If you’ve been keeping up with Xiaomi’s smartphone launches, you would know that the company recently added the Mi CC9 series to its portfolio. It has since been rumored to launch internationally as Mi A3 with stock Android under the Android One program. Well, the rumor mill is once again on point as the Mi A3 has today officially launched in Spain with a waterdrop notch, triple cameras, and more in tow.
The Mi A3 has been priced starting at 249 euros (roughly Rs 19,000) for 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. You will have to shell out 279 euros (roughly Rs 21,500) for 4GB RAM + 128GB storage, which is definitely higher than you must have expected.
While the Mi A2 boasted the standard (but slimmer) metal build that older-gen Xiaomi phones are known for, the Mi A3 adopts the trendy all-glass design. Yeah, the Mi A3 is boasting a 3D curved glass build that should offer a comfortable grip and in-hand feel.
Just like the Redmi K20 Pro, the Mi A3 is equipped with a 7th-gen in-display fingerprint scanner as well and we can expect it to be slower than the one of the Xiaomi’s flagship smartphone. There’s Face Unlock in tow to round up the biometric unlocking options as well.
It is needless to say that Xiaomi has covered all connectivity bases, with a hybrid dual-SIM/microSD card tray, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, and more. The biggest upgrade (or downgrade, as some of you may call it) is that the 3.5mm headphone jack makes a return on the Mi A3. Xiaomi removed the same on Mi A2 for a slimmer profile.
We had long been expecting Mi A3 to launch globally as a rebranded Mi CC9e, but there were rumors of a possible processor upgrade. We could have seen a Snapdragon 710 or 730-powered Mi A3 launch today. However, Xiaomi has simply slapped a much-awaited Android One branding on the bottom rear and called it a day.
The importance of the Mi A series is now being downplayed as Xiaomi wants to focus on their own Redmi brand, which now strives to further its ambitions and is independent of their Mi brand. This brand also gives them a chance to earn a little extra, thanks to the plethora of annoying ads splayed across MIUI.
