Xiaomi Mi A2 review

02 August 2018
The Xiaomi Mi 6X has finally gone global and we have a play date with the international Mi A2. Some big shoes it has to fill - the Mi A1 was such a well-rounded yet affordable smartphone that it would regularly feature in our review conclusions as the main alternative for a wide range of competitors. Can the Mi A2 top that?

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  • Anonymous
  • B1y
  • 03 Aug 2018

Geric.770, 03 Aug 2018Flagship is always a flagship. GCam only enhances HDR and ... moreyes Sony Sensor same as MI6X, superb camera if only you're using Gcam

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    • Naveen
    • bER
    • 03 Aug 2018

    I was waiting this phone since April Month , but its worst to buy . I have purchase Oneplus 6 .

      • H
      • Hamburger
      • yA8
      • 03 Aug 2018

      "Xiaomi's hacked off the microSD slot and the 3.5mm jack - how was that a good idea on a handset that's supposed to have a mass-market appeal?"

      Spot on. Can't touch this.

      Let's hope the A3 next year can reverse this trend. This year for me would be a Nokia then.

        Anonymous, 02 Aug 2018I deeply care about audio quality with headphones. I waited... moreI'm afraid that when it comes to audio quality, LG is unbeatable. Right now, LG G6 costs about the same as MiA2, but it's a 2016 flagship, so I believe there's no comparison with any other phone in this price range. And its audio quality is stellar, especially if you pair it with a high impedance headset, like the Beyerdynamic DT770 pro 80 ohms.

          • A
          • Akash
          • D0i
          • 03 Aug 2018

          harwey, 03 Aug 2018Xiaomi,are you reading these reviews,on GSMA,at least...???... moreMy friend bought Redmi note 5 ( Redmi 5 plus). But the audio volume through headphone jack is very low which makes him to regret his choice. Most of the time, I skip audio section in gsmarena reviews. But after what happened with my friend, I am reading audio section too.

            Mediatek sux, 03 Aug 2018Oh no its as much as quality as you can get on that shitty ... moreFlagship is always a flagship.
            GCam only enhances HDR and Auto mode.

            On the other hand, Samsung's flagships have one of the best sensors out there. Is it a Sony sensor?

              • H
              • Hii
              • XN5
              • 03 Aug 2018

              I'm happy that I decided to go with Nokia 7 plus. So far best phone i used in my life everything works great! B-)

                Xiaomi Mi A2 seems to be the phone that show how Xiaomi changed the focus of its game. In comparison to the latest Redmi series and Mi A1, this new phone changed its focus from a performance phone (more on gaming and heavy usage) into a social media phone given its superb camera. Mind you, its performance is no slouch too, it just step back of its edurance.

                Well, we all have our choice of devices but it seems that Xiaomi changed the game of the Mi A2 into a more normal day-to-day phone capable of social media. The phone really stepped up its game on the camera that even blows that Nokia 7 plus away (a more expensive device: $285 vs $415 in my place). The sad thing is Xiaomi needs to maintain a certain price level and thus, cut some corners of it.

                From the review and comments, it seems that its cons are:
                -No SD card
                -No 3.5mm aux port
                -Dimmer screen than other competitors
                -Mediocre battery life

                I guess most of these cons vary per buyer. Yes, the SD card, aux port and screen are a bummer. But this varies per personal usage and such features can be found in its Redmi Note 5 Pro. There are people that doesn't need an SD card(cloud users), can live with the aux port dongle (apple phones live with these) and doesn't always use the phones under the direct searing sunlight. Those are subjective cons, if not forgivable.

                What's not forgivable is the mediocre battery and no fast charging. For me, those two are the only real cons that may apply to the majority of "normal" phone users. Its disappointing how they would not include a Quickcharge on a USB type-C device (though, Indian market have QC on their Mi A2).

                Overall its a good phone that plays a different game from its predecessors and from what we expected. It is not perfect but it also impresses. The camera is commendable but its a shame it doesn't have QC outside india (QC may compensate with the mediocre battery performance).

                I am considering buying this phone but I need a quickcharge solution because I'm not in India now. Do you guys have suggestion to speed up its charging? Thank you in advance. Peace!

                  Overall an uninspiring sequel. Hopefully the mi max 3 fares much better.

                    Anonymous, 03 Aug 2018I doubt they are reading this site at all. Perhaps you can ... moreYes,mate,you're right,but I believe GSMA is respectable web-reviewer and No.4 smartphone manufacturer in the world should care about their(and our) opinion..That feedback you're mentioning won't be mine so I see no logic to post it on their forums,I trust GSMA but I didn't try those issued phones so I could create some opinion from my personal experience.Btw.Mi5 had best audio output ever!Better than galaxy s7,htc 10,Ip6,1+3t,xperia xz..I tested those...

                      Guys Mi A1 has superior audio quality through headphone jack. Even most of the flagship phones doesn't have. But Might A2 is missing 3.5mm jack. Wtf????

                        So what?, 02 Aug 2018It wasn't, but the difference between the stock and GCam in... moreOh no its as much as quality as you can get on that shitty sensor, optimized or not. Lets see you post some pics of both with gcam then. Let the people decide. Not your fanboy eyes.

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • QXP
                          • 03 Aug 2018

                          harwey, 03 Aug 2018Xiaomi,are you reading these reviews,on GSMA,at least...???... moreI doubt they are reading this site at all. Perhaps you can get your feedback onto their proper forum channels?

                            • K
                            • Karabasayya Hiremath
                            • D0Y
                            • 03 Aug 2018

                            All OK but battery capacity lowest more then 5000MAH Required

                              Over its a good Phone... But the Battery should have been more...

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • XSi
                                • 03 Aug 2018

                                Regularly, I'd totally believe anything gsm tells me ........................................................................................ but why give stock android 3.5 stars???

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • Htx
                                  • 03 Aug 2018

                                  Geric.770, 03 Aug 2018Reasons why people prefer more on Nokia or Samsung midrange... moreBrand power is one thing, but budget concern is another. Phones from Xiaomi and OPPO ...will be more popular in the future.

                                    Reasons why people prefer more on Nokia or Samsung midrange phones:
                                    1. Build quality
                                    2. The little things (Expandable storage, audio quality, etc.)
                                    3. And finally, design. (Xiaomi is the epitome of being a copycat company)

                                    If they can't fix these issues, well, expect them to drop their position.

                                      Xiaomi,are you reading these reviews,on GSMA,at least...???
                                      It seems to me that all your recent phones(apart from Mi8) are having massive issues in audio department...all Redmi 5 versions(all 147 of them),then Mi8SE and now this A2 comes with stock horrible audio output,nevermind with external amp or with headphones...
                                      A proper 10V headphone amplifier plus some proper DAC chip together cost under $10...when you order more than 50 millions of them....
                                      So,instead puting some really crappy stuff like depth sensor or AI for the camera maybe you should do something about those audio issues?

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                                        • Anonymous
                                        • Htx
                                        • 03 Aug 2018

                                        Why not put the same battery as note series?

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