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Xiaomi hasn’t launched a phone for at least a week, so it is about time some new rumours for their next phone start.
The Xiaomi Mi A2 and the Mi A2 Lite were two of the best budget phones last year thanks to the Android One experience they offered. Xiaomi has great hardware for amazing prices, but so so software, so stripping that back down to a pure version of Android is a big win.
The Xiaomi Mi A3 is set to launch soon, so inevitably rumours and leaks are picking up. Historically, the Mi A series is just a rebadged phone with a different OS. The Mi A2 was a Mi 6X, and the Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite was a Redmi 6 Pro.
If the Mi A3 does launch soon then the logical choice of hardware is from the Xiaomi Mi CC9 and Mi CC9e for the Lite variant. There are a couple of issues with this though, the CC9e only has a 720p display and it is unlikely that Xiaomi would downgrade the Lite model between generations.
Therefore, current rumours are a little conflicting, one likely scenario is that the phone will be the most of the hardware as the Xiaomi Mi CC9e. This would include a 6-inch AMOLED FHD+ display (matching the 6-inch display of the Mi CC9e, but the FHD+ panel of the CC9), a 48MP camera with two 8MP companions (matching both the CC9 and CC9e), 32MP selfie camera (matching both the CC9 and CC9e), 4GB of RAM (matching the base CC9e model), 64/128GB of internal storage, microSD card slot (matching neither), USB Type-C port, 4,000 mAh battery, a headphone jack, and, of course, Android One on top of Android 9 Pie.
I suspect this rumour is due to the fact that the Mi CC9e uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 which is this year’s version of the SoC used in the Mi A2.
Another popular belief is that the is set to get the Snapdragon 730. Compared to the S710 inside the CC9, this chip uses newer big cores (Cortex-A76 based Kryo 470, up from A75-based Kryo 360). Also, the new Adreno 618 promises a 25% boost over the old one. This would make the specification more like the Xiaomi Mi 9T or Redmi K20 as it is also called.
If this rumour is true then it is expected that the Mi A3 Lite will get the Snapdragon 675 which is a notch up from the SD665 found on the CC9e and a big upgrade from the SD625 of the old Mi A2 Lite.
Xiaomi Mi A3 | Xiaomi Mi CC9 | Xiaomi Mi 9 SE | Xiaomi Mi 9T | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Status | Rumoured | Announced | Available. Released 2019, March | Available. Released 2019, June |
Dimensions | 156.8 x 74.5 x 8.7 mm (6.17 x 2.93 x 0.34 in) | 156.8 x 74.5 x 8.7 mm (6.17 x 2.93 x 0.34 in) | 147.5 x 70.5 x 7.5 mm (5.81 x 2.78 x 0.30 in) | 156.7 x 74.3 x 8.8 mm (6.17 x 2.93 x 0.35 in) |
Weight | 179 g (6.31 oz) | 179 g (6.31 oz) | 155 g (5.47 oz) | 191 g (6.74 oz) |
SIM | Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) | Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) | Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) | Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) |
Type | AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors | AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors | Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors | AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
Size | 6.39 inches, 100.2 cm2 (~85.8% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.39 inches, 100.2 cm2 (~85.8% screen-to-body ratio) | 5.97 inches, 87.5 cm2 (~84.1% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.39 inches, 100.2 cm2 (~86.1% screen-to-body ratio) |
Resolution | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~403 ppi density) | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~403 ppi density) | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~432 ppi density) | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~403 ppi density) |
Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
HDR | HDR | HDR | HDR | |
OS | Android 9.0 (Pie), Android One | Android 9.0 (Pie); MIUI 10 | Android 9.0 (Pie); MIUI 10 | Android 9.0 (Pie); MIUI 10 |
Chipset | Snapdragon 730 | Qualcomm SDM712 Snapdragon 712 (10 nm) | Qualcomm SDM712 Snapdragon 712 (10 nm) | Qualcomm SDM730 Snapdragon 730 (8 nm) |
CPU | Octa-core (2x2.2 GHz Kryo 470 Gold & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 470 Silver) | Octa-core (2x2.3 GHz Kryo 360 Gold & 6x1.7 GHz Kryo 360 Silver) | Octa-core (2x2.3 GHz Kryo 360 Gold & 6x1.7 GHz Kryo 360 Silver) | Octa-core (2x2.2 GHz Kryo 470 Gold & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 470 Silver) |
GPU | Adreno 618 | Adreno 616 | Adreno 616 | Adreno 618 |
Card slot | No | Yes | No | No |
Internal | 64/128 GB, 6 GB RAM or 256 GB, 8 GB RAM (CC9mt only) | 64/128 GB, 6 GB RAM or 256 GB, 8 GB RAM (CC9mt only) | 64/128 GB, 6 GB RAM | 64/128 GB, 6 GB RAM |
Modules | 48 MP, f/1.8, (wide), 1/2", 0.8µm, PDAF | 48 MP, f/1.8, (wide), 1/2", 0.8µm, PDAF | 48 MP, f/1.8, (wide), 1/2", 0.8µm, PDAF | 48 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/2", 0.8µm, PDAF |
Front Camera | 8 MP, (ultrawide) | 8 MP, (ultrawide) | 8 MP, f/2.4, (telephoto), 1.12µm, PDAF | 8 MP, f/2.4, 53mm (telephoto), 1/4", 1.12µm, PDAF, 2x optical zoom |
2 MP, depth sensor | 2 MP, depth sensor | 13 MP, f/2.4, (ultrawide), 1.12µm | 13 MP, f/2.4, 12mm (ultrawide), 1/3", 1.12µm | |
Features | Dual-LED flash, HDR, panorama | Dual-LED flash, HDR, panorama | Dual-LED flash, HDR, panorama | Dual-LED flash, HDR, panorama |
Video | 2160p@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, 720p@960fps | 2160p@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, 720p@960fps | 2160p@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, 720p@960fps | 2160p@30fps, 1080p@30/120/240fps, 1080p@960fps |
Selfie | 32 MP, f/2.0, 0.8µm | 32 MP, f/2.0, 0.8µm | 20 MP, f/2.0, 0.9µm | Motorized pop-up 20 MP, f/2.2, 0.8µm |
Features | HDR | HDR | HDR | HDR |
Video | 1080p@30fps | 1080p@30fps | 1080p@30fps | 1080p@30fps |
Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
3.5mm jack | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic | 24-bit/192kHz audio | Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic | 24-bit/192kHz audio | |
Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic | Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic | |||
WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot |
Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX HD | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX HD | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX HD | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX HD |
GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS |
NFC | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Infrared port | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Radio | FM radio | FM radio | No | FM radio |
USB | 2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector | 2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector | 2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector, USB On-The-Go | 2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector, USB On-The-Go |
Sensors | Fingerprint (under display), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | Fingerprint (under display), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | Fingerprint (under display), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | Fingerprint (under display), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
Battery | 4030 mAh | 4030 mAh | Non-removable Li-Po 3070 mAh battery | Non-removable Li-Po 4000 mAh battery |
Charging | Fast battery charging 18W | Fast battery charging 18W | Fast battery charging 18W | Fast battery charging 18W |
Colors | Black, Blue, White | Black, Blue, White | Violet, Blue, Gray | Carbon black, Red flame, Glacier blue |
Price | £285 | £295 |
I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.
As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.
In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.
I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.