Xiaomi Mi A2 (Mi 6X) Overall Review: Successful Successor?

In our last article, we compared the newly launched Xiaomi Mi A2 with its predecessor – Mi A1. The newcomer definitely has an edge over its predecessor due to its upgraded sheet of specifications. From physical appearance to its specifications, the newcomer leaves its predecessor behind with flying colors.

Xiaomi Mi A1 has been one of my preferred smartphones as it was certainly carrying the best cameras under Rs. 15,000 price segment. I had used that phone for more than 3 months so as soon as its successor got released, I got my hands on it. I am using the Xiaomi Mi A2 for last two weeks and I think I am ready to share my experience with you.

Xiaomi Mi A2 (Mi 6X) Specifications and Features

Display	5.99 LTPS IPS LCD, 1080x2160px, 18:9 Ratio
SoC & GPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 | Adreno 512
OS & RAM	Android 8.1 | 4GB or 6GB
Storage	64GB or 128GB | Non-Expandable
Camera (Rear)	Dual 12MP + 20MP, f/1.8, PDAF, LED Flash
Camera (Front)	20MP (f/1.8), Auto HDR
Battery	3,010 mAh with QC 3.0

Design and Build Quality

The physical design is identical to Redmi Note 5 Pro. With same camera and fingerprint placement, the handset comes with a metallic body.

But yes, its slimmer than the Redmi Note 5 Pro and that’s why it carries camera bump. And if you are not using a case, it’s highly possible to get scratches over camera glass.

The phone is really light and fits in hand however those having small palm might have problems to reach to the top corner of the screen.

Another noticeable thing is its bezels. The handset does carry a bigger chin compared to the bezels available above the display.

One more thing, the Xiaomi Mi A2 doesn’t have the 3.5mm audio jack, however, it comes with a bundled USB type-c to 3.5mm audio jack converter.

Display, OS and UI

The Xiaomi Mi A2 carries a bigger 5.99-inch full HD+ display with 18:9 aspect ratio. As the display is big and has a stretched ratio, it feels good when you watch videos or play games.

With full HD+ resolution, the display looks vibrant. Colors look good whereas objects look sharp.

Talking about brightness, this is where most of the Xiaomi-branded smartphones lag. The screen is bright but not that bright to be used under direct sunlight.

The Xiaomi Mi A2 runs on Android 8.1 Oreo.

It comes with iPhone X-like gesture-based operation support. Means, you can hide the capacitive keys and operate the phone by just swiping.

Performance and Gaming

The Xiaomi Mi A2 comes with an upgraded Snapdragon 660 processor with a choice of 4GB or 6GB RAM.

Starting with the benchmark, the handset has impressive scores. It scored 1326 points on the Sling Shot Extreme – 3D Mark graphics test. On GeekBench’s general performance test, it scored 1638 and 5890 points on the single core and multi-core test respectively. These numbers are better than several other smartphones under Rs. 20,000 segment.

Coming to the real-life performance, the smartphone handles normal tasks smoothly. Whether you are doing social media, playing normal games or using media apps, everything runs smoothly.

Multi-tasking on this device is also good. It doesn’t lag whether you switch between heavy or normal apps. Interestingly, it doesn’t restart the application; it resumes.

Talking about intense gaming, I played Shadow Fight 3, Gangster Vegas and PUBG Mobile. The smartphone didn’t disappoint me.

As I am a fan of PUBG Mobile, I have played this game for more than 3 hours constantly on this handset. The smartphone does heat but doesn’t become unresponsive.

Coming to the graphics, it is good. During my gameplay of PUBG Mobile, automatic graphics adjustment was set to medium. Graphics of other games were also fine. I didn’t see frame drops. It wasn’t struggling while rendering the graphics.

Camera

Photos taken in daylight look good however, they look a bit less saturated. They do have details. I have taken several daylight shots and all of them are good. Focusing speed is good.

Turning on HDR mode helps a lot. Saturation increases to the optimum level and colors look vibrant. Details and sharpness also get the enhancement. With HDR mode turned on, it struggles a bit while focusing manually. I suggest autofocus when using HDR mode.

Coming to the depth of field or bokeh effect, the smartphone works like charm. It manages to keep the primary object in focus while keeping the edges sharp. Unfortunately, it struggles while focusing when you try to take macro shots.

Lowlight photos are definitely better than the majority of Xiaomi-branded smartphone including the much popular Redmi Note 5 Pro. Lowlight shots do have noise but it manages to capture details and realistic looking colors. Though, sharpness doesn’t satisfy.

Much like the daylight condition, the HDR mode helps in lowlight photos too. It eliminates noise and brings sharpness. Color accuracy and details are enhanced. I am really happy with its HDR performance. Previously, there were few Xiaomi-branded handsets including Redmi Note 5 Pro whose HDR was not working at all or not working properly.

For selfies and video calling, Xiaomi has placed a 20MP snapper at the front of this smartphone and trust me it works really fine. Many Xiaomi-branded smartphones tend to use some kind of whitish layer when taking selfies and this smartphone is no exception. Normal selfies look bright, sharp and have details.

The front camera is powered by AI. Turning on AI beauty mode does some enhancement. Mainly it focuses on whitening and smoothening the selfies. Plus, the front-facing camera also has LED flash so you don’t need to worry about low light.

Battery

Battery optimization on this smartphone is really good. During normal usage, the handset lasts more than a day.

Whereas if you do the moderate usage (which many of us do), it will last up to 14 hours.

But yes, during heavy usage, it tends to drain fast. I played PUBG Mobile for around 2 hours and it took 66% battery. Judging from this data, it won’t last more than 3 hours.

The Xiaomi Mi A2 supports Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging technology but the company hasn’t included a fast charger in the box. It comes with a regular charger.

But, as it has a smaller 3,010 mAh battery, it just took 1 hours and 32 minutes to fully charge the battery from 8%.

Our Verdict

So, the final question, should you buy it or not? Yes, the answer is yes. This smartphone worth its price. The handset does have many improved things to offer you and Xiaomi has equipped features that meet the requirement of both average and heavy users.

It has a big screen, ideal for people who love to watch videos. It has a powerful mid-range processor which is able to handle nearly every popular graphics-rich game. Its camera is way better than any other Xiaomi-branded handset that is priced under Rs. 20,000. Above all this, Xiaomi has added iPhone X-like gesture-based operation which seems really handy when you get used to it. With this gesture-based operation, you don’t need to worry about those accidental touches on capacitive keys while chatting, playing games or doing any other operation.