Xiaomi Mi 5: All you need to know!


Before we move on to the details, here’s something Hugo Barra said at the launch: “there are no truly borderless displays”

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Right after we got the details of the Mi 5 from China, the MWC 2016 event for the smartphone launch took off.

Of course, heading the MWC event was the charming Hugo Barra, who went in-depth talking about the Mi 5.

Let’s get at the meat of the matter now: the phone, and its specifications!

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For starters, the Xiaomi Mi 5 has a Snapdragon 820 processor, and comes with either 3GB or 4GB of RAM. Xiaomi have put quite a bit of tech into the phone, and are rightfully calling the Mi 5 their most polished product yet.

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As we reported earlier, the Mi 5 will indeed feature only a 1080p panel and not a 2K display. This, across a 5.15-inch panel. Xiaomi mention they chose to go with 5.15-inches and not 5-inches so they could ramp up the number of LEDs beneath the screen and thus, make it brighter.

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The Mi 5 will ship with MIUI 7 with 5 default themes. What you’ll be interested to know is the Android version: the Mi 5 will be the first Xiaomi phone to ship with Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

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Video calling is something the Mi 5 will support via a Xiaomi app, built in to MIUI 7 on the Mi 5. The app will use real-time beautify (the same algorithms the front cameras on MIUI use).

Of course, it looks like something that’ll mainly be targeted at Xiaomi’s Chinese users.

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Gizchina News of the week


Coming back to the hardware, the Mi 5 will have a 3000mAh battery with support for Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0. The tech comes with the Snapdragon 820, and on the Mi 5 it means that the phone will do:

  • 2.6 hours video playback
  • 2.7 hours GPS navigation
  • 4.4 hours of WeChat
  • 7.5 hours of reading

…on a 10 minute charge.

The 16 mega-pixel rear camera on the Mi 5 is a Sony IMX298 sensor, which is paired with PDAF and what Xiaomi call ‘4-axis stabilization’. On the front, the Mi 5 will have a 4 mega-pixel camera. Here’s a video depicting the prowess of the 4-axis OIS:

Read Also:  Xiaomi Pad 7 and Pad 7 Pro To Feature Snapdragon CPUs and LCDs

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The top-end model will have 4GB of RAM (Xiaomi Mi 5 Pro) and a hefty 128GB of on-board storage, whereas the entry-level model of the Mi 5 will ship with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage.

All models feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor. However, there’s a slight difference in the processor frequency. The entry-level 32GB version features a 1.8GHz Snapdragon 820, while the other variants have 2.15GHz processors.

Sunlight Display is a feature that Xiaomi loves to talk about, and it also features on the Mi 5. Sunlight Display is a pixel-level contrast management system which makes pictures more viewable and text more readable in bright situations. In other words, Sunlight Display is the display equivalent of HDR.

The phone in all its glory weighs 129g.

Xiaomi Mi 5: Pricing

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The Xiaomi Mi 5 costs 2699 Yuan ($354 plus VAT) in China for the 4GB/128GB Mi 5 PRO version, while the 3GB RAM/32GB version is 1999 Yuan ($262 plus VAT).

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There’s also a third middle version of the Mi 5 which costs 2299 Yuan and has 64GB ROM. The rest of the spec of this version are same as the entry-level Mi 5 with 3GB RAM.

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Xiaomi Mi 5: Availability

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Xiaomi mention that the Mi 5 is actually the world’s first phone with the Snapdragon 820 that you can buy (LeEco would disagree?).

The Mi 5 goes on sale in China starting as early as March 1st. The phone most likely won’t make it to the US and European markets, but India and probably a few other markets can expect the Mi 5 in the coming months.

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.

Previous MWC 2016: Zopo Speed 8 Helio X20 launched
Next More Photos: Xiaomi MI5 hands on and first impressions

138 Comments

  1. Assefa Hanson
    February 24, 2016

    what i cant understand about oems and camera’s why havent anyone yet utilized sonar/sonic waves to capture details they are still only using light.. maybe im ahead of myself? also i read that the phone uses 2 micron size thats huuuuuuuuuuuuge this camera will be unbeatable

    • HBK
      February 24, 2016

      2 micron for the 4mp front cam. Its the same omnivision sensor of htc ultrapixel.

      16 mp rear cam has 1.12 micron pixel. Thats not huge by any means.

      And its only F2.0 aperture. A step down fron MI4 F1.8 aperture. 4 Axis OIS may help the cam but i doubt this will match S7 or G5 with there bigger micron pixel n bigger aperture.

      Thats all theory. Lets wait for reviews.

      • Assefa Hanson
        February 24, 2016

        oh seems i misunderstood

      • balcobomber25
        February 24, 2016

        I had hands on time with both, S7 looks like an amazing camera. G5 I wasn’t as impressed with, it was good but not as good as the specs suggest. Camera i was most impressed with was the Gionee S8.

        • HBK
          February 24, 2016

          Did you get a chance to check MI5 in person? If yes, How was the ceramic version and camera?

          • balcobomber25
            February 24, 2016

            Nope i left this morning before the announcement. I had to fly to India for work.

            • SnowyCat
              February 24, 2016

              awww, could i ask what you work ? ^^

            • balcobomber25
              February 24, 2016

              I work for Microsoft Mobile, I work a marketing/pr/ops role in their Android and Windows 10 App Development division.

            • SnowyCat
              February 24, 2016

              awww that sounds really cool ^_^ a friend has still a was it 930? not sure but it still works like a charm..i dont know i’m like to used to miui/flyme and so on to switch

              will probably have to save for the mi5 x.x as the only thing that bothers me with the mi4 is the camera and size a bit 🙁 the camera really shows it age

              but dunno if i shouldnt go for the redmi note 3 pro and just like dont think of a good camera isntead of a bigger display..decissions decissions 🙁

  2. SnowyCat
    February 24, 2016

    sadly a bit to small for me as i wanted to go abck to 5,3-5,7″

    just for the multimedia social media and gaming ^^ while i dont actually game much…

    but however i doubt another phone will convince me that much this year..maybe the mx6 or leeco le2 but dunno 🙁

    i will have to wait untill the “cheap” version will be available everywhere so the price wont be that over the top…but i really like that phone..but with those prices..wont it eat maybe to much sales of the mi4s? or the other way around? well guess they dont care what they sell as long as its their product :p

    • Chico Migraña
      February 24, 2016

      Come on 5,3 to 5,1″ Too small?

      • SnowyCat
        February 24, 2016

        well i find my mi4 a bit to small if i compare it to my old mx4..i just want to go back to a bigger display..but thats just me ^^

        • Frozzem
          February 24, 2016

          welp go witha leeco then xD (except its a bit more expensive) or wait for the oppo find 9 (might also be released) but that is super-expensive (prob 600€+)

    • VMortens
      February 24, 2016

      It obviously isn’t the one for you – wait for new Note model.

    • balcobomber25
      February 24, 2016

      I really doubt you would notice a difference between 5.15 and 5 3.

      • SnowyCat
        February 24, 2016

        maybe i should also way for some kind of mi note as i’m sure they will bring something liek that again for the phablet lovers in like 6-12 months ^^

  3. Darevintage
    February 24, 2016

    They’ve managed to pull off some nice feats in terms of design, weight, tech and most importantly price. Only thing is I wished there was a model with a bigger screen on it. HP Elite will compensate for that so I can still pitch my tent with Mi5 for now.
    Andy, since you have held the LeEco SD820 phone and the Mi5 in your hands, which do you think is the better overall device in terms of build quality pls? The Mi5 seems to obviously be the better in terms of some new tech and design already though. The ceramic on the Mi5 Pro model already makes me wonder how they can break even on that model going by what he said it costs.

    • balcobomber25
      February 24, 2016

      HP Elite is an incredible device. I am usually not a fan of QHD displays but on that phone it looks amazing.

      • Darevintage
        February 24, 2016

        Thanks so much Balco. I have finally found something to replace my Lumina 820. Seems holding off for so long will pay off eventually. I know it will be quite pricey but they should reveal the price already so I can start thinking of how to get an arm and a leg.

        • balcobomber25
          February 24, 2016

          There are a few other Windows phones launching soon. A lot of what did at MWC was met with MS partners that make Windows phones and apps for Windows 10. We have an internal list of 10 possible Windows 10 phones that are launching in 2016. 7 of them were confirmed at MWC but I can’t say when or what they are. I can say they are from some of the top manufacturers.

          • Darevintage
            February 24, 2016

            I imagine the HP Elite will serve as a rude wake up call for some of the manufacturers. You obviously can’t really talk about these upcoming devices but it seems from what HP has done, it’s going to take a lot for others to beat. Any ideas as regards the price?

  4. February 24, 2016

    So no 800 and 900 Mhz LTE frequencies again? o_O

    • Kasim Raza
      February 24, 2016

      Is that confirmed because that’s really disappointing.

  5. Steven
    February 24, 2016

    no drones or other accessories etc?

  6. Sin
    February 24, 2016

    Would definitely buy if there is LTE 800Mhz frequency.

  7. Simon
    February 24, 2016

    Do you think forthcoming Huawei P9 will better this ?

    • balcobomber25
      February 24, 2016

      I think it will be about equal to this and like this there will be a Lite and Normal versions. Both will be great phones go with the software/company you prefer.

      • Simon
        February 24, 2016

        I don’t have a preference, i’m impartial.

        • balcobomber25
          February 24, 2016

          Which country do you live in?

      • SnowyCat
        February 24, 2016

        tho it will probably be way more expensive at launch..huawei devices atleast ing ermany always start out super expensive but drop heavily just in like a 3-6 months span..more than most other phones.

    • Airyl
      February 24, 2016

      As a Huawei fanboy, I’m inclined to say yes.

  8. Steven Fox
    February 24, 2016

    Where can I get the 3GB version and when 😀
    Sounds dreamy at 300$!

      • Steven Fox
        February 25, 2016

        Not paying 100$ on top, it will come to 50 in a month and reviews will be out by then.
        Still rocking my LG Flex 2 which is fast and reliable with no issues.
        Only worth upgrading to SD820 or Kirin 95x(have to wait for the Honor 8 though, as the P and Mate series are too expensive)

    • realjjj
      February 24, 2016

      Don’t rush into it, wait for perf and overheating numbers as well as alternatives.

  9. Darevintage
    February 24, 2016

    The bezels on the Mi5 do look more noticeable than Ulefone Future’s bezels. Waiting for Andi and Yash

    • Young
      February 24, 2016

      They never said it’s bazeless.

      • Darevintage
        February 24, 2016

        … and I never said they did. I watched the launch but check out the hands-on video of Ulefone Future and compare the bezels.

        • MattD
          February 24, 2016

          Ulefone went down the bezeless route, xiaomi didn’t, so it’s obvious future’s bezels are “less noticeable”…
          It’s like saying “ulefone power has more than twice the battery”: it sure has, but mi5 is not a battery phone! ?

          • Darevintage
            February 24, 2016

            I’m not speaking from the angle of marketing by the manufacturer. I only mentioned my observation as a general consumer. I’m not going to wait for a manufacturer to build a hype about producing a bezeless phone before I notice the size of bezels. My comparison is just based on what an end user would say generally about a device irrespective of the hype from the manufacturer

          • Darevintage
            February 24, 2016

            Besides, we have even seen manufacturers claim bezeless phones only to release phones that have bezels as tick as a finger lol

  10. Twister12
    February 24, 2016

    Display & protection? Hi-Fi audio?

    Hmmn.. Vivo Xplay 5 sounds more interesting.

    • balcobomber25
      February 24, 2016

      Xiaomi usually sources their displays from Sharp and JDI.

      Xplay 5 should be excellent but will be very expensive. Vivo is one of the few phones that are worth the money.

  11. Young
    February 24, 2016

    Who calculated this thing?

    “The Xiaomi Mi 5 costs 2699 Yuan ($354 plus VAT) in China for the 4GB/128GB Mi 5 PRO version, while the 3GB RAM/32GB version is 1999 Yuan ($262 plus VAT).”

    1999 Yaun is around 305 USD while 2699 yaun is about 412 USD.

    Retail price for 3GB will be around 340 USD or so.

    • balcobomber25
      February 24, 2016

      I have seen those conversions around the internet on a number of sites, wonder if it’s something Xiaomi did for the launch event. The Chinese Yuan has been all over the place over the past year.

      • V.K
        February 24, 2016

        I think this was intended by Hugo signaling a US or Europe availability where different VAT and other taxes will be added to the basic (clear of taxes) price.

        • balcobomber25
          February 24, 2016

          It has more to do with Xiaomi’s other official markets outside of China where the VAT will be applied (India being the biggest).

    • February 24, 2016

      I know how 1999 and 2699 Yuan convert to USD, but those are prices that include Chinese tax. $354 and $262 are the selling prices of the phone as mentioned by Hugo.

  12. MattD
    February 24, 2016

    It’s a great phone, no doubt about it.
    But I’m a little bit biased about how to feel.
    I expected something to be a little different, a bit more of refined details.
    I would have likes to see something like laser autofocus, or bigger pixels for the rear camera… Even the aperture is smaller than the one on mi4! No doubt it will be a nice camera nonetheless, but a little bit more of effort would have been appreciated.
    The battery is a little underwhelming too, not by itself (3000mah are not bad by every mean) but every xiaomi phone launched recently has a bigger battery even with a smaller screen… I know it’s something they did because “it’s slimmer”, but maybe 1000 more mah sounds better than “almost 1 mm less ticker” on the spec sheet. I just think they did better on their other phones, so they had all the potential to pull off something a little better. Again, I think the soc is something similar to 800/801 in terms of efficiency, so battery life will be no issue. But again… A bigger battery is always better!
    Oh, and i see no mention about an audio chip, which is a shame on phone like this when many cheaper phones does have it… Is it necessary? Surely not. Is it welcome? Surely yes.

    Now, is all up to reviews… Only real usage will tell something about it worth considering, spec sheet is not that important as long as the device is actually good!

  13. preet
    February 24, 2016

    do each version feature the same camera set-up??

    • balcobomber25
      February 24, 2016

      Yes, they all have IMX 298, same sensor as Mate 8.

  14. alan4195
    February 24, 2016

    I’m just wondering if the clock-speed difference between the 3 variants is some kind of marketing tool or if the models with the higher clock required extra cooling tech that increased the manufacturing cost.

    The latter scenario is kinda scary, actually.

    • balcobomber25
      February 24, 2016

      That’s a good question actually after the disaster that was the 810.

  15. chris
    February 24, 2016

    Too bad its crazy ugly!!!!

    • alan4195
      February 24, 2016

      It looks like the result of a drunken hookup between a Galaxy S6 and a Mi Note. I kinda like it 🙂

    • balcobomber25
      February 24, 2016

      I dont think it’s ugly just very boring.

    • Airyl
      February 24, 2016

      I feel it’s pretty elegant looking. Seems pretty comfy to hold too.

  16. Assefa Hanson
    February 24, 2016

    what i cant understand about oems and camera’s why havent anyone yet utilized sonar/sonic waves to capture details they are still only using light.. maybe im ahead of myself? also i read that the phone uses 2 micron size thats huuuuuuuuuuuuge this camera will be unbeatable

    • Guest
      February 24, 2016

      2 micron for the 4mp front cam. Its the same omnivision sensor of htc ultrapixel.

      16 mp rear cam has 1.12 micron pixel. Thats not huge by any means.

      And its only F2.0 aperture. A step down fron MI4 F1.8 aperture. 4 Axis OIS may help the cam but i doubt this will match S7 or G5 with there bigger micron pixel n bigger aperture.

      Thats all theory. Lets wait for reviews.

    • Assefa Hanson
      February 24, 2016

      oh seems i misunderstood

    • balcobomber25
      February 24, 2016

      I had hands on time with both, S7 looks like an amazing camera. G5 I wasn’t as impressed with, it was good but not as good as the specs suggest. Camera i was most impressed with was the Gionee S8.

      But these were all 5-15 minute tests so
      obviously more in depth testing is needed.

    • Guest
      February 24, 2016

      Did you get a chance to check MI5 in person? If yes, How was the ceramic version and camera?

    • balcobomber25
      February 24, 2016

      Nope i left this morning before the announcement. I had to fly to India for work.

    • SnowyCat
      February 24, 2016

      awww, could i ask what you work ? ^^

    • balcobomber25
      February 24, 2016

      I work for Microsoft Mobile, I work a marketing/pr/ops role in their Android and Windows 10 App Development division.

    • SnowyCat
      February 24, 2016

      awww that sounds really cool ^_^ a friend has still a was it 930? not sure but it still works like a charm..i dont know i’m like to used to miui/flyme and so on to switch

      will probably have to save for the mi5 x.x as the only thing that bothers me with the mi4 is the camera and size a bit 🙁 the camera really shows it age

      but dunno if i shouldnt go for the redmi note 3 pro and just like dont think of a good camera isntead of a bigger display..decissions decissions 🙁

  17. SnowyCat
    February 24, 2016

    sadly a bit to small for me as i wanted to go abck to 5,3-5,7″

    just for the multimedia social media and gaming ^^ while i dont actually game much…

    but however i doubt another phone will convince me that much this year..maybe the mx6 or leeco le2 but dunno 🙁

    i will have to wait untill the “cheap” version will be available everywhere so the price wont be that over the top…but i really like that phone..but with those prices..wont it eat maybe to much sales of the mi4s? or the other way around? well guess they dont care what they sell as long as its their product :p

    • Ricardo A.
      February 24, 2016

      Come on 5,3 to 5,1″ Too small?

    • SnowyCat
      February 24, 2016

      well i find my mi4 a bit to small if i compare it to my old mx4..i just want to go back to a bigger display..but thats just me ^^

    • Frozzem
      February 24, 2016

      welp go witha leeco then xD (except its a bit more expensive) or wait for the oppo find 9 (might also be released) but that is super-expensive (prob 600€+)

    • VMortens
      February 24, 2016

      It obviously isn’t the one for you – wait for new Note model.

    • balcobomber25
      February 24, 2016

      I really doubt you would notice a difference between 5.15 and 5 3.

    • SnowyCat
      February 24, 2016

      maybe i should also way for some kind of mi note as i’m sure they will bring something liek that again for the phablet lovers in like 6-12 months ^^

  18. alan4195
    February 24, 2016

    Has anyone seen the Redmi Note 3 Pro video review over at TechTablets? The RN3P sure looks like the new value champion. Decisions, decisions…

    • SnowyCat
      February 24, 2016

      the question will be how much the basic mi 5 version will cost in the shops because well i would like a bigger display but obv. the mi5 will have way more and better features like nfc and camera..except the battery ofc. but for that it charges way faster

  19. Darevintage
    February 24, 2016

    They’ve managed to pull off some nice feats in terms of design, weight, tech and most importantly price. Only thing is I wished there was a model with a bigger screen on it. HP Elite will compensate for that so I can still pitch my tent with Mi5 for now.
    Andy, since you have held the LeEco SD820 phone and the Mi5 in your hands, which do you think is the better overall device in terms of build quality pls? The Mi5 seems to obviously be the better in terms of some new tech and design already though. The ceramic on the Mi5 Pro model already makes me wonder how they can break even on that model going by what he said it costs.

    • balcobomber25
      February 24, 2016

      HP Elite is an incredible device. I am usually not a fan of QHD displays but on that phone it looks amazing.

    • Darevintage
      February 24, 2016

      Thanks so much Balco. I have finally found something to replace my Lumina 820. Seems holding off for so long will pay off eventually. I know it will be quite pricey but they should reveal the price already so I can start thinking of how to get an arm and a leg.

    • balcobomber25
      February 24, 2016

      There are a few other Windows phones launching soon. A lot of what did at MWC was met with MS partners that make Windows phones and apps for Windows 10. We have an internal list of 10 possible Windows 10 phones that are launching in 2016. 7 of them were confirmed at MWC but I can’t say when or what they are. I can say they are from some of the top manufacturers.

    • Darevintage
      February 25, 2016

      I imagine the HP Elite will serve as a rude wake up call for some of the manufacturers. You obviously can’t really talk about these upcoming devices but it seems from what HP has done, it’s going to take a lot for others to beat. Any ideas as regards the price?

  20. denkem
    February 24, 2016

    So no 800 and 900 Mhz LTE frequencies again? o_O

    • Spookyleaf
      February 24, 2016

      Is that confirmed because that’s really disappointing.

  21. Steven
    February 24, 2016

    no drones or other accessories etc?

  22. Guest
    February 24, 2016

    Would definitely buy if there is LTE 800Mhz frequency.

  23. Guest
    February 24, 2016

    Do you think forthcoming Huawei P9 will better this ?

    • balcobomber25
      February 24, 2016

      I think it will be about equal to this and like this there will be a Lite and Normal versions. Both will be great phones go with the software/company you prefer.

    • Guest
      February 24, 2016

      I don’t have a preference, i’m impartial.

    • balcobomber25
      February 24, 2016

      Which country do you live in?

    • Airyl
      February 24, 2016

      As a Huawei fanboy, I’m inclined to say yes.

    • SnowyCat
      February 24, 2016

      tho it will probably be way more expensive at launch..huawei devices atleast ing ermany always start out super expensive but drop heavily just in like a 3-6 months span..more than most other phones.

  24. Steven Fox
    February 24, 2016

    Where can I get the 3GB version and when 😀
    Sounds dreamy at 300$!

    • realjjj
      February 24, 2016

      Don’t rush into it, wait for perf and overheating numbers as well as alternatives.

    • Steven Fox
      February 25, 2016

      Not paying 100$ on top, it will come to 50 in a month and reviews will be out by then.
      Still rocking my LG Flex 2 which is fast and reliable with no issues.
      Only worth upgrading to SD820 or Kirin 95x(have to wait for the Honor 8 though, as the P and Mate series are too expensive)

  25. Darevintage
    February 24, 2016

    The bezels on the Mi5 do look more noticeable than Ulefone Future’s bezels. Waiting for Andi and Yash

    • Young
      February 24, 2016

      They never said it’s bazeless.

    • Darevintage
      February 24, 2016

      … and I never said they did. I watched the launch but check out the hands-on video of Ulefone Future and compare the bezels.

    • MattD
      February 24, 2016

      Ulefone went down the bezeless route, xiaomi didn’t, so it’s obvious future’s bezels are “less noticeable”…
      It’s like saying “ulefone power has more than twice the battery”: it sure has, but mi5 is not a battery phone! 😁

    • Darevintage
      February 24, 2016

      I’m not speaking from the angle of marketing by the manufacturer. I only mentioned my observation as a general consumer. I’m not going to wait for a manufacturer to build a hype about producing a bezeless phone before I notice the size of bezels. My comparison is just based on what an end user would say generally about a device irrespective of the hype from the manufacturer

    • Darevintage
      February 24, 2016

      Besides, we have even seen manufacturers claim bezeless phones only to release phones that have bezels as tick as a finger lol

  26. Twister12
    February 24, 2016

    Display & protection? Hi-Fi audio?

    Hmmn.. Vivo Xplay 5 sounds more interesting.

    • balcobomber25
      February 24, 2016

      Xiaomi usually sources their displays from Sharp and JDI.

      Xplay 5 should be excellent but will be very expensive. Vivo is one of the few phones that are worth the money.

  27. Muhammad Yasir
    February 24, 2016

    Nice.

  28. realjjj
    February 24, 2016

    Right, so Xiaomi wants to do well in the high end and they deliver this?
    A retro-Samsung clone, ugly,unoriginal, underspecced flagship that they cripple further for some insane reason with the downclocked version.

    A BIG WARNING here for anyone looking at buying this, the cheapest version is closer to upper mid range than high end.The CPU downclocked to 1.8GHz instead of 2.15GHz, the GPU at 510MHz instead of 624MHz and DDR4 1333MHz instead of 1866MHz. LTE is also crippled in the cheapest version but unclear by how much.
    The CPU clocks combined with the slower RAM will have a major impact on CPU perf. In Geekbench terms maybe 1600 in integer and FP and 2600 in memory vs 2100 in integer and FP and 3300 in memory for what a proper SD820 delivers. We have to wait for actual numbers but do remember that CPU perf will take a rather significant hit of 20-25%, depending on task. The slower GPU should still be more than plenty for 1080p, so not much of a problem. The CPU perf, 1080p, 3GB of RAM do make this more upper mid range than high end.

    I have no clue why they crippled this pseudo-flagship further with lower clocks – they really shouldn’t have done it- but does make one wonder about SD820’s ability to work at max clocks. Better wait for proper SD820 reviews.Anadtech mentioned that both LG G5 with SD820 and Galaxy S7 with Exynos were getting rather hot under heavy load. Not encouraging signs.

    Will be interesting to see how Xiaomi wants to win in the high end when Vivo in a week will likely have curved, 6GB RAM and who knows what else – sure at 2x the price.Soon enough ZTE, LeEco, Vivo and all others will have new shinny devices too. Xiaomi is offering less for less, that’s a lot less than when they were offering more for less.

    • SnowyCat
      February 24, 2016

      wow someone is really salty over there 😀 its not olike they had that 3d glass design first with the mi note even before samsung launched anything with glass

      • realjjj
        February 24, 2016

        It’s the front you little troll , not the back.

    • Bart
      February 25, 2016

      I stopped reading after when you complain about DDR4 1333MHz slower than 1866MHz

      Please LEARN what is REAL LIFE speed difference between those two :/

    • flashmozzg
      February 24, 2016

      The only similar part is rounded edges from the back.

  29. Young
    February 24, 2016

    Who calculated this thing?

    “The Xiaomi Mi 5 costs 2699 Yuan ($354 plus VAT) in China for the 4GB/128GB Mi 5 PRO version, while the 3GB RAM/32GB version is 1999 Yuan ($262 plus VAT).”

    1999 Yaun is around 305 USD while 2699 yaun is about 412 USD.

    Retail price for 3GB will be around 340 USD or so.

    • balcobomber25
      February 24, 2016

      I have seen those conversions around the internet on a number of sites, wonder if it’s something Xiaomi did for the launch event. The Chinese Yuan has been all over the place over the past year.

    • Yash Garg
      February 24, 2016

      I know how 1999 and 2699 Yuan convert to USD, but those are prices that include Chinese tax. $354 and $262 are the selling prices of the phone as mentioned by Hugo.

    • V.K
      February 24, 2016

      I think this was intended by Hugo signaling a US or Europe availability where different VAT and other taxes will be added to the basic (clear of taxes) price.

    • balcobomber25
      February 24, 2016

      It has more to do with Xiaomi’s other official markets outside of China where the VAT will be applied (India being the biggest).

  30. MattD
    February 24, 2016

    It’s a great phone, no doubt about it.
    But I’m a little bit biased about how to feel.
    I expected something to be a little different, a bit more of refined details.
    I would have likes to see something like laser autofocus, or bigger pixels for the rear camera… Even the aperture is smaller than the one on mi4! No doubt it will be a nice camera nonetheless, but a little bit more of effort would have been appreciated.
    The battery is a little underwhelming too, not by itself (3000mah are not bad by every mean) but every xiaomi phone launched recently has a bigger battery even with a smaller screen… I know it’s something they did because “it’s slimmer”, but maybe 1000 more mah sounds better than “almost 1 mm less ticker” on the spec sheet. I just think they did better on their other phones, so they had all the potential to pull off something a little better. Again, I think the soc is something similar to 800/801 in terms of efficiency, so battery life will be no issue. But again… A bigger battery is always better!
    Oh, and i see no mention about an audio chip, which is a shame on phone like this when many cheaper phones does have it… Is it necessary? Surely not. Is it welcome? Surely yes.

    Now, is all up to reviews… Only real usage will tell something about it worth considering, spec sheet is not that important as long as the device is actually good!

  31. preet
    February 24, 2016

    do each version feature the same camera set-up??

    • balcobomber25
      February 24, 2016

      Yes, they all have IMX 298, same sensor as Mate 8.

  32. AJ_74
    February 24, 2016

    I’m just wondering if the clock-speed difference between the 3 variants is some kind of marketing tool or if the models with the higher clock required extra cooling tech that increased the manufacturing cost.

    The latter scenario is kinda scary, actually.

    • balcobomber25
      February 24, 2016

      That’s a good question actually after the disaster that was the 810.

  33. Guest
    February 24, 2016

    Too bad its crazy ugly!!!!

    • AJ_74
      February 24, 2016

      It looks like the result of a drunken hookup between a Galaxy S6 and a Mi Note. I kinda like it 🙂

    • balcobomber25
      February 24, 2016

      I dont think it’s ugly just very boring.

    • Airyl
      February 24, 2016

      I feel it’s pretty elegant looking. Seems pretty comfy to hold too.

  34. AJ_74
    February 24, 2016

    Has anyone seen the Redmi Note 3 Pro video review over at TechTablets? The RN3P sure looks like the new value champion. Decisions, decisions…

    • SnowyCat
      February 24, 2016

      the question will be how much the basic mi 5 version will cost in the shops because well i would like a bigger display but obv. the mi5 will have way more and better features like nfc and camera..except the battery ofc. but for that it charges way faster

  35. Xalis
    February 24, 2016

    I think any “flagship” in this year that doesn’t have 4GB+ of RAM is not a flagship, you can get phones with 3GB of RAM for as low as $130, so why not 4GB for all your “flagship” variants? it makes no sense.

  36. Guest
    February 24, 2016

    Nice.

  37. realjjj
    February 24, 2016

    Right, so Xiaomi wants to do well in the high end and they deliver this?
    A retro-Samsung clone, ugly,unoriginal, underspecced flagship that they cripple further for some insane reason with the downclocked version.

    A BIG WARNING here for anyone looking at buying this, the cheapest version is closer to upper mid range than high end.The CPU downclocked to 1.8GHz instead of 2.15GHz, the GPU at 510MHz instead of 624MHz and DDR4 1333MHz instead of 1866MHz. LTE is also crippled in the cheapest version but unclear by how much.
    The CPU clocks combined with the slower RAM will have a major impact on CPU perf. In Geekbench terms maybe 1600 in integer and FP and 2600 in memory vs 2100 in integer and FP and 3300 in memory for what a proper SD820 delivers. We have to wait for actual numbers but do remember that CPU perf will take a rather significant hit of 20-25%, depending on task. The slower GPU should still be more than plenty for 1080p, so not much of a problem. The CPU perf, 1080p, 3GB of RAM do make this more upper mid range than high end.

    I have no clue why they crippled this pseudo-flagship further with lower clocks – they really shouldn’t have done it- but does make one wonder about SD820’s ability to work at max clocks. Better wait for proper SD820 reviews.Anadtech mentioned that both LG G5 with SD820 and Galaxy S7 with Exynos were getting rather hot under heavy load. Not encouraging signs.

    Will be interesting to see how Xiaomi wants to win in the high end when Vivo in a week will likely have curved, 6GB RAM and who knows what else – sure at 2x the price.Soon enough ZTE, LeEco, OPPO and all others will have new shinny devices too. Xiaomi is offering less for less, that’s a lot less than when they were offering more for less.

    • SnowyCat
      February 24, 2016

      wow someone is really salty over there 😀 its not olike they had that 3d glass design first with the mi note even before samsung launched anything with glass

    • realjjj
      February 24, 2016

      It’s the front you little troll , not the back.

    • Bart
      February 25, 2016

      I stopped reading after when you complain about DDR4 1333MHz slower than 1866MHz

      Please LEARN what is REAL LIFE speed difference between those two :/

    • flashmozzg
      February 24, 2016

      The only similar part is rounded edges from the back.

  38. Guest
    February 24, 2016

    I think any “flagship” in this year that doesn’t have 4GB+ of RAM is not a flagship, you can get phones with 3GB of RAM for as low as $130, so why not 4GB for all your “flagship” variants? it makes no sense.

  39. erictheking87
    February 25, 2016

    No Hi-Fi, no go for me. Next please…

  40. erictheking87
    February 25, 2016

    No Hi-Fi, no go for me. Next please…

  41. sp
    February 25, 2016

    Hey yash. Great article. Just one thing I have noticed is that. Mi5 will go on sale on March 1st. There is no mention of the mi5 pro version anywhere.. I have checked mi site and no mention. Any idea about the release date for the pro? Thanks

  42. sp
    February 25, 2016

    Hey yash. Great article. Just one thing I have noticed is that. Mi5 will go on sale on March 1st. There is no mention of the mi5 pro version anywhere.. I have checked mi site and no mention. Any idea about the release date for the pro? Thanks