Mi Precious
The great, affordable phones from Chinese manufacturers keep coming, and the Mi 5 is no exception. This flagship handset from Xiaomi is a follow-on from last season’s Mi 4, with a few muchneeded upgrades.
It is one of several Xiaomi handsets and devices launched in SA, adding to the range of options that consumers can now choose from.
Most notably, the Mi 5 is 4G capable — halala — which is (in my opinion) a prerequisite for any top-end competing device.
The Mi 5 is slim (7.3 mm) and light (129 g), with an attractive glass and metal body, but can be slippery in hand. My standard advice for all smartphones is get a quality cover for it immediately. No matter how pretty the body is, if you’re going to commit this much money to a device, a cover is a must.
The screen on the Mi 5 runs virtually edge to edge, stretches to 5.15 inches, and offers 1,080p resolution (full HD).
All the better to see your photos with: the rear camera packs 16 MP and uses a Sony sensor with optical image stabilisation to help you to take great snaps. This camera can also record 4K (ultra HD) videos. It works well in low and bright light. The front camera only offers 4 MP. Fine for your basic selfie, but not overwhelming.
Under the hood, the Mi 5 offers 3 GB RAM and runs a Snapdragon 820 chipset, a powerhouse from chip maker Qualcomm — making for fast processing on high-demand tasks — though I did experience hanging once or twice.
Internal storage capacity is 32 GB, and there’s no SD slot for boosting storage.
The dual Sim is a nice touch (and one that is becoming a much more popular feature on smartphones).
It includes a non-removable 3,000 mAh battery that will take you through — and out the other side of — the typical work day with standard browsing, calling, texting and app usage. It charges with a USB Type-C port, and can be charged quickly, getting you to around 80% in 30 minutes.
The Mi 5 runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow and has the MIUI 7 user interface, which is simple and bloatware-free.
And all that for R7,999!