Xiaomi has launched its first dual camera smartphone, called the Xiaomi Mi A1. The new Mi smartphone is priced at Rs 14,999. The best feature of the new device is Xiaomi has tied up with Google for its Android One initiative. While earlier Xiaomi phones had a MIUI skin on top of Android OS, this time around the device will run the stock Android. The device will have the Android Nougat version as of now. Google CEO Sundar Pichai had started its Android One project in India in September 2014. He was then the head of Android and Chrome.
For the Android One, Google had earlier partnered with Micromax, Spice and Karbonn smartphones in India. The focus was to get pure Android on cheap smartphones. Most of the mobiles under the partnerships were priced below Rs 7000, yet they could not become popular. Google then did not bother to bring more such phones in India. However, it became popular in many other countries like Japan and Turkey. But now, Google has ventured into the mid segment with one of the most popular brands in the country, Xiaomi. The company infact has just conducted the global launch event of the Xiaomi Mi A1.
Xiaomi Mi A1 specifications: The Mi A1 has a 5.5-inch FHD display. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor. In terms of storage, the Xiaomi Mi A1 has only one variant of 4GB RAM and 64GB internal memory which can be expanded using a microSD card. The phone has a 3000mAh battery. The smartphone has a dual camera setup. There are two 12 megapixel cameras at the back, one with a wide angle lens and other with a telephoto lens. On the front, the camera is 5 megapixels. The fingerprint scanner on the Xiaomi Mi A1 is at the rear end, like most of the phone from this company. Mi A1 is a dual SIM phone and supports 4G VoLTE in India.
When it comes to the design and build the phone has a metal unibody. However, the Antenna bands have been muted here. The cameras at the back jut out a little. From the back, the phone looks and feels a lot like other flagship smartphones with dual cameras. The phone has brought 3 colour variants: Rose Gold, Gold and Black.
The Xiaomi Mi A1 runs the Android 7.1.2 Nougat and is the first phone from the company which is missing the MIUI, which is its own skin that runs on top. However, Google has promised a smooth and secure experience with the new Android One smartphone.