For those in North America, Xiaomi may not be known as well as Samsung but they are one of the biggest smartphone manufacturers in China.
And just like Samsung and Apple, they too have smartphones to release every year, Xiaomi just announced the Mi 5 and the Mi 4S at MWC 2016.
Xiaomi Mi5
To start off, the Mi 5’s design is a combination of 3D ceramic and glass. It weighs about 129g and also has a 5.15-inch 1080p display.
There is a fingerprint sensor on the front of the device which doubles as a home button just like some other flagship smartphones (ahem, Galaxy S7 & iPhone 6S).
It come with 32GB or 64GB of internal storage and there’s also a 128GB version which is dubbed the Mi 5 Pro edition.
For connectivity, you’ll find a USB Type-C port as well as built-in NFC for mobile payments.
The processor is a Snapdragon 820 chip which is paired either 3GB of RAM for the 32GB and 64GB versions and 4GB of RAM for 128GB Pro version.
The battery is 3,000mAh and the Mi 5 also has support for Quick Charge 3.0.
The rear-facing camera on the Mi 5 is 16-megapixels with 4-axis OIS while the front-facing camera is 4-megapixels.
Software-wise, the Mi 5 is running Android 6.0 with Xiaomi’s MIUI skin.
Xiaomi will be selling the Mi 5 in black, white and gold when the phone launches in March in China and then India after that.
The 32GB model of the Mi 5 will cost ¥1999 which is equal to $419 CDN or $306 USD, the 64GB model will cost ¥2299 which is equal to $482 CDN or $350 USD.
Meanwhile the Mi 5 Pro (also known as the 128GB version) will sell for ¥2699 which is equal to $565 CDN or $413 USD.
Xiaomi Mi 4S
The Mi 5 wasn’t the only device that Xiaomi announced at MWC 2016. They also announced a revamped version of their Mi 4 called the Mi 4S.
The Mi 4S will feature a new metal frame and glass panels that cover both sides of the device. The display is a 5-inch with a resolution of 1920 by 1080.
The device will also get a fingerprint sensor which is on the back of the device like the LG G5 or Huawei Nexus 6P.
It is being powered by a Snapdragon 808 processor with 3GB of RAM. The Mi 4S will also come with 64GB of internal storage with a microSD card slot for up 128GB more of space.
The rear-facing camera on the Xiaomi Mi 4S is 13-megapixels while the front-facing camera is 5-megapixels.
You’ll also find a 3,260mAh battery with Quick Charge 2.0 , dual SIM support and a infrared remote sensor.
The Xiaomi Mi 4S will be running Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Xiaomi’s MIUI 7 skin on it.
The Mi 4S will launch in March in China for ¥1699 which is equal to about $356 CDN or $260 USD.
It will be available in black, white, gold and pink.
TheCanadianTechie 