REVIEW
More For The Money
You may have heard about
Android One before, but here's a quick refresher for those who haven't. In
2014, Google wanted to address the fragmentation issue on Android. The Android
One platform was designed to bring a stock (and secure) Android experience, designed
by Google, to the budget smartphone segment. Micromax, Spice, Karbonn &
Lava were amongst the first to adopt the platform but none of those phones were
hits. They're largely forgotten now but Google hasn't given up on the platform
yet. They needed a fillip -something to kick start the buzz around Android One
again. And who better than Xiaomi, a company that is now the second largest
smartphone brand in India according to a recent Canalys report.
If you're a Mi fan, you've
probably been following the company's international phone launches. So the new
Mi A1 is outwardly identical to the Mi 5x, which was launched in China in July
this year. The difference is in the software experience. The feature-rich MiUI
is gone, replaced with a stock Android experience, designed by Google. You
won't find multiple browsers, assistants, SMS apps or photo gallery. The only
additional apps you'll find on it are Mi Remote (needed for the IR remote),
Feedback and Mi Store. These cannot be uninstalled. There's also the Mi camera
app that has the usual modes (beautify , manual, panorama, tilt shift, time
lapse, show motion etc.) plus support for the dual camera.
Xiaomi is quick to point
out that just because this is a stock Android phone doesn't mean they are
abandoning or paying any less attention to their own MiUI operating
system.Rather, this is a fork: a new line-up of phones in response to customer
demand. There may be other Android One devices in future though the bulk of
their phones will continue to remain on MiUI. Coming to the device itself, you
probably know the specifications of the Mi 5x already -this is identical, save
for an extra pyrolytic graphite sheet (a material with high thermal
conductivity). The company claims that this extra sheet will aid heat dissipation
and keep the device 2 degrees cooler. It certainly seems to be working because
the phone kept its cool while charging and while being taxed.
Apart from the software
experience, the dual camera is the most talked about feature. It has two 12MP
cameras which enable features like 2x optical zoom and portrait mode. The two
cameras are not equal though: one is a wide angle (26mm) with f2.2 aperture
while the other is a telephoto (50mm) with f2.6 aperture.The wide angle has a
sensor with larger pixels (1.25 micron) while the telephoto has a sensor with
pixels that are 1 micron across. There is no optical image stabilization
though.Shooting exclusively with the wide angle (primary) lens, it's clear that
the A1 is hitting much above its pay grade. With adequate light, the camera is
fast, fun and accurate. Shifting into portrait, once again, you get best
results outdoors and when there is a lot of separation between the subject and
background. It's easy to get DSLR-like bokeh with convincing edge separation
and we're more than impressed at what this phone can do for the price.
Everything else about the
phone is spot-on too! It has a great 1080p display with vivid colour, excellent
contrast and high viewing angles. The fingerprint scanner is easy to reach and
super-fast to unlock the phone. The shape feels good in the hand and the
seamless antenna lines are what you'll find in premium flagships. Performance
is great, with the phone capable of handling all the usual 3D games without a
hiccup. Possibly the only thing you can nitpick about is its small battery.
|
Hitesh
Bhagat
|
ET13SEP17
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