Ending Soon! Save 33% on All Access

Xiaomi Mi 5 Costs Half but is as Powerful as Smartphones get From first impressions and community reviews, Xiaomi does appear to work as advertised

By Rustam Singh

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

http://www.mi.com

The Chinese super giant that has surprised marketing experts with its incredible sales pitches and numbers, its newest product Xiaomi Mi 5 is already taking storm of reviewers across the world. Thankfully, this is one of those rare phones where Asian countries, including India, get an advantage of an early release and cheaper pricing as compared to MNC giants like Apple and Google Nexus.

It's said to be competing with these giants yet at less than half their price. But as they say, if something is too good to be true, it probably is.

Design

Xiaomi Mi 5 borrows a lot of elements from its predecessor Mi Note, which was also referred and acknowledged in the press launch. The design admittedly does look progressive and sleek, and they've managed to fit a good 3000Mah battery inside this tiny device weighing around 129g. The metallic look provides a bit of a slip in it's grip, but you'd probably use a cover anyway. The back, unfortunately looks hastily designed, and easily gives away the cheap Chinese phone look.

Display

The crisp 5.15 inch full HD display appears to be very reflective, and it's difficult to get a selfie out in the sun without your face bouncing back the polish. But that's where the innovative Sunlight Display, which dynamically adjusts the brightness on pixels, so that one does not have to strain their eyes when out in bright sunlight comes in play. That is really impressive display right there – with the text appearing sharp, colors are vibrant.

Performance

It's the first smartphone in India with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820. It's paired with DDR4 RAM & UFC 2.0 storage. The quadcore processing makes the phone good for virtually any use- even though it's draining the battery at the downside. But hey, a little bit of tweaking can do wonders. For its price, it's working great. It's clocked 1.8 ghz.

Camera

With a stunning 16MP camera with four axis OIS, Ultrapixel camera front camera and brilliant LED flashes, the camera is great. Not stunning, but great nonetheless.

Overall

If you cannot afford a Galaxy flagship Smartphone because it doesn't make sense as the next model can launch before you can even finish your previous phone's EMI, then this is the right phone for you. But if you're expecting the world's fastest and perfect phone, there's no such thing, but this does come close to it, for the price. The fastest selling point is making luxury affordable to everyone.

What do you think of the new Xiaomi? Let us know in the comments on our official Facebook page Entrepreneur India.

Rustam Singh

Sub-Editor- Entrepreneur.com

Tech reporter.

Contact me if you have a truly unique technology related startup looking for a review and coverage, especially a crowd-funded project looking to launch and coverage.

News and Trends

CoverSure and CirclePe Raise Early-Stage Funding

Here are the Indian startups that announced early-stage funding rounds.

Business Models

How to Become an AI-Centric Business (and Why It's Crucial for Long-Term Success)

Learn the essential steps to integrate AI at the core of your operations and stay competitive in an ever-evolving landscape.

Devices

Get This Handy Color Sensor for $50 Through Memorial Day

Keep your business in touch with any color that inspires you.

Business News

'Creators Left So Much Money on the Table': Kickstarter's CEO Reveals the Story Behind the Company's Biggest Changes in 15 Years

In an interview with Entrepreneur, Kickstarter CEO Everette Taylor explains the decision-making behind the changes, how he approaches leading Kickstarter, and his advice for future CEOs.