The smartphone terrain has evolved in many ways over the years. Things have gotten to a point where premium smartphone features can be seen on lower-priced devices. Choosing between them has always been about personal preference, then choosing one feature, losing another. You will rarely ever make a bad decision. In such an environment, we look to the popular series of smartphones. Among them is Xiaomi’s A series, known for its minimal and pure, Google experience. The A2 was the last massively successful product for the masses but now there is a new one, the Xiaomi Mi A3.
At a fraction of the price, the A-series phones bring most of what you find on devices upwards of Rs. 50,000. The first result of this formulation is the large edge-to-edge 6.088-inch display, with a negligible bezel and a teardrop-styled camera at the top. This layout is the next best thing to an entirely bezel-free screen. The camera stays well out of the way of apps, and for the most part, sits bang in the centre of the notification bar. 
The minimal design now allows Xiaomi to accommodate a larger screen in a compact chassis. This lets you comfortably reach the edges of the screen. While not earth-shattering, its 1560 x 720 resolution is more than enough. The LCD is replaced with a Super AMOLED display, which most phones lack. This more than makes up for the lower resolution, by bringing something special to the A3. It adds deeper blacks and brighter whites to the picture, big battery savings and overall sensible efficiency. It’s a good bargain but there is more. The Gorilla Glass 5 treatment to the front and back are compelling reasons to consider the Xiaomi A3. They make the construction robust, giving the A3’s user a very satisfying feeling when holding the phone.
Under the screen is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665, an octa-core processor that is practical for most of us. It’s no flagship smartphone processor, but it handles pretty much anything you throw at it, browsers, chat apps, games, mail clients and more. There are two variants of the Xiaomi Mi A3, one with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, the other with 6GB RAM and 128GB of storage. The variants aren’t just for the storage and memory, you get to choose from three unique colours. They aren’t named without a sense of humour – ‘More Than White’, ‘Kind Of Grey’ and ‘Not Just Blue’. Many of the newest smartphones have some great colour options that show shades of more colours depending on which angle you look at it. That’s the same with the new Mi A3.
Other noticeable improvements are in the location of the fingerprint scanner, which is now hidden under the screen. We thought this feature would’ve taken longer to show up on phones at this price, but it’s already here. You can now unlock your Xiaomi Mi A3 by placing your finger on the screen without the inconvenience of reaching out to the hardware sensor on the back of your phone. Face unlock is also a part of the features if you prefer it.
One of the major highlights of the outgoing Xiaomi A2 was its camera quality; the A3 improves on it. There is a 3-camera setup now, the first is a massive 48MP wide-angle camera with an aperture of f/1.79. The second is an 8MP ultra-wide, 118-degree camera. The third is a depth-sensing camera which helps in shooting great portrait and realistic depth-of-field photos. This is a versatile configuration that should help the A3 live up to the ‘image’ the A2 created. The A3 is a great phone if you’re clicking casual photographs for Instagram, or if you want professional results for print medium. The wide-angle camera should be of interest if you like architectural photography, not to mention shooting photos of large groups. The 32MP front camera is insanely good, and a lot of AI wizardry under the hood to get the perfect shot.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 655 brings along a bunch of benefits for Xiaomi Mi A3 users. Wi-Fi 802.11ac is supported so you get the benefit of high data transfer speeds whether you’re streaming movies or transferring large amounts of data over the network. The good news is that the headphone jack is back too. FM is also a feature on the A3 if you’re in the mood for some old-school music listening. It would be wrong if we didn’t mention infrared sensor. With the right app installed, the Xiaomi A3 can also act as a universal remote for products such as a TV, air conditioner, set-top box, etc. Even the battery on the A3 has been upgraded to be a massive 4030mAh which means, it should get through a day or more of heavy activity. If you run out of charge, fast charging can top-up the A3’s battery in no time at all.
Possibly the nicest thing about the Xiaomi A3 is it’s an Android One device. It runs the latest Android OS like a Google Pixel device. It’s loaded void of bloatware, so you only get all the official Google software. It even receives quicker software updates, superior battery life and more. It runs Android Pie, which is fast, efficient and is fine-tuned for this device. It includes all the fun features like Google Assistant that answers your call, queries, tracks all your appointments and organize travel plans for you. 
If you want to buy a smartphone that last years, the Xiaomi Mi A3 is worth a serious consideration. There are several attractive colours and memory options available to suit your preference. Like we mentioned, you can hardly go wrong but with a package like this, how could you? If you want to check out the Xiaomi Mi A3 for yourself, head over to a Reliance Digital store. We think you’ll find one, just minutes away.
Xiaomi A3 – Take a bite into the Android One pie
