In September, Android One got a new phone, the Xiaomi Mi A1, and it’s already selling in Kenya priced at Ksh 26,000.
For what the Xiaomi Mi A1 brings to the table, this is a great price. However, the phone’s unique selling point is Android One, Google’s initiative of bringing vanilla Android experiences to more markets other than those that can easily access and afford the Google Pixels. The advantage of owning a Google Pixel or Nexus for that matter is timely software updates. For instance, all Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Pixel and Pixel XL users have already received an OTA update to Android Oreo, an OS that could take months before hitting the likes of Tecno and Infinix devices, most of which are priced in the same price range as the Xiaomi Mi A1 Android One phone.
So, if you want to be part of those who receive timely software updates and can’t afford any of the old Google Nexuses or the new Google Pixels, the Xiaomi Mi A1 is a good place to start. Right now, the phone is receiving an update that installs the latest security patch for the month of November, an update that only a handful of phones have received, including Google’s. In fact, most OEMs whose phones are selling in Kenya never send out monthly security updates, which means many people are walking targets for hackers.
Even though it’s just a monthly update, it’s possible it has more than just November’s security patch. This is because some users are reporting file sizes of up to 1GB, but others are receiving about 470MB. Perhaps it’s the additional stability and performance improvements alongside bug fixes that make up for the extra file size, but it still doesn’t explain why the file sizes vary for different users.
When Xiaomi Mi A1 Android One launched, it came preinstalled with Android Nougat, however, a promise to upgrade to Oreo was made. While being part of Android One means that you receive timely updates, there’s still no Oreo for Mi A1 users. Still, it shouldn’t be long before the device gets the update, probably during this coming month of December. We’ll be here to let you know when this happens.
Meanwhile, what are your thoughts on the Xiaomi Mi A1 Android One phone? Share your views in the comments section below.
