Xiaomi Mi A3 Specs, review, opinions, comparisons

Inexpensive phones go hand in hand with a certain amount of compromise to make their price attractively lower than flagships. However, this is not a verdict that the consumer will get a bad device. Smartphone manufacturers have proven time and again that they are able to skillfully maintain a balance of merits and demerits, achieving excellent results - popular models and satisfied users. 

In mid-July 2019, Xiaomi is hosting the world premiere of the Mi A3 smartphone as part of the Android One program. This is a series of devices that use the unmodified Google Android operating system. At the heart of the Xiaomi Mi A3, the manufacturer has bet on a 48 MP triple camera, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 processor and a battery capacity of 4000 mAh. Of course, more curious features are present. We will talk about them in the next lines. 

Design 

This model of the Chinese company is not distinguished by a striking design. One can detect the characteristic features of the flagship Mi 9 and the budget variant Mi 9SE. On the front, everything is clear: a drop-shaped notch in the screen, relatively thin bezels and fifth-generation Corning Gorilla Glass with a slight rounding at the edges. The sides have a rounded shape. The back panel is again filled with Corning glass. The center is flat and there is a smooth transition to the sides. The edge is made of sturdy plastic. 

The glass body of the smartphone pleasantly shines. In the dark grey version, fingerprints are hardly noticeable. The user has two more interesting color layouts - white and blue. 

The dimensions of the Xiaomi Mi A3 are 153 x 71 x 8.4 mm. Its weight is standard - about 175 grams. 

One of the advantages of this model is the excellent ergonomics. The user can not deny how comfortably the smartphone lies in the palm. This is achieved thanks to the comfortable width. 

Display

The developers of Xiaomi have relied on a display with a diagonal of 6.088 inches. The matrix is executed on AMOLEDы technology as the resolution is low - only 1560x720 pixels. It should be taken into account the presence of the Pentile structure.

The maximum brightness of the screen is 360 cd/m2, the minimum brightness of white color is 1 cd/m2. The contrast is infinite.

Performance

In the Xiaomi Mi A3, we see 4 GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 64/128 GB of UFS 2.1 internal storage. As a processor is used Qualcomm Snapdragon 665: 8xKryo 260 up to 2 GHz, 11 nm, Adreno 610 graphics. This chip was shown in the summer of 2019. It is positioned as a platform for budget smartphones that support 48-megapixel cameras. 

Fingerprint scanner 

The Xiaomi Mi A3 has a fingerprint scanner built under the screen. The solution looks interesting and futuristic. Its performance is relatively perfect. 

Operating system

Xiaomi Mi A3 runs on the Android 9 platform without a proprietary MIUI interface. This is one of the main differentiators of smartphones running on Android One from the rest of the company's devices. 

The proprietary layout by Google designers, the speed and ease, the asceticism in everything - these are the hallmarks of pure Android. Several developer programs are noticeable - for example, Mi Store and Mi Community, as well as its own camera app. 

Among the innovations, we should note the appearance of a dark theme in a number of applications. 

Cameras

If you're a fan of mobile photography, then the following features will be of interest to you. The Xiaomi Mi A3 model became last summer one of the first inexpensive devices with a main camera with a 48 MP sensor. It is memorable when budget models get innovative technologies. As for the parameters, they are as follows:

The main camera consists of a 48 MP Sony IMX586, 1/2 inch sensor size, f/1.79; 8 MP, f/2.2 aperture, 118 degree wide angle and fixed focus; 2 MP, f/2.4 aperture, for background blur. 

The AI mode only slightly affects the quality of the photos, and you may not even turn it on when you want to try your own skills. In daylight, the camera does an excellent job. 

The front-facing camera is a 32-megapixel with an f/2.0 aperture and 79-degree shooting angle. 

The Xiaomi Mi A3 can shoot 4K video at 30fps, 1080p at 60fps, Slow motion 720p at 240 and 1080p and at 120fps. 

So far, everything is as expected for a modern Android smartphone. The attractively low price is a plus. You will take excellent photos with this phone. The detail, colors and dynamic range are all on par. The wide-angle optics are average quality. You will have remarks regarding results, but with practice things improve. 

The front camera doesn't lag behind the main camera. The shots come out with maximum detail and accurate colors and white balance. Even the night shots are decent. 

For the money, the Xiaomi Mi A3 is a good offering in today's market. 

Autonomous operation 

In this model, the manufacturer uses a 4030 mAh battery. You can continuously watch FullHD video at maximum brightness for a duration of 17-18 hours. Playing games will require recharging after 10-11 hours. For a full day with typical workload and more than 5.5 hours of screen time, the charge will be at 50% at the end of the day. People who do not play games and rarely need the navigator will be able to recharge the Xiaomi Mi A3 once every two days. 

The device supports QC 3.0 fast charging technology. You will find a 5V/2A AC adapter in the box. 

In other words, the Xiaomi Mi A3 offers excellent autonomy time by today's standards. 

Conclusion 

Finally, we should note that this Xiaomi model is interesting and ergonomic. Undeservedly, some users pass it by lightly. 

Competitors. These are the Huawei P smart 2019, the Samsung Galaxy A30 and the Honor 10i.

Pros: 

• Standalone performance - 18 hours of video and 10 hours of gaming; 
• Three cameras that are capable of shooting 4K and SloMo 1080p 120 FPS;
• Android One;
• Lots of memory - 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage. User can use microSD card; 
• Infrared; 
• Not bad processor with 11nm tech process; 
• Robust body and quality assembly;
• USB-C; 
• Fingerprint scanner and facial recognition. 

Cons: 

• The absence of an NFC chip;
• AMOLED matrix with Pentile structure.