The Xiaomi Mi A3 is launched at a list price of 249 euros. A device that immediately fascinates with its design, but also raises questions. Because the resolution of the display is limited to HD+. Is that enough? Find the answer in our test!
Per
- camera
- battery life
- Android One
- Mini headphone jack
cons
- resolution
- Fingerprint scanner
- No NFC
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Available online for less than 200 euros
The Xiaomi Mi A3 is offered at a list price of 249 euros. But it can also be found online for less than 200 euros. In addition to the attractive price, the smartphone comes with a protective cover, charger and USB-C cable in the box.
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A compact smartphone
The design gap between flagship and mid- and low-end devices isn’t as big as it was a few years ago. Now even the cheapest devices pick up on current trends and are packaged in stylish and ergonomic cases. Of course, you have to make compromises when it comes to materials, certifications, surfaces and features. But the Xiaomi Mi A3 immediately makes a good impression.
A smartphone with a compact design
An elegant smartphone. / © NextPit
With a body measuring 153.48 x 71.85 x 8.47 millimeters and weighing 173.8 grams, this smartphone can be considered compact. The curvy design makes it ergonomic and easy to use with one hand. The slightly protruding camera doesn’t get in the way when the smartphone is lying on the table.
There are two physical buttons on the right side, infrared port and mini-jack are on the top edge, slot for two SIM cards or one SIM and one microSD on the left. Mono speakers and USB-C port are on the bottom edge.
The Mi A3 offers a USB type C port. / © NextPit
The glass body is made of Gorilla Glass 5. The triple camera in a traffic light design is located at the top left. Below the new Xiaomi logo. The screen has a central notch that houses the front camera. Unfortunately, the frame is a bit thicker on the chin side. The Mi A3 does not offer an IP68 certification, which is normal in this price range.
The Mi A3 with the case that came with it. / © NextPit
Fingerprint scanner under the display
The most questionable point of the Xiaomi Mi A3 is the 6.08-inch screen, which only offers an HD+ resolution of 720 x 1560 pixels, resulting in a density of 283 PPI. Others offer higher-resolution displays in this price segment.
The fingerprint scanner is not as powerful as it should be.
The Chinese brand uses an AMOLED panel that offers excellent contrast and good color reproduction. However, sometimes it looks too saturated and it is not always easy to read in direct sunlight.
Mi A3: AMOLED panel but low resolution. / © NextPit
The fingerprint sensor is also located under the screen of the Mi A3. During my test, however, it often had problems recognizing my fingerprint. I found it more convenient to use 2D face recognition. The Mi A3 offers the Ambient Display feature that wakes up the screen when a new notification has arrived.
Android One offers an Android stock experience
The Xiaomi Mi A3 runs Android One based on Android 9 Pie. Having a smartphone with Android One means guaranteed updates and a fairly pure Android. Xiaomi’s MIUI customizations don’t go away entirely, but they’re barely noticeable. In addition to Google’s apps, the Xiaomi camera app and an app for FM radio are also preinstalled.
Android One guarantees updates for two years
The Mi A3 runs smoothly. And if you love Stock Android, you’ll enjoy it here. However, if you love MIUI, you have to do without most of the customizations.
Goodbye bloatware. / © NextPit
Eight cores and 4 GB of RAM
The Xiaomi Mi A3 packs an eight-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 (4 Cortex A73 cores at 2.0GHz and 4 Cortex A53 cores at 1.8GHz), supported by the Adreno 610 GPU, 4GB LPDDR4X RAM and 64GB UFS 2.1 storage, expandable via microSD. But how does it fare in everyday use?
The smartphone runs smoothly, switching between screens and between apps is not a problem. But if you want to use demanding games, then you need patience. There are delays here. But once the game is running, you can have fun on the Mi A3..
Good general performance but there is no NFC.
Xiaomi Mi A3 in the benchmark test
| 3DMark Sling Shot Extreme | 3DMark Sling Shot VOLCANO |
3DMark Slingshot |
3DMark Ice Storm Extreme | Geekbench 5 (single/multiple) | PassMark Memory |
PassMark disk |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xiaomi Mi A3 | 1,084 | 1,050 | 1,765 | 23,440 | 315 / 1,420 | 12,755 | 68,123 |
| Realme 5 Pro | 2,091 | 1,980 | 2,990 | 28,541 | 321 / 1,498 | 12,595 | 67,088 |
| Nokia 8.1 | 1,830 | 1,745 | 2,673 | 28,942 | – | 12,454 | 51,940 |
| Redmi Note 7 | 1,356 | 1.304 | 2,065 | 26,482 | – | 12,833 | 51,462 |
In terms of connectivity, the Xiaomi Mi A3 offers LTE up to 450 Mbit/s, WIFI ac and Bluetooth 5.0. You have to do without NFC. This is of course annoying, as it means that no contactless payment can be used. In terms of reception and audio, the Mi A3 performs well, even the maximum volume is high enough.
Xiaomi Mi A3: camera
The Xiaomi Mi A3 integrates a triple camera on the back, consisting of:
- 48 megapixels, f/1.8
- 8 megapixels, wide angle, f/2.2
- 2 megapixels, depth of field. f/2.4
Three cameras on the back of the Mi A3. / © NextPit
In order to take 48-megapixel photos, you must first enable this in the settings. Otherwise, the camera takes photos at 12 megapixels. The camera app developed by Xiaomi offers portrait, night, video, short video, panorama and pro modes. With a tap of your finger you can activate HDR and AI or apply filters and adjustable beauty effects. 2x digital zoom is also available.
The Mi A3 does a good job in good lighting conditions: both in terms of contrasts and details. I know this sentence accompanies many of our tests, but the fact is that manufacturers also optimize smartphones in the middle and lower range in order to be able to offer good results on the camera side at low prices.
In poor lighting conditions, the recordings lose quality. Loss of detail and blurred subjects can be seen. In night mode, you can partially compensate for this loss. Considering the price of the device, the camera as a whole does a good job, even if the recording isn’t lightning fast.
Xiaomi installs a camera with 32 megapixels and f/2.0 on the front. It delivers beautiful colors and a good bokeh effect.
A big battery
The Xiaomi Mi A3 integrates a 4,030 mAh battery that ensures a long runtime. More than a day is easily possible here, with moderate use even two full days. This is where the advantage of the low-resolution screen lies. The smartphone is also capable of Quick Charge 3.0, but unfortunately the included charger does not. With this, a full charge takes two hours and twenty minutes.
Xiaomi Mi A3: Specifications
Final Verdict
Xiaomi wanted to dare to offer an AMOLED screen with an integrated fingerprint scanner with the Mi A3. I would have preferred a FullHD resolution and a classic fingerprint scanner, but the courage and desire for innovation must be rewarded even in such a price range.
There’s a slick design, stock Android, and good overall performance too. This makes the Mi A3 a good device. And considering that you can get it for less than 200 euros, I can only recommend it. Just don’t have too high expectations of the display and don’t rely on NFC.
Xiaomi Mi A3
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