
PROCESSOR	Snapdragon 625 eight-core 2.2GHz  GPU Adreno 506
RAM	4GB
STORAGE	64GB plus microSD
REAR CAMERA	12 megapixel wide-angle  12 megapixel telephoto
FRONTAL CAMERA	5 megapixels
BATTERY	3,080 mAh with fast charge
DIMENSIONS	155.4 x 75.8 x 7.3 mm  165 grams
OTHERS	LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, fingerprint reader
PRICE	260.33 euros

The same Xiaomi as always, why change what works

The "noble" materials no longer understand categories or classes. Metallic and glass-coated telephones now appear in almost all price ranges , and we no longer miss metal bodies within reach of all pockets . In this case, covering a body with 155.4 millimeters high and 75.8 millimeters wide. It is not a compact phone, far from it, but it is comfortable and balanced with its 165 grams of weight.

The Mi A1 has not yet joined the increasingly pronounced trend away from the frames of the phones. We are dealing with a classic Xiaomi, with the characteristics of its relatives of previous generations, and whose only notable changes are those related to loading and data transfer. The USB C port, reversible , appears in this terminal and warns us that it is time to change the cables we have at home. The disappearance of the microUSB is closer than we think.

The design is a classic of the brand , as we said, and we came across a completely white front, distinguishing the pink gold from its sides and back, one of the colors available for this Mi A1 along with gold and black. A unibody design that leaves the left side for the SIM tray and the microSD, the right side for the power and volume buttons and the other ports go to the bottom. The USB C framed by the speaker and the headphone jack. And the upper parts? For a noise reduction microphone.

Probably, the worst design of this Xiaomi Mi A1 is that there is nothing new in it, lack freshness

The white front of the phone surrounds the screen and there are no marks of any kind. We only have the loudspeaker for calls, the camera with the light sensor on the panel, and the haptic buttons on the bottom. Because this Mi A1 is a variant of the Mi 5X, we will have haptic buttons instead of software buttons , like those Google has been defending for years.

The back of the terminal with the dual camera in the corner, next to the flash, with the fingerprint reader in the center and with the logos of the marks at the bottom. Xiaomi, of course, and Android One in a very distinguishable way. The main feature of this Xiaomi Mi A1 whose metallic body is pleasant to the touch and resists with enough solvency to both dirt and fingerprints.

As we will see in the table below, the Xiaomi Mi A1 is not a small terminal but it is thin. Its body of 155.4 millimeters exceeds in some units its direct competition in the field of five inches, but with its 7.3 millimeters thick it does become one of the finest . A device with good construction and ergonomic.

	XIAOMI MI A1	HONOR 6X	ONEPLUS 3	MEIZU MX6
SCREEN	5.5 inches	5.5 inches	5.5 inches	5.5 inches
DIMENSIONS	155.4 x 75.8 x 7.3 millimeters	150.9 x 76.2 x 8.2 millimeters	152.7 x 74.7 x 7.4 millimeters	151.7 x 75.0 x 7.9 millimeters
WEIGHT	165 grams	162 grams	158 grams	175 grams

A body of 165 grams but still seems to be lighter and has good grip, although it would have appreciated some texture to avoid slips, especially taking into account the dimensions of the terminal. A Xiaomi that, as we said at the beginning, looks like all the others and has a design that may already be asking for a renewal. In spite of everything, a solid phone, well built, comfortable and clean. You can ask for a few more things to design this Xiaomi Mi A1.

Long life to the LCD

In the midst of transition to OLED by the giants of the industry, the LCD continues to have a lot of life ahead of it. We have the test in a growing Xiaomi that opts for IPS panels, such as the one that mounts this Xiaomi Mi A1. 5.5 inches with FullHD resolution, 400 pixels per inch . A figure well known in the middle ranges and some high, and a performance that we will now see in detail.

We can start with the brightness, an important feature because it allows us to use the screen outdoors. Indoor visualization is assumed in all models, regardless of their category. Here we are before a panel that offers 450 nits and that can reach chutes of up to 100 extra nits and that allows to see the phone in the street, which is enough . The automatic brightness works relatively well, although it is not too fast and sometimes it has done "what it wanted".

A screen that shows a good contrast, reflecting slightly saturated colors but that feel good together , although a screen that does not allow to personalize the experience. Already accustomed to the different layers to decide the vividness, the saturation of individual colors, Android One offers a simplistic vision. This is the screen that there is and, although it is good, you will not be able to personalize it.

For those who give for dead to the LCD, here a screen that meets in almost all scenarios and does not have a single strident note.

The panel of this Xiaomi Mi A1 is protected by Gorilla Glass, which protects it from bumps and scratches and also offers its characteristic good touch. The tactile response is fast, the viewing angles are good and, what is more important, it resists fingerprints well enough . It will have to be cleaned, as it happens with all, but less frequently. A hurray to the oleophobic treatment, especially on the part of those who are somewhat obsessed with constantly removing the brightness caused by the use.

Very little negative points can be attributed to this screen. As we mentioned before, we can not customize the experience, nor with sliding bars in detail or with profiles. Another defect, the absence of double touch to turn on and off . Of course, it is not essential, but it is a feature that is missed as soon as it is tested, and that we look for in each phone analyzed. For the rest, a very high level screen.

Something has this Snapdragon 625

Something has because there is already a substitute in circulation but it is still riding. An eight-core processor at 2GHz that do not stop dating, and that in the case of this Xiaomi Mi A1 is accompanied by 4GB of RAM and a storage of 64GB plus the microSD. Because it's pure Android, but we're not talking about a Nexus. You can put a microSD and also format it to fatten the internal memory instead of operating in parallel. Great news.

You have to have your feet on the ground. This Xiaomi Mi A1 is a mid range and as such it behaves. A phone that is always flowing at all times, that does not show delays or to open applications or to switch between them when we use multitasking, and that responds when we demand it. Although when we do this last, it weakens slightly. It wanes because its Adreno 506 GPU is for what it is, but not to execute heavy games with ease. The cough appears with Asphalt, appears with HearthStone and appears in general with 3D titles that ask for a higher chip. Nothing pronounced, yes, because the performance of this Snapdragon 625 has little to envy his older brothers .

We can not require this Mi A1 to be more than what it is, a mid range well flanked by its memories. But still, the note goes up a little.

Nothing to object to in the rest of the plans, nor in the management of the interface nor in the execution of the rest of the applications. Neither photography nor office automation, neither social networks nor messaging are executed slowly, and navigation under data also occurs at a very good speed. A phone designed to perform with ease unless we need high-end specifications. Because, unfortunately, we are not facing a high range. Of course, dare everything, although late. We have a trotter in our hands, not a thoroughbred .

In the raw performance tests , those that test processor, memories and even web browsing, the Xiaomi Mi A1 is shown in the line of its category peers and direct competitors. In some aspects it is appreciated how the download of the layer that covers Android benefits , although it stays more or less on the line.

	XIAOMI MI A1	HUAWEI P10 LITE	BQ AQUARIS X	MOTO G5 PLUS
Processor	Snapdragon 625	Kirin 658	Snapdragon 626	Snapdragon 625
RAM	4GB	3GB	4GB	3GB
AnTuTu	60,014	59,806	60,123	64,388
GeekBench (single / multi)	844 / 4,089	903 / 3,337	923/4,445	827 / 3,993
3DMark (IceStorm)	13.601	11,412	-	13,866
PCMark (Work 2.0)	4,729	4.527	4.865	4.828

The GPS deserves a mention in this analysis because during the testing time we have repeatedly used geolocation applications such as Google

Maps, finding that the device is quickly placed on the map and offers a navigation with few failures, despite the fact that places us from time to time in secondary roads parallel to those that we travel. Something that, by the way, we have also detected in phones of more category. Notable high in wireless stuff for this Mi A1. We're almost done.

Another aspect that we usually emphasize when we analyze the performance of the devices is that of the fingerprint reader, when it is present. And here it is. A fast fingerprint reader, who has not given a single recognition fault during the tests and who suffers where all suffer: with wet fingers. The rear position will like or taste less, but the truth is that the readers of Xiaomi are fast and efficient, and with the finger support unlock the phone directly and quickly. But we can not pay with it, nothing of NFC chip. The great mistake of a phone that, had it had this chip, would have been difficult to overcome because of its direct competition.

Android, if it's pure, better

It is usually a common comment when talking about Android, and is that too many layers are causing polarity among its users. Either you love them or hate them, and MIUI is one of them. The Chinese manufacturer's layer is often criticized for the apparent complexity of its configuration and for its aggressive resemblance to Apple's operating system, iOS. In this case there will be no problems because the My A1 belongs to the Android One team. We speak of a phone with Android Nougat pure, without layers or obstacles, and before this only applaud.

The closest experience to the Nexus that can be obtained today is that of Android One, the "competitors" of the Pixel in the shade and that offer a pure operating system without additives . No extra applications, beyond that the camera is customized by Xiaomi and the Mi Remote application also appears. Or that we have the possibility of adding Mi accounts natively through the configuration of the phone.

 Since in other phones we can find duplicate apps when the Google ones appear as opposed to those of the manufacturer, this does not happen. The browser is Chrome, the gallery is Google Photos, the management of emails is done by Gmail and messages are handled by Messenger. Hangouts if we do not want to install WhatsApp (lucky with that) and Drive to store content in the cloud. Everything by hand, all signed by Google.

And in case there was any doubt about whether the Xiaomi app store would arrive or not pre-installed, the answer is no. Only Play Store, with all its Play added for movies, games and music, to manage the installation and uninstallation of applications, and also its update. As we mentioned, Android completely pure with small touches of Xiaomi in the form of apps. But only two , and without modifying the menus. The dream of those who want a Xiaomi but can not stand MIUI is here.

Battery for a while

The batteries worry us, although more than them we worry about autonomy. Nobody likes the fact that the phone is turned off in the middle of the street, far from an outlet, mainly because the telephone is today the digital center of the lives of many and losing it is to disconnect from everything far away. In the case of the Mi A1, our digital activity depends on a 3,080 mAh battery and, of course, we have put it to the test in different situations and stress tests.

The different tests with this My A1 have given us between 5 and 7 hours of screen, a day of use without problems

Like spending the day under 4G, playing games, using a lot of the camera, social networks, messaging and even podcasts in continuous playback through wired headphones, which are not wireless. The result, five hours of screen and get to the night something just battery. With combined uses the thing improves, and quite . A little while we are some hours under WiFi, the battery is much longer, and as we make a "normal" use, less aggressive but without depriving us of anything, we spent six hours screen without problems. Or five hours spread over two days, to choose.

What is clear is that unless we are very aggressive with this phone, its 3,080 mAh will give us a day of use . Nor will it be necessary to take us beyond seven hours of screen, something that has also done with a use of moderate applications, but it will be enough to be able to spend the day away from a charger. Because, unfortunately, the fast charge is not too fast and nobody will take us away from being two hours plugged into a socket to return 100% of your load. Despite everything, an amazing battery found in phones whose internal batteries are close to 4,000 mAh. Good energy management, My A1, so yes.

Two eyes for fun defocusing

All mobile phones today have front and rear cameras, but not all users give them the same use. There are those who use it as a documentary, to portray specific moments, to get images to send through messaging apps, to store documents and written information. And there are also users who like photography, go out to have a good time and capture, play with the frames, be more artistic. And with this Mi A1 both types of users are covered .

A phone that has a double camera located in the back. A 12 megapixel camera that inherits the configuration of the catalog leader, the XIaomi Mi 6, and also its Chinese twin brother, the Mi 5X. Two cameras with identical resolution but with two different focal lengths, one aimed at achieving a "normal" lens and another focused on magnification, a telephoto lens. 26 and 50 millimeters with apertures f / 2.2 and f / 2.6, with focus by phase detection and with Dual LED flash. The result, Portrait mode, called Stereo, and also two-zoom optical zoom .

And as with the Mi 6 and also with the Mi 5X, photographing with this Xiaomi Mi A1 is very fun and it does not take long to grow in you the need to blur everything. Because if I do this My A1 of Xiaomi and Google is to offer some improper results of its category, superiors . It helps your software a lot, you can switch between normal mode and Portrait mode, here called Stereo, with a single touch, or do the same to switch between objectives. Between normal and augmented photography. And everything becomes tremendously simple.

Taking pictures with the normal objective is to obtain bright images, despite their aperture f / 2.2, and with quite natural colors, slightly saturated , just enough to bring more vividness to the scene without overloading them, without shrillness. The edges are sharp, the resolution is sufficient if we want to make cuts and the dynamic range behaves quite well although sometimes it weakens slightly. Because, remember, we are facing a telephone of just over 200 euros, even less if we want to risk not having a local guarantee.

With the aim of increasing the photographs are darkened, but not so much as to be a nuisance and only the difference is truly appreciated in already obscured environments. There it will be necessary to take hold of the first lens and not of the second, since the aperture f / 2.6 penalizes too much. Thanks to this objective we will have increase without pixilation, without distortions. An objective that focuses closer than the other and nothing more , and that is useful in certain occasions although it is easy to forget that it is there. His main work appears in the portraits, in the blurs, because that is where he takes the control to let the 26 mm lens read the background and support his partner.

Here concludes the analysis of this Xiaomi Mi A1, a device that can be a before and after for Xiaomi as it places it in the hands of the Google distribution and with the possibility of reaching many more parts with its hardware, although its MIUI layer have to stay at home this time. A phone with an adequate size but enemy of the fans of compact phones and haters of frames , and with a screen and sufficient power for the vast majority of non-extreme scenarios.

A phone whose main attraction, in addition to having pure Android inside, is a double rear camera with which we can play to blur, with which we will have optical zoom and with which we will achieve high quality photographs for the price range in the one that we move. Because we do not forget, we are facing a mid-range with all of the law , although the Xiaomi camera software invites us to think that we move into higher categories.

This My A1 has surprised us for good. It becomes one of the "highly recommended" in its category.

In short, a mobile that has surprised us for good and that, despite its shortcomings, because it has them, knows how to stress each and every one of its virtues, and becomes one of the most recommendable in its range. We still remember when almost all the industry agreed to respond "Moto G" to any request for advice on quality purchases but with contained amounts. Are we facing a new Moto G but signed by Xiaomi? It's possible. Maybe this is the Moto G that we deserve after some time in which the mid-range lacked outstanding representatives. Maybe.