The Xiaomi Mi5 is slated for release on February 20. Xiaomi could be making virtual reality headsets as it plans to enter VR and robotics business.
A new Weibo post announced the release date for the much-awaited Xiaomi Mi5, reported Tech2. The post revealed that Xiaomi will launch its Mi5 smartphone on February 20. It confirms the statement previously made by Xiaomi senior vice president Liwan Jiang that the Mi5 will be released after Chinese New Year. It was reported that Xiaomi will be available for purchase the day after its launch on Feb. 20.
Jiang also confirmed that the Xiaomi Mi5 will be running on Snapdragon 820. It was assumed that the Mi5 was not released last year due to delays in the production of the Snapdragon 820 processors. Xiaomi chose not to equip Mi5 with Snapdragon 810 and instead opted for the newer 820 chips.
Xiaomi Mi5 is said to be one of the most-awaited phones this year. It is expected to launch in India a few weeks after its initial launch in China.
Aside from the Snapdragon 820, other specifications of the Xiaomi Mi5 were also revealed along with its leaked images. India Today reported that the Mi5 will sport a 5.2" display touting 2560 x 1440 pixels resolution, a 16 MP main camera with dual-LED flash, an 8MP front snapper, 4 GB of RAM, and 16 GB storage. It will run on MIUI 7 platform based on Android Lollipop.
The leaked photos of the Xiaomi Mi5 revealed that the device will have thin bezels. There are rumors that Xiaomi will launch two Mi5 variants: one equipped with a full HD display and curved 3D glass-back and one sporting an all-metal build with QHD display. The photos also show that the Mi5 will have a fingerprint scanner and home button at the bottom of the display, similar to Samsung Galaxy S6.
According to International Business Times, Xiaomi is planning to enter the field of virtual reality and robotics as per CEO Lei Jun's announcement. The Chinese manufacturer could be making its own line of VR headsets to pair with its smartphones. It was reported that Xiaomi's smartphone business is not doing too well as it lost a large part of market share last year.
Xiaomi currently has a numerous line of products like fitness bands, routers, TV boxes, and powerbanks. Rumors say that Xiaomi's possible future VR headsets will be made compatible with PC games.
