Got this MI Redmi series device, Redmi 6A, a few days ago & to say flash sales at amazon are far better than anywhere else. At least you have a chance at getting the thing, in a fairway. Don’t have to rely totally on luck.
This one is best in class budget-oriented device with a smaller footprint. You get something that is well suited for day to day tasks but not for extensive scenarios.

INSIDE BOX

1. Device
2. USB cable
3. Charger
4. Sim ejector tool
5. Few guides

SPECIFICATIONS

• Dimensions: 147.5 x 71.5 x 8.3 mm
• Weight: 145 g
• Screen: 5.45-inch HD+ multi-touch capacitive touchscreen with 1440 x 720 pixels resolution, 295 PPI pixel density and 18:9 aspect ratio
• Memory, Storage and SIM: 2GB RAM | 16GB/32GB internal memory expandable up to 256GB | Dual SIM (nano‌ + nano) dual-standby (4G+4G)
• Android v8.1 MIUI 9.0 upgradable to MIUI 10.0
• Processor: 2.0GHz Mediatek Helio A22 quad-core Cortex-A53
• Graphics: PowerVR GE8320
• Rear Camera: 13MP f/2.2 PDAF with LED flash, Video 1080p 30fps
• Front Camera: 5MP f/2.2
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
• Bluetooth: v 4.2, A2DP, LE
• GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS
• FM Radio
• micro USB 2.0
• 3000mAH lithium-ion battery

SCORE

About Redmi 6A, as the trend goes, MI phones are valued for money always, especially its Redmi series. This one’s no exception.
1. Screen 9/10
2. Camera 8/10
3. Battery 9/10
4. Performance 7/10
5. Build 8/10
Overall 8.2/10

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PROS

1. Refreshing looks with round corners.
2. Good build quality.
3. Nice 5.45 in HD display with good sunlight legibility.
4. AI gimmick (haven’t tested it much).
5. Full-screen gestures, yes in pros as i love them in my Redmi note 5 pro & having them in the low-end segment is nice.
6. No hybrid slot. Three separate slots, so 2 sim and extra memory at the same time.
7. Dual 4g standby (enable it in settings->sim cards & mobile net).
8. Promised upgrade to MIUI 10 & also a major upgrade of Android.
9. A plethora of sensors (except IR in specific).

CONS

1. Performance may be an issue if you are coming from Redmi 5A. I am having both devices right now, can say, this one is a bit on the lower side compared to Redmi 5A as far as performance is considered.
2. No IR blaster in Redmi 6A, i do use it a lot. It’s one of the key features for me.
3. Helio vs Qualcomm, & it will really matter in this device.
4. Camera quality seems a bit downgraded compared to Redmi 5A.
5. Too many preloaded apps are there, though you can get rid of the max of them (see below).

CAMERA SAMPLES

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BATTERY BACKUP

Device status: Locked bootloader, max apps restricted for notification access, disabled autostart, screen brightness medium, and location off.

Sim 1, 3g & 2g (50% 3g mode for data)
Wifi on (60%, data on standby)
Data on (40%, wifi on standby)
Night time: Data & Wifi off

1 day 23 hr 14 min on battery, 100% to 4% (Awesome, right?)
SOT (Screen on time) 6 hours 50 min (Impressive)

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To uninstall preloaded apps & reduce the load on Redmi 6A

Here is a mini-guide to bloatware removal. For more detailed version & links to download tools, head over to this link. Bloatware removal guide

1. Some can directly be uninstalled from settings->installed apps->select app

2. Others, which don’t have an uninstall option, can be uninstalled via ADB.

Developer mode on, settings – about – tap on MIUI version 7 times (screenshot attached)

a) USB debugging on, settings – additional settings – developer mode – USB debugging (screenshots attached)
b) On pc, install ADB tools (screenshot attached)
c) On pc install ADB device drivers (or install MI PC Suite)
d) Connect device
e) Start command prompt windows+R, type cmd and enter below commands one by one
adb devices
adb shell
pm list packages (copy this list somewhere, it will be handy)
pm uninstall -k –user 0 com.xyz.abc (where com.xyz.abc is package name)

To get into details, use google or visit XDA forums.
P.S. Proceed with caution as uninstalling any critical package may produce error & you will be forced to reset the device

I was able to uninstall around 30+ apps or packages from my Redmi 6A, including duo, Gmail, photos, facebook system services app, google plus, play movies, tts, music, print service, spooler, bug report system, email, google quick search box, payment, gallery, talkback, hybrid, emag, live wallpaper, facemoji, weather provider, personal assistant, mipay, mipicks etc etc.

After this, the phone was smooth wrt performance as this will clear some storage and ram usage, by reducing background services.

Don’t understand why, Xiaomi took this decision and downgrade a device, with the same price bracket, only a screen & camera upgrade is there. They could have kept the same Qualcomm processor.

FINAL VERDICT

If you already have Redmi 5A, then 5A to Redmi 6A won’t be an upgrade though.

Redmi 5A also available at the moment, so you can get 5A instead of this if you are not so obsessed with round corners of the screen and fresh looks. As its a 1 point downgrade as compared to 5A wrt performance & camera.

But, if you really want to have a new device & go with the current day trend of screen & camera, AI, looks, & can live without IR, Redmi 6A is not a bad deal either. It depends on your usage scenario. The refreshing device it is.
Just some tweaks here and there & it will be good to go.

Also, be open to other options available out there, you may shell out a few bucks to avoid cons.

Exclusively on Amazon
2 GB ram, 32 GB storage black color