Gadget Review: Xiaomi launches its fastest phone, Mi5 for Rs 25,000

Powered by Qualcomm's S820 processor and an almost bezel-less design, Xiaomi has high hopes for its new flagship phone Mi5 that costs Rs 25K

Display and Design: The Mi5 comes with a 5.15-inch full HD dipslay with an approx pixel density of above 420ppi. The display is bright with a maximum brightness of 600 nits. As for looks, it inherits its design from the Mi Note, offering an almost bezel-less body made of metal and glass, with curved edges at the back. It looks sophisticated, but doesn't impress as much as the OnePlus X is. The display is protected by a Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection.

Hardware: The Mi5 is powered byt he latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with Adreno 520 GPU. But we have to see how it fares in real-life situations also since the company has not revealed details about the actual processing speed of the 820. Xiaomi, however, has made several upgrades in storage and memory packing the Mi5 with faster 3GB DDR4L memory and 32GB internal storage with UFS 2.0 standard, which is considered way faster the eMMC storage used in most smartphones. For those looking for more storage can go for the Mi5 Pro model, which will come with 128GB internal storage.

Camera: The Mi5 gets a 16 MP rear camera and 4MP front camera. Hugo Barra, vice President, Xiaomi, seemed very enthusiastic about the rear camera at the launch of the device, which comes with a 4-axis optical image stabiliser (OIS). We will be able to tell more after the OIS once we get our hands on the review unit. However, considering the 16MP rear camera uses a Sony IMX298 sensor, it should offer decent picture quality.

Connectivity: The Mi5 packs a punch in terms of connectivity features offering support for most of the LTE bands (1, 3, 5, 7) and TD-LTE bands (38, 39, 40, 41) available in India. It will also support VoLTE technology for hiqh-quality voice calls, but this again, will depend on your cellular service provider. Other connectivity features include Bluetooth 4.2, NFC, a faster Wi-Fi ac network and USB type-C port. The device also comes with an infrared port and Mi Remote app for controlling smart appliances. It also features a fingerprint sensor on the front, which also doubles up as the home button.

Battery: The device weighs light at 129g, but the battery life may not be very impressive as the Mi5 comes with just 3,000mAh battery. The phone supports quick charge 3.0, but Indian buyers will be required to buy a separate charger with quick charge 3.0 to make the most of it. The package will ship with a charger but it supports only Quick Charge 2.0.

The device goes on sale on April 6

Log on to: Mi.com

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