[Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro Questions & Answers] laviniu_c:
be very very careful with the redmi note 6 pro. pick the global (official) version unless you want to be stuck on the china miui:

http://en.miui.com/thread-3831680-1-1.html

redmi note 6 pro

pros:

-bigger battery

-it will probably have better custom rom support (eventually - check the redmi note 5 pro info)

-should be cheaper compared to the a2 (if it costs you as much as the mi a2 you're being ripped off)

-dual selfie cameras if you're into that

cons:

-micro usb - we're in 2018 xiaomi... seriously?

-sightly lower clock on the cpu

-miui (you should be able to get a custom rom eventually)

-currently sells at the highest price you will find it (it will get cheaper)

-notch

-competition:

*redmi note 5 pro has almost the same hardware, already has good custom roms and sells for less.

*poco f1 is selling for a bit more but you do get better hardware. and custom roms ramping up already.

mi a2:

pros:

-better stock rom.

-better back camera

-slimer and lighter

-usb c

-sturdier build (case uses actual screws)

cons:

-if you intend to custom rom it, don't bother with android one. miui gets you better hardware for the money and in some cases custom roms (see lineage) can be a better choice. see appendix.

-price

-no headphone jack

-smaller battery

-competition:

*miui phones which cost less to get you the same/similar specs (and are the same xiaomi build quality)

*nokias with android one cost a bit more to get the same specs but nokia has even better build quality (sorry xiaomi but you dont build bricks like they do) and they're already updating to pie for their android ones. so maybe better support in the future too? who knows.

miui versus android one versus custom roms:

miui:

-has 2 versions: china (without google play because reasons) and just china + en languages, plenty of china targeted apps, even their own app store. and global (china miui - some bloatware + google play)

-ONLY these 2 miui versions will ever be OTA compatible.

-never ever get a phone with china miui (unless you're actually in china) - sometimes vendors will "customize" the china rom, add google play and a "bunch of other" stuff and sell that to you as official. DO NOT BUY THAT! (unless you intend to completely remove miui anyway)

-an official global miui is a must for daily use outside china... (do not consider a china only phone, you will regret it)

-there are semi-custom miui releases like xiaomi.eu and miuipro.com (in case your phone happens to not have an official miui global not all do - only the ones released outside china officially get a global rom!). they are not that bad, some say even better compared to miui global official - but you do need to unlock your bootloader (and some willingness to tinker with your phone os). and you lose things like: OTA and official support (as bad as it may be)

problems with miui are:

-miui support and updates are kinda slow.

-security patches are released but not very fast.

-it's based on personal preference, some like it compared to android standard, some find it snappier, some find it's slower.

-for the redmi series you get at most ONE official android update. (i.e. from nougat to oreo or oreo to pie). you get miui updates (and security patches), but never more then 1 android.

-bugs and serious problems sometime go unanswered while they add more and more features. (not always, not all bugs, but sometimes... en.miui.com for examples - read the forums on some of the phones released for a while)

if you're willing to learn and to have an unlocked bootloader phone (some people do not), miui can be completely wiped and you can get an proper custom rom (hell you can even build one yourself). these will be based on the aosp or caf source code, will look like android standard (sometime even better if you don't really want all the google apps - or google apps at all). if you want a rooted phone this is your best bet. most have even ota updates (on their own custom channels).

problem is .... as much as i like custom roms, they are built and maintained by volunteer devs working on their own free time. so it's always unknown and you have 0 guarantees that a phone that's supported now will continue to be supported next year. there's also no guarantee that any phone will be supported. (they're not looking to add to their workload)

and so in comes android one... it's got the stock android experience without requiring you to unlock, root, custom rom etc. it does mean google adds all their gapps but the stock experience is much better compared to stock miui. you get updates in time, you get a clean nice stock android. good luck, i hope this helps you make your decision.