Hands-on | Android One Mi A2 spotted online, Snapdragon 660 in tow

Update: The Mi A2—or a prototype of it, anyway—made its way into the hands of a tech outlet called Pimpitronic. A hands-on video was published online but it was taken down earlier in the day, leaving us with nothing concrete. However, reputable sources have confirmed the veracity of the video, so there's no doubt now that an Android one Mi A2 is on the way.

According to users on Reddit who saw the video, the A2 is, as expected, a rebranded Mi 6X. However, it features a headphone jack at the top, while the MI 6X skips that feature entirely. That's definitely good news for all fans of the series.

Meanwhile, reports claim that Xiaomi is currently testing the Android 8.1 update for the Mi A1. A rollout is expected soon.

Original Article

Xiaomi launched the successor to the Mi 5X, the Mi 6X, back in April. Since we started receiving word of the Mi 6X, there were rumors that the device would be rebranded to become an Android One device, in a relationship that would replicate the Mi 5X and Mi A1’s. For the first time, we’ve gotten semi-concrete proof of the existence of a Mi A2.

This proof comes in the form of a Geekbench listing. Of course, benchmark listings aren’t exactly things to stake your life savings on, but this one looks legitimate. It shows the Mi A2 running with 4 GB of RAM and a Snapdragon 660—exactly like the Mi 6X it’s expected to mirror.

The Mi A1 was incredibly successful, and Xiaomi will expect to build on that with the Mi A2 when it's released. The A2 would be an upgrade over the A1 in most departments, although we think it’s a shame it will likely ditch the headphone jack—the A1’s DAC was one of its selling points.

While Android One software is always nice, the Mi A1 has failed to live up to expectations. Monthly updates are timely but the device is yet to get the update to Android 8.1. It is, in fact, the only Android One device to still be on Android 8.0.

It’s unknown when the A2 will be unveiled but we wouldn’t be surprised to see it before the end of July. There’s also a chance we get another Android One device alongside the A2—one based on the Redmi S2.