Update 2 (7/16/19 @ 2:25 PM EST): Days after the first live images of the Xiaomi Mi A3 appeared, an early hands-on reveals the final details.
Update 1 (7/13/19 @ 1:44 PM EST): Live images of the Xiaomi Mi A3 along with its retail box have leaked online, confirming some of the specifications.
The Xiaomi Mi A2 was launched about a year ago, which means it's time for its successor to show its face. The Xiaomi Mi A3 is set to be the company's third iteration in its Android One series. New leaked renders show us what this upcoming device will look like.
The Xiaomi Mi A3 has several big design changes from last year. Up front, the device features a small waterdrop notch. The leak shows the device in 3 colors and a very interesting swirly/gradient design. We can also see that there are now three cameras on the back, compared to last year's two. Another important difference is the lack of a fingerprint scanner on the back. This could point to an in-display scanner or simply different placement.
The specifications of the Xiaomi Mi A3 are still up in the air. Roland Quandt, who shared these images, says he has received contradicting information. The tentative specifications include the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 SoC (matching the Xiaomi CC9e), 6-inch AMOLED FHD+ display (matching the 6-inch display of the CC9e, but the FHD+ panel of the CC9), a 48MP camera with two 8MP companions (matching both the CC9 and CC9e), 32MP selfie camera (matching both the CC9 and CC9e), 4GB of RAM (matching the base CC9e model), 64/128GB of internal storage, microSD card slot (matching neither), USB Type-C port, 4,000 mAh battery, a headphone jack, and, of course, Android One on top of Android 9 Pie. Again, take these specs with a grain of salt.
As mentioned at the top, the Mi A2 was announced last July, so it's likely we will see the Xiaomi Mi A3 sometime soon.
Source 1: WinFuture | Source 2: @rquandt
Update 1: Live Images
GSMArena obtained the following images from a tipster, showing off the new Xiaomi Mi A3 and its retail box. The images confirm that the Mi A3 will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665, that it'll have a 48MP primary rear camera + ultra wide-angle camera + tertiary camera, that there will be a 32MP front-facing camera, that the device will run off of a 4,030mAh battery, and that it'll have a 6.088" AMOLED display with an under-display fingerprint scanner. It'll also come in a 64GB storage model and supports a micro SD card slot with a nanoSIM or dual nanoSIMs. Given all that we know, it's looking more and more likely that the Mi A3 will be a rebranded CC9e, as we previously reported. The only question that's left is the display resolution—will it be HD+ or FHD+?
Live images of the Xiaomi Mi A3. Source: GSMArena.
Update 2: Early Hands-on
The Xiaomi Mi A3 is said to be announced later this week, but the folks at SoyaCincau already got their hands on it. As previously reported, it's very similar to the Xiaomi CC9e. One of the few details that was still unknown was the screen resolution. Unlike the previous Mi A1 and Mi A2, the Mi A3 only has an HD+ display. This is disappointing, but it matches up with the CC9e, which Xiaomi is clearly rebranding.
The retail packaging confirms the 48MP camera and triple rear camera setup (along with 32MP front camera). It also confirms the 4030 mAh battery, 18W fast charging, in-display fingerprint scanner, 6.08-inch AMOLED display, and Qualcomm Snapdragon 665. We should have official information about the Mi A3 very soon.
Source: SoyaCincau