Xiaomi Mi 5S launched: Hello antenna lines, ultrasonic fingerprint sensor!

As expected, Xiaomi announced the all-new Xiaomi Mi 5S today. It’s a phone that can be seen as Xiaomi’s response to the ever-growing competition and reducing flagship lifespans. Let’s take a deeper look at it.

ALSO: Full Xiaomi Mi 5S Specifications

The Mi 5S retains the overall footprint of the Mi 5 pretty much, but adds on to it with some visual (and functional) changes. This includes the addition of antenna lines on the back of the phone. The much-discussed ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is here also; what this means is that your finger will only rest on a panel of glass, thus avoiding any impending damage to the fingerprint sensor.

Another very expected inclusion is the Snapdragon 821 SoC. Along with that, the phone retains the 5.15-inch 600nit display from the Mi 5, but this time with a pressure sensitive touch panel (aka ‘3D Touch’).

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There’s no dual cameras on the back however, with the Sony IMX378 (12 mega-pixel) running the show, with a 4 mega-pixel snapper on the front. Xiaomi seemed extra proud of what the camera was capable of. That said, the Xiaomi Mi 5S Plus does feature dual-rear cameras!

There seem to be only two storage variants of the Mi 5S, in the 64GB and 128GB editions. It’s interesting to note that not 16GB, not 32GB but 64GB is the least you’ll get with an Mi 5S! You can read more about the Mi 5S’s internals in the Xiaomi Mi 5S specifications post.

Pricing

As for pricing, the ‘entry-level’ 64GB ROM/3GB RAM version is 1,999 yuan or $300, while the 128GB ROM/4GB RAM version of the Mi 5S will sell for 2,299 yuan or $345 in China. It’ll come in four colours, as you can see right below: Silver, Gray, Gold and Rose Gold.

It’s a little disappointing to know that there’ll still be a 3GB RAM version of the phone, especially since there’s been an up on the storage front.

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About the author
Yash Garg
Yash is a blogger by profession, builder of things by passion and foodie by birth. You'll usually find him talking about technology, music, travel and the game of cricket on the streets of Pune when not busy writing or speeding his way through the country! Read more on retro handheld gaming on RETRO91

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cliff lee
September 27, 2016
Planned obsolescence at its finest. however, Xiaomi can get away with it purely on how they price their products. I like to see how the 6gb is utilised (optimised or not). looking forward to see some reviews in coming weeks!
- Fred
  September 27, 2016
Rick
September 27, 2016
Do you have some real photos? All I see here is renders.. I wonder if they keep this awful black bezel on the screen?
Micael
September 27, 2016
Oh hey look, it’s iPhone’s cousin from China hehe. But this one looks better though, it doesn’t have a recessed camera, and a whole lot cheaper too. Hopefully an actual footage of this in action would be nice. 🙂

Subbir Ahmed Dhruba
September 27, 2016
Though it is sort of similar to iPhone 7 but love the design <3
Fred
September 27, 2016
So 2 weeks ago Apple launched a “plus” phone.
Today Xiaomi revealed their “plus” phone… too. No wonder why they are still not yet selling smartphones in US.
- Ylletroja
  October 7, 2016
  It’s a pity that they feel the need to copy the naming conventions. The phones from Xiaomi is so good they just don’t such crap.

Guaire
September 27, 2016
I think ditching glass back is good call. I like the subtle looking fingerprint scanner of Mi5s. Though didn’t like iPhone 6 antenna lines.
I like the large sensor of Mi5s, but they should go all the way with OIS and large aperture IMO.
64GB storage as base model is good, but LeEco already done that. IMO storage has priority over RAM. So I would pick non expandable 64GB/3GB over 32GB/4GB assuming those are the options.

Nishikanta
September 27, 2016
There was no need for this. HiFi audio and qhd would have been welcome
- AtereJr
  September 29, 2016
  I beg to differ… qhd as long as VR isn’t concerned is BS, just a battery drain. If visual quality is what is needed, then 1080p and SAMOLED is as good as can get on a phone with less than 5.2 inch display. Even a 6 inch screen looks superb with that combo.

Manjurul Islam
September 27, 2016
But why they ditched the OIS that’s a million dollar question. It is downgrading from something good.
- Raky_b
  September 27, 2016
  - Muhammad Yasir
    September 27, 2016
- AtereJr
  September 29, 2016
  Chillax man, time will tell if they will rue that decision, or conquer with it. Let the reviews begin b4 complaints.

Marius Cirsta
September 27, 2016
Wtf is wrong with 3GB of RAM. Some laptops are sold with 4 GB of RAM. Stop this RAM and flash storage madness, not all people need all this RAM.
For basic tasks even 2 GB is good enough. And if you need more you can always get the model with more RAM.
I just bought a Redmi Note 5 with just 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of flash because that’s all I need and I’m glad I had the option while also getting a good phone. I don’t want a budget phone but I also don’t need ridiculous amounts of RAM and flash on it.
- more flash is no problem, but more ram is more battery drain.
  I be with you !
  - Ylletroja
    October 7, 2016
    The notion that more ram equals more battery drain is insane.
    It’s the other way around, the more ram the less the ‘drive’ needs to be used which in turn will mean better battery life.
    The diff between 3 and 4GB isn’t that great though, but still – more ram is usually always better.
- AtereJr
  September 29, 2016
  WTF is wrong with 3GB of RAM u ask? Well, everything.
  the way laptops utilise RAM is a whole lot different than smartphones. U have to take into consideration the platform they run on. Software iteration on windows is quite different than on android and same can be said about IOS (apologies for bringing them into the discussion).
  There is a (thought provoking) reason why Apple haven’t gone 4GB of RAM even on their latest models (the iphone 7 family) and the possibility of still not implementing up to the said amount of RAM on the succeeding generation next year or so. Android runs differently and an increase or decrease in RAM amount alters usage sometimes significantly, sometimes subtly. If u can complain about too much RAM on a phone then u should say the same with Laptops having 16GB of RAM. They aren’t there for decoration BTW it just comes down to everyone’s use. Just like u said, u only need 2GB of RAM for your everyday use meaning u are a light/average user. If every manufacturer listens to you then we will each haveour android phones powered by 2GB of RAM and there will hardly be anything called ‘flagship’, still even if there is i can’t imagine (and God forbid) untrustworthy brands (no offense) like UMI, Elephone, Doogee, and so on raising their shoulders high calling themselves king cos they were able to produce phones with 2GB of RAM like everybody else without breaking a sweat because that is the maximum one guy demands, while betraying performance at its best.
  I on the other hand will appreciate 6GB of RAM and up provided it comes with a very capable processor. Cos i would love to be able to play the most demanding of games,watching 1080p movies, surfing the internet with a demanding browser like chrome with at least 15 tabs open (now that’s just pushing it), stitching videos and editing while being able to switch between all of these without losing any progress where i stopped. See, this is another category of users (power/heavy users) with a niche of their own. They cause manufacturers to push that bit further in order to deliver the best while still striving to improve.
  So, next time pls do not complain or bash when u see a phone released with 8GB of RAM and 256GB as storage cos they are meant for a particular niche of users. That is why there are so many range of phones out there (sub-entry level, entry level, low range, mid range, low-mid range, high-mid range, high range and flagships) with each belonging to the particular need it satisfies.
  in the end, its all about need and choice of the consumer.
  - Marius Cirsta
    September 30, 2016
    I still say it’s marketing bullshit, let’s put more RAM into devices to make it sound better.
    “The way laptops utilise RAM is a whole lot different than smartphones.”
    No, not really, I have Linux ( same kernel as Android ) and it usually only needs about 4 GB of RAM. Yes I suppose Android can leave some stuff in the RAM and do caching so as to not load from flash again.
    Also keep in mind that these phones use very fast flash so while there is some load time that’s very small. Say you have those 15 tabs, one or two could be in RAM while the other could have their context dumped to flash. When you switch the load time would probably be less than one second to reload that tab from flash.
    And all that RAM eats into battery, this and the fact that it’s only marketing bullshit is what bothers me.
    Are there users really needing 8 GB of RAM on a phone, yes but probably no more than 1% ( if even that much )…. meanwhile the rest of the consumers will be suckered into buying these because bigger numbers are always better.
    What I want is to at least have the option of getting a 4GB version and such. Granted many manufacturers do offfer this and and I’m thankful for that. I got a 2GB Redmi Note 4 which is more than enough for me.

cliff lee
September 27, 2016
Planned obsolescence at its finest. however, Xiaomi can get away with it purely on how they price their products. I like to see how the 6gb is utilised (optimised or not). looking forward to see some reviews in coming weeks!
- Guest
  September 27, 2016
Guest
September 27, 2016
Do you have some real photos? All I see here is renders.. I wonder if they keep this awful black bezel on the screen?
Micael
September 27, 2016
Oh hey look, it’s iPhone’s cousin from China hehe. But this one looks better though, it doesn’t have a recessed camera, and a whole lot cheaper too. Hopefully an actual footage of this in action would be nice. 🙂

Subbir Ahmed Dhruba
September 27, 2016
Though it is sort of similar to iPhone 7 but love the design <3
Guest
September 27, 2016
So 2 weeks ago Apple launched a “plus” phone.
Today Xiaomi revealed their “plus” phone… too. No wonder why they are still not yet selling smartphones in US.
- Ylletroja
  October 7, 2016
  It’s a pity that they feel the need to copy the naming conventions. The phones from Xiaomi is so good they just don’t such crap.

Guaire
September 27, 2016
I think ditching glass back is good call. I like the subtle looking fingerprint scanner of Mi5s. Though didn’t like iPhone 6 antenna lines.
I like the large sensor of Mi5s, but they should go all the way with OIS and large aperture IMO.
64GB storage as base model is good, but LeEco already done that. IMO storage has priority over RAM. So I would pick non expandable 64GB/3GB over 32GB/4GB assuming those are the options.

Nishikanta
September 27, 2016
There was no need for this. HiFi audio and qhd would have been welcome
- AtereJr
  September 29, 2016
  I beg to differ… qhd as long as VR isn’t concerned is BS, just a battery drain. If visual quality is what is needed, then 1080p and SAMOLED is as good as can get on a phone with less than 5.2 inch display. Even a 6 inch screen looks superb with that combo.

Manjurul Islam
September 27, 2016
But why they ditched the OIS that’s a million dollar question. It is downgrading from something good.
- bojan radovanovic
  September 27, 2016
  Well, it would be downgrade if that OIS have been working as advertised.
- Guest
  September 27, 2016
  hahah … you savage
- AtereJr
  September 29, 2016
  Chillax man, time will tell if they will rue that decision, or conquer with it. Let the reviews begin b4 complaints.

Marius Cirsta
September 27, 2016
Wtf is wrong with 3GB of RAM. Some laptops are sold with 4 GB of RAM. Stop this RAM and flash storage madness, not all people need all this RAM.
For basic tasks even 2 GB is good enough. And if you need more you can always get the model with more RAM.
I just bought a Redmi Note 5 with just 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of flash because that’s all I need and I’m glad I had the option while also getting a good phone. I don’t want a budget phone but I also don’t need ridiculous amounts of RAM and flash on it.
- Elisha Bentzi
  September 27, 2016
  more flash is no problem, but more ram is more battery drain.
  I be with you !
- AtereJr
  September 29, 2016
  WTF is wrong with 3GB of RAM u ask? Well, everything.
  The way laptops utilise RAM is a whole lot different than smartphones. U have to take into consideration the platform they run on. Software iteration on windows is quite different than on android and same can be said about IOS (apologies for bringing them into the discussion).
  There is a (thought provoking) reason why Apple haven’t gone 4GB of RAM even on their latest models (the iphone 7 family) and the possibility of still not implementing up to the said amount of RAM on the succeeding generation next year or so. Android runs differently and an increase or decrease in RAM amount alters usage sometimes significantly, sometimes subtly. If u can complain about too much RAM on a phone then u should say the same with Laptops having 16GB of RAM. They aren’t there for decoration BTW it just comes down to everyone’s use. Just like u said, u only need 2GB of RAM for your everyday use meaning u are a light/average user. If every manufacturer listens to you then we will each have our android phones powered by 2GB of RAM and there will hardly be anything called ‘flagship’, still even if there is i can’t imagine (and God forbid) untrustworthy brands (no offense) like UMI, Elephone, Doogee, and so on raising their shoulders high calling themselves king cos they were able to produce phones with 2GB of RAM like everybody else without breaking a sweat because that is the maximum one guy demands, while betraying performance at its best.
  I on the other hand will appreciate 6GB of RAM and up, provided it comes with a very capable processor. Cos i would love to be able to play the most demanding of games, watching 1080p movies, surfing the internet with a demanding browser like chrome with at least 15 tabs open (now that’s just pushing it), stitching videos and editing while being able to switch between all of these without losing any progress where i stopped. See, this is another category of users (power/heavy users) with a niche of their own. They cause manufacturers to push that bit further in order to deliver the best while still striving to improve.
  So, next time pls do not complain or bash when u see a phone released with 8GB of RAM and 256GB as storage cos they are meant for a particular niche of users. That is why there are so many range of phones out there (sub-entry level, entry level, low range, mid range, low-mid range, high-mid range, high range and flagships) with each belonging to the particular need it satisfies.
  in the end, its all about need and choice of the consumer.
- Marius Cirsta
  September 30, 2016
  I still say it’s marketing bullshit, let’s put more RAM into devices to make it sound better.
  “The way laptops utilise RAM is a whole lot different than smartphones.”
  No, not really, I have Linux ( same kernel as Android ) and it usually only needs about 4 GB of RAM. Yes I suppose Android can leave some stuff in the RAM and do caching so as to not load from flash again.
  Also keep in mind that these phones use very fast flash so while there is some load time that’s very small. Say you have those 15 tabs, one or two could be in RAM while the other could have their context dumped to flash. When you switch the load time would probably be less than one second to reload that tab from flash.
  And all that RAM eats into battery, this and the fact that it’s only marketing bullshit is what bothers me.
  Are there users really needing 8 GB of RAM on a phone, yes but probably no more than 1% ( if even that much )…. meanwhile the rest of the consumers will be suckered into buying these because bigger numbers are always better.
  What I want is to at least have the option of getting a 4GB version and such. Granted many manufacturers do offfer this and and I’m thankful for that. I got a 2GB Redmi Note 4 which is more than enough for me.
- Ylletroja
  October 7, 2016
  The notion that more ram equals more battery drain is insane.
  It’s the other way around, the more ram the less the ‘drive’ needs to be used which in turn will mean better battery life.
  The diff between 3 and 4GB isn’t that great though, but still – more ram is usually always better.

Muhammad Yasir
September 27, 2016
$345 is too much !
$300 would be better !
Marco Lancaster
September 27, 2016

Xiaomi Mi 5S launched: Hello antenna lines, ultrasonic fingerprint sensor & more

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Pricing

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