Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 officially launched in the Philippines

In an event earlier today, Xiaomi Philippines has officially launched the new Xiaomi Redmi Note 5. 

Xiaomi has always been killing the game for the longest time. But recently, the Chinese company is stepping it up even more as they improve the distribution department of their business.

This made Xiaomi rise up the ranks of the list of top smartphone vendors around the globe. Not long ago, their low-end device — the Xiaomi Redmi 5A — was hailed as the best-selling Android smartphone in the world in Q1 of 2018.

With this newest release, Xiaomi will possibly collect more numbers in global sales. What we have here is the new Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 (also known as Redmi Note 5 Pro AI in India)— the company’s new offering in the midrange market.

At first look, this handset doesn’t seem exciting at all. Well, save for the iPhone X-like dual camera orientation at the back. But other than that, the Redmi Note 5’s design looks really similar to its older brothers like its predecessor — the Redmi Note 4 of last year.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 also feels a bit large and chunky — unlike other 6-inch devices like the Huawei Nova 2 Lite — the Redmi Note 5 is a bit thicker probably because of its large 4000mAh battery.

We also took the cameras for a quick spin. The 12-megapixel rear camera captured impressive shots outdoors. What I really noticed at first is the impressive dynamic range. The colors were a bit flat, which might not be a good news for casual snappers, but it might be good for the professionals as it provides more flexibility in post-processing.

Disappointingly, the camera is struggling in low-light scenarios. The grains are all over the place and the colors are really dull. We’ll dig in further about the camera prowess, especially the extra abilities provided by the second 5-megapixel rear camera, in our full review.

Moving on, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor on this phone is already showing off the minute you boot it up. The interface feels really smooth and snappy, most likely because of the improved MIUI 9 interface.

See also: Xiaomi products price list in the Philippines

When you install and use basic apps like Facebook and Instagram, the Snapdragon 636 doesn’t seem to flinch — which is really expected for a chipset of this caliber. I tried multitasking and playing games like PUBG Mobile and Asphalt 8 and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 runs like a champ. There are no noticeable frame drops and things are smooth all around.

Speaking of the interface, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 comes with MIUI 9.5 and Android 8.1 Oreo running things behind the scenes. Upon boot up, the device will give you a choice to use the Default or the Limitless theme. I choose the latter as it looks more sleek with the geometrical icons, dynamic notifications tab, and more.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Specs

• Android 8.1 Oreo, MIUI 9.5
• Dual SIM, Dual Standby (hybrid)
• 5.99-inch FHD+ IPS Corning Gorilla Glass display, 2160 x 1080 resolution, ~439ppi
• 1.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 octa-core processor
• 4GB RAM
• Adreno 509 GPU
• 64GB internal storage, expandable via microSD card
• 13-megapixel front camera, LED flash
• 12-megapixel + 5-megapixel dual rear cameras, PDAF, f/2.2, dual-tone flash
• Fingerprint scanner
• 4G LTE, VoLTE
• WiFi, WiFi hotspot
• Bluetooth
• GPS, A-GPS
• microUSB
• Dimensions: 158.6 x 75.4 x 8.1mm
• Weight: 181g
• Colors: Black, Blue, Gold, Rose Gold
• 4000mAh battery, 5V/2A charging support

Well, that’s it for now. Make sure you’re tuned in as we’ll be dropping our full review of this device in the next couple of days. And trust me when I say, we’re as excited as you are for this new midrange smartphone.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 retails for a price of Php11,990 and it will be available starting May 15, 2018. You can get it in Xiaomi’s authorized Mi stores in TriNoma and SM Megamall. It’s also available online at Xiaomi’s official shop in Lazada.

After the reveal, Xiaomi also announced the pricing and availability of the Mi Mix 2S in the Philippines.