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The Xiaomi Mi A2 is out and it is making a lot of budget smartphone hunters quite happy. The device represents a good balance between low costs and decent features. On that note, it is concerning that Xiaomi did an Apple and got rid of phone’s 3.5mm headphone port. The device was also pitted against the similarly impressive Nokia 7 Plus and held its own.
As Ars Technica notes in its coverage of the Xiaomi Mi A2, it seems that even budget smartphones are now getting rid of the headphone jack. Is this the beginning of the end for the feature that has been a part of the tech industry for decades? At this point, it doesn’t seem so, but one can never really tell.
In terms of the other features and specs of the Xiaomi Mi A2, its OS is the Android 8.1 Oreo and has a 5.99-inch screen. The display resolution is 2160×1080 and it sports an Adreno 512 GPU. The processor is a bit on the mid-range side with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660. However, with a retail price of $290, customers can hardly complain about that.
In terms of competitors, it’s clear that the Xiaomi Mi A2 was intended to compete in the same arena as the Nokia 7 Plus. HMD Global, which has acquired the rights to distribute the Nokia brand, has been doing quite well and is actually seeing a resurgence.
To see which of the two would serve users best, Android Authority compared the Xiaomi Mi A2 and the Nokia 7 Plus, and the results seem to put the devices on an even playing field. Granted, the price of the Xiaomi Mi A2 gives it an advantage, but the Nokia 7 Plus does feature a headphone jack and a bigger battery. So it basically comes down to what customers are looking for.
