Xiaomi Mi 5S is an upgrade to the Xiaomi Mi 5 launched earlier in the year. It features the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 821, slightly more battery life, as well as the new highly rated 12MP Sony IM378 sensor. The Xiaomi Mi 5S curiously drops the Optical Image Stabilisation feature that was available in the Mi5.
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The Design
Xiaomi Mi 5S offers a unibody design built on a durable metal alloy. Compared to the Mi5, the glass cover on the back has been removed to give a more metal feel. Xiaomi Mi 5S still offers glass cover for the front, but it is still not clear whether it is Corning or Dragontrail.
The smartphone offers a slim bezel and is available in Rose Gold, Gold, Deep Gray, or Silver. Xiaomi Mi 5S drops the home button, though the Fingerprint scanner is still in the same location.
The Display and Cameras
Xiaomi Mi 5S sports a 5.15-inch IPS Display. The Display features 1080 x 1920 pixels resolution with good brightness and deep black. This will make it great for watching movies. The screen also offers good outdoor view.
Xiaomi Mi 5S sports the much talked about Sony IM378 sensor. It is the same 12 megapixels sensor on the Google Pixel, which was rated 89 by DxOMark the highest score by any smartphone camera.
The Camera sports dual-LED flash, phase detection autofocus, Panorama, auto-HDR, and 4k video recording. However, it lacks Optical Image Stabilisation, which is disappointing for a smartphone that wants to rub shoulders with other flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S7.
Xiaomi Mi 5S has a 4 megapixels front facing camera for taking selfies.
Hardware and Software
Xiaomi Mi 5S offers top notch hardware. Inside, you get the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821, which is state of the art and faster than the Snapdragon 820 in the Mi5. This combines with the fast UFS 2.0 storage to ensure a breezy performance, which will make the Xiaomi Mi 5S great for games and other power demanding tasks.
The chipset offers two powerful dual-core processors clocked at up to 2.15GHz and 2.0GHz respectively. Xiaomi Mi 5S comes in two variants; one offering 64GB built-in storage with 3GB RAM and the other with 128GB built-in storage with 4GB RAM. The 4GB/128GB model also adds 3D Touch UI, similar to the iPhone 7. It lacks a microSD slot, so has no support for memory cards.
Xiaomi Mi 5S runs MiUI 8 on top of Android 6.0.1 (Marshmallow). The phone supports fast 4G LTE with dual-band Wi-Fi. It also comes with USB Type C port.
Xiaomi Mi 5S has slightly more battery than the Mi 5 (3200 mAh vs 3000 mAh). This should offer some improvement in battery life. The Android phone supports Quick Charge 3.0 for fast charging of the battery. The battery can charge to 83% in just 30 minutes.
Pricing and Availability
Xiaomi Mi 5S is not available in Nigeria, Ghana, or Kenya. However, the smartphone is currently available on Gearbest (Click Here) with free international shipping. When available, you can buy the smartphone at leading online stores in your country in Africa. Xiaomi Mi 5S Price in Nigeria should range from between 135,000 Naira and 270,000 Naira, depending on your location in the country.
Xiaomi Mi 5S Specs
Here are the specs of the Xiaomi Mi 5S:
General Features
- Platform: Android 6.0.1 (Marshmallow), MiUI 8
- Processor: Quad-core Processor: 2.15GHz dual-core and 2.0GHz dual-core (Qualcomm Snapdragon 821)
- GPU: Adreno 530
- Memory: 3GB RAM or 4GB RAM
- Colours: Gold, Rose Gold, Silver, Gray
- Dimension: 145.6 x 70.3 x 8.3 mm
- Weight: 145g
- SIM Type: Nano SIM
- SIM Count: Dual-SIM, Dual Standby
Display
- Display: 5.15-inch IPS Display, 1080 x 1920 pixels (428 ppi)
- Screen Protection: Scratch Resistant Glass
Camera
- Rear Camera: 12 MP Camera, Ultra HD 2160p Video
- Rear Camera Features: Autofocus, Dual-LED Flash, Geo-tagging, Face Detection, Smile Detection, Panorama, Auto-HDR
- Front Camera: 4MP Camera, 1080p HD Video
Storage
- Built-in Storage: 64GB (3GB RAM) or 128GB (4GB RAM)
- Memory Card Support: No
- Bundled Cloud Storage: –
Network Support
- 2G GSM: 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900MHz
- 2G CDMA 1X: Yes
- 3G WCDMA: 900 / 2100MHz
- 3G CDMA EVDO: Yes
- 4G LTE: Yes
Internet & Connectivity
- GPRS: Yes, up to 48kbps
- EDGE: Yes
- 3G/WCDMA/HSPA: Yes
- HSPA+: Yes
- CDMA EVDO: Yes
- 4G LTE: Yes
- WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
- Wi-Fi Hotspot: Yes
- Bluetooth: Yes, Bluetooth 4.2 with A2DP, LE
- NFC: Yes
- Infrared Blaster: Yes
- USB Port: Yes, USB Type C 1.0
Messaging
- SMS/MMS: Yes
- Instant Messaging: Yes
- Push Emails: Yes
- Email Protocol: –
Entertainment
- Music Player: Yes, mp3, WAV, FLAC, eACC+
- Video Player: Yes, MPEG4, H.263, H.264, XviD
- FM Radio: Yes
- Loudspeaker: Yes
- 3.5mm Jack: Yes
Navigation
- Navigation: Yes, GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS
- Maps: Yes, Google Maps
Sensors & Control
- Digital Compass: Yes
- Accelerometer: Yes
- Proximity Sensor: Yes
- Light Sensor: Yes
- Barometer: Yes
- Pedometer: No
- Gyroscope: Yes
- Fingerprint Scanner: Yes
- Iris Scanner: No
- Intelligent Digital Assistant: –
- Motion Sensing / Gesture Control: –
- Voice Control: –
Other Features
- Video Streaming: Yes
- Active Noise Cancellation: Yes (with dedicated mic)
- Wireless Charging: No
- Water Resistant: No
- Dust Resistant:
- Image Editor: Yes
- Video Editor: No (download at store)
- Document Viewer: No (download at store)
- Document Editor: No (download at store)
Battery
- Battery: 3200 mAh Battery (non-removable)
- Standby Time: –
- Talktime: –
- Browsing Time: –
- Video Watching: –
- Music Playback: –
- Fast Charging: Yes, charges to 83% capacity in just 30 minutes (QuickCharge 3.0)