Xiaomi took the wraps of today to release the newest fifth generation of their Redmi series. If you recall, some years ago the first Redmi arrived in the market as a budget smartphone solution for those who couldn’t afford for flagships. The handset was a huge success in China and revolutionized the smartphone segment by giving a new face to the until the date shady mid-range segment.
A few time after, Xiaomi saw the market of Phablets grow up with the advent and success of plus sized phones like the Galaxy Note. The company realized that a phablet-sized mid range smartphone with a low price would do pretty well, based in this premise the company realized the first Redmi Note.
The years have passed and the Redmi Note line become a huge success to the point of foreshadowing their smaller brother. Last year the Chinese giant realized the fourth generation of the handset, originally the smartphone carried MediaTek Helio X20, but due to the Indian markets restriction overs brands using the Taiwanese chipsets, the company had to adopt the Snapdragon 625 and release a new variant of the handset in the country, later the Snapdragon 625 Redmi Note 4 got renamed to the Redmi Note 4X and got released at Xiaomi’s homeland to differ between the original MTK powered phone.
The MediaTek’s powered Redmi Note 4 was released back in 2016, the Snapdragon variant arrived few months later in January 2017 in an event held in India. We’re almost a year since its release and still there is no signal of a successor the Xiaomi Mid-grade king. Worths to mention that back in October no one else than Lei Jung announced the Redmi Note 4X exceeded 20 million units in total sales, turning it in one of the company’s best-selling. So a successor for this strong hit would be pretty obvious and crucial for keep Xiaomi’s domain over the segment?
A lot of rumors have been circulating in the web for the past couple months, renders and leaks suggested the arrival of Redmi Note 5, however those rumors turned into ashes when the first leaks of Redmi 5 Plus appeared.
The whole idea of Redmi Note 5 was to be a phablet sized and more powerful Redmi, but what the Note series means now that both Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus are here with big 18:9 screens of 5.5-inch and 5.7-inch respectivelly? There is an excuse or reason for Redmi Note 5 existence? Or has the Redmi 5 Plus become the Note 5?
The answer is likely to be no, first because we are pretty sure that Xiaomi would announce a possible death for the successful Redmi Note series, second its a best-selling device that once revolutionized the segment with near flagship specs and a huge support community in the web. So why still there is no signal of Redmi Note 5? Well, the best answer may be found in one word: Timing.
Previous rumors for the Redmi Note 5 described a handset with 5,99-inch panel and the resolution of 2160x1080p sitting under the 18:9 trend. The processor was a shady part, everyone wanted the Snapdragon 660 to debut in the Note 5, however this was pretty much buried when Xiaomi released the Mi Note 3 packing the excellent Qualcomm’s chipset. So what would be the wisest idea for the Redmi Note 5? Put the Snapdragon 630 which is best than Note 625, or wait for something better? Well the company decided to keep the use of Snapdragon 625 in the Redmi 5 Plus, but this indeed is a different phone, with a different price ratio. So which processor the Redmi Note 5 will sport? Qualcomm could have given the answer two months ago.
The Snapdragon 636 was unveiled in October 17, bringing a huge improvement over the Snapdragon 625 and even the 630. Basically the chipset is a trimmed down Snapdragon 660, which haves a performance close to Snapdragon 820. Specs wise the Snapdragon 636 is an octa-core clocked at 1,8Ghz built under the 14nm litography. The chipset joins the best of Qualcomm’s mid-grade world, you will have the same low battery consumption of Snapdragon 625 and a performance that closes to the Snapdragon 660. Other features includes native support for FHD+ screens, Quick Charge 4.0+, one 24MP main camera or two 16MP cameras and the X12 LTE Modem.
You may be thinking, why the hell are you describing this chipset specifications? Well, since its release Qualcomm set the shipping to start in mid November, with the first phones packing the processor appearing just in January 2018.
So what all this mess means for the Redmi Note 5? Well, the answer can basically be that Xiaomi is planning to up the game for the Note series once again. Since they can’t give Snapdragon 660 to the phablet, they may be bringing the Snapdragon 636 to it. The Chinese company always had some close ties with Qualcomm, with the excellent Redmi Note 3 being one of the first smartphones packing the Snapdragon 650, so if the Redmi Note 5 turns to be the first handset carrying the Snapdragon 636 under the hood, that wouldn’t be exactly a surprise.
If Xiaomi is really planning to bring the Redmi Note 5, we would bet in a date one year later than the launch of Redmi Note 4, since this have already passed, we’ll skip to the Redmi Note 4X launch that happened in January 2017. That matches the Snapdragon 636 availability, it’s a little close to the handsets released today so we also expect one or two months interval. The rumors also claims the possibility of the handset arriving with a dual rear camera setup definitively mixing up the handset as not only Note series successor but the Redmi Pro comeback, lastly the Redmi Note 5 should arrive more costlier than before with a price tag of $260.
Currently Redmi Note 4X is Xiaomi champion in the Indian market, one of their most important markets, where the company sits as the most important smartphone manufacturer. Even when Redmi 5 and 5 Plus arrive in the country they hardly will meet most of Note 4 owners wish. For that reason Redmi Note 5 is one of the India market most anticipated handsets, and not launching a worth successor would be a big waste.
All this speculation comes based in the collected round of rumors of Redmi Note 5, so no matter how the phone existence and arrival can seem obvious we always advice to take these rumors with a pinch or two of salt. Based in all this we want to ask you Gizchina reader, what you think about Redmi Note 5? It’s an upcoming handset? Or did Xiaomi today released Redmi 5 Plus is enough for you? Are you waiting for a best successor for the Redmi king of phablets? Express your feeling in the comments section below.
To much calculation for me but all in all did Xiaomi completely trash MTK chipset?!
Sure ?? best move by mi , and that’s why Note 5 is delayed they are waiting for a good sd proccessor to see the light of day
It’s a down year for MTK, what they would employ, the Helio X30? Also it may sell well in China, but Snapdragon variants sell ten times more… Well don’t seems to be happening this time.
I’ve had the snapdragon redmi note 3, but I must say, If Xiaomi were to launch a helio X30 variant, id gladly chose the mtk variant over the snapdragon 636. Why? Because the difference in the two chips is huge! I mean, put any bias aside( don’t hate on mtk) you’ll see that the helio X30 is flagship grade!
Gizchina is right ,Question may be where is note 5 but anser lies in question where is SD636 or Successor of sd650 or 625 ? china will see note 5 in mid of the 1st quarter and worldwide 2nd quarter , And we know This is how mi playes , they delay things alot so pleple can spreads fake rumors and fake hypes and it always works it gives mi a good boost in selling after launch, doesn’t matter it downgrades the performance or upgrade. Still usig my note 3 from 20 months , and now thinking to by 7x , Because it’s note 5 or 7x does it matter ? both are able to fullfill our needs.
Note 5 will come with sd636 + ram 4gb + rom 128gb or helio x30 + ram 8gb + rom 64gb
To much calculation for me but all in all did Xiaomi completely trash MTK chipset?!
Sure ?? best move by mi , and that’s why Note 5 is delayed they are waiting for a good sd proccessor to see the light of day
It’s a down year for MTK, what they would employ, the Helio X30? Also it may sell well in China, but Snapdragon variants sell ten times more… Well don’t seems to be happening this time.
It’s a down year for MTK, what they would employ, the Helio X30? Also it may sell well in China, but Snapdragon variants sell ten times more… Well don’t seems to be happening this time.
I’ve had the snapdragon redmi note 3, but I must say, If Xiaomi were to launch a helio X30 variant, id gladly chose the mtk variant over the snapdragon 636. Why? Because the difference in the two chips is huge! I mean, put any bias aside( don’t hate on mtk) you’ll see that the helio X30 is flagship grade!
Gizchina is right ,Question may be where is note 5 but anser lies in question where is SD636 or Successor of sd650 or 625 ? china will see note 5 in mid of the 1st quarter and worldwide 2nd quarter , And we know This is how mi playes , they delay things alot so pleple can spreads fake rumors and fake hypes and it always works it gives mi a good boost in selling after launch, doesn’t matter it downgrades the performance or upgrade. Still usig my note 3 from 20 months , and now thinking to by 7x , Because it’s note 5 or 7x does it matter ? both are able to fullfill our needs.
Or they’re waiting for snapdragon 660 to become affordable and available. I can see the next redmi note generation very close to the Mi Note 3 with a refreshed full view display and a cheap price tag. All in all, the Mi Note 3 was just reviews by dxomark the best photography phone in the world and you can find it for 210 £, better than iPhone X, Galaxy Note 8 and Google Pixel 2. I’ll wait for the next year to see the new series of smartphones from Xiaomi, I’m sure they’ll surprise again.
This redmi 5 is not for me. Hope they release a rn5 to succeed my rn3pro
Mine too, I’ve held on to my redmi note 3 pro for 2 years now and it’s starting to show it’s age and I’ve gotten used to it that it’s starting to bore me though it works just fine, I need a reboot. The note 4x wasn’t really an upgrade, so I decided to wait for the 5. The redmi 5 and plus variant aren’t for me either, I hope xiaomi doesn’t disappoint us!
Note 5 will come with snapdragon 636 + ram 4gb + rom 128gb or helio x30 + ram 8gb + rom 64gb
I waiting for the redmi note 5. I love my note 4…price quality best phone and I’m a standard user.
Xiaomi can say goodbye to the budget market if :
1. They cancel the Redmi Note series altogether
2. If the price the Redmi Note 5 BEYOND the $200 mark !
the RN5 HAS to be a SUPER budget phone and SD 636 seems to be the right choice of SoC but they need to keep the price low and introduce more features
this is how the redmi note series gained traction in the market , they ALWAYS offered OUTRAGEOUSLY more for less !
Here’s to hoping that the RN5 is a SUPER budget phablet !
Or they’re waiting for snapdragon 660 to become affordable and available. I can see the next redmi note generation very close to the Mi Note 3 with a refreshed full view display and a cheap price tag. All in all, the Mi Note 3 was just reviews by dxomark the best photography phone in the world and you can find it for 210 £, better than iPhone X, Galaxy Note 8 and Google Pixel 2. I’ll wait for the next year to see the new series of smartphones from Xiaomi, I’m sure they’ll surprise again.
Good article. In that case January will be busy with premieres when it comes to new smartphones. I hope Xiaomi wont disapoint considering all the competition.
This redmi 5 is not for me. Hope they release a rn5 to succeed my rn3pro
Mine too, I’ve held on to my redmi note 3 pro for 2 years now and it’s starting to show it’s age and I’ve gotten used to it that it’s starting to bore me though it works just fine, I need a reboot. The note 4x wasn’t really an upgrade, so I decided to wait for the 5. The redmi 5 and plus variant aren’t for me either, I hope xiaomi doesn’t disappoint us!
I waiting for the redmi note 5. I love my note 4…price quality best phone and I’m a standard user.
Xiaomi can say goodbye to the budget market if :
1. They cancel the Redmi Note series altogether
2. If the price the Redmi Note 5 BEYOND the $200 mark !
the RN5 HAS to be a SUPER budget phone and SD 636 seems to be the right choice of SoC but they need to keep the price low and introduce more features
this is how the redmi note series gained traction in the market , they ALWAYS offered OUTRAGEOUSLY more for less !
Here’s to hoping that the RN5 is a SUPER budget phablet !
Xiaomi can say goodbye to the budget market if :
1. They cancel the Redmi Note series altogether
2. If the price the Redmi Note 5 BEYOND the $200 mark !
the RN5 HAS to be a SUPER budget phone and SD 636 seems to be the right choice of SoC but they need to keep the price low and introduce more features
this is how the redmi note series gained traction in the market , they ALWAYS offered OUTRAGEOUSLY more for less !
Here’s to hoping that the RN5 is a SUPER budget phablet !
Good article. In that case January will be busy with premieres when it comes to new smartphones. I hope Xiaomi wont disapoint considering all the competition.
5.5″ 18:9 screen are large as old 5″ with 16:9 format, so I believe the note will definitely come, with a 6 or 6 and something inches and probably the processor you mentioned.
5.5″ 18:9 screen are large as old 5″ with 16:9 format, so I believe the note will definitely come, with a 6 or 6 and something inches and probably the processor you mentioned.
Well, I had hoped for a remdmi pro comeback though from the start I wasn’t quite sure where it fit, I always foresaw it being swallowed by the redmi note series because infact, it was just a fancy redmi note the launched to introduce dual cameras to the budget segment. With the death of the redmi pro it’s almost guaranteed that the redmi note 5 will have dual cameras. I just hope the ditch those rounded screen corners in the redmi 5 and plus and give us right angled(pun intended) screens!
Well, I had hoped for a remdmi pro comeback though from the start I wasn’t quite sure where it fit, I always foresaw it being swallowed by the redmi note series because infact, it was just a fancy redmi note the launched to introduce dual cameras to the budget segment. With the death of the redmi pro it’s almost guaranteed that the redmi note 5 will have dual cameras. I just hope the ditch those rounded screen corners in the redmi 5 and plus and give us right angled(pun intended) screens!
as long as the overall size stays the same, they can put whatever screen that fits
Totally agree!!
as long as the overall size stays the same, they can put whatever screen that fits
Totally agree!!
as long as the overall size stays the same, they can put whatever screen that fits
Totally agree!!
Have telegram|whatsapp group of this community??? Give me the link…
Have telegram|whatsapp group of this community??? Give me the link…
xiaomi should launch redmi note 5 asap , its been a year since the launch of redmi note 4 , and its sale is getting down day by day , they should launch it with much better processor thgis time , not like last year they downgraded it to sd 625 from sd 650 andd they have to improve camera as well, btw nice post keep sharing more stuff about this.
https://www.mygadgetreviewer.com/2017/11/root-redmi-note-4.html
xiaomi should launch redmi note 5 asap , its been a year since the launch of redmi note 4 , and its sale is getting down day by day , they should launch it with much better processor thgis time , not like last year they downgraded it to sd 625 from sd 650 andd they have to improve camera as well, btw nice post keep sharing more stuff about this.
https://www.mygadgetreviewer.com/2017/11/root-redmi-note-4.html