Unlike last year, Xiaomi has launched not one, but two Android One phones, aka the Mi A2 and the Mi A2 Lite this year. The Mi A2 is successor to the Mi A1 from last year, while the Mi A2 Lite is a toned down version of the Mi A2. One of the reasons behind launching two Android One phones this year could be the pricing. The Mi A2 Lite is a lot more expensive than the Mi A1, at least if the European pricing is to be gone by.

The Lite is an entry-level option for those looking for all the goodness of Xiaomi hardware and stock Android, according to the company, while the Mi A2 would cater to those looking for a more flagship level of Android One experience. Because Xiaomi will be offering the Mi A2 in standard and Lite versions, buyers will have more options to choose from. Sadly, only the Mi A2 will be coming to India which means buyers may have to shell out more this time round as opposed to last year when they could pick up the Mi A1 for as low as around Rs 15,000.

Right off the bat, both the phones rock the same Android 8.1 Oreo software, and also both these phones come with dual rear cameras, and full metal bodies. But there are differences seemingly justifying the price difference between them. Here’s a closer look.

1.While the Mi A2 is a rebranded Mi 6X, the Mi A2 Lite is a rehashed Redmi 6 Pro. Both the Mi 6X and the Redmi 6 Pro have already been launched in China, with Xiaomi’s custom MIUI software. The Mi A2 and the Mi A2 Lite, on the other hand, run vanilla Android, or more precisely, vanilla Android 8.1 Oreo software out-of-the-box.

2.The Mi A2 comes with a 5.99-inch full-HD+ display with a 2160x1080p resolution and 403ppi pixel density. Also, it supports an unusual aspect ratio of 18:9, as against the more traditional 16:9. The phone measures 7.3mm in thickness and is protected up-top by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The Mi A2 Lite, on the other hand, comes with a 5.84-inch full-HD+ display with a 2280×1080 pixel resolution, 19:9 aspect ratio and 432ppi pixel density. Yes, it has a notch.

3.The Mi A2 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor while the Mi A2 Lite is powered by Xiaomi’s tried and tested Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor.

4.The Mi A2 will be available in as many as three versions: 4GB RAM and 32GB storage, 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, and 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. The Mi A2 Lite will be available in two versions: 3GB RAM and 32GB storage, and 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. Both the phones support expandable storage.

5.Both the phones support dual-SIM and 4G LTE. The Mi A2 does not have a headphone jack. The Mi A2 Lite has one.

6.The main highlight of the Mi A2, according to Xiaomi, is its camera setup. The dual camera module on the back of the Mi A2 comes with one 12-megapixel sensor (Sony IMX 486 sensor) and another 20-megapixel sensor (Sony IMX 376 sensor). Both the sensors have an f/1.75 aperture. The main sensor has large pixels while the secondary sensor supports pixel binning that should result in all-round good low-light photos. The Mi A2 dual camera setup ships with lots and lots of AI and is therefore capable of churning out machine learning algorithms to produce good quality portraits or photos with shallow of depth of field. The Mi A2 can also intelligently switch between primary and secondary sensor depending on the available light, according to Xiaomi. The dual camera setup is further assisted by a dual-LED (dual-tone) flash. The Mi A2 Lite has a more basic dual camera system on the rear consisting of a 12+5 MP combination.

7.On the front, the Mi A2 comes with a 20-megapixel camera with soft LED flash. The Mi A2 Lite has a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.

8.The Mi A2 is backed by a 3,010mAh battery, and charges over USB Type-C with support for fast charging (Quick Charge 3.0) packed in. The Mi A2 Lite is backed by a larger 4,000mAh battery but charges over standard micro-USB.

9.The Mi A2 will start at 249 Euros (roughly Rs 20,071) for the base version with 4GB RAM and 32GB storage going all the way to 349 Euros (roughly Rs 28,131) for the top-end version with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. The Mi A2 will also be available in 4GB RAM and 64GB storage version for 279 Euros (roughly Rs 22,489). The Mi A2 Lite, meanwhile, starts at 179 Euros (roughly Rs 14,437) for the base version with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage going all the way to 229 Euros for the top-end version with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage (roughly Rs 18,470).

10.Xiaomi will launch the Mi A2 in India on August 8. The company is not bringing the Mi A2 Lite to India, at least for now.