After co-founder, Xiaomi VP shares some Xiaomi Mi 5 camera shots


A couple of days back, Xiaomi co-founder Bin Lin shared his love and some camera samples from his Mi 5. Today, it’s the turn of company VP and global face (…and ex-Googler) Hugo Barra to do the same.

While Lin shared the results of his efforts with the Mi 5 camera on Weibo, Hugo does so via Facebook.

Spent the holidays hanging out with my folks….aaaaand playing around with the insanely AMAZING #Mi5 camera. I didn't…

Posted by Hugo Barra on Thursday, February 11, 2016

Gizchina News of the week


Social networks are known to tone down picture quality, which is something Barra realises. “Do you guys want to see the full resolution version of this? Let me know and I’ll upload it on the MIUI forum,” he says. So keep an eye out on the MIUI forums if you want to see the full version of the pictures.

Meanwhile, here are the ones we pulled from Facebook. (more Xiaomi Mi 5 news here)

12716278_10153205843971612_8919391501740180303_o 12672182_10153205843956612_5778195740318578201_o 12657170_10153205843521612_5891880875379509357_o

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60 Comments

  1. Young
    February 12, 2016

    We’re all waiting for this machine.

  2. yalok
    February 12, 2016

    How do we know that it’s not fake?

    • MaxPower
      February 12, 2016

      I think Hugo Barra’s resume speak for itself.

    • Twister12
      February 12, 2016

      We can’t until we actually use the device.

    • balcobomber25
      February 12, 2016

      Because this is Xiaomi not Elephone/UMi/Ulefone etc. Hugo Barra’s name and reputation speaks for itself, and he would have a lot more to lose than those companies if he was caught faking something.

      • yalok
        February 12, 2016

        I’m just very skeptic of all the samples provided by any company/person after the nokia case.

        • balcobomber25
          February 12, 2016

          You should always have some skepticism, especially with photos. Samsung and Apple are known to use professional photographers for sample shots that most people will never come close to replicating.

          • xi7
            February 13, 2016

            i dont understand what you see in camera xiaomi… really , look the xiaomi yi… shame device

            • balcobomber25
              February 13, 2016

              The fact that the cameras on the Mi Note, Mi4 and Mi3 were all better than anything Elephone has done to date.

            • xi7
              February 14, 2016

              impossible compare, elefone make mid-range device. you listed high-end and expensive cost phone xiaomi, and not look good camera for the price

            • balcobomber25
              February 14, 2016

              The Elephone Vowney costs $300, the same as the Mi3 and Mi4 cost when they launched. The 3 year old Mi3 has a better camera than the Vowney.

            • Sunil Adoor
              February 15, 2016

              balco pls suggest me some good phone 1.verygood cam.
              2. good processor
              3. decent battery
              metal body phone…..

            • balcobomber25
              February 15, 2016

              Meizu MX5

            • xi7
              February 15, 2016

              you prefer mx5 than mi4c?

            • balcobomber25
              February 15, 2016

              They are both good but if I was going to pick it would be MX5. I prefer the larger display and I think the camera is better.

            • Sunil Adoor
              February 16, 2016

              yesterday i saw one website zte nubia z9 mini what about your openion??
              camera no doubt its good but the software??????

            • xi7
              February 15, 2016

              where you took this conclusion if never seen a picture of a vowney? based on the review gizchina? i see only joke picture 21mpx with 2mb size … lol

            • xi7
              February 15, 2016

              i have download from androidheadlines photo just 500k / picture…. need real file. nothing different than expected, this at the same level of other brand

            • balcobomber25
              February 15, 2016

              If by close to other brands, you mean other brands with average cameras then yes. But it’s not even close to good cameras.

  3. Steven Fox
    February 12, 2016

    It was a really bright day as anyone can see, this detail is not unheard of with these conditions, perhaps the LG G4/Samsung S6 could make the same photo.
    The camera will be good, but this photo doesn’t prove it`s industry leader.

    • February 12, 2016

      Agreed

    • balcobomber25
      February 12, 2016

      Yea I would like to see the full image as well see some with shadows, but overall it does look good.

  4. Angry Mobile Nerd
    February 12, 2016

    S7 and G5 are launching on the 21st, that’s three days before the Mi5 so I hope Xiaomi has got a rabbit in it’s hat or a fart in a elevator or something that’s going take even a little wind out of Samsung’s and LG’s sails because the days after their events there will still be daily news trickling out about region/carrier release dates, pricing, not to mention hands on coverage.

    • Simon
      February 12, 2016

      Your right. It better be something special otherwise it will be lost amongst the euphoria of Samsung & LG. If of course the S7 & G5 turn out to be something spectacular.

    • MaxPower
      February 12, 2016

      The phone you mentioned are going to cost 2-3 times the price of MI5. They have a different market.

      Samsung will lead the flagship market once again.

      • Angry Mobile Nerd
        February 12, 2016

        Pricing is irrelevant because somehow Samsung and Apple charge 2~3x more for their phones yet they still manage to sell the most phones too, go figure. Why? Because they’re in more markets (on top of other things) hence I have a feeling availability is ultimately going to decide the mi5’s fate. I’ve always said Xiaomi is their own worst enemy with their terrible logistics but hopefully they plan to change that with the mi5. It’s going to suck if all this teasing leads up to a China-only launch on Feb 24.

        • balcobomber25
          February 12, 2016

          Pricing is not irrelevant. In fact this year pricing will play more a part than ever before. One of the key things the big brands has always had was subsidizing. People could get one of the big 3 for little to nothing up front. Most countries/carriers have done away with it meaning if people want an S7 they have to pay $600+ up front.

          Samsung will always have it’s core fans, Xiaomi will always have it’s core fans. Both devices will sell in the tens of millions. But the consumers stuck in the middle (which make up the largest segment) price is one of the most important factors.

          • Angry Mobile Nerd
            February 12, 2016

            Xiaomi’s challenge has never been their pricing, it’s always been about distribution/availability. I’m not worried about how much the mi5 is going to cost, I’m more concerned about how many (or how few) markets they launch it in on Feb 24. I think a lot of people are going to be fed-up if it’s initially China-only.

            • balcobomber25
              February 12, 2016

              You are not worried about that but many consumers price is a very important factor they consider. Samsung doesn;’t have a worldwide launch either. The S6 was initially launched in only 20 countries. That isn’t that much considering Samsung is sold in over 120 countries around the world. In Europe only people in the UK and Germany could buy it at launch.

            • Angry Mobile Nerd
              February 12, 2016

              Read my reply to MaxPower.

            • balcobomber25
              February 12, 2016

              20 out of 150 is about 16%, 1 out 7 is about 14%. OnePlus is a little over 2 years old, OPPO on the other hand has been in many of those countries for longer than Xiaomi has been around.

        • MaxPower
          February 12, 2016

          I have a different opinion.
          Price is relevant.

          Xiaomi customers won’t buy Samsung or Apple just like Apple or Samsung and Apple customers won’t buy Xiaomi.

          both Samsung and Apple can come out with the most ridiculously good phones and still Xiaomi will lead the market in China and for the same reasons Xiaomi can make their best phone to date and still the west market will be dominated by Apple and Samsung.

          Moral of the story:
          They are two different markets

          • Dante
            February 12, 2016

            There are exceptions like me , i get every single flagship i like , no exceptions ( excluding the regular s6 this year which is trash for me ( not the Note tho)

            • MaxPower
              February 12, 2016

              You are a savvy buyer that knows the whole market and you look at the best phone out there, you check the Chinese market as well which is a niche.

              But reality is that the biggest amount (I dont like to shoot percentage that comes from nowhere) of people buy the new iPhone or the new Sammy without even know the hardware.

              No idea about the SoC, camera sensor, aperture, Ram…
              I don’t want to sound sexist but really, try to ask a lady about the specs of their phone.
              The answer is :” I don’t have Android, I have a Samsung, I think the Ram is 64 … something….”

              Try to picture these people buying a Xiaomi. It won’t simply happen.

              Huawei has a big presence in Europe because they are considered budget phones compared to iphones or galaxies.

            • Dante
              February 13, 2016

              agreed , especially in my swabby homecountry , (which im in now) All the girls want / own an iphone , and most of the people buy an Iphone ( even in credit here which is xpensive s fck) they first buy a crappy cheap 100-200$ phone and then get an iphone and of course theyll like it more , the fact that annoys me is that they make NO research , even a bit when buying a phone

          • Angry Mobile Nerd
            February 12, 2016

            I agree with you half way. Yes, people in the market for an iPhone are most certainly not going to consider a Xiaomi and vise versa but Samsung has made a strong push into the mid-range market with it’s A-series which is definitely an effort by Samsung to reclaim lost market share.

            I should have rephrased my original response to be more clear; price for this argument is not relevant as I said Apple and Samsung both sell substantially more devices at substantially higher prices. If Apple and Samsung sold more devices at lower prices (than Xiaomi) than I would say price is relevant, or if Xiaomi actually did sell more devices than Apple and Samsung then price would also be relevant but that’s also not the case. Xiaomi’s case at hand is distribution and availability.

            • balcobomber25
              February 12, 2016

              Price is relevant in countries where Xiaomi and Samsung both operate. Samsung still doesn’t really get what midrange is. They get it with the specs but the prices are still well beyond actual midrange phones.

  5. princetom
    February 12, 2016

    Might just getting this too!

  6. MaxPower
    February 12, 2016

    Balco, prepare your check

    • balcobomber25
      February 12, 2016

      It’s already made out!

  7. Tremaine Underwood
    February 12, 2016

    I don’t want to be a party pooper, but is the photo that spectacular. As someone already mentioned, that is in full sunlight. A low light picture would have shown off quality better. I think even my M1 Note wouldn’t be that far off that, in full light with HDR turned on. I am off to find one of those plants 😉

    • VMortens
      February 12, 2016

      Mi4c operates nicely in the lowlight conditions, so I think it will not be a problem for Xiaomi to get even better results in their flagship.

  8. Assefa Hanson
    February 12, 2016

    this is in ideal conditions, not a good way to test its capabilities

  9. xi7
    February 12, 2016

    for me, bad crop img… my trash old 2013 Lumia still better…

    • balcobomber25
      February 12, 2016

      Not even close lol..

      • MaxPower
        February 12, 2016

        Even the cockroach is mad because he didn’t come out good.

        • balcobomber25
          February 12, 2016

          People lose all sense of reality when Xiaomi is involved.

          • xi7
            February 13, 2016

            what mean

  10. netrubbish
    February 12, 2016

    I’m glad they finally set a launch date, but somehow it doesn’t make me happy because I know people outside China will probably never see it for the next 5-6 months. All the hype, gossips, rumors & interest…..but no place to buy because Xiaomi is treating other countries like secondary markets which get their share only after the Chinese lose the interest. And I hate to say this, but dont you think we are treated like beggars ?

    Everytime when the product is available in other countries, it has become partially obsolete by itself due to the time gap. That is always the case, and I’m getting fed up. My friends get fed up. and many of them just gave up waiting and move on buying other available options from Asus, Huawei, Samsung, OnePlus because at least their products are not only in the news & articles.

    • MaxPower
      February 12, 2016

      Or you can do like the rest of us always do
      You can buy their phones from resellers.

      It’s true that people alwsys sees the grass greener on the other side of the fence.

    • balcobomber25
      February 12, 2016

      I buy all my Xiaomi’s a week after the Chinese launch date….

      • MaxPower
        February 12, 2016

        Without being in China?
        No kiddin’

        • balcobomber25
          February 12, 2016

          i discovered this crazy new thing called the internet!

          • MaxPower
            February 12, 2016

            What is that? Sorcery?

            • balcobomber25
              February 12, 2016

              I discovered it while I was patiently waiting for the Samsung store in Thailand to get the Galaxy S6 in so I could buy it for the wife. We had to wait a full 2 months after the regular launch date before we could get one.

          • MaxPower
            February 12, 2016

            btw,I emailed you

      • Simon
        February 13, 2016

        Do you go to China or Singapore to buy them ?

        • balcobomber25
          February 13, 2016

          I use this crazy thing called the internet….

    • Young
      February 13, 2016

      What are you talking about?

      I get my hands on Xiaomi phones within 14 days of launch.