Xiaomi Mi 5 Review

Brightness	White luminance	Black luminance	Contrast	Color temperature
100 %	648.5 cd/m2	0.31 cd/m2	2092 : 1	7022 K
75 %	334.4 cd/m2	0.158 cd/m2	2116 : 1	6827 K
50 %	175.6 cd/m2	0.088 cd/m2	1995 : 1	6718 K
25 %	71.2 cd/m2	0.035 cd/m2	2034 : 1	6629 K
0 %	6.7 cd/m2	0 cd/m2	-	-

OS, UI and software

Xiaomi Mi 5 (all editions) runs MIUI 7 based on Android 6.0. At first sight it might not look like it, but this is a deeply rooted OS and it is obvious that Xiaomi have done a lot of improvements through the years. For some services you even need to have a Mi Account. In order to fully encompass this, one needs more than just a few hours with the device. Our unit arrived with the MIUI 7.2.94.99 build out-of-the-box and no updates were available throughout the time of our testing. Xiaomi are known for releasing updates very often and provide constant improvement based on customer feedback. There is even a special menu from the Settings dedicated to the feedback from users. The overall feeling of the UI and software is that you get a convenient everyday tool that makes life a bit easier. It's all about the small touches like the Prevent pocket dials option, which automatically locks the phone when it is placed in a pocket; or the Smartcover mode, which manages the devices behavior when it is used with a smart cover. There is a whole section called Child Mode, if you want to manage which apps and phone sources to be available for using by your child(ren). The Do Not Disturb mode allows you to manage flexibly the way you get notifications, calls, alarms. For example, even if the device is switched off it will still turn on, if there is an alarm set, and the system lets you know about that. If you have a recurring alarm, you can opt to skip it for a day. The Mi 5 is pretty compact as a width and easy to use with one hand. Still, you get a software option called One Handed Mode, if you need to make it even easier for one hand handling. The Display Settings are very flexible as well. Despite the various pre-set modes, you also get an option to set the text size from XS to XXL, to set a screensaver, to adjust the brightness, contrast and colors. If you're using headphones a lot, you might find convenient the Assign Buttons for Headphones option, which creates shortcuts for the volume and equalizer. A serious portion of the Settings menu is dedicated to the Privacy and Encryption, under which you will find the fingerprint management options. In case you own another Xiaomi device, you can use the Mi Mover for transferring the data from the other device to the Mi 5. Otherwise, on the surface everything looks very clean and well-done, with not apps clutter. You get the Google Play Store, Gmail and YouTube pre-installed along with a default browser. However, the benchmark tests show that the device scores higher with Chrome. The standard apps like Weather, Gallery, Calendar, Calculator, Clock, and Camera are also on board. There is a Tools folder, which houses the Security, (voice) Assistant, Scanner (bar-code reader), Compass, Updater, Notes, Mi Account, Recorder, Explorer, Themes, Download, Music apps. You can choose from 5 themes, already available on the device, or you can opt for downloading more from Xiaomi's Theme Store. It is the same with the available sounds. When you swipe down from the top of the screen you get notifications and when you swipe to the left, you get access to the customizable list of shortcuts, which is a bit different than the standard Android design. The camera and battery software management is also sophisticated, but these will be explored in their respective sections of this review.

Networks, calls and connectivity

Xiaomi Mi 5 has a dual-, nano-SIM card tray and supports quad-band 2G GSM (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), dual-band 2.5 CDMA (800, 1900 MHz), dual-band 3G TD-SCDMA (1900, 2000 MHz), quad-band 3G UMTS (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz), and septa-band 4G+ LTE Cat.12 (1800, 1900, 2100, 2300, 2500, 2600 MHz) networks as well as VoLTE for HD voice calls and faster call connections. All this is possible due to the 3 carrier aggregation technology and the Cat. 12 LTE modem (DL 600Mbps), built-in the Snapdragon 820 chipset. During our test period the device did not have any issues connecting to 4G networks. Reception has been excellent at all times and call quality - flawless. In addition, the model supports MU-MIMO enabled dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac. The MU-MIMO means that the device can transmit to and receive data from multiple Wi-Fi devices at the same time. Wi-Fi Display, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Bluetooth: 4.2, and Bluetooth HID are among the other connectivity options. You can even connect to an outer display, which uses a WLAN connection via the Wireless Display option. The smartphone also has a USB Type-C port. Besides being thinner, it provides faster charging rates and stronger power transmission. Being a Qualcomm based device, the Mi 5 supports full-feature NFC, which can be used for making payments, recharging public transport cards, opening doors with electronic key lock, etc. The Android Beam option allows to share content via NFC with other devices. In terms of geo location and navigation, the model works excellently with GPS/A-GPS, Glonass and Beidou with great accuracy.

Performance

Xiaomi Mi 5's performance is based on a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996 chipset, but in the Standard Edition we are reviewing the CPU is downclocked to 1.8GHz, while originally the clock rate is 2.2GHz. More precisely, this chipset includes a custom made Kryo CPU with four cores, two of which are clocked at 1.8GHz and two - at 1.5GHz. The processor is aided by a Hexagon 680 DSP used for "always-on" low power-sensors and ultra-low power advanced imaging. Actually, throughout the test period nothing has been too heavy for the device and this is not a big surprise. AnTuTu showed an enviable result of 108 347 points. An Adreno 530 GPU clocked at 510MHz is responsible for the graphics. We ran several games, including Asphalt 8 at their maximum graphics level, and playing was sheer pleasure. Not only everything ran smoothly, but we could really enjoy the games' graphics as they were displayed in detail. All graphics tests we ran showed excellent results as well. The smartphone is super fast also because of the 1333MHz, dual-channel LPDDR4 RAM with a capacity of 3GB. The internal memory measures 32GB and cannot be expanded. It is the UFS 2.0 type, which reads/writes data 87% faster than the eMMC 5.0 type of storage as it operates at speeds of up to 450 MB/s due to its different data architecture. The benchmark results below only confirm this. Xiaomi Mi 5 packs a number of sensors along with the fingerprint one, namely an IR blaster, ambient light, proximity, Hall, G-sensor as well as a gyroscope, electronic compass, accelerometer and barometer. All of them work flawlessly, creating an overall great user experience.

Cameras

Xiaomi Mi 5 is equipped with a 16-megapixel primary camera with a Sony IMX298 Exmor RS sensor. It has a size of 1/2.8" and a pixel size of 1.2Вµm. The high-end sensor is coupled with a 6-element lens that is protected by a sapphire glass and has an f/2.0 aperture. The sensor's and lens' work is enhanced by a DTI tech, which applies a pixel-to-pixel isolation that suppresses the pixel crosstalk. Of course, Qualcomm's second generation 14-bit Spectra ISP is also on board and provides superior computational photography and enhanced imaging. All this is coupled with phase detection auto-focus and dual-tone LED flash. The primary camera has many features such as low light enhancement, panorama and HDR shooting, burst mode, face recognition. It is capable of recording of up to 4K video and slow-motion videos @ 120fps. However, its most prominent feature is the 4-axis OIS (optical image stabilization). It stabilizes the image latitudinally and longitudinally, while shooting at close range, and provides transversal stabilization in both directions for far shots. The gyroscope and the accelerometer aid the camera to detect vibrations from eight directions and compensate vibrations, shakes and so on. The camera's software suite is also very rich and even has a manual mode. It allows you to adjust the focus, the exposure time (from 1/1000s to 32s), the ISO (100-3200), the white balance (auto, incandescent, daylight, fluorescent, cloudy). We think that the camera performs excellently, but an image is worth a thousand words, so below you can see sample photos (unaltered and in their original size) and a video. The front-facing camera features a 4-megapixel OmniVision OV4688 with a size of 1/3.0" and a 2Вµm OmniBSI-2 pixel. The lens has an 81.6В°-wide angle and an f/2.0 aperture. It is capable of HDR shooting and burst photography as well as of capturing slow motion videos, FHD videos at 120fps and HD videos at 180fps. The selfie camera has a self-timer and real time Beautify software for skin whitening and smoothing, facial recognition, backlight correction, etc. Again, below you can see unaltered sample images taken with the front camera of the Mi 5. Click on each to see it in its original size.

Primary camera

Secondary camera

Audio

The audio qualities of Xiaomi Mi 5 have not been stressed upon, but actually our test showed a very good total result. Again, we are using the RightMark Audio Analyzer software and the TASCAM US-2x2 audio interface to perform the audio test, so all results published in the table below are provided from the software and are impartial.

Test	Value	RMAA rating
Frequency response (from 40 Hz to 15 kHz), dB	+0.03, -0.07	Excellent
Noise level, dB (A)	-97.4	Excellent
Dynamic range, dB (A)	97.1	Excellent
THD, %	0.0069	Very good
THD + Noise, dB (A)	-80.4	Good
IMD + Noise, %	0.0071	Excellent
Stereo crosstalk, dB	-85.8	Excellent
IMD at 10 kHz, %	0.019	Very good
General performance		Very good

Battery

After many devices with batteries that have 4000, 6000 and so on milliampere hours of capacity, 3000 mAh might not sound like much. However, Xiaomi Mi 5 excels in battery autonomy. For starters, it is equipped with a Lithium-ion Polymer accumulator, which is non-removable, but more interestingly, it is a 685 Wh/L high density one. This allows the battery to have a larger capacity, while being physically smaller than standard 3000 mAh batteries. Secondly, it is coupled with Qualcomm's Quick Charge 3.0 tech and a 5V/2.5A; 9V/2A; 12V/1.5A fast charger. When plugged in to charge from 0% it starts charging at 5.22V/1.76A. During our test period, 10 minutes of charging loaded the battery up to 10%, 45 minutes - 47%, and 60 minutes (1h) - 64%. A full charging of the battery from 0 to 100% took 1 hour and 56 minutes. This is very quick, though at around 90% the charging drops to 1A and near 100% it dropped even more to 0.35A, which is why from 90 to 100% charging is significantly slower. Thirdly, the battery is easily monitored and managed from the Settings menu. It features three battery profiles - default, marathon, sleep, and each has a pre-set behavior for various scenarios of the capacity level. Of course, there is a whole Battery Saver section and Scheduled power on and off plus a Scheduled profile switch. The PCMark battery test showed an excellent result: 9 hours and 15 minutes of work time. It was made with the screen being calibrated to a brightness level of 200 cd/sq.m. as recommended by Futuremark.

Final thoughts

Xiaomi Mi 5 is an impressive smartphone, indeed. It combines top-of-the-line hardware with an excellent screen, intuitive software and on top of it all - a very reasonable price. With this phone the Chinese manufacturer will definitely make its market position on home grounds even more solid and has all the chances this device to pave its way to entering other markets such the US and EU.