Xiaomi launches Mi5 with flagship specs at half the price

[Jos]

Xiaomi has officially unveiled its Mi 5 flagship Android phone at MWC 2016 in Barcelona. The Chinese manufacturer is known for its high-end but affordable devices and this one is no exception. Starting at 1,999 Yuan ($305) for the 32GB version, the Mi5 packs a 5.15-inch full HD display with extremely thin bezels, a fingerprint sensor on the front, a Snapdragon 820 processor, 3GB of RAM, NFC, and a 3,000 mAh battery.

To get down to this price point Xiaomi favored a plastic body instead of going all-metal, but initial hands on with the device suggest it’s sturdy and well built. The phone is slightly curved on the back where you’ll also find a 16MP camera with a Sony IMX298 sensor and 4-axis OIS that’s flush with the phone, meaning no unsightly bulges.

Xiaomi’s Hugo Barra (former VP of Google's Android division) said the company spent two years making sure their camera would be flush with the back and threw some shade at Apple and Samsung for their designs.

Other highlights include a 4-megapixel front shooter for selfies, Bluetooth 4.2, dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi with MIMO, and a USB-C port for charging and data transfer. On the software side, the Mi5 runs Xiaomi's MIUI 7 based on Android Marshmallow.

Xiaomi's Mi5 will be available from March 1 in China featuring 32GB or 64GB internal storage in white, black and gold variants. A Pro variant will also be available featuring 4GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage and a ceramic back for 2,699 yuan ($415).

Xiaomi has previously signaled its intent to break into the U.S. and European market but had no news to share in that regard.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/63901-xiaomi-launches-mi5-flagship-specs-half-price.html

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

300 bucks for those specs? That's not too shabby at all. If they keep this up it'll hard for me not to give their phones some serious consideration. Color me impressed. Just a pity about the crappy UI and scarce Android updates for most Chinese manufacturers and I don't suspect Xiaomi will be any different.

 

[Jon Tseng]

>To get down to this price point Xiaomi favored a plastic body instead of going all-metal,
>but initial hands on with the device suggest it’s sturdy and well built.

Hmmm... I suspect some confusion here. I think the frame is metal with glass or ceramic back. Unashamedly not plastic...

 

[Adhmuz]

For some reason I don't feel ceramic is a great choice to make a phone body out of, it's just a little fragile, and I thought glass was a bad idea. Besides that however I can find any particular faults, lack of updates isn't the end of the world, it's something I'm already use to with Fido... Still waiting for Marshmallow for my G3, which has been getting the update from other carriers, it'll hopefully be ready, packed full of BS from Fido, by spring.

 

[Puiu]

300 bucks for those specs? That's not too shabby at all. If they keep this up it'll hard for me not to give their phones some serious consideration. Color me impressed. Just a pity about the crappy UI and scarce Android updates for most Chinese manufacturers and I don't suspect Xiaomi will be any different.

you mean the constant weekly updates I've gotten for the past 3 years and snappy UI that puts to shame most western companies right? xiaomi is currently one of the best smartphone manufacturers in the world.
I'm still getting updates with new features, performance improvements and bug fixes for the original xiaomi redmi which launched in 2013. and the Mi4 is still an awesome phone.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

you mean the constant weekly updates I've gotten for the past 3 years and snappy UI that puts to shame most western companies right? xiaomi is currently one of the best smartphone manufacturers in the world.
I'm still getting updates with new features, performance improvements and bug fixes for the original xiaomi redmi which launched in 2013. and the Mi4 is still an awesome phone.

Apart from Huawei, we don't see many Chinese manufacturers here. Their parts have to be imported by the consumer themselves

 

[hexDb]

300 bucks for those specs? That's not too shabby at all. If they keep this up it'll hard for me not to give their phones some serious consideration. Color me impressed. Just a pity about the crappy UI and scarce Android updates for most Chinese manufacturers and I don't suspect Xiaomi will be any different.

I have used MIUI. believe me its the best one I have ever used. you can also get this UI for other devices from en.miui.com. give it a try. if you got rom compatible for your device on that website..

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

I have used MIUI. believe me its the best one I have ever used. you can also get this UI for other devices from en.miui.com. give it a try. if you got rom compatible for your device on that website..

Thanks man. I would like to take your advice a try but until Chinese devices land on our shores via the normal channels it's gonna be difficult to do. No doubt they'll be turning up in their droves one of these days but for now they probably don't see our market as being very lucrative.

 

[Puiu]

I have used MIUI. believe me its the best one I have ever used. you can also get this UI for other devices from en.miui.com. give it a try. if you got rom compatible for your device on that website..

Thanks man. I would like to take your advice a try but until Chinese devices land on our shores via the normal channels it's gonna be difficult to do. No doubt they'll be turning up in their droves one of these days but for now they probably don't see our market as being very lucrative.

I think they just don't care right now. the majority of westerners just import the devices from online retailers.
you can find the phones on geekbuying or aliexpress. I've used both sites and I've always got my products in good condition even with the free shipping option.