Xiaomi Mi 5 saw light during the 2016 MWC show that was held in Barcelona. While the phone was actually the only one that was available physically during the launch, the official release date took place a few days later.
Being one of the biggest smartphone vendors in China, the company is slowly making a name for itself in the region as the Apple of China. Xiaomi Mi 5 was made official in India on the last day of March; however, there are no plans to bring the device to the United States and other major markets such as the UK and the rest of Europe.
How to buy the new Xiaomi Mi 5 in the U.S.
Xiaomi Mi 5 is a very attractive device; however, there are some limitations in play here. For starters, the company does not sell its devices in the U.S. In addition, the Chinese OEM has not mentioned whether the Mi 5 will be sold in other markets other than Asia.
Regardless of this scenario, you can still grab yourself a new Xiaomi Mi 5 without having to leave your country. Local carriers such as Verizon, AT&T, U.S. Cellular, Sprint, and T-Mobile or even players such as Carphone Warehouse will not be offering this device, but major online retailers in China will be offering the unlocked version of the phone. A visit to sites such as Coolicool.com or Geekbuying.com will guarantee that you get a new Xiaomi Mi 5 shipped right to your doorstep.
Apparently, the Xiaomi Mi 5 Pro, which comes with 128GB of onboard storage, costs about $405 while the standard 32GB version costs about $295. However, these prices are nothing for those who want to import the phone as the charges will increase depending on the shipping company used. In addition, these prices are subject to change and you may also be required to pay import duty, so make sure you familiarize yourself with matters of imports and exports before going ahead to order the Mi 5.
Xiaomi Mi 5 features and specs
Xiaomi Mi 5 is no doubt a flagship killer thanks to its “3D ceramic body” that houses a 5.15-inch IPS display with 1920 by 1080 pixels FHD resolution. Under the hood is a 64-bit Snapdragon 820 CPU that promises the best performance ever. According to Qualcomm, this year’s flagship CPU is faster and more energy-efficient when compared to any of its predecessors. In addition, it packs a superior Adreno 530 GPU as well as supports ultra-fast charging thanks to Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 technology.
The Chinese OEM availed the Xiaomi Mi 5 in three different variants based on onboard storage and RAM. For the 32GB and 64GB models, there is only 3GB of RAM. However, the high-end Xiaomi Mi 5 Pro packs 128GB of onboard storage as well as a flagship RAM of 4GB. With Xiaomi being tagged as the Apple of China, you will not come across a microSD card in any of these variants, so better be wise when choosing the amount of storage you need.
On the rear of the phone is a 16MP sensor that features four-axis OIS, DTI tech, PDAF autofocus and an aperture of f/2.0.
As far as connectivity is concerned, the Xiaomi Mi 5 is a 4G phone that comes with two SIM card slots, NFC, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS, Wi-Fi as well as a fingerprint scanner. The phone uses the latest USB Type-C connector for charging and data transfer services. The phone is powered by the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Xiaomi’s MIUI 7 interface on top. As far as the battery unit is concerned, you’ll get a decent 3000mAh capacity.
Since the phone is not meant for the U.S. market, you will have to customize it to suit your needs. For instance, you may be required to download a U.S.-based keyboard, install Google Play Store and other apps that usually come preinstalled on Android-powered smartphones.