Xiaomi's flagship phone is powerful and cheap, but you still can't get it (hands-on)
The Chinese smartphone maker unveiled its new Mi 5 at Mobile World Congress 2016, but there's no word on whether you can get it in the west.
Xiaomi's latest Mi 5 flagship phone packs the latest processor, a whopping 128GB of storage and a ceramic rear -- all for the ridiculously low price of 2,699 yuan, which converts to around $415, £295 or AU$575. That's the Pro version. The base model, with 32GB of onboard storage, will cost just 1,999 yuan or $305, £220 or AU$425, comes with a more mundane 3D glass rear.
The bad news? You can't get it unless you live in China, India or the other countries where Xiaomi sells its phones. That means that those living in the US, UK and Australia will just have to look on in envy as the rest of the world gets their hands on the phone.
Equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, the Mi 5 should have performance comparable with the LG G5 and the Samsung Galaxy S7. This bodes well for the company, as it's pushing for more global recognition.
And while the Mi 5 doesn't have standout features to match the G5's modular components or the low-light camera of the S7, the phone has everything you need, including NFC. That's right, Xiaomi's putting that feature back in its phones, and it supports mobile payments. Of course, it's likely limited to China for now.
Key details:
- Latest hardware, including new Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor
- 16-megapixel camera, flush to the rear
- 128GB of onboard storage
- Low price of 2,699 yuan ($415, £295 or AU$575 converted)
- Not yet available in the US, UK or Australia
The slim Mi 5 is charged via this conveniently reversible USB Type-C port.
Ceramic rear
Xiaomi has experimented previously with a metal body and glass rears, but the Mi 5 is a different thing altogether. The Mi 5 uses a ceramic rear, which feels like marble. I'm not sure how much I like it, but it's certainly different from what I'm used to. There are three colors -- white, black and gold -- with the gold version boasting a special patterned rear that's a real standout.
Other features that may be of interest include Xiaomi's Sunlight Display, which uses local tone mapping to identify areas on the screen where it's darker and brightens it so details become clearer under bright sunlight. I've seen this before in the Mi 4i, and it works great if you're always in the sunny outdoors.
Xiaomi has a pretty good phone here, which would hold its own against the current flagships, but the company's cautious expansion means it's missing out on the west. That's clearly not its primary concern for now -- it's still doing pretty well in China, where it claims to be number one.
The Mi 5's stylish ceramic back.
Hardware specs
- Processor: 2.15GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
- Display: 5.15-inch IPS display with full-HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) resolution
- Dimensions: 145 by 69 by 7.25 mm
- Weight: 129 grams (4.55 ounces)
- Camera: 16-megapixel rear camera with dual-LED flash; 4-megapixel front camera
- 3GB RAM with 16GB storage; or 4GB RAM with 128GB storage
- Battery: 3,000mAh (non-removable)
- Dual SIM with 4G+ connectivity (CAT 12 LTE)
- USB Type-C
- Fingerprint sensor in home button
- NFC