Xiaomi Mi 5s review: Ever changing

24 October 2016
The Mi 5 went on sale in April and the market has change quite a bit since then. While Xiaomi is having a very successful year so far, especially with the mid-range Redmi series, the high-end competition can only be described as unprecedented. In the wake of the Galaxy Note7 demise, the iPhone 7 release, and the V20 stepping up its game the it's time, Xiaomi is shifting the spotlight back to the Mi flagships with its new Mi 5s and Mi 5s Plus updates.

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  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • n4W
  • 25 Oct 2016

AnonD-564674, 25 Oct 2016LOL, U mad? Why? Mi5 was a masterpiece, BUT its body is FRA... moreBig argument here... Anyway
You mention over 3 times better selfie cam,which by all means is not true!They had the same 4mp selfie cam.
Better SoC? Hardly.There is no meaningful diff between the two,like it or not.
Much better main camera? Would'nt agree.In medium to good light MI5 camera is equal if not better than Mi5s.In low light,I still could'nt see that much advantage of Mi5s.
And yes OIS is important no matter how hard you manipulate about that,that's a fact your words not.

    • D
    • AnonD-602065
    • 55i
    • 25 Oct 2016

    "Seamlessly hidden in the body of the phone, a 3D sensor performs at a higher speed, is accurate and durable. The sensor rests under the 2.5D screen Gorilla Glass 4. Consequently, an additional on-screen slot is no longer required."

    This describtion is about "xiaomi mi 5s" from official website of xiaomi.

      • D
      • AnonD-564674
      • 61q
      • 25 Oct 2016

      ethereal, 25 Oct 2016Please stop with your excuses! Mi5 s can not be said a grea... moreLOL, U mad? Why? Mi5 was a masterpiece, BUT its body is FRAGILE, as both back & front are covered with glass.

      "Mi5 s can not be said a great upgrade especially for those who are coming from Mi5."
      WHEN did I ever said GREAT UPGRADE? U are saying BULLSHIT to make me look like the bad guy here.
      I said Mi5s is MUCH BETTER in many aspects than Mi5; metal body, newer back camera sensor & UltraPixel front camera, newer SD821, sold at half the price of Pixel, HTC 10, and Xperia XZ!

      FYI, Mi5s upgrade from glass to plastic is BRILLIANT!
      No need to worry u might drop ur device and get the back glass shatter!

      BETTER back camera; the similar one used in Pixel, so just wait for MIUI camera update to fix the problem mentioned in the review, and MUCH BETTER front camera.
      BTW, the only one that complaining the absences of OIS in Mi5s might be can't even take good photos without any stabilizing soft. Like I said before, just think that this to cut the production cost.

      BETTER front camera; UltraPixel really is the answer for front camera, not ridiculous 16MP front camera like O**o did, while eqipped the the back one with less performing 13MP ones.

      "IR was xiaomi's signature from previous many generations."
      Then just buy Xiaomi Redmi or Redmi Note series, u TROLL!

      I don't think I ever need to say this, buy day by day, there are changes made by phone makers, including omitting feature that they think omittable.

      See that Samsung did this too in their flagship Note series before?
      That's why don't start whining and talk CRAP just because u don't find ur fav IR blaster in Mi series!
      RedMi series still has one and u can buy that one instead, but with no flagship feature whatsoever.

      "OIS is better than EIS anyday, since it helps with the stills too unlike EIS which helps reducing shakes only in videos"

      OIS or EIS is ultimately a stabilizer soft to minimize shakes done by ur hands. People with GOOD photography skill won't whine when they find their device doesn't have OIS. Only people like u whine about anything that Mi5s lacks and make a big deal out of it.
      In short, u don't like it, then wait for Mi6, don't start whining!

      "For the same reason, I have ordered for myself the Mi5 instead over Mi5 s, as the IR and better battery were the most important features for me those I required"

      People like u are the last thing I want to deal with. We don't care what Mi series u bought and reason why u bought it, but don't say CRAP.
      Mi5s is BETTER than Mi5 in the 3 main aspects; body, camera & SoC.
      So if u prefer IR blaster on FRAGILE device, suit urself, as long as u don't talk CRAP!

        • ?
        • Anonymous
        • 25 Oct 2016

        It has a great camera, but unfortunately the right side, especially the bottom-right corner is blurry, which makes the image quality inconsistent and bad. Maybe the phone has bad lenses.

          AnonD-564674, 25 Oct 2016No screen protection? Yes, instead u get MUCH BETTER Alumin... morePlease stop with your excuses! Mi5 s can not be said a great upgrade especially for those who are coming from Mi5.

          IR was xiaomi's signature from previous many generations. Similarly, OIS is better than EIS anyday, since it helps with the stills too unlike EIS which helps reducing shakes only in videos.

          For the same reason, I have ordered for myself the Mi5 instead over Mi5 s, as the IR and better battery were the most important features for me those I required.

            regs, 25 Oct 2016there photos in review. all bezel is 2,5D glass curve. htt... moreHe meant the black border annoyingly prominent & sandwitched between the outer bezel and the actual display.

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              • AnonD-296347
              • 3Jn
              • 25 Oct 2016

              AnonD-564674, 25 Oct 2016No screen protection? Yes, instead u get MUCH BETTER Alumin... morethey have dragon tail protection!all xiaomi phones that doesnt says gorilla glass have dragon tail!

                thank you

                  I think they held back on implementing proper flagship hardware for these as they are releasing the Mi Note 2 in a few days.

                    • z
                    • zodiacfml
                    • 3YH
                    • 25 Oct 2016

                    I think larger camera sensors is a good direction as most photos I take is in good light.
                    Of course, OIS on such a large sensor will be better if they can.

                      I think they held back on implementing proper flagship hardware for these as they are releasing the Mi Note 2 in a few days.

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                        • AnonD-564674
                        • 61q
                        • 25 Oct 2016

                        ssbatman21, 25 Oct 2016No screen protectoon? No ois? Ir blaster gone? Lower bat... moreNo screen protection? Yes, instead u get MUCH BETTER Aluminum Metal body that is MANY TIMES MORE DURABLE than ceramic or glass which is brittle enough to get snap in two pieces.

                        No ois? Yes, instead u got EIS, MUCH BETTER 12MP camera, the same one used in Google Pixel & 4MP UltraPixel Front Camera, MUCH BETTER than previous Mi5 4MP ones.

                        Ir blaster gone? yes, unfortunately...

                        Lower battery endurance? yes, but 7 hours differences is not that big of a difference, u can do some settings to make Mi5s battery last longer. Moreover, ongoing MIUI update should fix battery issue, as SD821used in Mi5s promises better battery endurance rather than better CPU & GPU performance.

                        Nice upgrades........!!!!!!
                        Yes, of course.......!!!!!! With HALF THE PRICE for Google Pixel, Xperia XZ, and HTC 10, Mi5s sure is a "nice upgrades" as u said; no more worried of the phone snap in two, better back & front camera, newer SoC, BETTER fingerprint sensor are some really hard-to-ignore feature upgrades over Mi5. For no Gorilla Glass issue, u can always get hardened glass which only cost US$5-10 at most.

                        Just think that Xiaomi didn't use Gorilla Glass to cut production cost, because aluminum body & newer camera alone are quite a treat for a device below US$500!

                          • D
                          • Dodo
                          • 0cJ
                          • 25 Oct 2016

                          AnonD-587428, 25 Oct 2016Compared to the Pixel this is a great buy, $300 vs $800 and... moreCheap, but the camera sucks for low res....

                          I like Xiaomi's designs, but in this case you get pretty much what you pay for.

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • 61s
                            • 25 Oct 2016

                            Thanks, I'll stick with my Mi5, and I'm pretty sure it won't snap in half before it's dead.

                              No screen protectoon?
                              No ois?
                              Ir blaster gone?
                              Lower battery endurance?
                              Nice upgrades........!!!!!!

                                • r
                                • regs
                                • swN
                                • 25 Oct 2016

                                AnonD-173026, 25 Oct 2016Fake marketing picture! It has huge black bezel around the ... morethere photos in review. all bezel is 2,5D glass curve.
                                http://cdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/16/xiaomi-mi-5s/phone/-1024x768mw1/gsmarena_003.jpg

                                but then again, little bezel makes it difficult to use. lots galaxy s edge users are annoyed with the problem. even me with standard sgs6.

                                  • D
                                  • AnonD-587428
                                  • H4k
                                  • 25 Oct 2016

                                  Compared to the Pixel this is a great buy, $300 vs $800 and an Ultra Sonic finger print scanner. Just for those that don't know the in between devices aren't really Xiaomi's flagships. For example Mi3, Mi4, Mi5/Pro, Mi Note/Pro & so on are their flagships. The Mi Note 2 being announced today is the next true flagship since the Mi5. The Mi5s for what is, an in between, is an extremely good deal, especially the 128gb with the extra features.

                                    • D
                                    • AnonD-601613
                                    • KiV
                                    • 25 Oct 2016

                                    stop reading at No OIS

                                      • D
                                      • AnonD-546059
                                      • bE8
                                      • 25 Oct 2016

                                      The REDMI 3S PRIME is only 0.2 mm thicker than the MI 5S but it packs a 4100 mAH battery which is pathetic on the part of xiaomi

                                        • D
                                        • AnonD-173026
                                        • 61C
                                        • 25 Oct 2016

                                        Fake marketing picture! It has huge black bezel around the screen :(