Xiaomi has just successfully pulled off an Apple act with their all new smartphone. The highly anticipated Xiaomi Mi5s has been launched and for our surprise, the company has introduced one more variant of the Mi5s called the Mi5s Plus; ring a bell?
Previously, the only the Mi5s was officially teased and a few rumours suggested that a smaller variant of the smartphone with a smaller screen would be introduced. With the new Xiaomi Mi5s, the company introduced a much larger screen version of the regular Mi5s. The Mi5s Plus not only gets a bigger 5.7-inch screen but also significant hardware that sets it apart.
Xiaomi Mi5s
The Xiaomi Mi5 is packed with decent specs that make it powerful enough to deliver impressive power numbers. With the Mi5s, Xiaomi has done something similar. The design has been somewhat retained but the plastic body has been replaced by an aluminium unibody. The new metallic body gets the same curved edges and looks more premium with a better fit and finish than its predecessor. The antenna artwork on the rear of the device is reminiscent of the iPhone 6. The Mi5s will be available in two versions – one with 3GB LPDDR4 RAM and 64GB of onboard storage and the other being with 4GB LPDDR4 RAM and 128GB ROM.
On the front is the pressure sensitive 5.15-inch FullHD display with 428 ppi. The 3GB variant misses the pressure sensitive screen and gets the standard unit. Powering these devices will be a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chipset that uses Quad-core config comprised of 2 x 2.15 GHz Kryo & 2 x 1.6 GHz Kryo. This SoC is coupled with Adreno 530 GPU clocked at 624 MHz.
The front-facing camera is a 4MP with f/2.0 aperture and 80-degrees wide angle lens. The rear shooter is a 12MP Sony IMX 378 unit with 6 lens, f 2.0 aperture, and 80-degree wide angle lens. The phone gets a 3,200 mAh battery that supports quick charging and can be fuelled up through a USB Type-C port.
Xiaomi Mi5s Plus
The Xiaomi Mi5s Plus is what the iPhone 7 Plus is for Apple. The Mi5s Plus reflects similar upgrade philosophy as the iPhone 7 Plus. Speaking of the design, the Mi5s Plus gets a similar design treatment as the Mi5s – aluminium unibody with curved edges and brushed metal finish. Two versions of the Mi5s Plus will be rolled out; one with 4GB LPDDR4 RAM and 64GB of onboard storage and the other being with 6GB LPDDR4 RAM and 128GB ROM.
The display comprises a bigger 5.7-inch FullHD screen with 386 ppi. Well, there is no mention that the Mi5s Plus will get a pressure sensitive screen as the Mi5s (4GB RAM variant). A Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 clocked at 2.35 GHz is fitted inside and is assisted with Adreno 530 GPU clocked at 653MHz.
Coming to the ‘Plus’ upgrade, the rear gets a Dual 13MP camera with one being a colour unit while the other is a Black and White. The front unit remains identical to the module on the Mi5s. The battery capacity on this device is 3,800 mAh. The Mi5s and the Mi5s Plus will be up on sale on 29 September 2016 for a price of RMB 1,999 (USD 300 or INR 20,000 approx) and RMB 2,299 (USD 345 or INR 23,000 approx). These prices mentioned are for the Mi5s 3GB + 64GB ROM and Mi5s Plus 4GB + 128 GB.