Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone titan has partnered with Google to launch itd first Android One Smartphone.
Android One is software and hardware standard in which building of smartphones is left to the partner manufacturers in each country and development and design of the devices is handled by Google. The main aim of the whole program is to introduce smartphones with an excellent combination of hardware and software at affordable prices.
In 2014, the Android One smartphone was launched in India which was their first move to target around 5 billion users around the globe who could not buy expensive smartphones. Since its release, it has landed in many developing markets like Pakistan, Philippines, Indonesia and a few African countries and also in certain developed markets like Japan, Portugal and Spain.
Since its launch in 2011, Xiaomi has emerged as an eminent enterprise in the smartphone industry. Though they evoked international masses with their global launch events, most of their flagship smartphone devices have been restricted to India, China, and other Asian markets. The company recently announced that in the Q2 of 2017, Xiaomi shipped 23.16 million smartphones. As compared to the previous quarter, the numbers increased by 70% and set a new record of the company.
To keep up with the trend, the Mi A1 boasts a 12 MP + 12 MP dual camera setup, similar to their recent flagship Mi 6 which was launched in China in April 2017. It also sports 5.5-inch 1080p curved glass display, 64GB of internal storage, 4GB of RAM, 3080 mAh battery and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, all inside a nicely designed metal body. However, Mi A1 will come with stock Android which is known for its bloat-free buttery smooth experience.
The two companies have had some associations in the past. Last year, in the United States, Google and Xiaomi teamed up to launch the Mi Box Android TV set-top-box.
Mi A1 priced at $234 (INR 14,999) will be initially made available only in India. However, Xiaomi has decided to launch it globally in 40 more markets including ndonesia, Vietnam, Russia, Poland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Ukraine, and Mexico.