Earlier this week, Redmi announced a new smartphone in its brand new entry-level Redmi A-series lineup, the Redmi A1. The phone brings entry-level hardware in a stock Android UI at an affordable price tag. What’s interesting is that the phone does not come with MIUI skin but runs on Android 12 Go Edition, so it should offer a better experience than other MIUI-powered Xiaomi models in its price segment. 

Today, we decided to compare two entry-level Redmi smartphones in the Indian market – the Redmi A1 model vs the Redmi 9A Sport. If you recall, the Redmi 9A sport was announced nearly a year ago, but still offers excellent value for money, thanks to the Helio G35 on board. 

So, let’s check out how these two smartphones fare against each other. 

Redmi A1 vs Redmi 9A Sport

DESIGN

We have always said that design is a subjective department. Both smartphones come with pretty decent build quality and style. Gone are the days when cheaper smartphones looked cheap. Recently, the $100 phones have started to adopt newer styling and fresh colors that wouldn’t reveal its cheaper identity. 

For example, the new Redmi A1 comes in fresh color options of Light Blue, Classic Black, or Light Green. The light colors along with the rounded design give it a pretty good feel. On the other hand, the Redmi 9A Sport comes in Carbon Black, Coral Green, and Metallic Blue. Again, apart from the black color option for the 9A Sport, the remaining two color options give it a premium feel. 

The dimensions are more or less similar among both devices. The Redmi A1 comes in a 164.9 x 76.5 x 9.1 mm body while the 9A Sport features a 164.9 x 77.1 x 9 mm body. Even their weights are similar, 192 grams on the A1 vs 194 grams on the 9A Sport. 

However, the rear camera designs differ a bit. The Redmi A1 comes with a dual camera module, which is more like a rectangular design, in line with other phones of 2022. On the other hand, the Redmi Sport 9A comes with an older looking pill shaped design with a single camera module. 

Overall, we prefer the design of the newer Redmi A1 model as it looks both modern and fresh. On the other hand, the Redmi 9A sport features a decent design but the camera module design might look a bit old for many users. 

DISPLAY

Given that these are entry-level devices, they both feature the exact same entry-level panels too. Both the devices come with a 6.53-inch 720 x 1600 pixels resolution IPS LCD panel with a 20:9 aspect ratio and 400 nits brightness. As mentioned above, these are basic entry-level screens that are found on most phones in this price range. So there is nothing really differentiating between these two devices in the display department. 

SPECS

This is one area where the two phones differ significantly. The newer Redmi A1 model comes with a Helio A22 chipset, which is a quad-core entry-level chipset. On the other hand, the Redmi 9A Sport brings a lot more power, thanks to the Helio G35 chip on board featuring an octa-core architecture clocked at 2.0GHz. 

While the Redmi A1 maxes out at 2GB RAM and 32GB of storage, the 9A Sport brings even more powerful 3GB RAM and 32GB storage options. 

Notably, both phones feature a dedicated MicroSD Card slot. 

While entry-level phones are not meant for gaming or highly intensive tasks, but its clear that the Redmi 9A Sport has an advantage in the processing department with a much more powerful chipset. 

However, the Redmi A1 might still offer a smooth user experience because it’s powered by Google’s Android 12 Go edition. On the other hand, the Redmi 9A Sport still runs on Android 10-based MIUI 12.

CAMERAS

Like other smartphones in this price segment, cameras will never be the biggest selling point of these devices. The Redmi A1 brings a dual camera setup with an 8MP primary camera. But the second camera is just for show. That’s because the secondary camera on board is a 0.3MP shooter.

On the other hand, the Redmi 9A Sport comes with a 13MP single primary shooter at the back. 

As for selfies, both phones come with a 5MP front-facing camera. 

It’s hard to say which one would be better off in the camera department, but the Redmi 9A Sport could have an edge in this department, despite featuring a single camera at the back. 

BATTERY

Both phones come with a 5000mAh battery on board and come with a 10W charger in the box. 

PRICING

The Redmi A1 was launched in a single 2GB + 32GB memory configuration priced at ₹6,499 ($81) in India. On the other hand, the Redmi 9A Sport’s 2GB RAM and 32GB storage variant can be bought for a similar ₹6999($88) price in India. 

Overall, if you look at the specs alone, the Redmi 9A Sport still looks like a better buy despite being a year-old device. It comes with a much more powerful Helio G35 chipset which offers faster processing power. On the other hand, the Redmi A1 with its Android Go edition onboard also makes a compelling case without all the bloatware that you usually find on MIUI OS. 

Redmi A1 vs Redmi 9A Sport: Pros and Cons

Redmi A1

Pros 

• Fresh colors and modern Design
• Cleaner Android GO OS
• Cheaper

Cons

• Slower Processor

Redmi 9A Sport

Pros 

• Faster Processor

Cons

• Older Design

The post Redmi A1 vs Redmi 9A Sport – Specs Comparison appeared first on Gizmochina.

UPDATE: 

Xiaomi’s official statement explaining the reason behind the price hike has been added below.

“Due to massive demand-supply mismatch, the majority of components used in smartphones have seen an upward movement in their prices. Unfortunately, due to such market dynamics, a surge in price is inevitable, and it is further leading to a price hike on some of our models.

At Xiaomi India, we strongly believe in honest pricing and will continue to do our best to make the most value-for-money smartphones for all our Fans and consumers.”

The hike is of Rs. 300 and the likely reason for it is the ongoing semiconductor shortage that has impacted companies’ ability to procure crucial parts for their phones (via 91mobiles). The hike amount is constant across both the phones and all of their variants.

The old and new prices have been given below for comparison.

• Redmi 9A (2GB/32GB): Rs. 6,999 to Rs. 7,299
• Redmi 9A (3GB/32GB): Rs. 7,999 to Rs. 8,299
• Redmi 9A Sport (2GB/32GB): Rs. 6,999 to Rs. 7,299
• Redmi 9A Sport (3GB/32GB): Rs. 7,999 to Rs. 8,299

To recall, the Redmi 9A is equipped with an entry-level MediaTek Helio G25 SoC paired with a PowerVR GE8320 GPU. It has up to 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage, further expandable by an SD card. Its display is sized at 6.53-inch and has a 1600×720 HD+ resolution. Its camera setup is simple with a single 13MP shooter at the rear, paired with a 5MP camera at the front. Connectivity features include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and a 3.5mm audio jack. All of it is powered by a large 5,000mAh battery.

The Redmi 9A Sport is exactly the same phone but a more recent launch. It’s unclear why Xiaomi has offered two same phones but with different names, that too for the same market. Still, both of them do come with a different set of colors, so there’s that.

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The post Redmi 9A and Redmi 9A Sport receive a price hike of Rs. 300 in India, check out the new prices appeared first on Gizmochina.

After debuting the Redmi 9 Activ in India last week, Xiaomi has now launched two more budget Redmi smartphones. These devices are called Redmi 9A Sport and Redmi 9i Sport. They are exactly the same phones as the original Redmi 9A and Redmi 9i. The only difference is colors.

The newly unveiled Redmi 9A Sport and Redmi 9i Sport do not bring anything new, except for slightly tweaked colors. In fact, the base hues remain the same and the only differences are shades as well as names.

In simpler words, the Redmi 9A Sport and Redmi 9i Sport still come in black, green, and blue colors. But these hues are now called Carbon Black, Coral Green, and Metallic Blue instead of Midnight Black, Nature Green, and Sea Blue. This is purely because the shades of these colors are slightly different.

Further, the phones still arrive in identical memory configurations, unlike the Redmi 9 Activ. They even cost the same. They retail for the following price tags.

Redmi 9A Sport Price

• 2GB + 32GB – ₹6,999
• 3GB + 32GB – ₹7,999

Redmi 9i Sport Price

• 4GB + 64GB – ₹8,799
• 4GB + 128GB – ₹9,299

These two Xiaomi handsets are already up for sale on Mi.com. We are not sure if they will be sold via other channels in the future.

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Xiaomi is reportedly working on two new Redmi 9 series of smartphones for India. According to a new report by MySmartPrice that cites reliable tipster Ishan Agarwal as the source has claimed that India may soon receive two new smartphones named Redmi 9 Activ and Redmi 9A Sport. Apart from revealing these monikers, the leak has also revealed their RAM, storage, and color variants.

Redmi 9 Activ variants and color

The Redmi 9 Activ is expected to arrive in two variants such as 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage and 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage. It is expected to arrive in a Metallic Purple color.

The handset is expected to arrive with other specs like a 6.53-inch display, Helio G35 chip, a 13-megapixel dual-camera system, a 5,000mAh battery, and a rear-facing fingerprint scanner. It is unclear whether it will be sporting a different design as compared to the existing Redmi 9 models.

Redmi 9A Sport variants and color

The Redmi 9A Sport is tipped to arrive in configurations like 2 GB RAM + 32 GB storage and 3 GB RAM + 32 GB storage. It is likely to arrive in a Metallic Blue color.

The smartphone is expected to arrive with other specs like the Helio G25 chipset, a 13-megapixel rear camera, a 5-megapixel front camera, and a 5,000mAh battery. Probably, the Redmi 9 Activ and 9A Sport may cost around Rs 8,000 (~$108) in India. At present, there is no word on the launch timeframe of these devices.

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The post Redmi 9 Activ, Redmi 9A Sport India launch tipped, RAM, storage, and color options leaked appeared first on Gizmochina.