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Xiaomi Mi A3 vs Mi A2 specs comparison: Closer than you think

Let's see how the Xiaomi Mi A3 and Mi A2 stack up against each other in this specs comparison.
By
August 18, 2019
Xiaomi Mi A3 Chassis rear view in hand centered

Announced in July, the Xiaomi Mi A3 is the company’s latest Android One smartphone. That means the Mi A3 runs a clean version of Android 9 Pie and should get monthly security updates, with updates to Android Q and R also guaranteed.

Even though the Mi A3 is the new kid on the block, that doesn’t mean you should ignore its predecessor. A little over a year old at this point, the Mi A2 still packs enough grunt to warrant a purchase in 2019. The Mi A2 is also an Android One smartphone and should get at least another year of monthly security updates, along with Android Q.

To that end, let’s see how the Mi A3 compares vs the Mi A2.

Xiaomi Mi A3 vs Xiaomi Mi A2 specs

Xiaomi Mi A3Xiaomi Mi A2
Display
Xiaomi Mi A3
6.01-inch AMOLED
1,560 x 720 resolution
286ppi
Xiaomi Mi A2
5.99-inch IPS
2,160 x 1,080 resolution
403ppi
SoC
Xiaomi Mi A3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 665
Xiaomi Mi A2
Qualcomm Snapdragon 660
GPU
Xiaomi Mi A3
Adreno 610
Xiaomi Mi A2
Adreno 512
RAM
Xiaomi Mi A3
4GB
Xiaomi Mi A2
4/6GB
Storage
Xiaomi Mi A3
64/128GB
microSD card slot
Xiaomi Mi A2
32/64/128GB
No microSD card slot
Cameras
Xiaomi Mi A3
Rear:
Triple lens setup
48MP f/1.8
8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide
2MP f/2.4 depth

Front:
32MP f/2.0
Xiaomi Mi A2
Rear:
Dual lens setup
12MP f/1.8 wide
20MP f/1.8 low-light

Front:
20MP f/2.2
Audio
Xiaomi Mi A3
Headphone jack
Xiaomi Mi A2
No headphone jack
Battery
Xiaomi Mi A3
4,030mAh
18-watt fast charging
Xiaomi Mi A2
3,000mAh
18-watt fast charging
IP rating
Xiaomi Mi A3
No
Xiaomi Mi A2
No
Sensors
Xiaomi Mi A3
In-display fingerprint sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity, compass
Xiaomi Mi A2
Rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity, compass
Biometric authentication
Xiaomi Mi A3
Optical in-display fingerprint sensor
Xiaomi Mi A2
Capacitive fingerprint sensor
Connectivity
Xiaomi Mi A3
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 5

GSM 850/900/1800/1900
HSDPA 850/900/1700/1900/2100
LTE band 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/20/28/38/40
Xiaomi Mi A2
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 5

GSM 850/900/1800/1900
HSDPA 850/900/1700 (AWS)/1900/2100
LTE band 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/20/38/40
Software
Xiaomi Mi A3
Android 9 Pie
Android One
Xiaomi Mi A2
Android 9 Pie
Android One
Dimensions and weight
Xiaomi Mi A3
153.5 x 71.9 x 8.5mm
173.8g
Xiaomi Mi A2
158.7 x 75.4 x 7.3mm
166g
Colors
Xiaomi Mi A3
Kind of Grey, Not Just Blue, More Than White
Xiaomi Mi A2
Black, gold, blue, red, rose gold

Starting with the display, the differences boil down to the type and resolution. The Mi A3 goes with AMOLED, though the HD+ resolution is lower than the Mi A2 display’s Full HD+ resolution. That said, the Mi A2’s display is IPS LCD. That means colors won’t be as vibrant and they are on the Mi A3’s AMOLED display.

It’s as if Xiaomi took a step forward, then took a step backward when it comes to the display. The RAM situation is also a bit perplexing. The Mi A3’s base variant features double the storage of the Mi A2’s, but RAM is stuck at 4GB. Meanwhile, you can get up to 6GB of RAM if you get the 128GB version of the Mi A2.

Moving to the processor, the Mi A3 features the Snapdragon 665 chipset. The Mi A2’s Snapdragon 660 is slightly older, but you won’t notice much of a difference in the real world. The biggest advantage the Snapdragon 665 features is support for 48MP images, which brings us to the cameras.

On the Mi A3, we have a 48MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide sensor, and a 2MP depth sensor. According to Ryan’s impressions in our Xiaomi Mi A3 review, this setup is quite decent, resulting in plenty of good shots in a variety of conditions. Moving to the A2, we were pleasantly surprised with its primary 12MP sensor and disappointed with its secondary 20MP sensor meant for low-light situations.

Also read: Xiaomi Mi A2 review | Xiaomi Mi A3 review

Shifting to the battery, the Mi A3 features a large 4,030mAh battery. The capacity almost dwarfs the 3,000mAh battery inside the Mi A2, though both phones feature 18W fast wired charging. Finally, the Mi A3 sports an in-display fingerprint sensor, which is really not that good. The Mi A2 features a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor.

At the end of the day, you won’t go wrong with either phone. The Mi A3 is the newer phone, so you’ll be more future-proofed than you would with the Mi A2. That said, the older phone holds up surprisingly well against its successor.