It’s already over a year since the Xiaomi Mi A1, Xiaomi’s first ever smartphone running a near-stock Android build and not its hallowed MIUI software.
As such, I find it interesting that even though the Chinese device maker is not the very best of examples when it comes to providing updates on time to its Android One smartphone, it still delivers, nonetheless.
Unlike before when the Android One programme meant that Google is directly in charge of pushing software updates to devices in the programme, these days it lets the companies whose products are part of the programme decide when the same will be availed. That usually means some delays.
This is why October’s security update just checked in hours to the end of the month. I received the update on my Mi A1 last evening.
Other than the bug fixes from Google, as was the case last month when the September update rolled in a few days into October, there’s not much else.
Given that the Mi A1 was announced rocking Android 7.1, Nougat, Xiaomi and Google have done a good job upgrading it to Android 8.0 (on the last day of 2017!) and Android 8.1 (just over 3 months ago). Now, the important question is, when are we seeing Android Pie on the Mi A1?
Xiaomi is already selling the Mi A1’s successor, the Mi A2 and Mi A2 Lite, in the country, widening the options available to anyone looking for a decent Android One smartphone.
