When Xiaomi introduced the Mi A1 two years ago, it came as a shocker to many—because just as iOS defines the iPhone experience, so as MIUI to Xiaomi phones. The Android One-based Mi A1 however, proved many wrong, catering to a segment of the market who loved Xiaomi smartphones but prefer a pure stock Android experience.
Then came the Mi A2 last year, a solid upgrade to its predecessor. And now Xiaomi has introduced the third generation Mi A3, which, at least hardware specifications-wise, matches closely to the Xiaomi CC9 that was recently launched in China.
Aesthetics-wise, the Mi A3 looks identical to the Mi CC9 aside from the Android One logo on the rear. Offered in “Kind of Grey” grey and blue colour options, the phone comes with a 6.088-inch (can’t we just say 6 inches?) AMOLED display that integrates an in-display fingerprint sensor. The big disappointment here is that the display is of HD+ resolution and not FHD+ like previous iterations. The Samsung panel is said to be a pentile display, which is claimed to be crisper, but that’s a discussion for another day.
Under the hood, the device is powered by a Snapdragon 665 processor, a tiny bump from the previous generation. It comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, and Xiaomi has retained microSD card expansion, as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack and infrared blaster.
In terms of battery capacity, the Mi A3 gets a bumped up 4,030mAh cell that supports fast charging via USB-C. It supports 18W fast charging but Xiaomi bundles a standard 10W charger in the box.
Optics-wise, the rear sports a familiar tori-camera setup: 48MP f/1.79 main shooter, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera and a 2MP depth camera. Meanwhile, on the front is a 32MP shooter.
The device runs Android 9 Pie out-of-the-box.
The Mi A3 is set to launch in Malaysia on 31 July 2019. But if you can’t wait, you can also purchase from Mobile2Go. It retails for MYR1,098 (4GB RAM + 64GB storage). It should be priced lower when it hits Malaysian shores.
Check out the unboxing video on SoyaCincau:
Photos by SoyaCincau
