Xiaomi Mi A3 press renders emerge alongside detailed spec sheet

Redesigned front and an extra camera on the rear

Representing a pretty big design upgrade for the lineup, Xiaomi’s new phone ditches the 6-inch, 18:9 display used on last year’s Mi A2 in favor of a notched panel of the same size. No big resolution upgrades are planned – Xiaomi is reportedly settling for a Full-HD+ resolution of 2240 x 1080p – but the display is apparently an AMOLED panel now rather than LCD.

The notch Xiaomi has chosen for its next mid-ranger resembles the waterdrop implementation it previously used on the flagship Mi 9. It’s noticeably smaller than the notch used on the budget Mi A2 Lite last year but still large enough to house one front-facing camera which, per the accompanying spec sheet, will offer a 32-megapixel resolution.

Just like the Mi A2 series, the next-gen Mi A3 looks set to feature a vertical camera module on the back. This time around, though, it’ll add a third camera in place of the LED flash and place the latter directly below the setup. The main sensor should be a 48-megapixel shooter while the second and third cameras will offer 8-megapixel and 2-megapixel resolutions respectively. Unfortunately, the functionality of these other cameras hasn’t yet been revealed.

On some final notes about the back of the phone, Xiaomi appears to have replaced the aluminum construction used in previous years with a premium glass build. The company’s ‘Mi’ branding has also been replaced with its own name and the whole logo moved to the bottom corner and positioned vertically. Similarly, the Android One logo now sits on the opposite and also sits vertically.

Lastly, as you may have noticed from the leaked press renders, the Xiaomi Mi A3 doesn’t include a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. That’s because a new optical in-display fingerprint sensor has replaced it.

Xiaomi Mi A3 specs and release date

Accompanying the rather major external upgrades are also some pretty decent improvements to the internals. Specifically, the Xiaomi Mi A3 is said to be replacing the Snapdragon 660 used inside last year’s model with the more powerful Snapdragon 665 which was announced this past April. The chip should be paired with 4GB of RAM and either 64GB or 128GB of non-expandable internal storage.

The Xiaomi Mi A3 will ship with stock Android 9 Pie straight out of the box as part of the Android One program but should receive an update to Android 10 Q before the end of this year. On a separate note, the smartphone is said to include a 4,000mAh battery, fast charge support via the USB-C port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Xiaomi has already begun teasing the Mi A3 on social media and says the new smartphone is 'coming soon. The device should be available to purchase by the beginning of August at the latest in most European markets and will be sold in black, blue, and white. Rumor has it the smartphone will be accompanied by a slightly more powerful sibling powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 730 and potentially marketed as the Mi A3 Pro. Separate reports, however, suggest the latter isn't happening and Xiaomi is instead working on a cheaper version dubbed the Mi A3 Lite. But because so very little is known at the moment, the company's true plans remain largely a mystery.