Mi A2 Lite Review: First Android One with a Notch!
by mitch002
Its been a crazy few months with Xiaomi as they never seem to stop releasing new phones after another and to my surprise, the Mi A2 Lite is simply an Android One version of the Redmi 6 Pro. Xiaomi and Google's cooperation has been seemingly going well for the past year after the successful debut of the first Android One unit in Mi A1. Now they have released 2 variants of the Mi A2, coz there is a cheaper version in the form of Mi A2 Lite. We will handle the Lite version in this very review.
Mi A2 Lite Specs Sheet
Unboxing
Similar to the Mi A1 Box
A2 Lite, Protection Case, Manual , Sim Ejector Pin, Charger Cable, Charger
Video Unboxing
Design
What really triggered my curiosity for this unit is the notch, this is the very first Android One Series to ever sport a notch, probably more to follow after this one. Now, sporting a notch is simply the "IN" thing these days as many smartphones manufacturers tries to deploy it in their smartphones and even on midrange budget phones like this one. This is probably a way to send the message to Apple that there is nothing difficult in placing a notch to the screen unlike what the claimed with the Iphone X. This unit very much reminisce the Redmi Note 4X in terms of the metal back cover, it is pretty much a revival of that unit at a little bigger screen and a dual camera with the same SD 625 processor if you noticed.
First look at the notch
Told you it looks like a Redmi Note 4X with a dual camera.
The front sports a 5.84 inch screen with a 19:9 aspect ratio, there is also a 5MP Camera on top of the screen
The 3.5mm audio jack is still present with the noise cancellation mic
Volume rocker and power button on the right
Mic In, Micro USB Charging slot and the loudspeaker is below there
Sim ejector tray on the right
12MP + 5MP dual camera and the fingerprint scanner
2 Nano Sim + 1 SD Card Slot
Snapdragon 625
The legendary processor that Xiaomi never gets tired of using, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 is a common processor that Xiaomi loves to use over and over again, but for me its tried and tested SoC that never failed to perform, that's probably why its being used again in this unit. AnTuTu gave it a score of 78217 points out of the box as compared to 77846 points from the Redmi 6 Pro which is a close score. We performed multitasking job on this workhorse and it gets the job done pretty much a breeze. We tried PUBG and it was running good on medium settings as of the moment.
Android One Rom
Connectivity
The Mi A2 Lite supports 10 different LTE bands, it's easy to switch to LTE network inside the settings but once your do the second sim will be running on GSM connectivity only. You can freely choose which sim you want to use your LTE data. We have experienced no problem surfing using LTE or 3G in our home country in the Philippines as well as dual standby mode is working seamlessly. Tethering data is also working perfectly. Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, and GLONASS are all present and working pretty good. We also have a smooth navigation using Google Maps as it is pretty much accurate in pointing our current location.
Detailed Network Band
GSM B2/3/5/8
WCDMA B1/2/5/8
FDD-LTE B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/20
TD-LTE B38/40
Audio and Video
Supports AACLC, HE-AACv1 (ACC+), HE-AACv2 (ACC+), ACCELD (enhanced low delay), ACC, AMR-NB,AMR-WB, FLAC, MIDI, MP3, Opus, PCM/WAVE, Vorbis audio formats.
Support H.263, H.264 AVC Baseline Profile (BP), H.264 AVCMain Profile (MP), H.264 HEVC, MPEG-4 SP, XVID, VP8, VP9, ASF/WMV, 3G2,AVI/DIVX *, TS, MKV/WEBM, M4V, FLV, 3GP/MP4 video formats.
Whileplaying PUBG, we placed the volume to the max and we were surprised that it's pretty loud, but the loudness is compromised once it hits 100% as the sounds is a bit shattered.
Camera
Since this unit is exactly the same as the Redmi 6 Pro, it can be assumed that the Main Rear Camera Sensor is a Sony IMX 486 paired by a Samsung sensor while the front one is made by the Chinese manufacturer Omnivision. This pretty much round up for the camera of this phone, lets get going and check the sample shot that I have prepared just for you. Take note that the best performance is under good sunlight but still underperforming on low light surroundings as it tends to get grainy.
Actual Photos
Selfie
Battery Performance
We were able to achieve a good battery rating for this unit since, we lasted a day on normal usage without hitting the charging port or power bank. PC Mark Battery Stress Test gave it a rating of 8 Hours and 41 Minutes of SOT. Compared to the Redmi 6 Pro, the battery is not optimized since it has no MIUI Optimization features, and for your information, the Redmi 6 Pro notched a 15 hour SOT. We charged the phone from 20% to 100% using a QC 3.0 Charger supplied from the Mi 8, it took us 2 hours and 05 minutes to just to fill up the 4000mAh tank.
Other Benchmarks
Conclusion
After being able to play with it for a while as our daily driver, Im not really convinced unless I want to have a notch just to be "IN" and probably earn some conversation due to the notch that they will see on this unit. Its clear that Android One is a very clean state of the phone without any modification or bloatwares, but sometimes it can be irritatin especially if the shortcuts are missing if you came from MIUI. Xiaomi has done it right this time as they released 2 variants of the Android One handets as not everyone can afford a high end one at any given time of the day.
Price Varies Per Country of Release
Mi A2 Lite
by mitch002
Its been a crazy few months with Xiaomi as they never seem to stop releasing new phones after another and to my surprise, the Mi A2 Lite is simply an Android One version of the Redmi 6 Pro. Xiaomi and Google's cooperation has been seemingly going well for the past year after the successful debut of the first Android One unit in Mi A1. Now they have released 2 variants of the Mi A2, coz there is a cheaper version in the form of Mi A2 Lite. We will handle the Lite version in this very review.
Mi A2 Lite Specs Sheet
- 5.84-inch FHD+ IPS LCD display @ 2280 x 1080 pixels, 432ppi, 19:9 Ratio
- 79.5% Screen to Body Ratio, 84% NTSC Color Gamut
- 2.0GHz Snapdragon 625 MSM8953 Octa-core CPU Cortex A-53
- Adreno 506 GPU
- 3GB/4GB RAM
- 32GB/64GB Internal storage
- Expandable via microSD, up to 256GB
- 12MP Rear Camera, f/2.2 Aperture, 1.25um
- 5MP Secondary Rear Camera f/2.2 Aperture, 1.12um
- 5MP front-facing camera, 1080p
- Dual-SIM (Sim 1 Nano + Sim 2 Nano + SD Card)
- 4G LTE, 4G+
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
- Bluetooth 4.2
- GPS w/ A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS
- Fingerprint scanner
- Micro USB Port
- 4000 mAh battery
- Android 8.1 on Android One
- 149.33mm x 71.68mm x 8..75mm
- 178 grams
- Available in Lake Blue, Gold, Black
Unboxing
Similar to the Mi A1 Box
A2 Lite, Protection Case, Manual , Sim Ejector Pin, Charger Cable, Charger
Video Unboxing
Design
What really triggered my curiosity for this unit is the notch, this is the very first Android One Series to ever sport a notch, probably more to follow after this one. Now, sporting a notch is simply the "IN" thing these days as many smartphones manufacturers tries to deploy it in their smartphones and even on midrange budget phones like this one. This is probably a way to send the message to Apple that there is nothing difficult in placing a notch to the screen unlike what the claimed with the Iphone X. This unit very much reminisce the Redmi Note 4X in terms of the metal back cover, it is pretty much a revival of that unit at a little bigger screen and a dual camera with the same SD 625 processor if you noticed.
First look at the notch
Told you it looks like a Redmi Note 4X with a dual camera.
The front sports a 5.84 inch screen with a 19:9 aspect ratio, there is also a 5MP Camera on top of the screen
The 3.5mm audio jack is still present with the noise cancellation mic
Volume rocker and power button on the right
Mic In, Micro USB Charging slot and the loudspeaker is below there
Sim ejector tray on the right
12MP + 5MP dual camera and the fingerprint scanner
2 Nano Sim + 1 SD Card Slot
Snapdragon 625
The legendary processor that Xiaomi never gets tired of using, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 is a common processor that Xiaomi loves to use over and over again, but for me its tried and tested SoC that never failed to perform, that's probably why its being used again in this unit. AnTuTu gave it a score of 78217 points out of the box as compared to 77846 points from the Redmi 6 Pro which is a close score. We performed multitasking job on this workhorse and it gets the job done pretty much a breeze. We tried PUBG and it was running good on medium settings as of the moment.
Android One Rom
Connectivity
The Mi A2 Lite supports 10 different LTE bands, it's easy to switch to LTE network inside the settings but once your do the second sim will be running on GSM connectivity only. You can freely choose which sim you want to use your LTE data. We have experienced no problem surfing using LTE or 3G in our home country in the Philippines as well as dual standby mode is working seamlessly. Tethering data is also working perfectly. Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, and GLONASS are all present and working pretty good. We also have a smooth navigation using Google Maps as it is pretty much accurate in pointing our current location.
Detailed Network Band
GSM B2/3/5/8
WCDMA B1/2/5/8
FDD-LTE B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/20
TD-LTE B38/40
Audio and Video
Supports AACLC, HE-AACv1 (ACC+), HE-AACv2 (ACC+), ACCELD (enhanced low delay), ACC, AMR-NB,AMR-WB, FLAC, MIDI, MP3, Opus, PCM/WAVE, Vorbis audio formats.
Support H.263, H.264 AVC Baseline Profile (BP), H.264 AVCMain Profile (MP), H.264 HEVC, MPEG-4 SP, XVID, VP8, VP9, ASF/WMV, 3G2,AVI/DIVX *, TS, MKV/WEBM, M4V, FLV, 3GP/MP4 video formats.
Whileplaying PUBG, we placed the volume to the max and we were surprised that it's pretty loud, but the loudness is compromised once it hits 100% as the sounds is a bit shattered.
Camera
Since this unit is exactly the same as the Redmi 6 Pro, it can be assumed that the Main Rear Camera Sensor is a Sony IMX 486 paired by a Samsung sensor while the front one is made by the Chinese manufacturer Omnivision. This pretty much round up for the camera of this phone, lets get going and check the sample shot that I have prepared just for you. Take note that the best performance is under good sunlight but still underperforming on low light surroundings as it tends to get grainy.
Actual Photos
Selfie
Battery Performance
We were able to achieve a good battery rating for this unit since, we lasted a day on normal usage without hitting the charging port or power bank. PC Mark Battery Stress Test gave it a rating of 8 Hours and 41 Minutes of SOT. Compared to the Redmi 6 Pro, the battery is not optimized since it has no MIUI Optimization features, and for your information, the Redmi 6 Pro notched a 15 hour SOT. We charged the phone from 20% to 100% using a QC 3.0 Charger supplied from the Mi 8, it took us 2 hours and 05 minutes to just to fill up the 4000mAh tank.
Other Benchmarks
Conclusion
After being able to play with it for a while as our daily driver, Im not really convinced unless I want to have a notch just to be "IN" and probably earn some conversation due to the notch that they will see on this unit. Its clear that Android One is a very clean state of the phone without any modification or bloatwares, but sometimes it can be irritatin especially if the shortcuts are missing if you came from MIUI. Xiaomi has done it right this time as they released 2 variants of the Android One handets as not everyone can afford a high end one at any given time of the day.
Price Varies Per Country of Release
Mi A2 Lite
