Strong, dependable performance, powered by a power-efficient Snapdragon 625 - running on stock Android eliminates some of the overheads on the processor and the phone presents a super smooth and lag free experience on general day-to-day things - it’s solid and will suffice for most except the most demanding of users
The performance is solid and dependable but not the absolute best in this price bracket - that status belongs to the likes of the Redmi Note 4
CAMERA
Good, solid dual-camera setup - Xiaomi’s stereo mode is its take on Apple’s “portrait mode”, and its task is to blur the background - the final effects are commendable most of the times - sometimes even better than much more expensive phones like the OnePlus 5 - making it easily the best dual camera system on a budget
Even in auto mode, the Mi A1 takes rich images with good levels of detail and colour saturation
There is also a very effective pro mode which even allows the user to individually choose between the wide angle camera and the telephoto lens - making for a very compelling camera package
Video recording is decent too - it can shoot in 4k, and has time lapse and slow motion modes
The front 5-megapixel camera for selfies is decent too, though nothing exceptional
The camera is quite good in daylight conditions, but falls behind in low light prowess compared to say the Moto G5 Plus or Samsung Galaxy J7 Max - low light photos can sometimes be blurry and they take considerable time to process
AUDIO
Good audio quality and volume via both headphones and the speaker
BATTERY
Good, dependable battery life - comfortably lasts a work day
Takes about 2 hours to charge fully - which is a decent charging speed
Battery life is again strong, but not the best in this price bracket - that is again a position that's held by Xiaomi's Redmi Note 4
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Xiaomi also offers 2x optical zoom with this device - and the results are quite good
On the whole, if you are only concerned about performance and battery life, then the Redmi Note 4 may be a better choice, and if you care most about low light camera performance, then the Moto G5S Plus is at the top of the pack, but for an overall dependable phone with a dual camera setup, and stock Android experience, the Mi A1 is a brilliant choice
