When it comes to competitive pricing, no company can beat Xiaomi. Its latest flagship smartphone, the Xiaomi Mi 5, boasts the same Snapdragon 820 processor that you can find in other recently revealed high-end devices, and yet this phone still manages to have an unbeatable price.
In several aspects, the Xiaomi Mi 5 is in the same league with the Samsung Galaxy S7 and LG G5. The processor aside, the Mi 5 offers comparable storage space, amount of RAM, and battery capacity. Its main camera, a Sony IMX298 sensor, is capable of producing incredible shots. It comes with phase detection autofocus, deep trench isolation and four-axis stabilization. The Mi 5 also has a topnotch, 3D ceramic/glass design, one that’s adequately unique that you can no longer call the phone as an iPhone clone. The design is available in white, gold and black variants.
Xiaomi Mi 5 Specs
- Android 6.0 Marshmallow (MIUI)
- 5.15-inch IPS LCD (1080×1920 Full HD), ~428ppi
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 (MSM8996) quad-core processor
- Adreno 530 GPU
- 3/4GB RAM
- 32/64/128GB internal storage
- No microSD support
- 16-megapixel main camera, with autofocus and dual LED flash
- 4-megapixel front camera
- Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
- Dual SIM with dual standby
- 3G HSPA+, 4G LTE
- Bluetooth 4.2
- NFC
- USB Type-C
- GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
- Dimensions: 144.6 x 69.2 x 7.3mm
- Weight: 129g
- Li-Po 3000mAh non-removable battery
The only significant downside to the Xiaomi Mi 5 is the display. Every other high-end smartphone in Mobile World Congress 2016 boasts a Quad HD resolution, but the Mi 5 has limited itself to a Full HD (1080p) resolution for its 5.15-inch IPS panel. This limit is intentional in order for Xiaomi to keep the cost down. Nevertheless, the Mi 5’s display is not that bad. And for the first time, Xiaomi has integrated a physical home button that also functions as a fingerprint reader.
The Xiaomi Mi 5 comes preinstalled with MIUI 7, a custom ROM based on the Android 6.0 Marshmallow. A Windows 10 ROM is reportedly in the works for a future release. We’re inclined to believe this report, given that the company did the same thing for the Mi 4. In terms of connectivity, the Xiaomi Mi 5 features 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.2 and NFC. It’s also an early adopter of the USB Type-C port.
Now, back to the price: the Xiaomi Mi 5 starts at CNY 1999 (approx. Php14,520), with its Pro version (4GB/128GB) going as high as CNY 2999 (approx. Php21,780). It will release later this year in Xiaomi’s “core markets,” which include the Philippines!
[Source: Xiaomi]