Xiaomi unveils the Mi A1 with Android One, Dual Cameras

Xiaomi has partnered with Google to launch Mi A1, a flagship dual-camera smartphone. The Mi A1 will be Xiaomi’s first Android One smartphone in the market, as part of Google’s mission to reach the next billion.

The Mi A1 Android One flagship is no different from iPhone 7 Plus in design. (following OnePlus, huh?) Even the finishes on offer are the same — except Matte Black and Jet Black. Yes, the phone will be available in Black, Gold and Pink.

Featuring iPhone 7 Plus-like dual camera setup, the Mi A1 has a 12-megapixel wide-angle sensor combined with 12-megapixel telephoto lens at the back, while the front unit stays at 5-megapixel. That said, you’ll be able to capture DSLR-like photos (blurred background and focused object) from your phone, as the 5-mm telephoto lens captures the main image and wide-angle lens helps in depth of field measurement to create a bokeh. (Apple calls this Portrait Mode; not sure if Xiaomi has a better name.) The telephoto lens enables up to 2x optical zoom and 10x digital zoom. In addition, you can store unlimited high-quality photos on Google Photos.

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Specs in the radar, the A1 sports a 5.5-inch FHD display, Snapdragon 635 chipset, 4GB of RAM, 64GB expandable storage, and a 3,080mAh battery. The fingerprint sensor is located at the back of the device, just like on many other Mi phones.

You’ll be happy to know that this metal unibody Mi phone comes with a headphone jack, and USB Type-C support.

Google comes into play for its Android One program. The $233 Mi A1 will ship pure Android when it launches on September 12 in India, and will receive Android Oreo by the end of 2017. Plus, it’ll also be updated to Android P in 2018, thanks Android One. The phone will launch in more than 40 counties around the globe including Russia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Poland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Ukraine, and Mexico, but not in the US.