Mi A2 is the eagerly anticipated next-generation Android One handset from Xiaomi, and rumoured to be the global variant of the Mi 6X.

Ahead of its formal debut, much about the upcoming Mi A2 has already surfaced online.

The upcoming Xiaomi smartphone is rumoured to include a Snapdragon 660 SoC and run stock Android 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box - and not the company's MIUI custom Android ROM.

The smartphone has been in the rumour mill ever since the Mi 6X was launched in April, because Xiaomi's first Android One - the Mi A1 - was launched in September last year as the global variant of the Mi 5X.

Recently, Xiaomi teased a forthcoming global event where the Mi A2 is expected to be unveiled.

While its formal launch is yet to take place, here's what you should know about the Xiaomi Mi A2.Xiaomi Mi A2 launch dateXiaomi India in a recent tweet teased a forthcoming 'global event' where the Mi A2 is expected to be 'unveiled.

The tweet didn't reveal any date, venue, or time, though it suggested that the new Mi-Series model will be launched somewhere other than India.

The tweet asked Mi Fans to give suggestions about the place where they want to go for the Mi A2 launch.

Last year, the Mi A1 was launched at a  'global event' in New Delhi.

We believe that in the coming days, the company could reveal further details about the launch.Xiaomi Mi A2 priceAlthough its launch schedule hasn't been revealed, a listing on the Swiss website Digitec tipped the prices of the Xiaomi Mi A2.

The listing showed that the Mi A2 price has been set at CHF 289 (roughly Rs.

20,000) for the 32GB storage variant, while its 64GB model was spotted at CHF 329 (roughly Rs.

Rs.

22,800) and the 128GB variant was listed at CHF 369 (roughly Rs.

25,600).Xiaomi Mi A2 cameraSimilar to last year's Mi A1, the Xiaomi Mi A2 is expected to sport a dual rear camera setup.

But this time, Xiaomi could prefer a vertical camera setup instead of the previous horizontal one - if we look at the Mi 6X.

The dual camera setup is rumoured to come with a 12-megapixel primary sensor, paired with an LED flash.

As per a recent landscape shot shared on Mi Forums, which was allegedly captured using the Mi A2, it bears an f/1.75 aperture.

This shows that the smartphone will not have any upgrades on the optics front if we compared it with the Mi 6X.

However, the EXIF data of the image didn't reveal any details about the secondary sensor.

It could be a 20-megapixel sensor with the same f/1.75 aperture, similar to the Chinese model, though.For selfies, the Mi A2 is rumoured to have a 20-megapixel front camera sensor.

Xiaomi may also use its artificial intelligence (AI) developments and offer an AI Portrait mode on the handset.Xiaomi Mi A2 softwareBeing a part of the Android One programme run by Google, the Xiaomi Mi A2 is expected to run stock Android Oreo out-of-the-box with the latest Android security patch.

An alleged live image of the handset lately suggested that it is currently under testing with the May Android patch that is based on Android 8.1 Oreo.

The screen featured on the image also doesn't show any signs of custom MIUI skin.

This hints that similar to the Mi A1 and all the other Android One smartphones, the Mi A2 will come with a vanilla Android experience.

It can be expected that the model will receive Android P update sometime later this year, though the Mi A1 wasn't too quick with updates.Xiaomi Mi A2 specificationsAs per the initial reports, the Xiaomi Mi A2 will come with a 5.99-inch full-HD+ (1080x2160 pixels) display with an 18:9 aspect ratio.

An early Geekbench listing of the handset highlighted the availability of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC, coupled with 4GB of RAM.

The new Mi model is also rumoured to have up to 128GB of onboard storage.There could be a 3010mAh battery along with Quick Charge 3.0 support.

In terms of connectivity, the Mi A2 is expected to offer 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/ A-GPS, USB Type-C, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.The above specifications are in line with the Mi 6X, the model the Mi A2 is expected to be based on.

Here's a recap anyway.

The dual-SIM (Nano) Xiaomi Mi 6X sports a 5.99-inch full-HD+ (1080x2160 pixels) display with 18:9 aspect ratio; a Snapdragon 660 SoC, up to 6GB LPDDR4x dual channel RAM; up to 128GB inbuilt storage; a 20-megapixel Sony IMX376 front camera sensor and soft-LED flash; a dual rear camera setup with 12-megapixel primary Sony IMX486 sensor, a 20-megapixel secondary Sony IMX376 sensor, as well as phase-detection autofocus and dual-tone LED flash.The Mi 6X sports a 3010mAh battery, with support for QuickCharge 3.0.

Connectivity options on the Mi 6X/ Mi A2 are 4G LTE, dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, Miracast, Bluetooth 5.0, IR emitter, USB Type-C port; however, there is no 3.5mm earphone jack this time.

Sensors on board include accelerometer, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, proximity sensor.

It has an all-metal body, dual speakers on the bottom, and comes in five colour options — Red, Gold, Rose Gold, Blue, and Black.

The smartphone measures 158.7x75.4x7.3mm in thickness and weighs 168 grams.