Xiaomi Mi A2 coming to India next month: Quick facts on Google Android One phone

Xiaomi had unveiled the long-awaited Mi A2 in Madrid, Spain, on July 24 and now, the company has announced that the special Google Android One phone series will be making its way to India next month.

Xiaomi vice president (global) and India's head Manu Kumar Jain on Twitter announced that Xiaomi Mi A2 will make India debut on August 8. That's a welcome gesture by the company; rival brands such as HMD Global Oy and others should learn a thing or two from Xiaomi, as they take more time to bring globally unveiled phones late to the subcontinent.

Nokia X6 (aka Nokia 6.1 Plus Android One), which is available in China since May, has garnered huge interest in the country, but there is no word when it will be coming here.

With the announcement, Xiaomi Mi A2 Android One will get a head start in India and if priced aggressive, it is certain to find a good response from the local public.

The new Mi A2 flaunts a metal-clad shell on the back with a vertically-aligned dual camera on the top left corner and a fingerprint sensor in the middle for easy access to the finger to unlock the screen. On the front, it sports a 5.99-inch full HD+ screen with 2.5D curved glass on the top.

Inside, the Mi A2 houses a 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 octa-core processor, 4GB/6GB RAM, 64GB/128GB storage and a 3,010mAh battery, which is more than enough to keep the phone running for a whole under mixed usage.

The highlight of the Mi A2 is its photography hardware. It boasts two cameras-- 12MP (Sony IMX486 sensor) and 20MP (Sony IMX376 sensor). It is assisted by Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based software that can recognize 24 different scene types to optimize the camera to take the perfect photo.

It scans the scene to identify whether the subject is in exotic locations such as hills, beach and is intelligent enough to differentiate between pet animals, flowers, and humans, and optimizes the camera settings to take the best possible snaps. 

On the front too, it will come with equally impressive 20MP (with Sony IMX376 sensor) with F1.75 aperture guaranteeing the users of good quality selfies even under low-light condition. It will also be assisted Smart beauty app to help users edit skin tone and other stuff.

How much would the Mi A2 Android One cost in India?

In Europe, Xiaomi has confirmed to release three Mi A2 variants — 4GB RAM + 32GB storage, 4GB RAM + 64GB storage and6GB RAM + 128GB storage for — €249 ($291//Rs 20,068), €279 ($326/Rs 22,485) and €349 ($408/Rs 28,127), respectively.

It can be noted that the aforementioned price is for Europe only and the corresponding details are just global exchange rates and do not reflect on the actual Indian market. We believe the newly announced Xiaomi phones will be priced much lower in India, as they will be assembled locally.

So, Xiaomi fans can the device to cost anywhere between Rs 15K and Rs 17K.

What about the Mi A2 Lite Android One?

For now, we are not sure if Xiaomi will be bringing Mi A2 Lite Android One to India on August 8 or not. We just have to wait for a couple weeks to know what the company plans are.

For those unaware, Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite comes with a 5.84-inch full HD+ screen, Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core, 3GB/4GB storage, 32GB/64GB storage and a 4,000mAh battery, which is more than enough to last a one-and-half day easily under mixed usage.

The USP of the Mi A2 Lite is its camera hardware. It comes packed with a 12MP+5MP dual camera with Artificial Intelligence (AI) Portrait and AI scene detection feature. With this, the phone will be capable of detecting different possible scenarios such as pets, flowers, human face, landscape, snowy conditions, night, food and more.

On the front too, it also features a decent 5MP front camera with AI Portrait, wherein despite having just a single lens, it will be able to take selfies with Bokeh blur effect. It allows users to adjust the focus on the background and foreground, which suits best to make it look appealing.

As far as availability is concerned, the company has announced to release both the products initially in select European markets later this month and early August, and later in other global markets in.

Key specifications of Xiaomi Mi A2 and Mi A2 Lite:

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