Xiaomi MI 5 is one of the first smartphones to be released by the Xiaomi brand in 2016. It’s a medium-end phone which has qualities that were rarely available on the market as of the time of its release.
It was first announced in February 2016 and was released for global purchase in April 2016. The phone comes in three versions. The standard, the pro and the prime versions. The pro and prime versions are for use in China only while the standard is a global one.
The Xiaomi MI 5 operates on the GSM/LTE technology. It has body dimensions of 5.69 x 2.72 x 0.29 inches and weighs roughly 29g. It carries an IPS LCD display with a 5.15 inches screen size. A screen resolution of 1080 X 1920 pixels means that the Xiaomi MI 5 has a great display.
It’s a dual-sim phone with corning Gorilla Glass 4 covering its back and front. Its body frame is however made of aluminium. The Xiaomi MI 5 takes its interface from the Android version 6.0 operating system. It is, however, upgradable to version 8.0.
The Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 820 chipset provides a formidable framework for the phone to operate. Its CPU is also a Quad-core processor made up of two 1.8GHz kryo and two 1.36 GHz kryo cores.
With a powerful GPU such as the Adreno 530, the MI 5 produces high quality and sharp 2D and 3D images. This is by far a higher achievement for a phone released in 2016.
Memory And Camera
The Xiaomi MI 5 has great camera qualities just as most of the other existing Xiaomi phones. Its rear or main camera has a single lens of 16MP. It supports dual-led, dual-tone flash panorama and HDR features.
The secondary or selfie camera on the other hand has a single 4PM lens which produces video quality of 1080p@30fps.
In terms of storage capacity, the Xiaomi MI 5 does not have an external memory card slot. However, the device provides compensation for this with its 32GB ROM 3GB RAM internal memory.
Battery and Other Features
Battery life is a major plus for the Xiaomi brand. Most of its phones have battery capacity above 3,000 MAh. They seem to protect this image so well. The MI 5 boasts of a non-removable 3,000 MaH Lithium-positive battery. The phone supports quick charge 3.0. It also supports fast charging at 18W.
Other features of the Xiaomi MI 5 are fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass and barometer. It also supports Wi-fi, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, NFC, Infrared and USB Type-C.
Unfortunately, this phone does not have an in-built radio app. So, those seeking to tune in to their favourite radio stations will have to download third-party apps.
Price and Where To Buy In Ghana
As a matter of truth, you are very unlikely to get the Xiaomi MI 5 in Ghana presently. However, if you are able to chance on some, it should cost between GHS 800 to GHS 1,300 for the brand new one. For the slightly used versions, you should expect to pay about GHS 500 to GHS 700 for one.
You may check here to see for yourself.
Conclusion
Many people have varying definitions for what a good phone is. But generally, a good phone should have a powerful camera, a wonderful speed and a great battery life. At least, the MI 5 ticks most of these boxes and stands tall as one of the leading Xiaomi phones produced so far.
The Xiaomi MI 5 is a good buy for anyone looking to buy a medium-end phone which performs exceptionally above others in the same category. You wouldn’t have to spend so much too on this one.
However, if you want to check out other Xiaomi phones, you can click here. For Samsung lovers, the Samsung S8 is a good one for you. Check it out here.
If you have any questions, comments or reservations regarding this phone or this article, kindly let us know in the comment box below.