Xiaomi Mi A1 was launched a few weeks back and is still one of the best mid-range phones you get at this price point. The phone was initially launched in 4GB+64GB configuration but now is available in 4GB+32GB variant as well. The price of the 64GB variant of the Xiaomi Mi A1 is Rs.30,000 and the price of the 32GB variant of the Mi A1 is Rs.27,000.
Xiaomi Mi A1 is one difficult phone to beat. And before you start telling me Xiaomi Mi A1 is overpriced, tell me a phone with better hardware and software than the Xiaomi Mi A1? I understand that Xiaomi Mi A1 costs more when we compare the price of the phone with India but that’s the same with all the other brands as well.We should factor in the cost of shipping and taxes (as well as other miscellaneous costs). We need to accept the fact that buying phones in Nepal will always be more expensive and the prices will always be higher when compared to the prices of other countries.
Okay, coming back to the phone, Xiaomi Mi A1 packs features that are missing in other phones in this price range. The Mi A1 is a complete package. Both the software and hardware of the phone is top notch. Also, unlike other Xiaomi phones, the phone comes with stock Android instead of MIUI software overlay. The phone will also get Android updates faster than all the other Xiaomi (and phones from other manufacturers).
Now, let’s quickly go through the specs of the Xiaomi Mi A1:
- 5.5 inch LTPS IPS LCD Display
- 1080 x 1920 pixels
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC
- 32GB/64GB Internal Storage
- 4GB RAM
- Dual Rear Camera: 12MP(f/2.2, 26mm) + 12 MP(f/2.6, 50mm)
- 5MP Front Camera
- 4K Video Recording @30fps
- 720p Video Recording @120fps
- 3080mAh Battery
Xiaomi Mi A1 is one of the first Android One phones of 2017 and the software has to be the best part of the phone. While the hardware is not laking in anyways, the software is the star of the show. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC which is powering the phone is also sufficiently powerful. You can run all the latest titles including AAA games with no fuss. I tried playing a lot of games on the phone and the phone had no problem at all.
The other feature that is exceptional on the Xiaomi Mi A1 has to be its camera. The rear 12MP camera capable of 2x optical zoom works surprisingly well on broad daylight. However, the front 5MP camera is a disappointment. This is not one of the selfie focused phone that you see all over the place.
Personally, I think that the Xiaomi Mi A1 is an excellent package with very few shortcomings. If you are looking for a phone under Rs.30,000, the Xiaomi Mi A1 is certainly worth a look. In fact, as I was writing this post, one of the employees of our office got himself a phone for himself.
