Minutes after Xiaomi officially launched the Mi 4S in China, the Chinese brand took the wraps off on its new flagship device, the Xiaomi Mi 5.
Right off the bat, Hugo Barra jumped right in on the remarkable features of Xiaomi’s new flagship handset. Much like the newer hero devices from other companies, the Mi 5 runs on a Snapdragon 820 chip which is backed by 4GB of Low-Power DDR4 RAM.
What’s different though is the type of storage solution that Xiaomi used on the Mi 5. Instead of the typical eMMC-based storage, the company used a 128GB UFS 2.0 flash drive on its new flagship smartphone which is said to offer faster data transfer speed.
In terms of its design, Hugo admitted that Xiaomi used the same design scheme of the Mi Note on the new Xiaomi Mi 5. What’s new, however, is the use of a material which Hugo refers to as “3D Ceramic Glass” which he claims to be more durable than other materials we often see on high-end devices.
#Mi5 camera utilizes Sony 16MP sensor, 4-axis OIS, PDAF, DTI tech and 4K videos, plus 4MP front cam. pic.twitter.com/ei5vhRMTVV
— Mi (@xiaomi) February 24, 2016
Next, Mr. Barra touched upon the imaging prowess of the Mi 5. Xiaomi’s new flagship smartphone sports a 16-megapixel Sony IMX 298 image sensor which has phase-detection autofocus and Deep Trench Isolation, a feature that is similar to the one found on the iPhone 6S/6S Plus. There’s also a 4-axis image stabilization which is a notch better than most of OIS found on other smartphones.
The impressive rear camera of the Xiaomi Mi 5 is complemented by a 4-megapixel shooter at the front. It is the same front camera found on the Mi Note which has a large pixel size of 2 microns and has access to all of the software-based customizations found on the camera app.
Xiaomi Mi 5 specs:
| OS | Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 |
| Memory | 4GB |
| Display | 5.15-inch touchscreen display, 1080 x 1920 |
| Storage | 32GB / 64GB / 128GB UFS 2.0 Flash storage (non-expandable) |
| Camera | 16-megapixel Sony IMX 298 rear camera with 4-axis OIS, phase-detection AF, Deep Trench Isolation and 4K video recording + 4-megapixel front camera with 2 micro pixels |
| SIM | Dual-SIM, 4G+/LTE-Advanced |
| Battery | 3,000mAh |
| Weight | 129g |
| Dimensions | 144.5 x 69.2 x 7.25mm |
| Others | Fingerprint Scanner, USB Type-C port, QuickCharge 3.0 |
| Color | Black, Gold, and White |
Similar to the Mi 4S, the new Xiaomi Mi 5 will be available in China starting on March 1. The handset will be offered in three different variants, the 128GB Xiaomi Mi 5 Pro with 3D Ceramic Glass body can be had for RMB 2,699. Meanwhile the non-pro models of the Mi 5 with 64GB and 32GB storage capacities are priced at RMB 2,299 and RMB 1,999 respectively.