Update: Xiaomi Mi5 NFC, 26MP F1.6 camera, SD card, 3GB and 4GB RAM variants

If you are trying to keep away from Xiaomi Mi5 news today keep some suspense and surprise for next week, then todays breaking news isn’t going to help.

UPDATE: Xiaomi have been in contact and told us these slides didn’t come from them. So the slides themselves are fake, but this is not to say that the specifications are not accurate.

Original Article: Just this morning a purported label from the Xiaomi Mi5 packaging gave away most of the hardware features of the upcoming flagship MI phone, now even more telling launch slides have been leaked revealing additional details.

The images shown in this article are apparently from the presentation file for the Xiaomi Mi5 launch scheduled for next week. It’s worth noting that some of the hardware listed in the slides differs slightly from today’s earlier leak, but this might be explained be the fact that two versions of the Mi5 are mentioned here.

Going through the features there are some very nice and surprising features that are surely going to make a lot of Chinese smartphone fans pretty excited. First of all the details given here state that the Xiaomi Mi5 will have a micro SD card expansion tray! This feature alone is enough to peak many peoples interest and is a feature that flagship phone shoppers have demanded for years.

In addition to SD card support there will be dual SIM, and full network support for all Chinese networks (meaning there won’t be a China Mobile version launched first leaving international customers waiting for the FDD version to go on sale).

Another nice addition is the inclusion of NFC. Xiaomi ditched NFC in their phones after the Mi3, but we are seeing the feature making a come back this year thanks to Google’s Pay feature.

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An IR remote is believed to be part of the Xiaomi Mi5 package too and will work with over 10 categories of product and be compatible with a total of 2000 products.

There is even an image of the Xiaomi Mi5 in the slides showing a phone with 5.2-inch 1920 x 1080 display and physical home button. The phone apparently has a thickness of 6.35mm (144.3 x 70.2 x 6.35mm) which would explain the 3000mAh battery spotted in earlier reports.

Two variants of the Xiaomi Mi5 are listed with a base model having 3GB RAM and 32GB memory, while the top of the range has 4GB RAM and 64GB memory. These differences might also explain the difference in camera specs were seeing, perhaps the base model has a 16MP camera while the flagship version gets a 26 mega-pixel? (see earlier post).

Speaking of the camera, the details here include a 26 mega-pixel sensor with PDAF and F1.6 aperture! That’s one of the largest we have seen on a mobile device so far!

Final pieces of the puzzle are Snapdragon 820, USB Type C 3.0, and Qualcomm 3.0 fast charging, and a release date to buy the Xiaomi Mi5 on the 26th Feb!

Obviously take these details with a pinch of salt, and keep posted for the official launch on the 24th.

Disclaimer: We may be compensated by some of the companies whose products we talk about, but our articles and reviews are always our honest opinions. For more details, you can check out our editorial guidelines and learn about how we use affiliate links.

About the author
Andi

- - balcobomber25
    February 17, 2016
    You and me both! Might need to wear my nephew’s bib the rest of the day
- Simon
  February 17, 2016
  - balcobomber25
    February 17, 2016
    - Simon
      February 18, 2016
- photos
  May 27, 2017
  In addition to SD card support there will be dual SIM, and full network support for all Chinese networks (meaning there won’t be a China Mobile version launched first leaving international customers waiting for the FDD version to go on sale).

Noodles
February 17, 2016
Well … that looks nice. We’ll just have to wait and see then
J3000
February 17, 2016
Perfect size too 5.2″. I hope its el cheapo also!
- balcobomber25
  February 17, 2016
  Every Xiaomi Mi(#) phone has released for 1999 yuan which is about $320 (depending on exchange rate). Until I hear otherwise from Xiaomi I would expect the base model to have this price.
Darevintage
February 17, 2016
Ok…this is seriously pushing me away from the LeTv Max Pro. The addition of an SD card slot will definitely work some magic. Hmm…a compact 5.5 – 6 inches screen size version won’t be bad to have.
- realjjj
  February 17, 2016
  - Darevintage
    February 18, 2016
    Different from the latest one with SD820? Andi played with it for a short time and it looks quite impressive. If they’re planning to launch another one with the SD820, then it would be nice if they added the SD Card slot. That said, I imagine they won’t because of their streaming service.

MattD
February 17, 2016
…aaand balco just brought a cilce to be able to contain his enthusiasm untill the launch… ?
I’m starting to save some money though, just in case c:
- balcobomber25
  February 17, 2016
  Balco just had to pinch himself he thought he was dreaming. I think I hear my MX5 crying as I type this. Sorry Meizu if this is true, Xiaomi won me back. You were a good mistress though.
  And this comment just got weird…
  - illystor
    February 17, 2016
    This is how I feel. I’d been on a Xiaomi hiatus, messing around with a Meizu, it was fun, but… somewhere in the back of my mind was this little nagging thought…
    What if the Mi5 is reaaaaally good?
    - balcobomber25
      February 17, 2016
      Yea I haven’t been in love with a Xiaomi phone since the Mi3. I liked the Mi4 a lot but I always looking at what else is out there, and in that time I experimented with other phones. I enjoyed using a Meizu for these past 6 months but my heart belongs with Xiaomi lol.
      - illystor
        February 17, 2016
        For me it was the Mi2S (the 32GB variant with the higher spec camera). My Galaxy S3 crapped out on my halfway through a contract and I’d been following Chinese phones with interest for a while and suddenly had an excuse to take the plunge. That little thing served me dutifully for 2 and a bit years taking a lot of bumps and scrapes. I’ve still got it, and on MIUI 7, and you know, it still does okay, still manages a fairly respectable ~4 hours screen-on time, but it’s showing its age. Picked up an M2 Note when I arrived here in Hangzhou in September just to tide me over, and was surprised by how far the budget ranges from manufacturers had come. I see a lot of people with the Mi4 here on the street, and it still is a lovely looking device… but I think the Mi5 is what I’ve been waiting for. I’m not even fussed about the validity of these specs, if it can pull off good battery life and imaging on-par with the Mi Note, I’m sold. Everything else is a bonus.

highwind
February 17, 2016
- Mankiw
  February 17, 2016
  Are you joking?
- balcobomber25
  February 17, 2016
  Especially when they are dirt cheap and you can unlock them by filling out a simple form.
  - Xalis
    February 17, 2016
    Sure, say that to all people still waiting for permission to being enable to use the phone they already paid for.
    - balcobomber25
      February 17, 2016
      Everyone I know that bought one could use it from day 1. They opened the box and pressed the power button. They also got the bootloader unlocked in about a week.
      - highwind
        February 22, 2016
        And official Mi-Forums totally confirm that: the are zero issues with unlocking! Everything is fine!
        But I guess public perception is only relevant when bitching about Elephone and never when glorifying holy Xiaomi, right?
        balcobomber25
        February 22, 2016
        Xiaomi would have to sponsor terrorism to even come close to the perception that Elephone has.
        
        highwind
        February 22, 2016
        Very strong and solid argument!
        Just ignore the obvious problems and answer with some polemic nonsense – thats the way real Mi-fanboys handle stuff!!
        balcobomber25
        February 22, 2016
        The only problem is you it seems. Everyone I know who has a Note 3 got it unlocked in 7-10 days, and not just people I know in real life, people I know on forums too.
        highwind
        February 22, 2016
        Nope, not at all… The problem is more likely YOU blind little fanboy, who just fails to open his eyes and take a look even at official Mi-Forums (=> Google “en.miui problem bootloader”) which got flooded with unlocking-problems while you are still desperately trying to “hide” behind your wanna-be-argument of 4(probably made up) “friends” who allegedly did not have a problem
  - highwind
    February 22, 2016
    And Especially when you get rejected after filling out that form OR get the permission and still arent able to unlock because of bugged Software (50% / cant verify device error)
    - balcobomber25
      February 22, 2016
      If you got rejected there is obviously a reason. The only ones I have heard of getting rejected are two things: filled out the form wrong or sell phones.
      - highwind
        February 22, 2016
        No Problem, just keep your eyes closed and while telling repeating that constantly
        Reality is a different matter but from what I see die-hard-fanboys -no matter if it Apple or Xiaomi- do not care for Reality at all xD
        
        balcobomber25
        February 22, 2016
        The only reality is you can;t get your phone unlocked and instead of taking the time to figure out why (the forums have a ton of information and moderators answering questions as to why) you instead resort to attacking others. All this time spent bashing Xiaomi and it’s fans you could have already had your phone unlocked or an answer as to why it cant be.
        
        highwind
        February 22, 2016
        “Making up facts” isnt “reality” little-Mi-fanboy…
        Making up facts is: little-Mi-Fanboy claiming I cannot get my phone unlocked bla blub bla
        Reality is: My phone is completely unlocked and has never been locked at any point (because, you know, it isnt little-Mi-fanboyz-phone)
        balcobomber25
        February 22, 2016
        Ahh so you’re just trolling then. Got it.
Mankiw
February 17, 2016
BOOTLOADER LOCKED, Don’t buy it or you will regret. Xiaomi rejects almost all consumers who request it. http://en.miui.com/type-86-682.html
- VMortens
  February 17, 2016
  If there is a nice INT ROM, or at least clean of Chinese stuff ENG ROM available form the start – not a problem at all.
  Re-sellers dig way too much in the ROMs – I’m not surprised producers want to get rid of the problem.
  - Mankiw
    February 17, 2016
    I have the new Redmi note 3 and the bootloader is locked. You have no idea of such problem. Buy it because it is cheap and afterwards you will regret.
  - Xalis
    February 17, 2016
    So you mean never, Xiaomi Chinese/English ROM are filled with chinese stuff.
    Stopped really caring about Xiaomi, so I don’t know if they released the international ROM yet, but I could bet they didn’t, not like they care about their customers.
- balcobomber25
  February 17, 2016
  I have 4 friends that bought a Note 3, all of them got it unlocked in less than a week.
- Bailey
  February 17, 2016
  I know that i am a rare breed by i couldnt care less that the bootloader is locked because i dont want to play around. And i am guessing that the majority of people that dont comment on tech blogs wont care. I know its strange but i buy an Xiaomi handset because i like to use miui

Benn
February 17, 2016
- - balcobomber25
    February 17, 2016
    Especially since Hugo has said in the past he isn’t a fan of SD cards on Flagships.
realjjj
February 17, 2016
You missed the slide that actually shows it.
By any and all definition this is a Samsung clone, they copy the looks and offer lower specs and lower price.
http://img1.mydrivers.com/img/20160217/4bfe71f9e24a44d5980c0e89a2a65ebf.jpg
- February 17, 2016
  I had uploaded it but didnt add it as a featured image, thanks for pointing it out.
- Andi Sykes
  February 17, 2016
  Honestly Xiaomi have always had a little clone in them. When the Mi2 launched it was called a Meizu MX clone, Mi3 was a Nokia clone, Mi4 was an iPhone clone, Redmi Note 3 Meizu clone (again). Then all their accessories which look like Apple products. I’m not saying its ok for them to do it, just not surprising.
  - afghanPower
    February 17, 2016
    As long as they make good quality products relatively cheap, who cares?!
  - realjjj
    February 17, 2016
    Wouldn’t say the Mi4 was an iphone clone. Sure they had a similar frame but the diff corner radius and diff size (the iphone was 4inch) made it very different. The iphone is defined by the home button anyway.
    It is surprising and disappointing though, they had time to understand why they need originality and they copy the good and the bad(here mostly the bad). They also had a poor 2015, if they want to do better,they need to do better.. The Mi Note wasn’t cloning anyone really , hoped they keep that up.,Now they went back ,they even clone the big bezels to enable a thinner device (Dumbo device). Sooner or later they need to grow up .
    As for the leak, if real, do wonder if the 26MP cam is a typo and it ends up at 16MP.
- balcobomber25
  February 17, 2016
  Xiaomi has never been that original, all of their phones design language can be traced back to either Samsung or Apple. You don’t buy a Xiaomi for the looks, you but it because it gives you the same specs/performance as those phones for $3-400 less.
  - Bailey
    February 17, 2016
    I dont know the Mi-note was not bad even The Verge said it was not an iPhone or a Samsung phone and the got the 2d effect before those 2 major players
    - balcobomber25
      February 17, 2016
      I am not saying they are bad, just they aren’t very original. Heres what the Verge said of the design:
      “I’d describe the design of the Mi Note as an amalgam of the iPhone 5 and the Galaxy Note 4, with a little bit of Xiaomi originality mixed in.”

VMortens
February 17, 2016
These specs are fantastic, but (there is always a ‘but’) I’m dissapointed with the lack of OIS in a fancy camera like this one … WHY?
3000mAh battery isn’t much of a problem to me tho.
Per my personal preference, I’d rather see a classic micro-USB charging port, as the Type-C isn’t getting popular as quickly, as one would think.
So close to the ideal phone for me.

- balcobomber25
  February 17, 2016
  I am usually the first one to call out Xiaomi leaks as being fake, but I think this is real.

MaxPower
February 17, 2016
I think these specs are realistic.
Two different variants, one to keep the price to 1999 yuan and a second one with bigger Rom, more RAM and better camera for 2499 yuan.
Both Barra and Lei Jun said that this phone was going to be worth the wait, so for this reason I’m not expecting anything less than what we saw today on this post.
People will complain that’s not enough.
They will bring SD card support and they will complain that’s integrated with the SIM card slot.
Or they are going to complain that the bootloader is locked and they can’t put half baked Rom on it.
MIUI is born before their MI phones, get over it.
If you like CM Rom just go with the brands that support it natively.
- Tajwar
  February 17, 2016
  Yup, just came out of school and and I read this article over two times to be sure that I wasn’t Hallucinating because of tiredness 🙂
  If the specs are true it will be a killer phone and Balco will be all over it!
  - MaxPower
    February 17, 2016
    - Tajwar
      February 17, 2016
      - MaxPower
        February 17, 2016
        Atta boy!
        I don’t know why I thought you lived in Milan.
        I asked you because I’ve been studying there.
        I love Rome, I had an old flame that lived there and I used to go there often.
        Tajwar
        February 17, 2016
        Nice! Rome is a good place
        And would love to visit
        Milan sometime.
        A curiousity how would you compare Italy to the USA?
        
        MaxPower
        February 17, 2016
        Well, it’s a tough question because one is the place I live and one is my home place.
        If you’re seeking a career then USA is the place to go.
        But if you can get a decent job in Italy then it’s a best option due to a better quality of life.
        It’s like phones, some of them are good but you miss the SD card, some have the SD card but they are crap.
        No “Le Super” country out there…
        😉
        balcobomber25
        February 17, 2016
        Yea I have been trying to answer this question for a few minutes now. I spent a lot of time in Naples with the US Navy. It’s really tough to compare the two because they are so different. Italy is one of those countries that no matter which corner of the country you go to, it’s beautiful. Even the slums of Italy look like a post card lol. The economy, education and job market are better in the US though.
        
        Tajwar
        February 17, 2016
        Totally agree the economical situation is totally shitty right now to the point that people are afraid to spend money on anything even eating out, me and my father own a restaurant and we’re loosing nearly 15000 every month!!! It’s amazing how the economy toppled in some years! And there is little to no jobs that’s why I’ve been thinking to move to the USA for sometime.
        
        balcobomber25
        February 17, 2016
        I have a lot of family in Northern Italy (near Turin) and they are all trying to come here because of the economy.
        Simon
        February 18, 2016
        Are you living in Bangkok ?
        balcobomber25
        February 18, 2016
        I split my time between Bangkok and Boston with stops all over the world for work. My wife is from Bangkok.
        
        MaxPower
        February 18, 2016
        I saw this pic the other day and i thought of you. Lol
        Just kidding
        balcobomber25
        February 19, 2016
        Seems about right, only the wife would be the one at the ATM with my card lol.
        MaxPower
        February 19, 2016
        Simon
        February 19, 2016
        Nice. I have been to Bangkok and Phuket once. Definitely will come on holiday again one day. We could go for Thai or Chinese Dinner.
        
        balcobomber25
        February 20, 2016
        There is some excellent Chinese in Bangkok. There is also excellent Brazilian, Indian, Italian, Korean and Japanese. That’s why I love Bangkok, amazing food from all cultures.
        MaxPower
        February 17, 2016
        Then move to the US.
        A restaurant is a business that will never lose money here in the US
        🙂
        balcobomber25
        February 17, 2016
        Unless it’s Chipolte lol. They haven’t been having a good run lately.
        
        MaxPower
        February 17, 2016
        I’ve got a coupon home for a free burrito from them. No thanks. LOL
        A couple of months and people won’t remember it ever happened.
        Look at McDonald’s !!!
        Last night I watched a stand up of Jim Gaffigan and it was about junk food.
        I’ve never laughed so hard before
        
        balcobomber25
        February 17, 2016
        We had the outbreak here in Boston when for like a week everyone who ate at Chipolte was suffering from some extreme anal leakage. Our office is close to a Chipolte and we do a full catered lunch every Friday (local companies provide it for free). They want to do it for an entire week to get some good grace back lol.
        I love Jim Gaffigan! Especially when he does his “Hot Pockets” standup.
        MaxPower
        February 17, 2016
        My company does the same and we have both Chipotle and Panera next to each other.
        Thank goodness we always go with Panera! Lol
        The “Hot pockets” is hilarious, but your should watch his last one.
        Terrific!
        balcobomber25
        February 17, 2016
        Yea I will have to check it out. We usually do Panera Bagels for breakfast on Friday’s and before meetings. It’s also my go to place when I want to get away from the office for a bit and get some work done.
        
        jimberkas
        February 17, 2016
        went to see Jim in Minneapolis not long ago, it was awesome! wife took me to Vegas to see him about 5 yeas ago, as well.
        Tajwar
        February 17, 2016
        balcobomber25
        February 17, 2016
        We have entire neighborhoods in US cities that were settled by Italian immigrants and have some amazing Italian restaurants. In Boston where I live we have the North End. New York, Ohio, Chicago and Baltimore (among others) all have a Little Italy section.
  - balcobomber25
    February 17, 2016
    - Tajwar
      February 17, 2016
      Can totally picture the scenario
      Just don’t drool on the checkbook cause that would be bad…
      - balcobomber25
        February 17, 2016
- - MaxPower
    February 17, 2016
    I can live with it when it makes me save $300/$400
  - balcobomber25
    February 17, 2016
    I am with Max. Samsung makes some of the best looking and best hardware phones on the market (hate Touchwhiz though). If I can get something that works as well, if not better for $400 less, I consider that a positive.
    - Joel Adames
      February 17, 2016
      If the new Galaxy S7edge+ came with a 4200mah battery and a vanilla-ish Android 6 version I would plunge the money, sadly that’s a pipe dream.
    - Xiaolu
      February 17, 2016
      Yeah, I understand (I bought a OnePlus One, which follows, ‘closely’, the OPO find 7 design); I only meant they could’ve tried to innovate in the aesthetics. But the phone sure is a beast!
      - balcobomber25
        February 17, 2016
        Closely is an understatement lol. The One and the 7A are near clones of each other, they have dimensions that are near exact, specs that are near exact and designs that are nearly identical (only difference being the camera lens enclosure).
GoldenBoy
February 17, 2016
- balcobomber25
  February 17, 2016
  That’s the size of the next Mi Note.
- Simon
  February 17, 2016
  They should have gone for 5.3″ just to be different.
HBK
February 17, 2016
26mp sensor? No company has a 26mp till now as far as i know. Hope its 1/1.7 in sensor. Cant wait.

balcobomber25
February 17, 2016
I have been saying all along there will be two variants released, a lower spec one for 1999-2199 and a more expensive “Pro” version for 2499 (or more). It’s the same they did with the Mi Note.
What intrigues me is this 26 MP camera sensor. Sony has the IMX300 but that is 25MP. Maybe a new sensor from Toshiba or Omni?

Steven Fox
February 17, 2016
It`s not the MP count that matter, but that F1.6 aperature, imagine what you could do with that in manual mode!
This is the first step to smartphone cameras actually replacing actual cameras!
Kudos to Xiaomi, that really is a landmark achievement.
- MaxPower
  February 17, 2016
  - balcobomber25
    February 17, 2016
    Which is why I am only 97% excited. That other 3% of me remembers the thousands of false leaks about Chinese phones in the past.
    - MaxPower
      February 17, 2016
      Yeah, especially the f/1.6 and OiS.
      I would give them a 50% chances to be confirmed.
      The rest of the specs is an educated guess
      - balcobomber25
        February 17, 2016
        Yea the f/1.6 is the one thing I am most hesitant about, it’s never been done that I can think of on a mainstream phone. I am also really curious about this sensor. I could care less about MP count, over 8-10 it makes very little difference, but I dont know of a 26MP sensor from anyone.
        
        MaxPower
        February 17, 2016
        As far as I know the wider is 1.7.
        And I agree with the sensor.
        It’s going to be 16mpx (like the RN3 Pro) for the 1999 yuan variant and 23 mpx for the more expensive version.
        Let’s keep in mind that the cheaper model is the one that will sell like crazy and for that reason they have to put a Sony sensor with an amount of PX that matches the Samsung alternative since they will continue to ship the phone with both sensors.
        The higher level model can ship either with Samsung or Sony only so it would be either 20 or 23 mpx (scaled from 25)
        
        balcobomber25
        February 17, 2016
        If I had to guess I would say both sensors will be from Sony. IMX 298 (16MP) in base model and IMX 318 (22.5 MP, marketed as 23) for the Pro model.
        MaxPower
        February 17, 2016
- Paweł Szmajda
  February 17, 2016
  But the high 26MP count suggests that pixels won’t be 1.55um, so it won’t be a holy grail of smartphone cameras. Still awesome tho.
  - Steven Fox
    February 17, 2016
    Facebook lowers the image quality anyway 😀 As long as it performs better in low-light situations and when shooting moving objects, I`m fine with even a 10MP camera(plenty of detail)
  - HBK
    February 17, 2016
    True, But if they have pixel binning tech like ASUS, we can have a 5mp output with double pixel size.

MUG3NHC
February 17, 2016
There’s a mistake in the word “iPhone” and the picture of the bottom of the phone (the one with speakers) doesn’t look professional at all. Those diagonal lines look amateur as f…
- VMortens
  February 17, 2016
  Yeah, it simply sounds to perfect to be true – most likely fake.
  On the other … as Max said: “…I’m not expecting anything less than what we saw today on this post…”. If Xiaomi don’t provide, it will be a massive negative hype.
  - MaxPower
    February 17, 2016
    Like you said, those are the specs of a perfect phone (almost) that nobody had provided yet (for that kind of money at least).
    Will the MI5 be the one?
    I think it will get close.
    f/1.6 hasn’t reached any phone yet(as far as I know), and if they won’t provide (I think they won’t) I wouldn’t say it’s a huge disappointment.
    Almost 2 years ago they put a f/1.8 aperture on MI4 which was only matched by the camera phone of Vivo Xshot.
    It will probably be a f/1.8 again which is still one of the best out there where the average is f/2.0.
    SD card slot: good chances to see it, they don’t like it, but recently they put it on their RN3 Pro. So something might change.
    Is it going to be a huge disappointment if it’s missing? It will be a disappointment for many, but not huge since there are no many alternatives with SD card slot (at that price).
    There won’t be band 20 or US bands for sure. No need to be disappointed here.
    If so then people should stop looking at Chinese phones.
    I think this leaks are correct except for the 26mp camera, aperture and OIS.
    Camera will be likely 23MP which it’s not a big deal, we saw the sample pictures and that’s what matters.
    If they bring SD card and OIS then it would be the best phone out there (including Sammy’s, LGs…)
    - VMortens
      February 17, 2016
      - MaxPower
        February 17, 2016
        But I agree with you that they have to bring something more than just a SD820 otherwise it will be just an incremental update.
        The RN3 Pro is very good so they have to make a better MI5.
        Camera has to be better (bigger aperture) design (thickness) and hopefully they will put a SD card slot.
        We’ll see what happens in a week
        
        Shashank
        February 17, 2016
        i have never seen a 26mp camera sensor on any phone till now then how come Xiaomi will bring it on XIaomi Mi5 highest is 21Mp as far i know! Correct me if i am wrong!
        P-Noy
        February 17, 2016
        Are you referring to ANY phone? Or just Android phones in general?
        “The Nokia Lumia 1020 has a 41.3-megapixel BSI CMOS image sensor, 1/1.5-inch (2/3-inch) image sensor format with a total of 7712 × 5360 pixels”
        
        balcobomber25
        February 17, 2016
        The Nokia 1020 was actually the second Nokia phone to use that sensor. The Nokia 808 had it first.
        Shashank
        February 18, 2016
        i am talking about particular 26mp camera
        
        MaxPower
        February 17, 2016
        The Sony IMX300 is a 25MP downscaled to 23MP (16:9) and 21MP (4:3)
        As far as I know only the Xperia Z5 uses this sensor.
        This month they should release the IMX318 which is 22.5 MP
        But I highly doubt we’ll see this sensor on MI5.
        Excluding Omnivision my guess will either be the the Sony IMX298 (same of Huawei Mate 8) or the Samsung Isocell S5K3P3 (Galaxy Note 5)
        Both are 16MP.
        The difference will be in the optics:
        A good camera module with either f/1.7 or f/1.8 (I bet my dollar on this last one).
        Nico
        February 17, 2016
        Hi Max, what will be the price of the MI5? For the basic version? Balco says it will be 1999 Yuan for the basic and 2199 Yuan for the advanced model. Taking in consideration the competitors and the specs of the MI5 (if it is real) I really doubt that we will see the estimated prices by Balco. I think that Xiaomi has to make money, they are not making lots of cash on budget phones so flagships with low pricing is suicidal imo. What do you think?
        
        MaxPower
        February 17, 2016
        I don’t see why they would raise their price this year.
        They have launched several phones so far keeping the original price (even the last Redmi Note 3 Pro 3/32GB with the last Snapdragon 650 sells for $180).
        I agree with Balcobomber, the basic version will be 1999CNY but the 64GB version will cost 2499 CNY (like in the past).
        This year Xiaomi didn’t do that great and still has sold more than 60M phones mostly in China only.
        If we average a $10 earning from each unit it’s more than half billion.
        Obviously I’m just playing with numbers here just to show you the size of the company.
        Keep in mind that the smartphone sale is only part of their business, it’s more a vehicle to spread MIUI and make money with their paid services.
        Following the same strategy LeTV (Leecho) has sold their LE1s at loss (if we want to believe that).
        
        Nico
        February 17, 2016
        Right, I was told that you are going to replace your Redmi Note 3 Pro for the Xiaomi MI5? Is it true? Damn 180$ you paid for the Note 3 Pro? Which shop is selling it for that price? Even if I am not a fan of 5.5″ phones, I might be really tempted for that price. Did you get used to it cos it is wider compared to the MI4? I am tempted to get Redmi 3 which offers a lot for the price, do you think equivalent or better than Redmi 3 will be released during MWC? I thought that Xiaomi would release a Redmi 3 Pro but I think I dream a lot.
        
        MaxPower
        February 17, 2016
        I will replace my RN3 for a MI5 if they include US bands otherwise I’ll stay with the Note3 (at least for few months).
        The phone is more than good, amazing battery life, fast and great camera. I don’t have any good reason to switch anytime soon.
        $180 is the official price in China.
        I paid $258 included tempered glass and case.
        A little bit high but there was really nobody that had it in stock and I couldn’t wait any longer.
        I’m sure the price from resellers will drop once the MI5 will be released.
        Redmi3 is has nearly no competitors because there’s mostly nothing with 5″ display.
        You can get the OnePlus X which costs $249 from their official store.
        The Redmi3 costs $165 here at shop.gizchina. that’s almost $100 difference!
        I like the 5,5″ better.
        More than a year ago I had to pick between the MI4 and OPO.
        I went for the MI4 because I thought that 5.5″ was too big.
        I was wrong: 5.5″ isn’t too big.
        I was so jealous when my wife got a 5.5″ phone.
        My opinion? Go with a 5.5″, you won’t regret it. You will have a huge selection of phones to pick from.
        
        Nico
        February 17, 2016
        Haha…word I will think about it thank you for your point of view. No OnePlus X for me, I will go with Xiaomi or Meizu. I am just curious to see the price of the basic version of MI5. If it is 300€ after resellers, I could be tempted but I really doubt the pricing will be close to 300€. Mostly 350€ or even 400€ for the basic version.
        Karly Johnston
        February 17, 2016
        It will have the same bands as your Note 3.
        MaxPower
        February 17, 2016
        Yes I know it
        
        Joel Adames
        February 17, 2016
        The one OV sensor topping the game was a 23.4mpx so it could be they produced something we do not know of???
        MaxPower
        February 17, 2016
        Nah, obviously someone is fooling around.
        balcobomber25
        February 17, 2016
        I don’t know of any 26MP but there are a few that are higher than 21MP such as:
        1. Sony IMX 318 – 22.5
        2. Sony IMX 300 – 25
        3. Omnivision OV21840 – 21.4
        4. Omnivision OV23850 – 23.8
        5. Toshiba – 41 MP sensor from Nokia 808
    - Wontonchaos
      February 17, 2016
      Is band 20 or US LTE truly off the table? I keep hoping that the announcement being at MWC is a sign of movement on that front…
      - MaxPower
        February 17, 2016
        Nothing is off the table and that’s a good point of yours.
        Hugo Barra is going to be at MWC so there’s something going on.
        Knowing their history I would say that chances are low, but there are clues like the one you pointed out that sooner or later they will expand to other markets.
        A couple of months ago the MI4 and Redmi 2 got the certification from FCC.
        Like I said, chances are low, but it can still happen.
- Paweł Szmajda
  February 17, 2016
  One of the slides clearly states nano sim + nano/microsd, so it’s 1 sim + microsd or 2 sim cards. Andi didn’t understand it properly.
Tanmay 'Killshot' Paul
February 17, 2016
@Gizchina:disqus Change Remove to Remote mate !!! 🙂
Young
February 17, 2016
This is what I like to hear. If they like they should sell this phone 500 USD. I gotta get one. Until then, I will hold my Mi 3 tight.

Assefa Hanson
February 17, 2016
sweet jesus 1.6 aperature!!??? if these specs are real balco will go crazy
xi7
February 17, 2016
- balcobomber25
  February 17, 2016
YASH
February 17, 2016
- balcobomber25
  February 17, 2016
  If past Xiaomi models are any indication the difference will be anywhere from $75-120. The base model will either be 1999 yuan ($305) or 2199 yuan ($340). The 64GB will either be 2499 yuan ($380) or 2999 yuan ($450).

alan4195
February 17, 2016
Can’t wait to get my hands on this phone. It was all LG G5 for me until Evan Blass confirmed the ticker display. Such a stupid gimmick. 5.2″ is a little small for my liking, but when a phone hits every mark but one with authority, a purchase must be made.

Qidamin
February 17, 2016
It looks little weird to me. Barra has clearly stated no SD card on high end device. 26mp camera sensor is too much and I wonder if it is ever possible to associate so many pixels with such a wide 1.6 aperture. And finally as someone said, in the slide where we can see the USB- C connector, the design of the phone is too ugly. For me it looks to be a fake.
Oh yes, and the slide with the size of the phone, it is written iphnoe instead of iPhone.
gennaro di sarno
February 17, 2016
There is something strage about camera, the immagines published showed a 16 mpx sensor
itZoM™
February 18, 2016
either camera or thickness is totally wrong as even if it coupleed with a 23MP sensor the thickness of phone will remain min 7.5mm
- Guaire
  February 18, 2016
  - itZoM™
    February 18, 2016
    but dear as far i know there is no phone out there, if its out there then Sony should be 1st to use the technology in their premium series…ny ways Xiaomi officially confirms the leak is fake..
    - Guaire
      February 18, 2016
      Xperia Z3+ and Z5 both has 1/2.3″ sensors. Z3+ has larger pixels, but slightly lower resolution. Both camera module need same z-height. Z3+ is slimmer than 7mm already. Thickness of the Z5 isn’t related with height of camera module.
      When or if some sensor manufacturer ever made such a large sensor with even smaller pixels we can see that high resolution on slim phones.
      For example Omnivision listed a 16MP 1/3″ sensor. That size usually accompanies with 13MP sensors.
      We know that Samsung is planning to release 1um pixel size at their upcoming RWB sensors within this year.
      So with current sensor techs its possible to make even 30MP sensors for 6.3mm camera modules.
      Probably we can see even 40+ MP cameras at such a thin phones in the near future with some upcoming sensor techs like curved sensors from Sony and/or quantum film sensors from Invisage.
Prizm
February 20, 2016
26 megapixel camera, give me a break. In reality that just means huge photos that still look like shit close up, and take up twice as much storage space. Samsung have taken the opposite approach this year for the S7: dropping the megapixels to 12 and installing a better sensor. If done right, the photos will look just as good, most likely better.
- E8hffff
  February 23, 2016

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