Xiaomi Mi A3 vs Xiaomi Mi A2: What’s different

Xiaomi today launched the Mi A3 smartphone in India. The third iteration of Android One smartphone from Xiaomi is the follow-up to the Mi A2. Just like last year’s smartphone, the new Mi A3 offers stock Android experience over company’s own MIUI. Xiaomi has taken a leap in terms of design, and have brought back the missing headphone jack in Mi A3. This is how the new Xiaomi Mi A3 compares with the Xiaomi Mi A2 on paper.

Pricing and availability

The Mi A3 comes in two variants in India. The 4GB RAM and 64GB storage option is priced at Rs 12,999. The 6GB RAM and 128GB storage option will cost Rs 15,999. Xiaomi will start selling the smartphone through mi.com and Amazon India from August 23. The smartphone will be available in “Not Just Blue”, “More Than White”, and “Kind of Gray” color options.

Prices for the Xiaomi Mi A2 originally started from Rs 16,999 last year. At present, the smartphone usually retails at Rs 9,999 for the 64GB+4GB RAM variant, but at present it is listed at Rs 11,999 on mi.com. The company also has a top-end variant with 128GB storage and 6GB RAM, which costs Rs 15,999.

Display and hardware

The Xiaomi Mi A3 features a waterdrop-style 6.08-inch HD+ (720×1560 pixels) Super AMOLED display with Gorilla Glass 5 protection, and 19.5:9 aspect ratio. On the other hand, the Xiaomi Mi A2 from last year offers standard 6-inch Full HD+ (1080 x 2160 pixels) display with a taller aspect ratio of 18:9 without any notch.

Under the hood, the Mi A3 packs Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 665 SoC. It comes in two variants. The one paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The other top-end variant with 6GB and 128GB storage. Both variants also support expandability via microSD card (up to 256GB). Xiaomi has also increased the battery size in Mi A3. It now packs 4,035mAh battery with USB Type-C fast charging support.

Image Credit: Rehan Hooda

On the other hand, the Xiaomi Mi A2 last year came with Snapdragon 660 octa-core SoC. While the base variant of the smartphone comes with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, the smartphone is also available in 6GB RAM + 128GB storage option. It packs in a smaller 3,000mAh battery, but supports Quick Charge 3.0 technology.

Cameras

For photos and videos, Xiaomi has added one more camera in the Mi A3. The smartphone offers triple rear camera setup that has a 48-megapixel primary sensor with an f/1.79 lens, 8-megapixel secondary sensor with a 118-degree wide-angle f/1.79 lens, and a 2-megapixel tertiary sensor for depth sensing. On the front, the smartphone also has the 32-megapixel selfie camera.

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Last year’s Mi A2 came with dual-rear camera setup. It included a combination of 20-megapixel primary sensor, and a 12-megapixel secondary sensor. Additionally, the camera on the Mi A2 also comes equipped with AI features, such as Portrait mode and automatic scene selection. The same features are also available in Mi A3.

Connectivity and OS

Both the smartphones are part of Google’s Android One program. While the Mi A2 was launched with Android 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box, it has been upgraded to Android 9 Pie. The Mi A3 is already on Android 9 Pie, and Xiaomi will provide two major Android upgrades as well. Connectivity options on both phones remain more or less the same. Both smartphones support dual-SIM slots, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. The smartphones also support USB Type-C port, and but the Mi A3 has brought back the missing 3.5mm audio port. Additionally, the A3 also incorporates an in-display fingerprint scanner instead of physical fingerprint sensor.

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Android 8.1 Oreo

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