[Smartphones] | Stock Android on a Xiaomi phone!? | Xiaomi Mi A1

Stock android on Xiaomi Hardware!

This is the first time I am this happy with a Xiaomi budget phone, because of the software it's rocking! Android One is back, and it's partnered up with the Chinese giant this time.

The result is a Xiaomi phone running on stock android! No more bloated, childish MiUI! Introducing, the Xiaomi A1.

To be clear, I was always positive about the Redmi series of budget smartphones that offered good value for money. But there was one thing which I found as totally unpleasant; the UI.

I am not a big fan of these iPhony Chinese user interfaces, and MiUI is no different. It was the only thing that stopped me from personally recommending a Xiaomi smartphone to someone, unless they're really on a tight budget.

But that's all about to change now (hopefully). My initial impressions are highly positive on the Xiaomi A1.

Pretty much the same as the Mi 5X

Spec wise, it is powered by a Snapdragon 625 CPU, clocked similar to the Redmi note 4, with 64 GB internal storage and 4 gigs of RAM. There is also the Adreno 506 GPU, which has proven it's mettle as a good budget performer.

The form factor is more or less similar to the Xiaomi Mi 5X. It has the same kind of dual camera setup, with a primary 12 mp standard sensor at f/2.0 aperture, and a 12 mp telephoto sensor at f/2.6 aperture.

The front camera is a 5 mp snapper. Below that you'll find an IPS LCD of 5.5 inches, topping up at 1080p.

Decent display

The battery may be slighly smaller for some people's taste and expectations. It's a 3080 mAh unit, which is a bit weaker than its Redmi siblings, all of which rock batteries of around 4000s.

I'm happy to see USB TYPE-C instead if the same old microUSB port this time around. It's about time we moved things along to type-C.

Glad to see stock UI

And also, the IR blaster is still around, which means a lot to some people like me. I typically use my phone as an 'all in one' remote around the house.

There is expandability, but it is a hybrid slot. Which means, dual sim configuration will not allow you to expand your storage, and an SD card will stop you from using two SIM cards.

Manufacturers really need to take the Moto G5 route where there are dual SIM slots and a dedicated SD card slot

Still very affordable

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Nevertheless, the Xiaomi A1 is the first smartphone from the company which hasn't had shrug and move on. Android One will ensure that we will get Android Oreo on this thing soon. Let's hope they stock with what they said.

The A1 retails for about $220, which is the typical price category of almost all Xiaomi devices on Asian markets. If you like Xiaomi hardware but were put off with their skin,  this is your chance to switch over.

A good budget performer with pure stock Android, that's exactly what Xiaomi needed at the moment. As of my present take on it, for the first time, I have no problems recommending this phone to someone searching for one in this price range.