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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  • w
  • worst
  • 3q$
  • 03 Aug 2018

Audio recording ever
And updated
No way Xiaomi again

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • YWi
    • 03 Aug 2018

    The M1's purply-bluish display was the thing I disliked the most. So, I specifically went to the market to see if they've improved the display or not. They didn't, it's still one of the worst displays out there. I personally think M2 lite with its sd card slot, headphone jack and excellent battery is the best Android One set by Xiaomi this year.

      Ignore this phone and take the Nokia 7 plus.It's just a copy of Xiaomi Note 5 with SD 660 and no sd card option slapped on it.

        • s
        • stanomx
        • 0Cf
        • 02 Aug 2018

        What is wrong with them seriously? I am done with this bs for good. After 5 (or more) years they can't record audio properly?
        Well sticking out of your butt phones recording experience is not enough in 2018. Ain't gonna buy xiaomi no more. Because of this particular reason. Just another company that doesn't listen to its costumers. Hope nobody buys this crap.

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • BRH
          • 02 Aug 2018

          I deeply care about audio quality with headphones. I waited for a review of the Mi A2 to come out, but after reading it i'm still undecided between this and the Nokia 7 plus, which allegedly has subpar, if not crap, audio quality even with headphones. I come from an Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 which has superb audio quaility both with the built-in loudspeaker and with headphones. Suggestions?

            • S
            • So what?
            • 0T3
            • 02 Aug 2018

            Mediatek sux, 02 Aug 2018But was the s8 photos taken with a gcam? No right? Stop your bs.It wasn't, but the difference between the stock and GCam in S8 would not be significant, as their own app is already optimized and tweaked. GCam on s8 would edge put RN5 in dimly lit conditions due to bigger aperture but it's still not a big margin, f/1.7 vs f/1.85. The reason why RN5 performs great is due to it's sensor, Samsung S5K2L7 (present in Nokia 8 Sirocco) which in turn is very similar to that of S7,S8 and S9. On top of that, GCam used on RN5 was not tweaked for it's sensor, it's an apk based of the one for (OP5/T), so it wasn't exploited to it's full potential.
            So stop the bashing and do inform yourself a bit more.

              The worse battery made the decision for me. I'll wait for the next. A1 is super great.

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • 0Cc
                • 02 Aug 2018

                If you don't need Android One, I think the Redmi Note 5 is a better phone. It doesn't miss on the most important features of battery life and display.

                  Another episode of Xiaomi's series of cr*p microphone quality yikes!
                  It's 2018 already and I just thought that Xiaomi phones would never have this issue again that my Redmi 5 Plus is suffering from, so thanks to them, I'm now getting a Nokia or iPhone next time.
                  Expensive as you say, at least I get the quality I deserve for the money. Gonna start earning money for one now.

                    • M
                    • Matagalpa
                    • Fvc
                    • 02 Aug 2018

                    Someone else posted before me what the con list should be, and it's actually a little bit worse:

                    - Worse battery life than A1 and all competitors
                    - Dim display, unimpressive sunlight legibility
                    - No 3.5mm headphone jack
                    - No microSD slot
                    - No tele lens
                    - More expensive than A1 (higher MSRP)

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • m5p
                      • 02 Aug 2018

                      I think the review on the A2 lite will be a lot more positive.

                        Great device, no, 02 Aug 2018So the point of this device is, and I had that thought when... moreBut was the s8 photos taken with a gcam? No right? Stop your bs.

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • 80$
                          • 02 Aug 2018

                          Anonymous, 02 Aug 2018With these cons, it is just better to get the 6GB variant o... moreplaying heavy games wont work with pure battery life.

                          The Max Pro M1 wins also here clearly, is a much better balanced phone
                          and the SDM636 has enought power for gaming as well and top batt-life in gaming.

                          Moto G6 Plus with a dated SoC will here mentioned as a competitor,
                          but not the Zenfone MPM1 with a much better package . . .
                          can't understand.
                          Why's that GSMA, why . . .

                            • N
                            • Nick
                            • ixd
                            • 02 Aug 2018

                            Only1 question..All the preinstall xiaomi apps,can be uninstalled?

                              • H
                              • H-1
                              • dMD
                              • 02 Aug 2018

                              I'm amazed why xiaomi refuses to include expandable storage on such phones.

                              Other than that, the camera samples are better than I expected, although I'd prefer to have RAW support out of the box should I prefer to do my own post processing, but oh well.

                              It's really hard to decide between this and the Nokia 7+ or note 5, and it could be down to local pricing and availability.

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • S2T
                                • 02 Aug 2018

                                Piphacker, 02 Aug 2018Im highly disappointed after reading MiA2 review in detail,... moreIts not the first review I have seen mentioning the subpar display.. too bad as the price is good.. but I am done with devices with poor screens..

                                  • t
                                  • tudy
                                  • LaF
                                  • 02 Aug 2018

                                  AnonD-641645, 02 Aug 2018Omission of the telephoto cam is a huge mistake. There is n... morewell , i am getting it

                                    Im highly disappointed after reading MiA2 review in detail, Specially im highly disappointed with its poor display & battery life ,
                                    Im sad that i recently sold MiA1 which was with far better display, battery life & Design 😢

                                      • D
                                      • AnonD-641645
                                      • t@g
                                      • 02 Aug 2018

                                      Omission of the telephoto cam is a huge mistake. There is no reason to buy this phone.

                                        • J
                                        • Juan
                                        • yP$
                                        • 02 Aug 2018

                                        Anonymous, 02 Aug 2018Cons Uninspiring battery life Dim display, unim... moreAdd "no NFC" to the list. You could do without a headphone jack (as annoying as it might be, with dongle, type-C headphones or bluetooth) and, theoretically, without storage expansion as well (going with the 128GB high-specced version or diligently backing content in the cloud). However, how can you overcome the lack of NFC when you need it?