The Xiaomi Mi A3 with Android One could already be under development
The Xiaomi Mi A2
Located within Android Pie-based MIUI 10 firmware, references to an unreleased Xiaomi smartphone codenamed “orchid_sprout” were found by the folks over at XDA Developers. To most people, this name won’t mean much but this isn’t the first time the “_sprout” has been spotted.
As things stand, almost every Android One smartphone available includes the suffix within their codenames. In fact, even the Xiaomi Mi A1, Mi A2, and Mi A2 Lite are known as “tissot_sprout,” “jasmine_sprout,” and “daisy_sprout” respectively. This would suggest that “orchid_sprout” is an upcoming Android One phone by Xiaomi, perhaps the next-gen Mi A3.
Unsurprisingly, the smartphone’s specifications remain completely unconfirmed at the moment. However, if this is indeed the Xiaomi Mi A3, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 675 is an extremely likely candidate for the processor. In addition to this, a couple of references suggest that this device will support NFC, a first for the lineup.
Availability-wise, the Xiaomi Mi A3 probably won’t be announced until June at the very earliest. But if Xiaomi continues with its usual development plan, this device will probably be a rebranded Xiaomi Mi 7X, which could be announced as early as April.
