Saturday, September 23, 2017

REVIEW...Xiomi... More For The Money

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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