Xiaomi Mi 6X (Mi A2) vs Mi A1: Price, specifications, features compared

Xiaomi on Wednesday launched a new mid-range smartphone in China. Called Mi 6X, the smartphone is the successor to Mi 5X which had launched in India last year with Mi A1 moniker.

As expected, Xiaomi's new Mi 6X comes with improved specifications, design and features over the predecessor. Xiaomi Mi 6X extensively focuses on Artificial Intelligence, a new trend for the smartphone industry. Earlier, the likes of Asus, LG and Huawei have launched phones with AI integration. Xiaomi's new phone comes with smart object recognition and scene detection that optimises images accordingly. Xiaomi Mi 6X also comes with 'Face Unlock' feature, which lets you unlock the screen by just looking at it.

Apart from the AI, there's also a big improvement in the camera department. Xiaomi during its presentation claimed that its new phone could take better portrait photos than the rivals, including Apple's top-end iPhone X. There's also improvement in the low-light photography.

The company hasn't yet disclosed when the smartphone will debut in India. Considering Xiaomi Mi A1's success in India, it's highly likely the phone will launch in the country sooner or later. Let's compare the Xiaomi smartphone with its predecessor to get a better idea about what's new in Mi 6X.

Design and display

Xiaomi's Mi A1 was quite a departure from then line-up of Redmi series. Featuring a curvier corners and slim profile, Xiaomi Mi A1 comes with 5.5-inch full HD display with a metal body. The new Mi 6X also sports a similar design but with a bigger 5.99-inch display with 18:9 aspect ratio, flaunting a thinner metal body. Mi 6X has a thickness of 7.6mm and weighs 166 grams. Xiaomi introduced a variety of colour options for the phone, including a red model. The smartphone comes with USB Type-C port at the bottom and no 3.5mm audio jack.

Processor, RAM and storage

Xiaomi Mi A1 is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 625 processor paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage. Mi 6X comes with incremental upgrades in terms of performance but with more choices. For instance, it is available in 6GB RAM with 128GB storage option as well. Powered by Qualcomm's mid-range focused Snapdragon 660 processor, Xiaomi Mi 6X ak Mi A2 comes in 4GB + 64GB, 6GB + 64GB and 6GB + 128GB variants.

Camera

Xiaomi Mi A1's camera was quite impressive for its price point. Featuring a dual-camera setup, Mi A1 has dual 12-megapixel rear cameras. Mi 6X gets a big upgrade in this department as it features improved 12-megapixel and 20-megapixel Sony IMX486 and IMX 376 sensors.

The selfie camera also has a major upgrade with a 20-megapixel Sony IMX376 sensor as opposed to the 5-megapixel front camera on Mi A1. As said earlier, the rear camera on Mi 6X comes with a variety of AI-based features.

Battery

There isn't any upgrade here as Mi 6X packs a 3,010mAh battery which supports Qualcomm's Quick Charge 3.0. Xiaomi claims that the smartphone can charge up to 50% in 30 minutes. The 2017 Mi A1 is fuelled by a 3,080mAh battery.

Price

Mi 6X starts at CNY 1,599 (₹17,000 approximately) , and CNY 1,799 (₹19,100 approximately) for the mid-variant. The top model with will retail at CNY 1,999 which translates to roughly ₹21,200.