Xiaomi’s high-end Mi 5 flagship will be available from March 1

Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone maker that has made a reputation releasing high-end smartphones at rock-bottom prices, revealed its latest flagship, the Mi 5, at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) event in Barcelona on Wednesday.

The Xiaomi Mi 5 displayed here. The Chinese smartphone giant is banking on their latest flagship product to dominate the market. (HT Photo)

Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone maker that has made a reputation releasing high-end smartphones at rock-bottom prices, revealed its latest flagship product, the Mi 5, at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) event in Barcelona on Wednesday.

The dual-SIM Mi 5 has a 5.15-inch full HD display with extremely thin bezels, and is extremely powerful. It runs on Snapdragon 820, Qualcomm's top-of-the-line flagship processor, has 4 GB RAM, a 3,000mAH battery, and has a fingerprint sensor on the front, a first for Xiaomi. The Mi 5 weighs 129 gm -- 14 gm lighter than the iPhone 6S, says Xiaomi.

The phone is available in three colours -- white, gold, and black -- and has two variants: a higher-end 3D ceramic model that resists scratches, and a cheaper 3D glass model that, we guess, doesn't resist as many scratches.

On the back of the Mi 5 is a 16 megapixel camera with a Sony IMX298 sensor that shoots 4K video and has built-in 4-axis optical image stabilisation that keeps videos stable even with aggressive shaking. More importantly, the rear camera is flush with the back of the device and doesn't protrude like the one on Apple and Samsung's latest flagships, something, claimed Xiaomi Vice President Hugo Barra, the company spent two years perfecting. There's also a 4 megapixel front camera for selfies.

Xioami is releasing three versions of the Mi 5. The Mi 5 Pro is the highest-end version that throws in everything -- 4 GB RAM, 128 GB storage, and the 3D ceramic body. It costs RMB 2699 (approx ₹ 28,000). The 64 GB Mi 5 is RMB 2299 (approx ₹ 24,000), and the 3 GB model is RMB 1999 (approx ₹ 20,000). Both the lower-end versions come with 3 GB RAM and the 3D glass body.

The Mi 5 will be available to buy in China starting March 1, and will be released in India "soon", says Xiaomi.