Xiaomi Mi A1

Forget  everything you remember about the first iteration of Google’s wallet-friendly Android One programme. It is back in a whole new avatar with the Xiaomi Mi A1, which is essentially Xiaomi taking the internals of the Redmi Note 4 – Snapdragon 625, 4GB memory, 64GB storage – replacing their own MIUI Android version with Android 7.1.1. Stock Android really sings on this hardware – there is no bloatware worth mentioning on the device, save for a few useful Xiaomi apps, and the Google advantage is that updates from Google will be prioritised, with the 8.0 Oreo update promised before the year end and the next Android P version once it is launched.

That aside, it is also Xiaomi’s first dual rear camera phone, with the two-lens combo (wide and 2x zoom) that the iPhone first made popular. This one is a mixed bag – the camera does well to accurately capture detail and colours, and the blurry background effect in the portrait mode is pleasing as well, but the camera often had issues with focus and lag between clicking and taking the shot.

Low light images aren’t particularly usable either, and I am hoping Xiaomi fixes the image noise problem via a software update. I would also have preferred the Note 4’s beefier 4000mAh battery instead of the 3000mAh variant this one packs. Even so, the A1 is a good mix of hardware, looks topped off by a pure Android experience.