Xiaomi surely took the time to make the Mi 5 worthy of its name. And Xiaomi Mi 5 sets the bar even higher! The Mi 5 was the first Xiaomi phone to be unveiled under the massive spotlight of the world's biggest mobile expo - the MWC in Barcelona. And with its stunning looks and capable performance, the Mi 5 deserved nothing less.
Key specifications
5.15
1080 x 1920 pixels
16MP
2160p
1.8GHz
Snapdragon 820
3GB RAM
32/64GB
3000mAh
Li-Po
The Xiaomi Mi 5 is instantly likeable - the new flagship comes with unbelievably thin bezels, a sharp profile, a curved back and a lightweight body - all adding to one of the most impressive exteriors a modern smartphones can hope for.
It's key to note that the Xiaomi Mi 5 comes in three variations - 32GB, 64GB and 128GB of internal storage - and each has a chipset configuration of its own. Here's a quick dive into what's what.
32GB model with Snapdragon 820 chipset( 2x 1.8 GHz and 2x 1.36GHz cores); 3GB RAM
64GB model with Snapdragon 820 chipset( 2x 2.15 GHz and 2x 1.6GHz cores); 3GB RAM - the one we're reviewing
128GB model with Snapdragon 820 chipset( 2x 2.15 GHz and 2x 1.6GHz cores); 4GB RAM
Design and build quality
The Mi 5 is one of the best looking smartphones to date, with exceptional looks and design. The rear glass is curved around the long sides, while the front piece is perfectly flat. Xiaomi put a chamfered edge on the frame to complement the gentle curves on the back, and this combo worked out for the best.
We have always appreciated metal frames in phones, and the Xiaomi Mi 5 delivers. It also improves the grip, boosts the looks, and makes the handling more pleasant.
Weight: 129g
Thickness: 7.3mm
The display may look almost bezel-less, but it isn't. The metal frame is the border, and it took us a while to get used to it when swiping, as most of the time our thumb scratched the metal before proceeding seamlessly onto the screen. It wasn't unpleasant, but unusual at first.
Xiaomi indeed got everything right with the Mi 5 build quality, and you can rest assured the wait was worth it even just to handle this beauty. It is excellently crafted, with solid build, premium materials, and it puts a twist on the dual-glass design.
Design and build quality score 3.5
Display
The Xiaomi Mi 5 features a new 5.15 IPS display of 1080p resolution. Even though most of the rumors suggested an upgrade to QHD resolution, Xiaomi chose to keep the Full HD screen, and we don't mind that. A pixel density of 428ppi is more than respectable and leaves the Snapdragon 820 chip with power to spare on tasks and productivity.
The viewing angles are impressive as well, there is hardly any color shift or contrast loss when looking the Mi 5's display at an angle. It isn't AMOLED grade regarding contrast, but it sure is the next best thing.
When it comes to color rendering, the Mi 5 has an excellent color rendering with an average DeltaE of 3.2 and a maximum deviation of 6.9 in the whites. Anything below 4 is considered calibration level accuracy.
Resolution: 1080 x 1920px
Size: 5.15
Display score 4.0
Battery life
Xiaomi Mi 5 has got pretty much the same battery as its predecessor - it's a 3, 000 mAh Li-Po unit, sealed, of course. We ran our battery test and the Xiaomi Mi 5 scored a 92h rating, which is a respectable score.
Our endurance rating is the amount of time the Mi 5 would last on a single charge if you were to use it for an hour of 3G calls, an hour of web browsing, and an hour of video playback each day and is just an indicative usage scenario, which we use for comparing battery life across devices.
Adding a second SIM card cuts only 1 hour from the total endurance rating.
Capacity: 3000mAh
Endurance rating: 92h
Battery life score 5.0
Audio
The Xiaomi Mi 5 delivered great audio output when hooked up to an active external amplifier. The flagship was not only able to match the best for clarity, but it also delivered splendidly high volume for arguably the best performance among t
