The Xiaomi Mi 5 is a high-end Android smartphone developed by Xiaomi Inc. It was officially unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and simultaneously at an event in Beijing on February 24, 2016. As the successor to the Xiaomi Mi 4, it served as Xiaomi's flagship device for 2016, showcasing advanced specifications and a refined design at a competitive price point, consistent with Xiaomi's market strategy.
Specifications
The Mi 5 was noted for incorporating cutting-edge hardware available at its release:
- Display: It featured a 5.15-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels (Full HD), offering a pixel density of approximately 428 ppi.
- Processor: The device was powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 system-on-a-chip, a quad-core processor known for its high performance and energy efficiency.
- RAM: It came with various RAM configurations: 3 GB or 4 GB LPDDR4, depending on the variant.
- Storage: Internal storage options included 32 GB, 64 GB, or 128 GB UFS 2.0, which offered significantly faster read/write speeds compared to eMMC storage common at the time. There was no microSD card slot for expandable storage.
- Camera: The rear camera was a 16-megapixel sensor (Sony IMX298) with f/2.0 aperture, phase-detection autofocus (PDAF), and a notable 4-axis optical image stabilization (OIS) system. It supported 4K video recording. The front camera was a 4-megapixel sensor with f/2.0 aperture.
- Battery: A non-removable 3000 mAh Li-Po battery powered the device, supported by Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 technology for rapid charging via its USB-C port.
- Operating System: It launched with MIUI 7, Xiaomi's custom Android user interface, based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and later received updates to MIUI 8, 9, and 10, typically based on newer Android versions.
- Connectivity: Features included dual-SIM support, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, NFC, and an infrared blaster. It was one of the early devices to feature a front-mounted fingerprint sensor integrated into the home button.
Design and Build
The Xiaomi Mi 5 sported a premium design, combining a metal frame with 3D curved glass on the back (or ceramic for the Pro variant). It was praised for its ergonomic feel and relatively light weight (129g for the glass back model). The device had slim bezels, contributing to a high screen-to-body ratio. Color options included black, white, and gold, with the ceramic variant exclusively in black.
Variants
Xiaomi released several variants of the Mi 5:
- Standard Edition: 3 GB RAM with 32 GB storage.
- Prime Edition: 3 GB RAM with 64 GB storage, featuring a slightly higher-clocked Snapdragon 820.
- Pro Edition (or Exclusive Edition): 4 GB RAM with 128 GB storage, also with the higher-clocked Snapdragon 820, and distinguished by its ceramic back panel.
Reception
Upon its release, the Xiaomi Mi 5 garnered generally positive reviews. Critics lauded its powerful performance thanks to the Snapdragon 820, the effective 4-axis OIS camera, its premium design, and particularly its aggressive pricing, which offered flagship specifications at a mid-range cost. Some criticisms included the lack of expandable storage, the absence of global LTE band support on certain models, and the proprietary nature of MIUI for users accustomed to stock Android. Despite these minor drawbacks, it was widely considered a strong contender in the high-end smartphone market and a significant product for Xiaomi's global aspirations.
Successor
The Xiaomi Mi 5 was succeeded by the Xiaomi Mi 6, which was launched in April 2017.