Xiaomi Mi A1

I'm really not the kind of guy who likes to change mobile phone every year. All in all, I can tell you that my smartphone period started with the LG Viewty, then later on I reverted to a Samsung Champ, before to fall for the sirens of the Nexus 4, and after that I went for the** One+One** (when it was already 2 to 3 years old), and now I have relapsed again and have decided impulsively to invest into a Xiaomi Mi A1.

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And it just arrived! More than one month after I ordered it on **GearBest **(which pissed me off, but the reason is - I believe - that they did not have it in stock when I bought it and that's why all my complaints to the customer service remained basically ignored).

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After the 1+1, it's the second 5.5inch screen that I handled. I remember that it was rather clumsy at the beginning with the 1+1, which was all rigid angles. Maybe because of its curved corners or because it has a straight back, or maybe due to my experience with its predecessor, it fits now perfectly into my hand. Moreover, it has a full metal body which feels smooth but is also slippery and warrants the use of a pleastic case.

I was to be honest perfectly happy with the 1+1, except for one thing: the camera. I basically stopped bringing with me any camera to my travels since I had a Nexus 4 - which had an awesome camera. But the 1+1 disappointed me rather badly on that front. So, when I heard that Xiaomi was going to release a smartphone with a dual camera and 64Gb of memory for more or less 200€, I knew I had to crack the credit card...

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The good thing that One+One did for me was to lose my defiance of Chinese products. Rather than go for overpriced Iphone, I eventually settled for the full Chinese products, which are anyway similar, and in all cases cheaper than the Designed in California competitor. One+One was running on Android and Xiaomi has gone full Android thanks to Android One program which ensures it will get all the latest from Google updates.

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In the end, thanks to a promotion code on Gearbest, this little jewel cost me 185€. Not bad, considering it has double the memory of my 1+1 and a battery which can last until 2 full days (considering my rather low usage - no game, no movies).

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It is good to know that it comes with a USB Type-C charging port. So, like me with the One+One, forget your old charger if you didn't have a similar USB type charger. However, it is supposed to make the transfer of data faster.

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One design which I find strange is that it has the volume buttons and the power button on the same side. If you are fan of taking screenshots, that may be awkward from now one because you have to press low volume and power.

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I was not sure what that led at the top of the case was until I discovered that there is a default app in the phone which can turn your phone into a remote control for your A/C, your TV, your sound system, etc... Pretty cool. Must investigate!

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As for the photos, I'll be able to show you in the coming days and weeks some evidence (or not) about their qualities because this little jewel will accompany me imminently to the Basque country, where I intend to use it as much as possible :)

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For more about the Xiaomi Mi A1, I recommend you this page:

https://www.guidingtech.com/72382/xiaomi-mi-a1-faq/

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