Xiaomi Mi A2 has been officially announced by the Chinese company at its grand event in Madrid, Spain alongside a smaller version called Mi A2 Lite. Xiaomi has been teasing the smartphone along with its smaller version – the Mi A2 Lite – and while the pricing and availability of the smartphones awaited an official announcement, the reports and speculations left nothing to the imagination on occasions aplenty. The Xiaomi Mi A2 is the second Android One phone from Xiaomi’s stable as it comes as the sequel to the Mi A1 – the first smartphone that shipped with near stock Android experience in lieu of the highly customised MIUI, something that’s one of the USPs of Xiaomi phones.
The Xiaomi Mi A2 is pricier than the predecessor – it costs 249 euros (roughly Rs 20,100) for the 4GB RAM/ 32GB storage variant; the 4GB RAM and 64GB storage variant is priced at 279 euros (roughly Rs 22,500) while the 6GB RAM and 128GB storage model costs 349 euros (roughly Rs 28,000). The Mi A2 Lite price is 179 euros (roughly Rs 14,400) for the base variant while the high-end variant costs 229 euros (roughly Rs 18,500).
The smartphones will be available to purchase starting July 27 in France, August 8 in Italy, and August 10 in Spain via Xiaomi website, offline stores, and other partner retailers including Amazon and AliExpress among many others. Xiaomi also revealed the list of countries where the Mi A2 and Mi A2 Lite will be launched and while the former will make its debut in India sometime later, the latter won’t be launched in India.
The Xiaomi Mi A2 is a mid-range smartphone that is primarily a device for those who want Xiaomi’s hardware with a flavour of Google’s stock Android experience. It has a 5.99-inch full-HD+ display with 2.5D curved glass, shielded by Corning Gorilla Glass. The Mi A2 Lite, on the other hand, has a 5.84-inch full-HD+ display with a 19:9 aspect ratio and a notch on the top of the display.
The Xiaomi Mi A2 is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor paired with 4GB or 6GB of RAM options, while the Mi A2 Lite is powered by a Snapdragon 625 SoC paired with 3GB or 4GB of RAM options. For internal storage, the Mi A2 has 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB options while the Mi A2 Lite has 32GB or 64GB options, both with support for expandable storage via microSD card up to 256GB.
For cameras, the Xiaomi Mi A2 has AI-capable dual cameras – there is a 20-megapixel primary sensor and a 12-megapixel secondary camera that will work in sync to produce bokeh effects. The cameras are equipped with PDAF and a dual-tone LED flash accompanies the setup. On the front, the Mi A2 has a 20-megapixel ‘AI Selfie Camera’ with soft LED flash. The front camera doubles up as the facial scanner.
On Mi A2 Lite, there is a dual camera setup of a 12-megapixel primary sensor and a secondary 5-megapixel camera. The cameras have PDAF, autofocus, and LED flash. There is a 5-megapixel front camera on the smartphone. Both the front and rear cameras come with support for Portrait Mode along with AI capabilities.
The Xiaomi Mi A2 is backed by a 3010mAh battery under the hood. It has connectivity options including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS, 4G VoLTE, and USB Type-C among others. There is no 3.5mm headphone jack on the phone. On the other hand, the Mi A2 Lite has a 4000mAh battery and connectivity options including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS, 4G VoLTE, and Micro-USB along with 3.5mm headphone jack.
