Xiaomi Mi A3 – The Android One Star of 2019
Xiaomi Mi A3 is a result of a collaboration between Google and Xiaomi. It is an attempt by Google to push the Android One platform for mobile handsets. It was released in mid 2019 and went on to become the most successful handset from the Android One series.
What is Android One
Android One is the stock version of Android Operating system. In case any handset manufacturer opts for the Android One option, they cannot change the UI or the skin of the OS. Android One is not to be confused with Android Go which is for low end devices a kind of light weight Android. The Android One program did begin with low cost or entry level handsets in 2014. But eventually it switched over to covering other handsets too. In 2017, Xiaomi and Google announced the tie up which resulted in the first Mi A1. In 2018, Nokia joined the Android One program.
Android One handsets get patches and updates for two years and security updates for three years. Appearance of the software which runs the phone cannot be altered. This means everyone will get a uniform experience across handsets, the Google experience. It is similar to using Google Pixel.
Xiaomi Mi A3 Hardware
The Mi A3 is 6 inch display phone with glass and aluminum body. It has Corning Gorilla Glass 5 both on front as well as back. Photography is taken care by a front 32 MP camera and 48 MP triple camera at the back which has a 48MP Sony IMX586 assisted by AI. Powered by a 4030 mAh battery, it has enough juice to last for a day and half of moderate use. The heart of the phone is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 processor with Adreno 610 GPU, 6 GB RAM and 128 GB onboard storage on the highest version. The phone support fast charging via Qualcomm Quick charge 3.0. As far as connectivity goes, it has the usual, bluetooth, WiFi and dual 4G SIM. It is available in three colors, White, Blue and Grey.
Public reception
Google aggregates reviews from various vendors and websites to give an overall picture. This system is good because it has a wide range. At the time of writing this article, Xiaomi Mi A3 had garnered 4.6 out of 5 stars from over 800 reviews. Most of the appreciation comes from the nice design and great performance with the camera. On Amazon there is a different story. Initially customers who were not exactly familiar with the concept of Android One have given it a negative rating. The pace of the reviews however picked up and now we have almost 4 out of 5 stars from 35k reviews.
Overall, the concept of Android One and the awesome design of Mi A3 with some spectacular specs have upped the ante and created enough interest. What will be more interesting is how the next version of the phone will perform.
