Xiaomi Mi A3 First Impressions: One Step Forward, A Giant Leap Backwards

With the unveil of its A series, Xiaomi introduced its fan base to a solution for those who repeatedly claimed that software was the company’s major letdown. Now, a few days after the third installment of this stock Android based device launched, it seems like the company has finally made an official claim that with certain upgrades, there must be a few very important compromises.

Familiar 2019 Vibes

Upon first holding the Xiaomi Mi A3, the device instantly gives off the same feel as many other 2019 devices. Being essentially a glass sandwich, the Mi A3 looks every bit as premium as it feels. This is an especially nice departure coming from its plastic feeling predecessor.

The Mi A3 also features a triply lens camera, keeping the same glare seen in the Xiaomi MI 9. This device also borrows other aspects from the widely recognised Mi 9, featuring the same screen “tear-drop” notch design, and the same antenna placements that overall leave this next iteration of the A lineup looking better than any other midrange offerings.

Its pretty interesting to see a China based phone manufacturer promoting Google Assistant.

Xiaomi has also made sure to bring many other 2019 features to its latest midranger, including a OLED display and an in-display fingerprint scanner to name a few. Needless to say, Xiaomi has made sure that the Mi A3 includes some premium exclusives while still sticking to its budget price-tag.

Blurry Roads

Sadly, when considering the Mi A3, one has to ask themselves just what exactly they are giving up to get premium 2019 features for the low price tag - even worse is that in this case, the answer is a lot. Starting with what’s perhaps the big elephant in the room, the beautiful OLED screen is undermined but a less than stellar 720P display.

Secondly, but not less important is the fact that by featuring a Snapdragon 665, the Xiaomi Mi A3 does not make a significant enough leap in performance in order to justify the upgrade for current Mi A2 users. In fact, the upgrade is so minor that the Mi A2 - which can now be found in the wild for a much lower price - is probably still the phone to get for those looking for a stock Android experience that doesn’t come with as many jagged edges.

Room For Improvement

Though some may find the Mi A3 to be the perfect device for their needs, Xiaomi has left a bitter-sweet taste with its consumers when it comes to the A lineup’s legacy. For a series set on delivering a potent mid-range offering with most of its uniqueness being focused on the user-to-screen interaction - that being the software - it feels awkwardly wrong for this device to include a less than up to date 720P display.

With that being said, judging by Xiaomi’s recent trend of releasing pro versions of its devices, it starts to make sense that the MI A3 only lays the foundations for what could potentially be a faster, and hopefully better looking -in the display department - MI A3 Pro.