Xiaomi Mi A3 first look: Android One, triple cameras, 4,030mAh battery

Xiaomi Mi A3 Android One phone is w official in India and while it’s t really what we expected, it brings back basics like hephone jack and stor expansion - both of which were missing on last year’s Mi A2. Mi A3 also has a significantly larger 4,030mAh battery as opposed to Mi A2’s paltry 3,000mAh. But biggest surprise comes in pricing.  

Xiaomi has launched Mi A3 in India at a starting price of Rs 12,999 for base variant with 4GB RAM and 64GB stor, while top-end variant of phone with 6GB RAM and 128GB stor will cost Rs 15,999 – Mi A3 is cheapest Mi A-series phone that Xiaomi has ever launched in India. 

That ridiculously low price also means that Mi A3 goes he-to-he with Redmi te 7 Pro. Xiaomi believes Mi A3 and Redmi te 7 Pro are meant for two very different kinds of users – as has always been case between Mi A and Redmi te-series phones. 

Here’s a closer look at Xiaomi’s Mi A3 Android One phone and everything that it brings to table. 

-- Mi A3 is loosely based on Mi CC9e – Mi A3 is in fact Mi CC9e running stock Android 9 Pie software – while Mi CC9e runs Xiaomi’s MIUI. 

-- Mi A3 boasts of a glass-plastic sandwich design scheme. re’s a grient finish on back, but it’s a lot more subdued when you compare it with Xiaomi’s aura design seen in Redmi te 7 Pro. This is also true about  colours. Mi A3 will be available in three colours loosely inspired by Google Pixel - Kind of Grey, t just Blue and More than White. 

-- Mi A3 has Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on front, back as well as on   camera module – making it first Xiaomi phones to boast of such a level of protection. re’s  water-proofing as such but Xiaomi is using P2i hydrophobic coating in Mi A3 which makes it resistant to accidental splashes of water or rain. 

-- Mi A3 is first Mi A-series phone to come with a Samsung-me AMOLED screen – size is 6.01-inch and resolution is 720p+. 

-- That AMOLED panel allows Xiaomi to offer an in-display fingerprint scanner for biometric auntication in Mi A3. 

-- Mi A3 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 processor paired with up to 6GB RAM and up to 128GB stor which is also expandable via a hybrid micro-SD card slot.  

-- phone is backed by a 4,030mAh battery with USB -C fast charging support (18W).  

-- Mi A3 has a triple rear camera setup consisting of one 48MP main shooter with f/1.78 aperture, an 8MP ultra wide-angle camera with a 118-degree field-of-view, and a 2MP depth sensor for portrait photography. On front, it has a 32MP camera. 

-- Mi A2, even though it was a great value for money owing to its slick software and capable cameras, was widely criticized for missing out on hephone jack and micro-SD card slot. Mi A3 covers both se aspects while ding features like triple rear cameras, bigger battery and a modern design.  

-- But real star of show has to be software. Xiaomi’s Mi A-line-up of Android One phones offer a welcome change for buyers who want to buy a Xiaomi phone/hardware but are t particularly fond of company’s MIUI software. Mi A3 is different – running stock Android Pie software with a few Xiaomi d-ons and s.  

Photos by Saurabh Singh

Also Re:  Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro Review: Rewriting Flagship Phone Rulebook, circa 2019