Mi A2 Said to Be in the Works Alongside Another Android One Smartphone

The Mi A2 launch was widely expected when rumours about the Xiaomi Mi 6X first hit the Internet, but it seems the company may be working on more than one Android One handsets. The Mi 6X is expected to be rebranded as the Mi A2 when it launches in India, following the trend of the Mi 5X and the Mi A1 - which was Xiaomi's first Android One smartphone. But as per a new report, Xiaomi is likely to bring a budget Android One smartphone alongside the Mi A2. Some leaked firmware files have tipped the development of two new Android One models from the Beijing-based company that is popular for launching affordable smartphones.

The firmware files in question, reported by XDA Developers, unearthed the existence of the two new Android One smartphones from Xiaomi that are codenamed "jasmine_sprout" and "daisy_sprout". Notably, the Mi A1 was codenamed "tissot_sprout" where the word "sprout" signifies that the handset comes under Google's Android One project. The firmware files show that there aren't any preloaded MIUI system apps available, and the devices have A/B partitions to give room for seamless updates. Also, there is an XML file titled "com.google.android.feature.ANDROID_ONE_Experience" that exists within the system permissions folder. This points to the Android One experience.

Digging further into the alleged firmware files, the XDA Developers folks spotted that the device codenamed jasmine_sprout is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC - the same SoC that is powering the Xiaomi Mi 6X. There are also parameters hinting at the relation with the Mi 6X, including the shared EXIF model and the shared front-facing camera sensor. Having said that, it is still unclear whether the Android One device will completely be a variant of the Mi 6X or a new model altogether.

Alongside the confusion around the Mi A1 successor, XDA Developers have spotted another Android One device from Xiaomi that emerges as "daisy_sprout". This codename certainly hints that the handset will be an Android One device. However, it appears as a model inferior to handset carrying codename jasmine_sprout. There is reportedly a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC, which was originally powering the Mi A1. This suggests that the smartphone will come with a budget-friendly price tag, cheaper than the Snapdragon 660-backed jasmine_sprout. Furthermore, there are speculations that the handset could be a Redmi Android One device - a rebranded version of the Redmi S2 that recently reached TENAA and 3C certification authorities in China. Key specifications of the mysterious device haven't surfaced so far. Nevertheless, there is surely Android 8.1.0 Oreo with the latest Android security patch and Project Treble support.

We need to wait for sometime to see what Xiaomi has for Google's Android One programme in 2018. In the meantime, you can expect some fresh reports about the rumours around the two unannounced Xiaomi devices.