Hugo Barra has just wrapped up the Xiaomi Mi5 media preview here in Barcelona and I’ve been hands on (with the Mi5 not Hugo). Keep reading for my Xiaomi Mi5 hands on and first impressions.
I already knew what was going to be shown at today’s Media Preview as Xiaomi had already released the full details at the Xiaomi Mi5 launch in China earlier, but it was still good to see Hugo Barra’s enthusiasm for the device, and get hands on with it first hand.
To reiterate the Xiaomi Mi5 specifications, the phone features a 5.15-inch FHD display, Snapdragon 820 chipset, 3-4GB RAM (4GB RAM on the Xiaomi Mi5 Pro), up to 128GB internal memory, 16 mega-pixel rear camera, and 3000mAh battery.
The real beauty of the Mi5 is in the details, the phones uses the latest Sony 16 mega-pixel sensor with a 4 axis image stabilisation. The feature is super effective and you can even visually see the camera compensating for movement if you turn the Mi5 around and shake it.
The 7.25mm phone is slim and lightweight, like we have seen before, but despite the compact design Xiaomi have still managed to squeeze in NFC, 3000mAh battery and fast charge 3.0.
The 5.15-inch display has bezels that are very thin, but Xiaomi don’t call it a borderless design. The screen size is pretty odd, but the reasoning behind it is to add 16 LED’s behind it and increase brightness to 600nit.
Gizchina News of the week
Below the small screen and slim bezels is Xiaomi’s first front physical home button with built-in fingerprint scanner. Capacitive buttons are on either side of the button for navigating through MIUI 7 (which is based on Android 6.0 in the Mi5).
Models on display were the 3GB RAM version, and they felt every bit as fast as a flagship phone should. Hugo Barra spoke about just how fast the Mi5 feels, but in all honesty there is very little notable speed increase on the Mi5 when compared to other flagship phones.
Xiaomi Mi5 vs the Xiaomi Mi Note
White Xiaomi Mi5 hands on photos
Black Xiaomi Mi5 hands on photos
The WiFi here at the hotel where the Xiaomi Mi5 launched is a little slow, but I am uploading a hands on video with the phone as you read this and will post a link later.
Will you sell it on gizchina shop, preferably the 128gb black version? 🙂
of course… maybe in 6month… for only 500$! (shipping not included…)
The retail price of the 128GB version is $412. SPE Mall has it listed now for about $500. Keep in mind resellers have to make a profit they aren’t charities that can give away phones for free. An under $100 markup is pretty good for a phone like that.
IBuyGou:
https://ibuygou.com/categories/xiaomi-mi5–1.html
I must be honest, I do fancy one of these…
Could be my first Xiaomi phone and a switch to MiUi then too…
Its very nice in the hand very compact and light
You’re coming over to the darkside?
Funny enough as a Xiaomi fanboy I’m not sure if I like it. Leaning more towards the Gionee S8.
What about waiting for the Huawei P9 ?
Depends if you like Huawei. I like their designs and I like Kirin SoCs but I hate their UI.
The software is as equally important as the hardware too.
Yea and thats one thing I can never get behind with Huawei. I hate their software.
Can we an unlocked Bootloader and kernel source release for the Xiaomi Mi 5 in the near future ?
i dont know..its just personal for me but i’m maybe to poor to pay such a price tag for not top of the line specs 🙁
What doesnt have top of the line specs?
the processor with the p10
What do you do on your phone that you need a flagship SoC?
not much but to be fair a better SoC is never wrong
like they often include better stuff for camera lte and such stuff as well..i dont game much but i would kinda feel bad like buying a new phone with a worse SoC than my current phone
its like if you buy a new pc but get weaker processor and graphic card than your current one.
What is your current phone? There is a point of spending too much for something you will never take advantage of. If you are not playing the latest games a P10 is more than powerful to do what you need. Like your PC example, you could get a top of the line gaming PC but if you only use it for watching Youtube and browsing Facebook it’s a waste of money.
My current Phone is the Mi4, still got a mx4 laying around and had a Oneplus One before.
THe Oneplus One was a bit to like ..not rounded for my hand was a bit stupid to hold unlike my old note 2
the mx4 was awesome in terms of feel like holding and so on but the mains truggle was the 2gb ram i jsut hate it if apps reload all the time because miui and flyme take so much..so i bought a mi4 just for the 3gb ram..i’m happy with it but i would kinda prefer a bigger display again.
so now my struggle is redmi note 3 pro, mi 5 32gb while the phone is maybe a bit to small for me and looking maybe at the upcoming mx6/leeco le2
the only thing that bothers me about my mi4 is the camera and i would like to have dual sim again.. and while i’m actually fine with 16gb since games like final fantasy IX take a lot i would like to also go back to atleast 32gb storage
and a better camera ..preferable with ois and a clean user interface..i also prefer ios inspired launchers like miui or flyme instead of stock android..i find stock android really boring.
but i’ll keep my mi4 for atleast like a few more months or like half a year and probably a couple of phones will launch in that timeframe or get cheaper..or is there something you would suggest to me?
The Mi4 is still a great phone, you don’t really know what you want so I would keep that until something really stands out to you or you have to get a new one. There are new phones releasing all year.
Yes Balco, I think I would for the 4gb/128gb model.
cant wait for the video ^_^ super excited of the phone.
soon 😀
Hope those idiots don’t make 10 millions white phones to sell
Photos of the black one uploading now
Can you show the white phone while the screen is also white (settings app for example) Would like to see how the black bezels are
Sorry I don’t think I got a photo of it, but it should be in the video which has nearly finished uploading
Ok will check it out thanks
They will probably have 20 million white ones 🙂
Really don’t understand what’s the problem with black phones in China, look better than white ones u_u
How does the home button feel?
Feels fine, not cheap but on the other hand it did feel amazing either
I am curious about the Home Button/Fingerprint scanner
is it like in the Redmi3 that only need to put finger to wake up the phone or does it need to press first then scan… ?
If the screen is off you need to wake if first by pressing the button then scanning.
Andi, you probably can’t check LTE B-bands frequencies, right? 🙂
I can ask but not sure they will know
I also would like to know if Xiaomi ignores Band 20 (800MHz) again. I was always a fan of Xiaomi but as other providers in Germany have acceptable LTE now but with frequency 800MHz I really would think about buying another brand.
At events like these it’s usually salespeople showing the phones who don’t know much more than is listed on the spec sheet.
how do those black bezels look around the white or gold one because they look ok on the black i think that wallpaper its not helping
There is small black border around the screen of about 1mm or a hairs more
in my opinion after seen the video that bezel kills the design wise on the white and gold they should at least made it the same color like Meizu has looks like if buying it im going for the black color but the mi4s looks amazing in design compared to the mi5
I agree with you, bezels even if small are not good looking on the white model. Pictures on the website never show these bezels.
Kinda expensive. Retail price will put unto 50 USD margin.
USD 50? More probably 20%!
even with 50usd more..how is that expensive compared to all the other phones with 820?l
Expensive for a SD820 flagship? SPE Mall already has it listed (links below):
Mi5 base – $389
Mi5 64GB – $459
Mi5 128GB – $500
http://www.spemall.com/XIAOMI-5-Advanced-Version-Front-Rear-Dual-2-5D-Glass-2K-Custemized-5-2-Screen-Inch-Qualcomm-Snapdragon-820-processor-4G-LTE-Smartphone-4GB-RAM-32GB-64GB-ROM_g.html?utm_campaign=kimovil_free_traffic&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=kimovil.com&utm_content=xiaomi-mi516gb
http://www.spemall.com/XIAOMI-5-5-2-Inch-Qualcomm-Snapdragon-820-processor-4G-LTE-Smartphone-3GB-4GB-RAM_g.html
+8 to 15$ for shipping plus tax, wich is in my case 25%.
so, ceramic version (the onlyone that i like) would cost as G5,X Performance, S7…
and in case of problems, i should send it back with a post (pay for it), and wait…if they aprove to fix it, and hope that it will come back.
bin there, done that…no tnx Xiaomi, not one more time.
when theu officialy come to EU, then i will be interested again for their smartphones. until then, speakers, headsets, armbands and headphones are most expencive stuff what i could shop from them again.
I sent my Mi4 back to Xiaomi when I had a problem, cost me $20 for shipping and had it back in about 10 days. I took my wifes Samsung to a “local” repair shop in Thailand, cost me $100 and took nearly 2 weeks.
good, 10$ from thailand, but i do not live in that country, i live in EU, and when i was sending my phone back (2 years ago) i have payed 30 and something bucks, and have vaited little less then 2 months.
Which phones was it and who did you send it to?
Buy it from GizChina shop when they have it available for shipping from EU warehouse and you won’t pay taxes and then it will cost you $200 less than LG and Samsung and you’ll have a 128GB storage compared to the 32GB of LG or Sammy.
yes, but will that provide me guarantee.!?
i must tell you i did buy Mi4i from one other shop, which after problems with overheating and yelow stean on screen, said that Xiomi (and Xiaomi’s tech support have confirm it) do not provide international guaratee.
anyway, even if it won’t be 200$ diference, i do know this device will be cheaper than Sammy or LG for cash, and that it does offer 128GB, but with one year contract, they are cheaper ( for me, s6 32 and 64GB, cost 350-400$ like that) and you don’t have to pay at once.
plus it does have second hand value, i can sell it one year old almoust for price wich i have payed for it. (that is the reason why i am buying iPhones on contract,and chinese phones for cash 😉 )
pc. now i sow offer for S7 EDGE with Gear VR, it would cost me 700$ with one year contract (nothing changes fro me, i do need to use that network and that tarif, because it is best for me,with new phone or without).
in 2 months it will be 500, and in 6 les then 400, but offcorse without Gear VR.
Nobody is trying to convince you what’s the best deal.
If you find either LG or Samsung more convenient then go for it.
Btw, can you please provide the link of the offers you’re talking about so I can help you with some basic math.
Don’t worry about the different language, Google translates just fine
Expensive? Really? You’re joking, right?
Is it really multilang or eng & chinese only?
Mi 4s is better option for me if it has a sd card
Designwise Mi5 is better IMO, Mi4S has 64GB why u need sd card?
Sd card is more important thing to me no need for computer to send or recieve or save data. Devicespecifications and gsmarena says it support sd card hope it is true.
Gsmarena says it supports sd card
Gsmarena said that the redmi note 2 didn’t have a micro sd for about 2 months, until they finally fixed it
dunno, i care a bit more about performance and battery..while i also have to say that i prefer fingerprint scanners on the back.
Hey Andi, Can you please ask if the 128gb version come in black too?
Thanks.
128 Gb version comes in black only
http://www.mi.com/mi5/specs/
Thanks Mate. 🙂
Is that a plastic backside? what happend with the full metal phones? this looks cheap imo…
Glass or ceramic.
The base models use glass, the pro model has ceramic. When you see them in person glass phones look and feel incredible, when you see them in pictures they look like boring plastic.
It’s glass or ceramic.
please give me information about LTE band 20 (800 mhz) support.
There is none
Nice phone, worth every penny but… It didn’t blow my mind.
I’m sure this is going to be cheapest of this category, the OIS is interesting, I don’t mind lack of SD card (I was kinda expecting it) but…
I’m disappointed by the battery… Too small for a flagship.
I’m not a fan of the design, that’s subjective, other might love it.
Another thing is the size.
I hope they will follow Samsung and Apple providing a Plus/Note version that won’t cost much more only for half inch bigger display.
Make a Note version with bigger battery and I’m sold
I was also hoping for a 4000mAh battery, especially considering how the Redmi Note 3 and Redmi 3 have monstrous 4000mAh batteries.
And they have bigger body if I am not mistaken.
4000 is nothing if it’s not optimized…and redmi note 3 is not. I have one, and suffer of kernel wakelocks not patched by xiaomi/mtk.
So, if qualcomm has fixed kernels then could be last as, or more, than a note 3.
I have the pro version and the battery lasts 2 full days with heavy usage.
where did you bought the pro version??
Aliexpress
2 Days wtf!!!!!!!! I agree with you and Balco, on paper MI5 has very good specs but I was hoping they would sell it with at least a 4000mah battery. Also the design especially the front is not that very exciting. MI4S which has a SD808 have a better design and bigger battery. I think that if they would have used SD650 on the MI4S it would have been a best seller worldwide. I was going to get the MI5 but finally changed my mind, battery is too small and specs are very high so battery will drain fastly. Damn Xiaomi how could you put an old SOC in a flagship phone in 2016????
I will wait a price drop for the MI4C or go with the Note 3 Pro.
They were trying to make a thin and light fancy phone.
They didn’t have to worry about it while making the Redmi 3 and Note 3.
My thoughts exactly. After having spent some time with the Gionee S8, a phone which has better looks (imo) and a better camera on paper, it’s tough a tough decision for me.
I think the design is incredibly boring and I am so sick of white phones. But I will say most glass phones you have to see in person, in photos they look like boring plastic but in person they do look good.
I agree with you, it is strange but MI4S has a much better design compared to MI5. Moreover it has a bigger battery, so sad that they did not put a SD650 inside it. Even MI5 has better specs, I am not really excited about it. Outside china, it will be difficult for me to get the MI4S so would consider other alternatives like Note 3 Pro, Redmi 3 or MI4C.
Last year when asked about the lack of micro SD in the mi4i/mi4c they used as excuse that without micro SD they could save room and fit a bigger battery. Obviously Mi5 it’s in a way different league, but… Even Redmi 3 has 4000mAh.
Your Brazilian fellow said that he didn’t like SD cards on flagship phones 😉
Damn… Hugo never changes…
i like design of back panel, but this piano white collor of all chinese phones is killng me, it’s so bad looking, especially on front side.
and i must agree with you Max for battery, Mi4i with 3150mAh can’t last a full day (or more then 4h of SoT), Redmi note3 even with 4000mAh battery has problematic battery life…so i would not expect this saze in flagship.
but we should wait for first tests, but not at gizchina site, for them all Xiaomi devices are perfect and don’t have any flows.
at least this one have quich charge, so that will do…
And even though i do not like larger devices, and size of this one is great for me, i do agree with you, they should go with larger Note with same spec and design and i do expect them to do so.
but i think it does have SD card support, at least gsmarena wrote it does.
anyway, won’t buy another Xiaomi device until they provide international guarantee…i have learnd my lession.
and wee al must consider that this prices is for China only, in India, Singapore and other countries it will coast more, for us in EU or USA, it will cose even more…reseller profit, shipping and tax, so at least 35% more,and we are in price range of G5, X Performance and almost S7… (with contract it goes even lower then Xiaomi), and for that money they do offer service support and international guarantee…
The Redmi Note 3 may be a crappy bootloader locked phone but the battery life was outstanding the weeks I used it it never went below 6:30 hours of screen time and it was possible to squish 10hours of screen time. (Helio x10 one)
We didn’t hear anything about its sound quality so I guess that there is nothing special to expect?!
didnt he talk about the audio quality in the presentation? i can remember something like that
Will you sell it on gizchina shop, preferably the 128gb black version? 🙂
of course… maybe in 6month… for only 500$! (shipping not included…)
The retail price of the 128GB version is $412. SPE Mall has it listed now for about $500. Keep in mind resellers have to make a profit they aren’t charities that can give away phones for free. An under $100 markup is pretty good for a phone like that.
IBuyGou:
https://ibuygou.com/categories/xiaomi-mi5–1.html
Impressed, but not sold nor amazed. It will do well in the Chinese market where the big brands are substantially more expensive but outside of China you can get a Samsung S6 above and below $500 now (I think as low as $480 is some markets). But yes, $300 for a snapdragon 820 isn’t too shabby so I think I owe (Angry) Muhammid Yasir an apology, I was wrong (ha, I wonder if even remembers). Technically it’s not under $300, but it’s close enough. 😉
Last, I am totally, utterly shocked at how poor Hugo Barra’s public speaking skills are. Unbelievable, painful to watch, unrehearsed, and just awkward at times where I think he was expecting a crowd response and there was just silence.
No one expected the biggest Xiaomi hater to be sold on it. “outside of China you can get a Galaxy S6”, also outside of China you can get a Xiaomi Mi5 for under $400. What is your point?
Where exactly one can find Mi5 under 400$? I would like to place preorder.
You won’t be able to order it yet it hasn’t officially launched yet but next month every major reseller will have it. Right now the only one I have seen it listed (and I haven’t checked too many) is SPE Mall and they have it listed for $389.
http://www.spemall.com/XIAOMI-5-5-2-Inch-Qualcomm-Snapdragon-820-processor-4G-LTE-Smartphone-3GB-4GB-RAM_g.html
yes but wich model!?
and how much is that after shipping cost and taxes!?
Taxes depends on where you live and how strict your customs agents are. In the US I have ordered dozens of phones from China and only paid taxes on two of them. When I am in Thailand I ordered 3 and paid twice. Shipping also depends on your country and which method you choose. Most resellers shipping DHL should be under $20.
in my country, as in most European countris chanses to go without tax-es are so low, that you cant count on it. i was lucky only once, with one tablet, and i have oredered more then 30 devices.
and, by the way i live in Norway, where TAX are 25%, plus there are coustoms of some 10%, so i am ordering in my homecountry, where TAX-es are “just” 24% plus 2$ for coustoms, and pick up it later.
I have friends in Europe that don’t often pay taxes on Chinese phones. Just depends where you live and how strict your customs is.
I want to speak about the company and not about the phone.
I think they have been smart to release this phone today, to do it at the MWC and to send Barra there too.
I check AndroidAuthority once in a while and I’ve always seen mocking Chinese phones (mostly because they have no idea whatsoever)
Today everybody wanted to buy the MI5.
You know what I’m talking about Balco.
I saw you and Tajwar commenting there.
This phone won’t be sold outside their markets but still it’s good to promote their brand, to prepare their future customers.
Thoughts?
Yea there is such a misconception out there about Chinese phones. One guy on AA tried to tell me Xiaomi was banned in the US and the US government won’t allow it’s employees to use Xiaomi phones. He was clearly thinking of Huawei’s bans on government contracts (which has sense been lifted).
But there were so many commenting today about how shocked and surprised they were. Even if you hate Xiaomi, the Hugo Barra hire was huge for this industry. He brings a level of attention to Chinese phones that no one else could. I see tech blogs that have never talked about Chinese phones covering the Mi5.
They heard something here and there (without worrying too check the truth) and then they speak like they have a master degree on it lol.
Thats one of the only reasons I go on AA, to educate people about Chinese phones. To show people they dont need to spend $700 on a Galaxy
“Thats one of the only reasons I go on AA, to educate people about Chinese phones”. LOL! Good luck with that!
It’s already working, with the release of the Honor 5X and Mi5 we are seeing more and more people realizing they can get a better phone for a lot less money.
I saw you and Maxpaower educating the kids on AA.
I hope that Xiaomi will give you guys some free devices 😀
I do get some free devices periodically from a few companies but sadly Xiaomi isn’t one of them yet. Hugo needs to start reading the comments section on these sites, we probably are his best salesmen lol.
No, I think just you didn’t expect it. In case you missed it, although late to market, I was also impressed with the Redmi Note 3 which should have been even more disturbing to you since it’s really in the past the Redmi line that I always disliked the most and blamed it for dragging their brand down to the budget phone gutter.
Otherwise, duh, a lot of average consumers would rather fork out the extra 100 bucks and get something a) with official warranty and support in their country and b) a well-known brand they are familiar with and in the S6’s case c) pretty much phone of the year 2016. Not everyone wants to scour the world to import a exotic foreign phone and deal with shady resellers (some), no local tech and/or warranty support (some), and unknown and/or unexpected customs, duties or import taxes just to save a couple bucks or 100 in this case (or 20%, whatever floats your boat).
Yes, I am impressed with the mi5 and I can see it selling well in the markets it’s launched at in at that price point but for everyone outside those markets I would probably recommend spending a little more and getting a S6 (which would most likely also have the precious Band 20, too).
Not going to get involved in one your (should be trademarked) back-and-forth disqus arguments.
I lost you at the S6 being “phone of the year” for 2015.
Surprising. Very surprising. Even though I feel phone of the year 2015 was a tie between Note 5 and the Nexus 6P.
Believe it or not I agree with you.
For average (when I say average I picture my wife) consumer it would probably be better to spend 100 bucks more and get the S6
But this is true mostly this year for many reasons:
– The S6 was extremely good at its time.
– the S7 is only an incremental update and also looks just like the s6.
Actually I suggest anybody to go for the S6 rather then spend more on S7. In fact the S6 value is too close to this year flagships included the S7.
But like I said, this is a weird situation that’s happening this year.
If we consider almost 2 years ago when the MI4 and OPO cost $300 while the S5 $700 and S4 $450 then I suggested the average consumer to go either with MI4 or OPO because they have the exact same hardware of the S5 and cost less than the S4 which was way below the other ones.
Back in time I said the same thing you said today while commenting the price of either Oppo or Vivo because the price after reseller was even higher than the newest Samsung or HTC.
I hope you know that MI5 is probably going to be one of the cheapest Chinese flagships with a comparable hardware, don’t hold your breath with the upcoming phones from other brands.
Yeah this presentation could had put a can of Red Bull to sleep. But Hugo Barra’s public speaking skills are not poor. The man is just not a salesman and that’s good as he does not look like a shark.
But in term of credibility this is the right man for Xiaomi. Barra is highly regarded in Europe, and especially in India and Brazil. His recruitment is not a coincidence.
I must be honest, I do fancy one of these…
Could be my first Xiaomi phone and a switch to MiUi then too…
Its very nice in the hand very compact and light
You’re coming over to the darkside?
Funny enough as a Xiaomi fanboy I’m not sure if I like it. Leaning more towards the Gionee S8.
What about waiting for the Huawei P9 ?
Depends if you like Huawei. I like their designs and I like Kirin SoCs but I hate their UI.
The software is as equally important as the hardware too.
Yea and thats one thing I can never get behind with Huawei. I hate their software.
Can we an unlocked Bootloader and kernel source release for the Xiaomi Mi 5 in the near future ?
i dont know..its just personal for me but i’m maybe to poor to pay such a price tag for not top of the line specs 🙁
What doesnt have top of the line specs?
Yes Balco, I think I would for the 4gb/128gb model.
the processor with the p10
What do you do on your phone that you need a flagship SoC?
not much but to be fair a better SoC is never wrong
like they often include better stuff for camera lte and such stuff as well..i dont game much but i would kinda feel bad like buying a new phone with a worse SoC than my current phone
its like if you buy a new pc but get weaker processor and graphic card than your current one.
What is your current phone? There is a point of spending too much for something you will never take advantage of. If you are not playing the latest games a P10 is more than powerful to do what you need. Like your PC example, you could get a top of the line gaming PC but if you only use it for watching Youtube and browsing Facebook it’s a waste of money.
My current Phone is the Mi4, still got a mx4 laying around and had a Oneplus One before.
THe Oneplus One was a bit to like ..not rounded for my hand was a bit stupid to hold unlike my old note 2
the mx4 was awesome in terms of feel like holding and so on but the mains truggle was the 2gb ram i jsut hate it if apps reload all the time because miui and flyme take so much..so i bought a mi4 just for the 3gb ram..i’m happy with it but i would kinda prefer a bigger display again.
so now my struggle is redmi note 3 pro, mi 5 32gb while the phone is maybe a bit to small for me and looking maybe at the upcoming mx6/leeco le2
the only thing that bothers me about my mi4 is the camera and i would like to have dual sim again.. and while i’m actually fine with 16gb since games like final fantasy IX take a lot i would like to also go back to atleast 32gb storage
and a better camera ..preferable with ois and a clean user interface..i also prefer ios inspired launchers like miui or flyme instead of stock android..i find stock android really boring.
but i’ll keep my mi4 for atleast like a few more months or like half a year and probably a couple of phones will launch in that timeframe or get cheaper..or is there something you would suggest to me?
The Mi4 is still a great phone, you don’t really know what you want so I would keep that until something really stands out to you or you have to get a new one. There are new phones releasing all year.
cant wait for the video ^_^ super excited of the phone.
soon 😀
Hope those idiots don’t make 10 millions white phones to sell
Photos of the black one uploading now
Can you show the white phone while the screen is also white (settings app for example) Would like to see how the black bezels are
Sorry I don’t think I got a photo of it, but it should be in the video which has nearly finished uploading
Ok will check it out thanks
They will probably have 20 million white ones 🙂
Really don’t understand what’s the problem with black phones in China, look better than white ones u_u
How does the home button feel?
Feels fine, not cheap but on the other hand it did feel amazing either
I am curious about the Home Button/Fingerprint scanner
is it like in the Redmi3 that only need to put finger to wake up the phone or does it need to press first then scan… ?
If the screen is off you need to wake if first by pressing the button then scanning.
Andi, you probably can’t check LTE B-bands frequencies, right? 🙂
I can ask but not sure they will know
I also would like to know if Xiaomi ignores Band 20 (800MHz) again. I was always a fan of Xiaomi but as other providers in Germany have acceptable LTE now but with frequency 800MHz I really would think about buying another brand.
At events like these it’s usually salespeople showing the phones who don’t know much more than is listed on the spec sheet.
how do those black bezels look around the white or gold one because they look ok on the black i think that wallpaper its not helping
There is small black border around the screen of about 1mm or a hairs more
in my opinion after seen the video that bezel kills the design wise on the white and gold they should at least made it the same color like Meizu has looks like if buying it im going for the black color but the mi4s looks amazing in design compared to the mi5
I agree with you, bezels even if small are not good looking on the white model. Pictures on the website never show these bezels.
Kinda expensive. Retail price will add up 50 USD margin. I like the pro version but very expensive.
USD 50? More probably 20%!
even with 50usd more..how is that expensive compared to all the other phones with 820?l
Expensive for a SD820 flagship? SPE Mall already has it listed (links below):
Mi5 base – $389
Mi5 64GB – $459
Mi5 128GB – $500
http://www.spemall.com/XIAOMI-5-Advanced-Version-Front-Rear-Dual-2-5D-Glass-2K-Custemized-5-2-Screen-Inch-Qualcomm-Snapdragon-820-processor-4G-LTE-Smartphone-4GB-RAM-32GB-64GB-ROM_g.html?utm_campaign=kimovil_free_traffic&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=kimovil.com&utm_content=xiaomi-mi516gb
http://www.spemall.com/XIAOMI-5-5-2-Inch-Qualcomm-Snapdragon-820-processor-4G-LTE-Smartphone-3GB-4GB-RAM_g.html
Expensive? Really? You’re joking, right?
+8 to 15$ for shipping plus tax, wich is in my case 25%.
so, ceramic version (the onlyone that i like) would cost as G5,X Performance, S7…
and in case of problems, i should send it back with a post (pay for it), and wait…if they aprove to fix it, and hope that it will come back.
bin there, done that…no tnx Xiaomi, not one more time.
when theu officialy come to EU, then i will be interested again for their smartphones. until then, speakers, headsets, armbands and headphones are most expencive stuff what i could shop from them again.
I sent my Mi4 back to Xiaomi when I had a problem, cost me $20 for shipping and had it back in about 10 days. I took my wifes Samsung to a “local” repair shop in Thailand, cost me $100 and took nearly 2 weeks.
Buy it from GizChina shop when they have it available for shipping from EU warehouse and you won’t pay taxes and then it will cost you $200 less than LG and Samsung and you’ll have a 128GB storage compared to the 32GB of LG or Sammy.
good, 10$ from thailand, but i do not live in that country, i live in EU, and when i was sending my phone back (2 years ago) i have payed 30 and something bucks, and have vaited little less then 2 months.
yes, but will that provide me guarantee.!?
i must tell you i did buy Mi4i from one other shop, which after problems with overheating and yelow stean on screen, said that Xiomi (and Xiaomi’s tech support have confirm it) do not provide international guaratee.
anyway, even if it won’t be 200$ diference, i do know this device will be cheaper than Sammy or LG for cash, and that it does offer 128GB, but with one year contract, they are cheaper ( for me, s6 32 and 64GB, cost 350-400$ like that) and you don’t have to pay at once.
plus it does have second hand value, i can sell it one year old almost for price wich i have payed for it. (that is the reason why i am buying iPhones on contract,and chinese phones for cash 😉 )
p.s. now i sow offer for S7 EDGE with Gear VR, it would cost me 700$ with one year contract (nothing changes fro me, i do need to use that network and that tarif, because it is best for me,with new phone or without).
in 2 months it will be 500, and in 6 less then 400 like s6 costs now, but offcorse without Gear VR.
Nobody is trying to convince you what’s the best deal.
If you find either LG or Samsung more convenient then go for it.
Btw, can you please provide the link of the offers you’re talking about so I can help you with some basic math.
Don’t worry about the different language, Google translates just fine
Which phones was it and who did you send it to?
Is it really multilang or eng & chinese only?
Mi 4s is better option for me if it has a sd card
Designwise Mi5 is better IMO, Mi4S has 64GB why u need sd card?
Gsmarena says it supports sd card
Sd card is more important thing to me no need for computer to send or recieve or save data. Devicespecifications and gsmarena says it support sd card hope it is true.
Gsmarena said that the redmi note 2 didn’t have a micro sd for about 2 months, until they finally fixed it
dunno, i care a bit more about performance and battery..while i also have to say that i prefer fingerprint scanners on the back.
Hey Andi, Can you please ask if the 128gb version come in black too?
Thanks.
128 Gb version comes in black only
http://www.mi.com/mi5/specs/
Thanks Mate. 🙂
Is that a plastic backside? what happend with the full metal phones? this looks cheap imo…
Glass or ceramic.
The base models use glass, the pro model has ceramic. When you see them in person glass phones look and feel incredible, when you see them in pictures they look like boring plastic.
It’s glass or ceramic.
please give me information about LTE band 20 (800 mhz) support.
There is none
Nice phone, worth every penny but… It didn’t blow my mind.
I’m sure this is going to be cheapest of this category, the OIS is interesting, I don’t mind lack of SD card (I was kinda expecting it) but…
I’m disappointed by the battery… Too small for a flagship.
I’m not a fan of the design, that’s subjective, other might love it.
Another thing is the size.
I hope they will follow Samsung and Apple providing a Plus/Note version that won’t cost much more only for half inch bigger display.
Make a Note version with bigger battery and I’m sold
I was also hoping for a 4000mAh battery, especially considering how the Redmi Note 3 and Redmi 3 have monstrous 4000mAh batteries.
And they have bigger body if I am not mistaken.
My thoughts exactly. After having spent some time with the Gionee S8, a phone which has better looks (imo) and a better camera on paper, it’s tough a tough decision for me.
I think the design is incredibly boring and I am so sick of white phones. But I will say most glass phones you have to see in person, in photos they look like boring plastic but in person they do look good.
4000 is nothing if it’s not optimized…and redmi note 3 is not. I have one, and suffer of kernel wakelocks not patched by xiaomi/mtk.
So, if qualcomm has fixed kernels then could be last as, or more, than a note 3.
I have the pro version and the battery lasts 2 full days with heavy usage.
Last year when asked about the lack of micro SD in the mi4i/mi4c they used as excuse that without micro SD they could save room and fit a bigger battery. Obviously Mi5 it’s in a way different league, but… Even Redmi 3 has 4000mAh.
i like design of back panel, but this piano white collor of all chinese phones is killng me, it’s so bad looking, especially on front side.
and i must agree with you Max for battery, Mi4i with 3150mAh can’t last a full day (or more then 4h of SoT), Redmi note3 even with 4000mAh battery has problematic battery life…so i would not expect this saze in flagship.
but we should wait for first tests, but not at gizchina site, for them all Xiaomi devices are perfect and don’t have any flows.
at least this one have quich charge, so that will do…
And even though i do not like larger devices, and size of this one is great for me, i do agree with you, they should go with larger Note with same spec and design and i do expect them to do so.
but i think it does have SD card support, at least gsmarena wrote it does.
anyway, won’t buy another Xiaomi device until they provide international guarantee…i have learnd my lession.
and wee al must consider that this prices is for China only, in India, Singapore and other countries it will coast more, for us in EU or USA, it will cose even more…reseller profit, shipping and tax, so at least 35% more,and we are in price range of G5, X Performance and almost S7… (with contract it goes even lower then Xiaomi), and for that money they do offer service support and international guarantee…
where did you bought the pro version??
Aliexpress
Your Brazilian fellow said that he didn’t like SD cards on flagship phones 😉
The Redmi Note 3 may be a crappy bootloader locked phone but the battery life was outstanding the weeks I used it it never went below 6:30 hours of screen time and it was possible to squish 10hours of screen time. (Helio x10 one)
They were trying to make a thin and light fancy phone.
They didn’t have to worry about it while making the Redmi 3 and Note 3.
2 Days wtf!!!!!!!! I agree with you and Balco, on paper MI5 has very good specs but I was hoping they would sell it with at least a 4000mah battery. Also the design especially the front is not that very exciting. MI4S which has a SD808 have a better design and bigger battery. I think that if they would have used SD650 on the MI4S it would have been a best seller worldwide. I was going to get the MI5 but finally changed my mind, battery is too small and specs are very high so battery will drain fastly. Damn Xiaomi how could you put an old SOC in a flagship phone in 2016????
I will wait a price drop for the MI4C or go with the Note 3 Pro.
I agree with you, it is strange but MI4S has a much better design compared to MI5. Moreover it has a bigger battery, so sad that they did not put a SD650 inside it. Even MI5 has better specs, I am not really excited about it. Outside china, it will be difficult for me to get the MI4S so would consider other alternatives like Note 3 Pro, Redmi 3 or MI4C.
Damn… Hugo never changes…
What about IR port for remote controll? (TV..)
Any infos on band 20 LTE?
I am a bit underwhelmed by the mi5. I get that the specs are competitive but I am left a bit cold and unexcited by it… The design is also let down for me… I was hoping the mi5 would be a replacement for my mx5 but I think I will wait…i am even more excited by the Samsung s7 edge than this… 🙁
Well, the S7 Edge costs almost thrice as much, what did you expect?
Is that price difference worth it?
We didn’t hear anything about its sound quality so I guess that there is nothing special to expect?!
didnt he talk about the audio quality in the presentation? i can remember something like that
Impressed, but not sold nor amazed. It will do well in the Chinese market where the big brands are substantially more expensive but outside of China you can get a Samsung S6 above and below $500 now (I think as low as $480 is some markets). But yes, $300 for a snapdragon 820 isn’t too shabby so I think I owe (Angry) Muhammid Yasir an apology, I was wrong (ha, I wonder if even remembers). Technically it’s not under $300, but it’s close enough. 😉
Last, I am totally, utterly shocked at how poor Hugo Barra’s public speaking skills are. Unbelievable, painful to watch, unrehearsed, and just awkward at times where I think he was expecting a crowd response and there was just silence.
No one expected the biggest Xiaomi hater to be sold on it. “outside of China you can get a Galaxy S6”, also outside of China you can get a Xiaomi Mi5 for under $400. What is your point?
Where exactly one can find Mi5 under 400$? I would like to place preorder.
You won’t be able to order it yet it hasn’t officially launched yet but next month every major reseller will have it. Right now the only one I have seen it listed (and I haven’t checked too many) is SPE Mall and they have it listed for $389.
http://www.spemall.com/XIAOMI-5-5-2-Inch-Qualcomm-Snapdragon-820-processor-4G-LTE-Smartphone-3GB-4GB-RAM_g.html
yes but wich model!?
and how much is that after shipping cost and taxes!?
Taxes depends on where you live and how strict your customs agents are. In the US I have ordered dozens of phones from China and only paid taxes on two of them. When I am in Thailand I ordered 3 and paid twice. Shipping also depends on your country and which method you choose. Most resellers shipping DHL should be under $20.
I want to speak about the company and not about the phone.
I think they have been smart to release this phone today, to do it at the MWC and to send Barra there too.
I check AndroidAuthority once in a while and I’ve always seen mocking Chinese phones (mostly because they have no idea whatsoever)
Today everybody wanted to buy the MI5.
You know what I’m talking about Balco.
I saw you and Tajwar commenting there.
This phone won’t be sold outside their markets but still it’s good to promote their brand, to prepare their future customers.
Thoughts?
Yea there is such a misconception out there about Chinese phones. One guy on AA tried to tell me Xiaomi was banned in the US and the US government won’t allow it’s employees to use Xiaomi phones. He was clearly thinking of Huawei’s bans on government contracts (which has sense been lifted).
But there were so many commenting today about how shocked and surprised they were. Even if you hate Xiaomi, the Hugo Barra hire was huge for this industry. He brings a level of attention to Chinese phones that no one else could. I see tech blogs that have never talked about Chinese phones covering the Mi5.
They heard something here and there (without worrying too check the truth) and then they speak like they have a master degree on it lol.
Thats one of the only reasons I go on AA, to educate people about Chinese phones. To show people they dont need to spend $700 on a Galaxy
No, I think just you didn’t expect it. In case you missed it, although late to market, I was also impressed with the Redmi Note 3 which should have been even more disturbing to you since it’s really in the past the Redmi line that I always disliked the most and blamed it for dragging their brand down to the budget phone gutter.
Otherwise, duh, a lot of average consumers would rather fork out the extra 100 bucks and get something a) with official warranty and support in their country and b) a well-known brand they are familiar with and in the S6’s case c) pretty much phone of the year 2015. Not everyone wants to scour the world to import a exotic foreign phone and deal with shady resellers (some), no local tech and/or warranty support (some), and unknown and/or unexpected customs, duties or import taxes just to save a couple bucks or 100 in this case (or 20%, whatever floats your boat).
Yes, I am impressed with the mi5 and I can see it selling well in the markets it’s launched at in at that price point but for everyone outside those markets I would probably recommend spending a little more and getting a S6 (which would most likely also have the precious Band 20, too).
Not going to get involved in one of your (should be trademarked) back-and-forth disqus arguments.
I lost you at the S6 being “phone of the year” for 2015.
“Thats one of the only reasons I go on AA, to educate people about Chinese phones”. LOL! Good luck with that!
Yeah this presentation could had put a can of Red Bull to sleep. But Hugo Barra’s public speaking skills are not poor. The man is just not a salesman and that’s good as he does not look like a shark.
But in term of credibility this is the right man for Xiaomi. Barra is highly regarded in Europe, and especially in India and Brazil. His recruitment is not a coincidence.
Surprising. Very surprising. Even though I feel phone of the year 2015 was a tie between Note 5 and the Nexus 6P.
Believe it or not I agree with you.
For average (when I say average I picture my wife) consumer it would probably be better to spend 100 bucks more and get the S6
But this is true mostly this year for many reasons:
– The S6 was extremely good at its time.
– the S7 is only an incremental update and also looks just like the s6.
Actually I suggest anybody to go for the S6 rather then spend more on S7. In fact the S6 value is too close to this year flagships included the S7.
But like I said, this is a weird situation that’s happening this year.
If we consider almost 2 years ago when the MI4 and OPO cost $300 while the S5 $700 and S4 $450 then I suggested the average consumer to go either with MI4 or OPO because they have the exact same hardware of the S5 and cost less than the S4 which was way below the other ones.
Back in time I said the same thing you said today while commenting the price of either Oppo or Vivo because the price after reseller was even higher than the newest Samsung or HTC.
I hope you know that MI5 is probably going to be one of the cheapest Chinese flagships with a comparable hardware, don’t hold your breath with the upcoming phones from other brands.
It’s already working, with the release of the Honor 5X and Mi5 we are seeing more and more people realizing they can get a better phone for a lot less money.
I saw you and Maxpaower educating the kids on AA.
I hope that Xiaomi will give you guys some free devices 😀
I do get some free devices periodically from a few companies but sadly Xiaomi isn’t one of them yet. Hugo needs to start reading the comments section on these sites, we probably are his best salesmen lol.
in my country, as in most European countris chanses to go without tax-es are so low, that you cant count on it. i was lucky only once, with one tablet, and i have oredered more then 30 devices.
and, by the way i live in Norway, where TAX are 25%, plus there are coustoms of some 10%, so i am ordering in my homecountry, where TAX-es are “just” 24% plus 2$ for coustoms, and pick up it later.
I have friends in Europe that don’t often pay taxes on Chinese phones. Just depends where you live and how strict your customs is.
What about IR port for remote controll? (TV..)
Any infos on band 20 LTE?
I am a bit underwhelmed by the mi5. I get that the specs are competitive but I am left a bit cold and unexcited by it… The design is also let down for me… I was hoping the mi5 would be a replacement for my mx5 but I think I will wait…i am even more excited by the Samsung s7 edge than this… 🙁
Well, the S7 Edge costs almost thrice as much, what did you expect?
Is that price difference worth it?
Please let me know how the front button looks and feels, specially compared to Samsung s7.
Please let me know how the front button looks and feels, specially compared to Samsung s7.
i will most likely buy this version of the phone. but do you guys think i should hold out a while and see if theres going to be an international version or one that supports band 20?
i will most likely buy this version of the phone. but do you guys think i should hold out a while and see if theres going to be an international version or one that supports band 20?
i say that its worth the price samsung sucks iphone has lots of restrictions the battery is actually very good because its 14 nm whichhas better battery vs to 28 nm.s6 sucks s7 sucks fuck iphone >>>>>>>>>>> nerds ???????
i say that its worth the price samsung sucks iphone has lots of restrictions the battery is actually very good because its 14 nm whichhas better battery vs to 28 nm.s6 sucks s7 sucks fuck iphone >>>>>>>>>>> nerds ???????