The Mi A2 - a successor to the A1 that actually feels like a downgrade.
Summary : A complete downgrade on the A1 in every category save for bootloader unlocking, performance, repairability (similar conceptually), & display (and camera if that counts).
The A2 feels forgettably fine (again, like the A1).
The Mi A2 is an USB-C-only device, so there's no dongle testings yet for now (mostly because I didn't receive the headphone dongle the A2's supposed to come with).
The speaker's quality is fine enough, despite being a mono.
The 5.99' 18:9 LCD display is fine enough for daily usage & is somewhat visible out in the sunlight at max brightness.
The bootloader unlocking process is foolproof & simple : plug phone to PC, enable OEM unlocking & USB debugging in stock OS' developer options & fastboot oem unlock in fastboot. No connecting to internet (if you have the adb/fastboot tools ready).
The A2's repairability seems somewhat reminiscent of a metal-backed iPhone, as the display is held on by clips instead of adhesives. Once the display is off, the components are located in the back shell. The USB-C port is in the daughterboard (which is common nowadays), & the volume & power buttons connect via contact pins.
Custom ROM availability on the A2 is pretty much lacking, with support for just official LineageOS. On XDA, you can get Pixel Experience & ArrowOS, though I recommend neither for obvious reasons.
As for custom kernels, there's essentially none.
Here are some common issue I have with the A2 :
As it stands, the A2 has the worst hardware package I've used. Sure, the bootloader protocol is unchanged from the A1, and the repairability is slightly better (mostly down to better button repairability); but the rest of the hardware is that much of a downgrade that I would rather recommend the A1 over the A2 (not that I would actually recommend either over the undying F1).
Back to top