A new series or sub-brand of Xiaomi devices that will run stock Android was said to be in development last month. We had previously hypothesised that this new Xiaomi phone, the Redmi A1, might not be the Mi A1’s replacement with stock Android experience. However, it turns out that we were mistaken and that the Redmi A1 does really offer a pure Android experience.
Very well indeed. The Redmi A1 is, in fact, the Xiaomi smartphone that is said to be almost stock Android. The Redmi A1 will now reportedly go on sale on September 6 and Xiaomi has confirmed that it will include a stock Android interface.
Highlights
It will possibly be coming with a 6.5-inch HD+ LCD display, and it is going to be powered by Mediatek Helio A22 SoC, Mediatek’s lowest-end smartphone chipset. And the phone would be coming with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. There will be a dual camera setup of 8MP and 2MP on the back while a 5MP selfie camera. Coming to batteries, there is the usual 5000mAh battery and 10W charging. The 5,000mAh battery has been officially confirmed by Xiaomi on its website too.
However, there is a drawback to the pure Android experience. According to rumours, this phone will use Android Go rather than the standard version. Redmi has done similar things before, like the Redmi Go, so this is nothing new. Additionally, it came with stock Android Go software rather than one based on MIUI. The Redmi A1 has a design that is similar to the Poco M5, with a back that resembles leather, and the photographs suggest that the phone supports stereo speakers. Additionally, the phone’s characteristics have been revealed by leaker Yogesh Brar (opens in new tab). Let’s look at the alleged specifications.
He also mentions that the phone will come with the Android 12 Go edition. Also, it is said to be an Rs. 10,000 product. When the rumour first broke of a Xiaomi phone/sub-brand coming with close to stock Android experience, everyone thought this will be a successor to the discontinued Mi A series. But it is not, it seems like this is a successor to the Redmi Go series. Looking at the specifications of the phone that have been rumoured and officially revealed details, this is a low-budget smartphone that is going to go for a price lower than Redmi 10A and Redmi 9A smartphones.