The Xiaomi Mi 5 is now official after it was announced during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2016 in Barcelona. This handset reportedly has similarity with the Samsung's newest flagship Galaxy S7 in terms of design.
iDigitalTimes stated thatXiaomi Mi 5's launch has confirmed several rumors about its specs. One of which is the introduction of a fingerprint scanner for the handset. The device also uses ceramic for its exterior design, giving it a highly premium look, which feels very nice to handle. Some of its features like the curved edges on its back panel were mimicked from high-end rivals like Samsung. But many tech enthusiasts remember that the design was also from older devices like the Xiaomi Mi Note.
As for its specifications, The Next Web noted that the Xiaomi Mi 5 features a 5.15-inch full HD display with extremely thin bezels and a fingerprint sensor on the front. It is powered by a Snapdragon 820 processor that is coupled with 4 GB of RAM. It has support for NFC, Qualcomm Quick Charge and is fuelled by a 3,000 mAh capacity battery. It also supports 4G+ - LTE Advanced with speeds of up to 600mbps if the carrier supports it, as well as VoLTE (Voice over LTE) for high quality calls.
The Mi 5 weighs in at an impressive 129 grams and sports a 3D glass body on the back panel. Users can choose a substitute of 3D ceramic back, which is more resistant and feels like marble without the weight.
On the back, one will find a 16-megapixel camera with a Sony IMX298 sensor that is able to shoot 4K video. It has optical image stabilization with 4 axis' to reduce overall shake, an advantage compare to most other phones such as iPhone 6s which only use 3-axis OIS. Meanwhile, on the front there's a 4-megapixel shooter for selfies.
The Chinese tech giant has spent a lot of time at its event highlighting the camera, stating that it was using Qualcomm's best new sensor.
Users will be able to juice up to 128GB of onboard flash storage on the Mi 5, though the company didn't specify the specific sizes available. Xiaomi's Mi 5 runs Android Marshmallow and the 7th iteration of the company's interface, MIUI.
When it comes to the availability and price, The Verge reported that the Xiaomi Mi 5 will be available in China from March 1. Its price is just over $260 for the regular Mi 5 and $350 for the Mi 5 Pro with extra RAM, storage, and ceramic back.
With a good design, great specs and affordable prices, the device is expected to create tight competition in the smartphone arena. Xiaomi Mi 5's release in India is expected to take place after China, and other markets should follow suit thereafter.
