Xiaomi Mi A1 is going to be the best Android One smartphone to date: Here's why

Here's the first look of Xiaomi's upcoming Google Android One-powered Mi A1 in its full glory.

The trends are changing quicker than ever. After Samsung and LG adopted bezel-less displays with 18:9 aspect ratio, many more OEMs are jumping onto the bandwagon.

Following Micromax's lead, Xiaomi is all set with its own new bezel-less smartphone – and it's not the Mi Mix 2.

Xiaomi is working on a new phone called the Mi A1 which will be based on the recently launched Mi 5X and built on Google's Android One platform. One element in the upcoming Mi A1 truly stands out, and it's bound to turn heads.

Xiaomi Mi A1 is expected to feature a 5.5-inch Full-HD display with a bezel-less screen. Live images of the unannounced phone shared on Weibo (spotted by The Android Soul) show the 18:9 aspect ratio — something we've already seen in Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy Note 8 and LG G6.

The ultra-slim bezels on the top and the bottom of the phone along with almost invisible side bezels give the phone a striking appeal. And the fact that the Mi A1 will be based on the Mi 5X makes it even more interesting.

For starters, Xiaomi Mi 5X comes with a dual camera, housing two 12MP OV sensors – one with wide-angle lens and another with telephoto lens. If the Mi A1 is anything like the Mi 5X, it will also feature the same dual camera setup.

The primary 12MP lens features PDAF and has f/2.2 aperture while the secondary 12MP lens with have f/2.6 aperture and 2x optical zoom. This will be a great feature for Xiaomi in the fleet of Android One smartphones.

Other specifications of the Mi A1 include an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, 4GB RAM, 32GB storage and stock Android instead of the MIUI 9 out-of-the-box.

With Android One, Google brings stock Android OS to budget phones with guaranteed software updates sooner than others. But the specs of the Mi A1 do not seem to make for a budget-friendly phone. Instead, it will cost a lot more than what consumers have been paying for Android One smartphones so far.

There's no exact word on how much the Mi A1 will cost at launch, but we expect to learn more at the official unveiling of the phone in India on September 5. Stay tuned for updates.