The Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite is an excellent budget phone that combines a premium design with a capable spec. It punches way above its weight, but a few hardware shortfalls and limited availability prevent it from being an automatic recommendation.
Running Android 8.1, the Mi A2 Lite delivers a fast and stable user experience. There isn’t bloatware to get in the way, and 95 percent of the apps are Google’s default suite.
Camera
The Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite sports a dual camera setup on the rear. It uses a 12MP primary sensor and a 20MP secondary one for improved low-light performance and portrait mode bokeh effects.
The primary camera takes brightly colored and detailed photos under good lighting conditions. However, in poor lighting, recording quality suffers significantly. The details and colors are lost, and the image is generally dulled.
The camera can switch to auto HDR mode when needed, but this is rarely a helpful feature in practice. It only seems to be active when the scene is very high-contrast, and even then, it doesn’t provide any significant difference to a standard SDR recording.
Display
The Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite display features an FHD+ resolution of 1080 pixels by 2280 pixels. It is a relatively high-resolution display compared to smartphones in this price range.
It comes with a perfect viewing angle and can be used comfortably in outdoor settings without any problem. It also offers a pretty accurate average deviation in color representation.
Moreover, this Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite screen protector uses innovative black-out technology that restricts the screen’s visibility to 30deg either side of the lit display. Beyond that point, the screen blacks out, and onlookers will see mirror-like reflections from the surroundings rather than light being emitted from your collection.
Performance
The Mi A2 Lite is an excellent option for those buying a phone with a high-quality display, decent cameras, and good performance at a reasonable price. Android One OS means it runs a bloatware-free, no-frills version of Google’s operating system with full support for its services.
The Mi A2 Lite has a 5.84-inch 19:9 LCD with 432ppi pixel density and a screen notch, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor and 3GB of RAM. It also comes with a 12- and 5-megapixel dual camera setup on the back and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera for selfies. The device has a 4000mAh battery that should offer good endurance.
Battery
The battery is one of the essential parts of your smartphone. It provides the power to run all its other components, including the display.
In our tests, the Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite’s battery lasted 106 hours in our endurance test. That’s impressive for a phone with a 4,000mAh battery, especially given its lower-end price point.
The same energy-efficient Snapdragon 625 processor also powers it as many Redmi devices. This is good because it allows for fast charging and long battery life.
Overall
The Mi A2 Lite is an excellent mid-range smartphone and one of the better value options. It offers plenty of power, a good display, and a capable camera for its price point.
It is a Google-certified “Android One” device, meaning you get a 2-year update guarantee and monthly security patches directly from Google. This also includes a fully stock Android experience without bloatware.
Despite being powered by an aged Snapdragon 625, the phone delivers an enjoyable performance. The Stock Android UI harmonizes well with the chip, and apps launch smoothly without stuttering.
