Xiaomi has recently released their Mi5s and Mi5s Plus models. So this review might be a bit outdated for many. But a review from a common man’s viewpoint won’t be unworthy nevertheless.
Xiaomi provides phones with facilities that similar phones from famous brands will cost twice the amount. So a keyword always associated with Mi5 is Value for Money. During the big billion days, Mi5 was available for 19999 in Flipkart. Also, they gave an option of No Cost EMI on selected banks credit cards with 3,6,9,12 months durations. I got my phone with a 12 month No Cost EMI.
Unboxing and in the box
The phone was delivered the next day. The delivery took less than 36 hours and that was some efficiency considering the rush during big billion days. Inside the Flipkart, the box was a Mi box. Inside it was a handset and a charger and data cable. Earphones were not provided and this can be ignored as this is below the price of similar configuration handsets.
Display
The Mi5 is having a 1920*1080p Full HD display. The display is sharp and decent. Though the phone looks bezel-less, they’re a small couple of centimeters wide bezel which is black. The display looks nice. My score for display: 8/10
Design
Light Weight is the main highlight. To have such a configuration in a compact device is amazing. The edges on the back are curved. The phone is a bit slippery and is better to use a quality back case. My score for Design: 8/10
Configuration and performance
I bought the 32GB Standard Edition. Mi5 has another 2 more models with 64GB internal and the top model with 128GB internal and 4GB RAM. My device is working absolutely smooth and a minimum of 1GB RAM is available when no other apps are running. Maybe that’s because I have not installed many apps. The processor is a QuadCore which can clock up to 1.8GHz. The performance has been seamless. My score for Performance: 7/10
Camera
The main highlight of this phone is it’s camera. The 16MP rear camera with OIS stabilization is an above par one. All the images taken with natural light came out so well. But in darker conditions performance is subpar from a flagship model. The manual mode of the camera is also fantastic. Selfies can be taken with the 4MP camera in the front. The resolution of the camera can be misleading as it just says 4MP. But the images are astonishing. My score for Camera: 7/10
Verdict
Mi5 is a no-nonsense flagship phone. One who takes a lot of pictures and one who’s wishing to have a compact phone can go for this phone with both eyes closed. There has been a small heating issue when charging and using continuously for a long time. But that’s not a very uncommon thing. Also, the battery performance was good enough. Overall 7/10
Camera samples are added herewith.
Sujith Bhakthan
Tech Travel Eat
