A few weeks ago, Xiaomi began promoting the Redmi A1, an affordable device from its sub-brand. This new device tows a part that its parent company Xiaomi practically abandoned after a series of attempts. Back in 2017 Xiaomi launched the Xiaomi A1. This device, unlike any other Xiaomi smartphone at the time, didn’t use the company’s MIUI software. In place of this software, which has come to be an identifying mark of Xiaomi devices, the company stuck to the usage of stock Android.
But barely two years after the company’s first-ever stock Android device, they abandoned the said path. Sadly, the inability to provide stable updates to the devices under the stock Android project led to it being a “failure” of sorts. Now fast-forward to 2022 and the company seems ready to take on the challenge again but with its sub-brand Redmi.
Design, camera, battery and more!
The design of this device is the most talked about and one of its most appealing features. Unlike other entry-level devices, the Redmi A1 uses a leather-like design on its body. This helps to improve grip and generally improves the aesthetics of this device.
This new budget entry from Redmi which will soon become available locally also makes use of stock Android, leaving off the MIUI. For clarity, stock Android is simply a version of Android free from any customizations and bloatware. This is the smoothest type of Android, as seen on Google Pixel and Nokia smartphones.
It comes with a 5000mAh battery which should last for a whole day on full charge. Camera quality is not the best as it comes with a dual rear camera setup holding an 8MP main camera and a supporting AI camera. On the 6.52-inch HD IPS water-drop screen, we also have a 5MP selfie camera for selfie shots.
Being a budget or entry-level device, we should not expect so much in terms of its specifications. Its main selling point is the fact that it runs on stock Android 12 with minimal customizations. There are also other decent features it boasts of.
At the moment, this device is not available in Nigeria, but we expect it to be launched anytime soon. Some online stores like Konga already have this device on the shelves of some retailers. Once available officially, this device will retail for less than 60,000 NGN.
