Updated model of the top series on the latest Snapdragon 821 platform

We continue to get acquainted with the update of the top Xiaomi Mi line, which the manufacturer of popular Chinese smartphones introduced at the end of September 2016 in two new modifications: Xiaomi Mi 5s and Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus. As it turned out when considering Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus, the manufacturer has made significant changes to the new items compared to the previous model of the series (Mi 5), and the new models differ quite a lot from each other. Smartphones Mi 5s and Mi 5s Plus are aimed at different target audiences and both are quite worthy of separate reviews, so today, following the Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus, we will also study the regular Mi 5s model.

Key Features of Xiaomi Mi 5s

• SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 (MSM8996pro), 4 Kryo cores @2.0/2.15 GHz
• GPU Adreno 530 @624 MHz
• Operating system Android 6.0.1
• 5.15″ IPS touch display, 1920×1080, 427 ppi
• RAM (RAM) 3/4 GB, inner memory 32/64/128 GB
• Support Nano-SIM (2 pcs.)
• No microSD support
• GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
• WCDMA/HSPA+ networks (850/900/1900/2100 MHz)
• LTE networks FDD Band 1/3/7
• Networks TD LTE Band 38-41, TD-SCDMA, CDMA1X/EVDO (BC0)
• Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5 GHz)
• Bluetooth
• GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, BDS
• USB Type-C, USB OTG
• Camera 12 MP (Sony IMX378), autofocus, f/2.0, 4K video
• Front camera 4 MP, f/2.0, fixed focus
• Proximity sensor, lighting, pressure, magnetic field, fingerprint, accelerometer, gyroscope, step counter
• Battery 3200 mAh, Quick Charge 3.0
• Dimensions 146×70×8.3 mm
• Weight 145 g

Contents of delivery

Xiaomi Mi 5s is sold in a hard matte cardboard box, concisely and minimalistically designed. The box is quite large in size, but its modest contents fit into a small additional interior compartment, and most of the box is empty.

The kit includes only a USB Type-C connection cable, a power adapter with variable output current and voltage (5/9/12 V at 1.5/2/2.5 A) and a key to remove cards.

Appearance and usability

Xiaomi Mi 5s looks nice, but is not as impressive as Mi 5s Plus. There is no texture for polished metal (metal brushed), there is no such gloss. The case has a uniform matte surface, looks more modest and more like the latest products from a cheaper family, like Redmi Note 4.

Nevertheless, Xiaomi Mi 5s remains quite attractive: its body is made of a single piece of metal (unibody), there are no plastic end inserts, and all antennas are placed in external grooves covered with composite material. The metal is matte, pleasant to the touch, although, of course, rather slippery.

The smartphone is small in size, and by modern standards it can even be called compact, especially considering the fact that smartphones with a small screen size are almost never found among the top mobile devices. If you can still meet them somewhere, then only in the budget segment, but that's a completely different story. In the hand, due to the small width and weight, as well as the sloping edges of the rear wall, the device lies comfortably. Brushed metal surfaces can sometimes be quite slippery, but certainly not easily soiled.

Claims to the device regarding the assembly and quality of materials on the basis of a two-week acquaintance did not come to light. Details are clearly adjusted to each other, there are no gaps or inconsistencies. During testing, neither the metal back nor the front glass had time to be covered with scratches.

The glass is made in a modern version of 2.5D, where the edges are slightly sloping, and this creates a feeling of a more streamlined case. However, Xiaomi smartphones have a distinct transition to flat side faces.

Found on the front panel full set necessary sensors, as well as an event indicator, touch buttons and even a fingerprint scanner. Moreover, the scanner here is under a common glass: the developers have installed a newfangled ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, which does not have a dedicated area as such, and the place for applying a finger is indicated only by an ordinary notch.

As experience has shown, the ultrasonic fingerprint scanner installed here recognizes wet and dirty fingers no better than a conventional scanner installed, for example, in Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus. That is, he does not always recognize them, and the speed of recognition (or response to recognition) is not so great here; We have met smartphones that do all this faster and better. In general, acquaintance with the new technology did not cause much enthusiasm.

On the back side of the case, the camera module with a powerful bright two-section LED flash does not protrude beyond the surface, so the smartphone is quite stable on the table, does not sway when you touch the screen.

Cards are inserted into the side slot, which has two slots for Nano-SIM cards, but there is no space for a memory card here, like in the older model, the slot is not hybrid. Hot-swappable cards are supported.

The side buttons are located on the opposite side, they are made of metal. We found the keys to be much more rigid than those of the Mi 5s Plus, and it's not as pleasant to press them, especially when you double-click to take a screenshot.

The bottom end has a USB Type-C connector that supports connection external devices, including flash drives, in USB OTG mode. Two symmetrical rows of holes are cut out next to the connector, but the sound from the speaker comes out only through one of them. (Behind the other, apparently, is a conversational microphone.) The speaker does not sound as loud and not as rich as in the larger Mi 5s Plus model - it apparently has a more powerful speaker installed. But in general, the device is not bad in terms of sound capabilities, although it is not better than the average level.

The entire top end is given over to a 3.5 mm headphone jack – there is no infrared transmitter for emulating the remote control, as in the Mi 5s Plus model. It is curious that the remote control emulation program for controlling equipment is preinstalled in this smartphone, but it immediately reports the absence of an infrared port and suggests searching a single Wi-Fi network for equipment to control it.

Xiaomi Mi 5s is sold in the same four colors as Mi 5s Plus: light silver, dark gray, gold and pink. The case of the smartphone did not receive protection from moisture and dust.

Screen

Xiaomi Mi 5s is equipped with an IPS display with 2.5D glass with sloping edges. The screen is significantly smaller than the 5.7-inch model Mi 5s Plus, its physical dimensions here are 65 × 115 mm with a diagonal of 5.15 inches, and the resolution is 1920 × 1080 pixels, so the dot density is approximately 386 ppi. The case is not much wider than the screen, about 3 mm on the sides, of which about 2 mm is the notorious black frame around the display, which stands out strongly on Xiaomi light devices and is therefore so unloved by users. If this frame were not here, the screen would be only 1 mm away from the edges of the case, but, apparently, this is not so easy to implement technologically. In any case, even with a bezel, the screen still occupies a very significant part of the front panel area, the developers fit the display into a really compact and elegant case.

Display brightness can be adjusted manually or set automatic settings based on the operation of the ambient light sensor. The AnTuTu test diagnoses support for 10 simultaneous multitouch touches. Possibility of manual adjustment color tone and contrast, you can also use the reading mode, which reduces the brightness, and the colors fade into warm yellowish hues. The screen can be activated by double tapping.

Detailed examination using measuring instruments held the editor of the sections "Monitors" and "Projectors and TV" Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the test sample.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, resistant to scratches. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are better than the screen of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the off screens (on the left is Nexus 7, on the right is Xiaomi Mi 5s, then they can be distinguished by size):

The screen of Xiaomi Mi 5s is noticeably darker (brightness in photos is 103 versus 116 for Nexus 7). Doubling of reflected objects in Xiaomi screen Mi 5s is very weak, this indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen (more specifically, between the outer glass and the surface of the LCD matrix) (OGS type screen - One Glass Solution). Due to the smaller number of borders (glass/air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of intense external illumination, but their repair in case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be changed. On the outer surface of the screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (in terms of efficiency it is noticeably better than that of the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed more easily, and appear at a slower rate than in the case of ordinary glass.

At manual control brightness and when displaying a white field in full screen, the maximum brightness value was about 640 cd / m², the minimum - 1 cd / m². The maximum brightness is very high, which means that, given the excellent anti-reflective properties, readability even on a sunny day outdoors should be at a good level. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. In stock automatic adjustment brightness by the light sensor (it is located to the left of the front speaker slot). In automatic mode, when the ambient light conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. This function depends on the position of the brightness slider. If it is 100%, then in complete darkness the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 160 cd / m² (a little too much), in an office lit by artificial light (about 550 lux) it sets it to 425 cd / m² (it could have been less), in a very bright environment (corresponds to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) the brightness rises to 640 cd / m² (to the maximum - this is how it should be); if the adjustment is about 50%, then the values ​​​​are as follows: 7, 180 and 640 cd / m² (the first value is slightly lower than we would like when using the device in total darkness), the control at 0% is 1, 150 and 610 cd / m² (the first value is underestimated, the other two are normal). We were more satisfied with the option with a slider at about 60% of the scale - 13, 220 and 640 cd / m². It turns out that the auto-brightness function works absolutely adequately and to some extent allows the user to customize their work to individual requirements. Significant backlight modulation appears only at a very low brightness level, but its frequency is high, about 2.3 kHz, so there is no visible flickering of the screen (but, perhaps, it can be detected in the test for the presence of a stroboscopic effect - we, however, were not able to do this ).

This smartphone uses an IPS type matrix. Micrographs show a typical IPS subpixel structure:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

The screen has good viewing angles without significant color shift even at large deviations of the gaze from the perpendicular to the screen and without inverting shades. For comparison, here are photos in which the same images are displayed on the screens of Xiaomi Mi 5s and Nexus 7, while the brightness of the screens was initially set to about 200 cd / m², and the color balance on the camera was forcibly switched to 6500 K.

White field perpendicular to the screens:

The uniformity of brightness and hue of the white field is good.

And a test picture:

The colors on the Xiaomi Mi 5s screen are oversaturated (note the tomatoes, bananas and napkin) and the color balance is slightly different. Recall that the photo can not serve as a reliable source of information about color quality and is provided for illustrative purposes only. In this case, apparently, due to the characteristics of the radiation spectrum of the screen, the color balance in the photographs is somewhat different from what is visible to the eye and is determined by the spectrophotometer.

Now at an angle of about 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens, but on the Xiaomi Mi 5s, the contrast has decreased to a greater extent due to the strong black highlighting.

And the white box:

The brightness at an angle of the screens has greatly decreased, but the Xiaomi Mi 5s screen is still brighter. The black field, when deviated diagonally, is highlighted strongly and acquires a yellowish tint. The photos below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is the same!):

And from another angle:

With a perpendicular view, the uniformity of the black field is average:

Contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is high - about 1060:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 27 ms (14 ms on + 13 ms off). The transition between 25% and 75% grayscale (according to the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 44 ms. The gamma curve constructed from 32 points with an equal interval according to the numerical value of the shade of gray did not reveal a blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows. The fit exponent is 2.15, slightly below the standard value of 2.2. In this case, the real gamma curve slightly deviates from the power dependence:

In this case, we did not find any dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness in accordance with the nature of the displayed image, which is very good.

The color gamut is noticeably wider than sRGB:

Let's look at the spectra:

Such spectra (unfortunately) are found in top mobile devices from Sony and other manufacturers. Apparently, this screen uses LEDs with a blue emitter and a green and red phosphor (usually a blue emitter and a yellow phosphor), which, in combination with special matrix light filters, allows you to get a wide color gamut. Yes, and in the red phosphor, apparently, the so-called quantum dots are used. For a consumer device, a wide color gamut is not an advantage, but a significant disadvantage, because as a result, the colors of images - drawings, photos and films - oriented to the sRGB space (and the vast majority of them) have an unnatural saturation. This is especially noticeable on recognizable shades, such as skin tones. The result is shown in the photo above.

This device has the ability to adjust the color balance by adjusting the hue warmer-colder (there are only three values ​​for selection, despite the slider), and also select one of three profiles (the color balance switch is inactive in the two lower ones).

Profile is of interest Default(which isn't selected by default at all), since it's the only one that attempts to fix creepy colors by adjusting the gamut:

The result is average, but the attempt counts. We hope that someday Xiaomi smartphone software developers will master the simplest operations of matrix algebra and they will get an sRGB triangle without kinks on the sides. For now, we have the following result:

Everything is better. In the case of a profile Increasing contrast The screen brightness is maximum, but the balance is the worst, because the color temperature is too high and the ΔE value is too high. For the default profile ( Auto Contrast), the balance of shades on the gray scale is acceptable, since the color temperature is slightly higher than the standard 6500 K, and the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is below 10, which is considered a good indicator for a consumer device. At the same time, the color temperature and ΔE change little from shade to shade - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of color balance. When choosing a profile Default the color temperature approaches 6500 K, but ΔE increases significantly. However, in this case, it is more important to reduce saturation to normal. (The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since the color balance does not matter much there, and the measurement error of color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

To summarize: the screen has a very high maximum brightness and has excellent anti-glare properties, so the device can be used outdoors without problems even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable level. It is permissible to use the mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works adequately. Also, the advantages of the screen include the presence of an effective oleophobic coating, the absence of an air gap in the layers of the screen and flicker, high contrast, as well as not the worst color balance and approaching the sRGB color gamut when choosing a profile Default. Significant disadvantages are the low stability of black to the deviation of the gaze from the perpendicular to the plane of the screen. Nevertheless, taking into account the importance of the characteristics for this particular class of devices, the screen quality can be considered high.

Camera

The front module here, apparently, is the same as that of Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus, the camera has a 4 MP sensor with a pixel size of 2 microns and a wide-angle lens (80 °) with a maximum aperture of f / 2.0, with a fixed focus and without its own outbreaks. As usual for Xiaomi smartphones, there is a function for auto-detection of the gender and age of the subject. There are also modes for decorating the picture. Shooting quality is average.

The main camera here is not double, like the Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus, but the usual one. It uses a Sony IMX378 sensor (12 MP) and a six-element lens with a maximum aperture of f/2.0. Phase (PDAF) autofocus pleases with its speed both during the day and in low light conditions. Double multi-colored flash is bright.

The control menu is the same as in all Xiaomi smartphones, there are no noticeable differences here, with the possible exception of the emergence of more and more additional special modes, such as GroupShot, tilt-shift, etc. The dual camera in the Mi 5s Plus modification had two more unusual modes - stereo and monochrome, but here they are for obvious reasons, no. There is a special night mode, and even if you do not turn it on manually, it turns on itself when shooting in low light conditions without a flash.

As usual, in the settings there is no choice of resolution in specific numbers, you can only set high, medium or low quality, as well as adjust the clarity, saturation and contrast - again, by choosing presets. In manual mode, ISO settings (up to 3200), shutter speed, white balance are added. Using the Camera2 API, you cannot transfer control of the camera to third-party applications; there is also no way to save pictures in RAW.

The camera can shoot video at a maximum resolution of 4K, for Slow Motion, the resolution is limited to 720p, there is a switchable stabilization for video. It's not perfect, but it still successfully compensates for small hand tremors when shooting on the go. And in general, the camera does an excellent job with video shooting: sharpness, color reproduction and detailing are normal, as is the soundtrack recorded at the same time. The sound is clear, there is no echo effect, the noise reduction system copes with its duties adequately.

• Video #1 (95 MB, 3840× [email protected] fps, H.264, AAC)
• Video #2 (57 MB, 1280×720, slo-mo)

We also tested the camera on a laboratory bench according to our methodology.

The camera was nice. It is not without flaws in the form of blur zones that periodically occur along the edges of the frame, but otherwise everything is quite good. The program works neatly and almost imperceptibly. In general, the camera will cope well with a variety of scenarios.

Telephone part and communications

The communication capabilities of the hero of the review are rich: the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 SoC provided the smartphone with the X12 LTE Cat.12 / 13 modem, and Xiaomi took care of supporting many frequency bands, including 3 FDD LTE bands (Band 1, 3, 7). Unfortunately not supported LTE frequency 800 MHz (Band 20), best suited for indoor communications and also in sparsely populated areas. For residents of some regions, this can become a certain problem in terms of using the 4G network, but in the urban area of ​​the Moscow region, the device behaved more or less confidently. The signal reception quality does not cause any particular complaints, although to achieve maximum speeds in LTE in the usual test places did not succeed.

In addition, Bluetooth 4.2 is supported from wireless interfaces, both Wi-Fi bands (2.4 and 5 GHz) MU-MIMO, WiDi, and even NFC with Mifare Classic support. There are no complaints about the sensitivity of the Wi-Fi module. You can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth channels. The USB Type-C connector supports connecting external devices in USB OTG mode.

The navigation module works with both GPS (with A-GPS) and domestic Glonass, sees the device and satellites Chinese network beidou. The first satellites during a cold start in the absence of a wireless network for data transmission are detected within the first tens of seconds. The smartphone is equipped with a magnetic field sensor, on the basis of which the digital compass of navigation programs usually functions.

The phone application supports Smart Dial, that is, while dialing a phone number, a search is also carried out immediately by the first letters in contacts. There is a built-in blacklist for unwanted contacts. The stock keyboard supports Swype stroke input by default. There is pluggable support for VoLTE. In conversational dynamics, the voice of a familiar interlocutor remains recognizable, there are no extraneous noises. The main speaker has a good volume, the sound quality is average, but quite clear. The volume level will be enough for any environment. The vibrating alert can be adjusted, at maximum power it is quite noticeable.

The smartphone supports two SIM-cards. The standard interface allows you to select a specific card for each of the functions in advance or directly during the connection. Working with two SIM-cards is organized according to the usual Dual SIM Dual Standby standard, when both cards can be in active standby mode, but cannot work at the same time - there is only one radio module.

Software and multimedia

As software platform Xiaomi Mi 5s uses Android OS version 6.0.1 and its own proprietary MIUI 8 shell, which we have already met more than once on the example of the older model Mi 5s Plus, and Redmi note 4 from a simpler line. As in the case of the Mi 5s Plus, we received a model with the international firmware MIUI Global 8.0 already installed for tests, so we did not have to resort to installing the Play Store and Google Apps on our own. Such a need may sometimes arise for those who like to order Chinese smartphones in online stores, but usually these users know what they are getting into and are ready to “conjure” a little with the firmware. True, it is worth noting that online stores most often supply Xiaomi smartphones with modified firmware, and in this case the device has a customized global version that is not updated "over the air". In the real global version, the index is different, camera2api works there and it is possible to save to RAW.

Performance

The Xiaomi Mi 5s hardware platform is based on the same SoC as the Mi 5s Plus – Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 (MSM8996pro). Basically, it's a slightly improved version of the Snapdragon 820, Qualcomm's top and most expensive platform for mobile devices. But in Xiaomi Mi 5s, the maximum core frequency was reduced to such an extent that the platform in this parameter is not much different from the usual Snapdragon 820. Obviously, this was done in order to artificially lower the performance of the Mi 5s model in relation to the Mi 5s Plus and justify thereby higher cost of the latter.

Be that as it may, the chip configuration here includes four Kryo processor cores in two clusters, the maximum frequency of the older cores reaches 2.15 GHz (against 2.34 GHz for Mi 5s Plus). The Adreno 530 video accelerator is responsible for graphics processing, the frequency of its cores was also lowered to 624 MHz (against 652 MHz for Mi 5s Plus). The amount of RAM is 3 or 4 GB, and the internal memory is 32, 64 or 128 GB, depending on the configuration. About 57 GB remains free on the 64 GB flash model, and about 1.4 of the 3 GB of RAM is usually free after a fresh reboot and clearing the memory.

Expandable memory by installing microSD cards missing, but you can connect an external flash drive in USB OTG mode. The simultaneous connection of a USB flash drive and an SD card using an OTG hub also works well (Transcend Smart Reader RDC2 was used for testing).

Qualcomm claims that the Snapdragon 821 is about 10% faster than its predecessor. Here, the indicators of SoC, slightly reduced in frequency of CPU and GPU cores, clearly demonstrate the opposite picture: the results of all tests without exception (complex, graphic and even browser) are slightly lower than those of Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus. In AnTuTu, for example, this difference was about 11K (141K versus 152K), in other tests the gap is within the same limits. But both Xiaomi models, of course, have such high performance that most modern smartphones one cannot even dream of such results. The hero of the review is one of the most powerful modern smartphones, only a few can compare with it in terms of performance today.

The platform provides the highest numbers in benchmarks, and in real scenarios it confidently copes with any tasks, including the most demanding games. Any games we have verified, including Dead Trigger 2, Modern Combat 5, Mortal Kombat X, not to mention the less demanding ones, such as World of Tanks, run without the slightest slowdown at maximum settings, and are played with great comfort. The device is very powerful, it has a significant headroom for future updates for several more generations.

Testing in the latest versions of AnTuTu and GeekBench comprehensive benchmarks:

For convenience, we have summarized all the results obtained by us when testing a smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks in tables. Several other devices from different segments are usually added to the table, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the received dry numbers). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison, it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” due to the fact that they once passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions of test programs.

Testing the graphics subsystem in 3DMark gaming tests, GFXBenchmark and Bonsai Benchmark:

When testing in 3DMark for the highest performing smartphones, it is now possible to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (due to which the speed can rise above 60 fps).

	Xiaomi Mi 5s (Qualcomm Snapdragon 821)	Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus (Qualcomm Snapdragon 821)	Xperia XZ (Qualcomm Snapdragon 820)	Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge (Samsung Exynos 8890 Octa)	Huawei P9 Plus (HiSilicon Kirin 955)	Doogee F7 Pro (MediaTek Helio X20)
3DMark Ice Storm Sling Shot (more is better)	1916	2000	2368	2130	952	961
GFXBenchmark Manhattan ES 3.1 (Onscreen, fps)	26	28	32	24	11	11
GFXBenchmark Manhattan ES 3.1 (1080p Offscreen, fps)	26	29	31	26	10	11
GFXBenchmark T-Rex (Onscreen, fps)	59	60	60	52	27	34
GFXBenchmark T-Rex (1080p Offscreen, fps)	75	81	90	84	26	36

Browser cross-platform tests:

As for benchmarks for evaluating the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowances for the fact that the results in them depend significantly on the browser in which they are launched, so that the comparison can only be truly correct on the same OS and browsers, and this possibility is available when testing not always. In the case of Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.

AndroBench memory performance test results:

thermal images

Below is a thermal image of the back surface taken after 10 minutes of running the GFXBenchmark battery test:

It can be seen that the heating is more localized in the upper part of the device, which apparently corresponds to the location of the SoC chip. According to the heat chamber, the maximum heating was 37 degrees (at an ambient temperature of 24 degrees), which is relatively small.

Video playback

To test the "omnivorous" when playing video (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Web. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern versions using processor cores alone. Also, do not expect everything from a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a table.

According to the test results, the test subject was not equipped with all the necessary decoders that are needed for the full playback of most of the most common multimedia files on the network, in this case, sound ones. To successfully play them, you will have to resort to the help of a third-party player - for example, MX Player. True, it also needs to change the settings and manually install additional custom codecs, because now this player does not officially support the AC3 audio format.

Format	container, video, sound	MX Video Player	Regular video player
BDRip 720p	MKV, H.264 1280x720, 24fps, AAC	plays normally	plays normally
BDRip 720p	MKV, H.264 1280x720, 24fps, AC3		video plays fine, no sound
BDRip 1080p	MKV, H.264 1920×1080, 24fps, AAC	plays normally	plays normally
BDRip 1080p	MKV, H.264 1920×1080, 24 fps, AC3	video plays fine, no sound	video plays fine, no sound

Further testing of video playback performed Alexey Kudryavtsev.

Due to lack desired adapter We could not verify the hypothetical presence of an MHL interface, as well as Mobility DisplayPort, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Methodology for testing video signal playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices) Red marks indicate possible problems associated with the playback of the respective files.

According to the criterion for displaying frames, the quality of playing video files on the screen of the smartphone itself is very good, since frames (or groups of frames) can (but are not required) to be displayed with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and in most cases without frame drops. When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels (1080p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen, one to one in pixels, that is, in its original resolution. The brightness range displayed on the screen corresponds to the standard range of 16-235: in the shadows, only about a couple of shades merge with black, and in the highlights, all gradations are displayed.

Battery life

The non-removable battery installed in Xiaomi Mi 5s has a capacity of 3200 mAh smaller than that of Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus. By modern standards, such a capacity is not impressive, but even with its super-powerful platform, the smartphone showed not only decent autonomy results, but also better than many competitors in the top segment. Particularly pleased with the long time of work in video viewing mode and in games - both new Xiaomi devices operate in these scenarios for a very long time, and these are relatively life scenarios, unlike, for example, a day of uninterrupted reading of e-books.

Of course, in real life, the situation is usually more complicated, and even the most enduring smartphone may not reach the evening charge, but with normal average use, the hero of the review is quite capable of quietly holding out for a day or more without recharging. Testing has traditionally been conducted at normal power levels without power saving features.

	Battery capacity	Reading mode	Video mode	3D game mode
Xiaomi Mi 5s	3200 mAh	2:30 p.m.	11:50 a.m.	7:30 a.m.
Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus	3800 mAh	22h00	15:30	8 a.m.
Doogee T6 Pro	6250 mAh	27h 20m	20:00	8:30 a.m.
Doogee F7 Pro	4000 mAh	15:00	9 a.m.	3h 30m
Huawei P9 Plus	3400 mAh	18:00	10:00 a.m.	5 a.m.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge	3600 mAh	24h00	14h 35m	6:30 a.m.
Sony Xperia XZ	2900 mAh	17:00	9 a.m.	6h 20m

Continuous reading in the Moon + Reader program (with a standard, light theme) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd / m²) with auto scrolling lasted until the battery was completely discharged for about 14.5 hours, and with continuous viewing of video in high quality ( 720p) with the same brightness level through home network Wi-Fi device operates a little less than 12 hours. In the 3D game mode, the smartphone can work up to 7 hours or more, although here, of course, everything will depend on specific games and their settings.

The device supports proprietary fast charging function. Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, it is charged from the supplied network adapter in about 1 hour 40 minutes with a current of 2.3 A at a voltage of 6 V. The smartphone does not support wireless charging.

Outcome

Xiaomi Mi 5s turned out to be pleasant in appearance, practical and easy to use, medium-sized and light. This very attractive smartphone received a high-quality screen and camera, which is very important to justify the considerable price of the device. Excellent communication capabilities and a high level of autonomy complete the rosy picture. In addition, Xiaomi Mi 5s is the most productive smartphone. In a word, once again we have to admit that the medium-sized Xiaomi Mi series devices are now almost the only worthy alternative to Apple smartphones for lovers of miniature mobile devices with maximum capabilities.

The hero of the review may be inferior to his older brother Mi 5s Plus in some ways, having a smaller display and a “simple” camera, but the regular model costs less and is, of course, designed for a more mass consumer. The cheapest option is priced at 1,899 yuan, while the older one (4 GB RAM, 128 GB flash) is priced at 2,299 yuan, which corresponds to about 17,500 and 21,500. But these are official prices for China, and online stores, especially domestic ones, will definitely throw something on top.

A year and a half has passed since the release of Xiaomi's previous compact flagship (Mi4), during which the Chinese made devices large and powerful, compact and inexpensive, but never returned to the topic of the most technologically advanced device in a compact form factor. And finally, this moment has come: the company introduced new flagship with a screen 5.2"" - Xiaomi Mi5.

Specifications of Xiaomi Mi5

• Case materials: metal, glass
• Operating system: Android 6.0, MIUI 7
• Network: GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSDPA, LTE (TD/FDD-LTE) (DualSIM)
• Platform: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
• Graphics: Adreno 530
• RAM: 3/4 GB
• Storage Memory: 32/64/128 GB
• Memory card slot: no
• Screen: IPS, diagonal 5.2", resolution 1920x1080 pixels, ppi 554, automatic backlight level adjustment, protective glass Gorilla Glass 4
• Primary camera: 16 MP, f/2.0, phase detection autofocus, optical image stabilization, dual LED flash, 4k video recording
• Front camera: 4 MP, f / 2.0, no autofocus, video is recorded in 1080p
• Interfaces: Wi-Fi (ac/a/b/g/n) Dual-Band, Bluetooth 4.2 (A2DP, LE), NFC, infrared, USB Type-C connector (USB 3.0, MHL, USB-OTG, USB -Host) for charge/sync, 3.5mm for headset
• Navigation: GPS (support A-GPS), Glonass
• Additionally: fingerprint scanner, accelerometer, light sensor, proximity sensor, fast charging (Quick Charge 3.0)
• Battery: 3000 mAh (non-removable)
• Dimensions: 144.5 x 69.2 x 7.3mm
• Weight: 129/139 grams

Design, materials

The most important thing to start talking about the new flagship Xiaomi Mi5 is design. Literate people around the world have already managed to joke about the “Samsung disease” at the manufacturer and compare Mi5 with Galaxy S6/S7 Edge many times. At the same time, unfortunately, today few people bother to look at least out of the corner of their eyes somewhere beyond the news reports of the next couple of days in order to check the information and the accuracy of their thoughts. Otherwise, you wouldn't be reading anything like this right now. Yes, the new Xiaomi Mi5 really resembles the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, but not because the Chinese once again copied someone (although they practice this), but because both smartphones use the idea with rounded edges of the case. At the same time, in terms of design, Xiaomi Mi5 is an almost complete copy of another smartphone from the company, Xiaomi Mi Note, introduced in January 2015. Samsung's curved-edged device against which the new Mi5 is being compared, the Galaxy S6 Edge, was revealed in March 2015 at MWC, two months later. That's all I can say about the "copied from Samsung" design.

Personally, I like the design of Xiaomi Mi5, although on the practical side, as in the case of Mi Note, it seems to me that it will not be as convenient as plastic or metal smartphones. Simply due to the fact that the glass gets dirty faster and is more likely to be damaged when the smartphone falls. And in Mi5, glass is used on both sides of the case. At the same time, the glass on the front side is flat, without the 2.5D effect, in my opinion, this is a drawback, nevertheless, the bulk glass makes the smartphone more spectacular and beautiful, here I personally expected Xiaomi (like everyone else) to copy Apple's idea. Glass on the reverse side of the curved shape, looks impressive. Along the edges of the steel frame, as in Xiaomi Mi Note.

You can also note a neat thin frame around the screen, however, this feature was still in Xiaomi Mi4, so in this regard, the Chinese simply did everything exactly as users expected from them.

Dimensions

The smartphone is equipped with a screen with a diagonal of 5.15 "", while at the presentation it was repeatedly noted that in all dimensions the device is comparable to five-inch smartphones, and this is true, judging by the size. The width of the smartphone is only 69.2 mm, for comparison, Xiaomi Mi4 has a width of 68.5 mm, that is, according to one of the main parameters that determine the comfort of a smartphone grip, the new Mi5 is certainly good. The width of the Samsung Galaxy S7 is 69.6 mm, which means that it is with the release of Xiaomi Mi5 on sale that we will get one of the new leaders in terms of size and grip among five-inch devices.

Screen

The smartphone uses an IPS-matrix with a diagonal of 5.15 "" and a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. Personally, I am glad that Xiaomi did not install a matrix with a huge resolution in the new flagship, it is still invisible to the eyes of the majority, but the combination of FullHD and the new top Snapdragon 820 platform will clearly be more advantageous than any combination of the same chipset with a higher resolution screen . Simply put, Xiaomi Mi5 should have a very good performance margin for several years to come.

Control

In Mi5, the company departs from the usual scheme of three touch keys under the screen, placing a hardware key with a fingerprint scanner inscribed in it in the center. A similar system is used in Apple iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, Meizu, but how exactly it is implemented in Mi5, I can’t say yet. Here, at least, there is a pressing of a hardware key and the operation of the scanner, but I don’t know if there is a touch area inscribed in the button, you need to look.

Fans of the company, judging by the first comments and reviews, took this decision ambiguously, but personally I am glad that Xiaomi switched to a hardware key.

cameras

We'll talk more about cameras in detailed review device, I hope to get it soon after the start of sales. In the meantime - about the parameters of the cameras. The main camera module has a resolution of 16 MP, f / 2.0, there is optical stabilization in four directions and phase detection autofocus (that is, normal for smartphones). I don’t know how it will shoot, but Xiaomi Mi4 and Xiaomi Mi Note were at the time of release one of the best Chinese smartphones in terms of cameras, I hope Mi5 will not let you down in this regard.

The resolution of the front camera is 4 MP, it uses a module with 2µm ultra-pixels, and the aperture value is the same as for the main camera – f/2.0. Most likely, exactly the same module was installed in Mi5 as it was in Mi Note.

Interface

The device runs on Android 6.0. with the familiar MIUI 7 system, I have already written about it many times, so I have nothing to add yet. The new Xiaomi smartphones have a locked bootloader, and for many old fans of the brand this is bad news, Xiaomi Mi5 is likely to be no exception.

Platform

The smartphone is based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset, and then the details begin. The fact is that the Chinese made three versions of the device with different parameters.

Xiaomi Mi5 (black, white, gold colors) is built on Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 with a core frequency of 1.8 GHz, the core frequency of the graphics subsystem (Adreno 530) is 510 MHz. The machine uses 3 GB of dual-channel random access memory LPDDR4 standard, operating at a frequency of 1333 MHz, and 32 GB of built-in UFS2.0 flash memory.

Xiaomi Mi5 High (black, white, gold colors) is built on Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 with a core frequency of 2.15 GHz, the frequency of the graphics subsystem cores (Adreno 530) is 624 MHz. The device uses 3 GB of dual-channel LPDDR4 RAM, operating at a frequency of 1866 MHz, and 64 GB of built-in UFS2.0 flash memory.

Xiaomi Mi5 Ceramic Edition (black) is built on Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 with a core frequency of 2.15 GHz, the frequency of the graphics subsystem cores (Adreno 530) is 624 MHz. The device uses 4 GB of dual-channel LPDDR4 RAM, operating at a frequency of 1866 MHz, and 128 GB of built-in UFS2.0 flash memory.

All the above names are approximate, while the versions are only available on the Chinese site, and I'm not strong in it. The smartphone does not support memory cards, and this is a serious minus, in my opinion. Personally, 32 GB of internal memory is no longer enough for me for a year now, so in my case the version with this volume immediately disappears, I have to look at at least a 64 GB device if I decide to buy it, and preferably 128 GB.

The second drawback is the division of the flagship into three versions. This is bad for several reasons. First - there is confusion, which model is better, which is worse, what is the difference. The second is that the idea itself is simply meaningless. The company takes the top chipset and the most fast memory, puts them on a device with a screen resolution that is undemanding by modern standards (FullHD) and for some reason makes advanced, supposedly even more productive versions. For what? Who will see the difference in the frequency of the memory on a smartphone or the difference in the frequency of the CPU and GPU cores, except for Antutu?

Battery

The smartphone uses a 3000 mAh non-removable battery. For modern flagships, this is a familiar battery, I will see how the smartphone shows itself in real conditions.

Conclusion

The start of sales of Xiaomi Mi5 is scheduled for March 1, at first, as usual, in waves through the official mi.com online store, and after a while it will also appear at resellers. The cost of the simplest 32 GB version is 2,000 yuan (~ 23,000 rubles), the 64 GB version with an overclocked processor will cost 2,300 yuan (~ 27,000 rubles), and the most fast version with 128 GB of memory - 2,700 yuan (32,000 rubles). For this money, the device is undoubtedly excellent. Even the lack of a slot for a memory card, impractical glass and a curved body, due to which the device will slide off the table and other surfaces (like Xiaomi MI Note, I wrote about it), will not be able to spoil the impression of the company's new flagship. Xiaomi remained true to themselves and, albeit half a year late, nevertheless released a device with top-end features, while maintaining relatively compact dimensions and a screen close to five inches.

In the first month after the start of sales, Xiaomi Mi5 will cost, I would venture to suggest, an average of 6,000 - 10,000 rubles more than the prices I indicated above, that is, approximately 30,000 - 33,000 rubles for the younger version, 35,000 - 37,000 rubles for the 64 GB version and more than 40,000 rubles for the top one, so buying a device in the first month, in my opinion, makes no sense. It’s easier to wait until the price drops or it becomes possible to take it on the official website, and even then consider the device as a purchase.

P.S. At the exhibition in Barcelona, ​​​​Xiaomi brought two precious Mi5 samples to several hundred journalists (if not thousands) - a glorious approach for a "world announcement"!

Information about the make, model, and alternative names of a particular device, if any.

Design

Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Used materials, suggested colors, certificates.

Width Width information refers to the horizontal side of the device in its standard orientation during use.	69.2 mm (millimeters) 6.92 cm (centimeters) 0.23 ft 2.72in
Height Height information refers to the vertical side of the device in its standard orientation during use.	144.55 mm (millimeters) 14.46 cm (centimeters) 0.47ft 5.69in
Thickness Information about the thickness of the device in different units of measurement.	7.25 mm (millimeters) 0.73 cm (centimeters) 0.02 ft 0.29in
The weight Information about the weight of the device in different units of measurement.	129 g (grams) 0.28 lbs 4.55oz
Volume Approximate volume of the device, calculated from dimensions provided by the manufacturer. Refers to devices with the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped.	72.52 cm³ (cubic centimeters) 4.4 in³ (cubic inches)
Colors Information about the colors in which this device is offered for sale.	The black White Golden
Housing materials The materials used to make the body of the device.	Glass Metal

SIM card

The SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.

Mobile networks

A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.

GSM GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) is designed to replace the analogue mobile network (1G). For this reason, GSM is often referred to as a 2G mobile network. It is enhanced by the addition of GPRS (General Packet Radio Services) and later EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) technologies.	GSM 850 MHz GSM 900 MHz GSM 1800 MHz GSM 1900 MHz
CDMA CDMA (Code-Division Multiple Access) is a channel access method used in communications in mobile networks. Compared to other 2G and 2.5G standards like GSM and TDMA, it provides faster data transfer rates and the ability to connect more consumers at the same time.	CDMA 800 MHz CDMA 1900 MHz
TD-SCDMA TD-SCDMA (Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access) is a 3G standard for mobile networks. It is also called UTRA/UMTS-TDD LCR. It is developed as an alternative to the W-CDMA standard in China by the China Academy of Telecommunication Technology, Datang Telecom and Siemens. TD-SCDMA combines TDMA and CDMA.	TD-SCDMA 1900 MHz TD-SCDMA 2000 MHz
UMTS UMTS is short for Universal Mobile Telecommunications System. It is based on the GSM standard and belongs to 3G mobile networks. Developed by 3GPP and its biggest advantage is to provide more speed and spectral efficiency with W-CDMA technology.	UMTS 850 MHz UMTS 900 MHz UMTS 1900 MHz UMTS 2100 MHz
LTE LTE (Long Term Evolution) is defined as fourth generation (4G) technology. It is developed by 3GPP based on GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA to increase the capacity and speed of wireless mobile networks. The subsequent development of technologies is called LTE Advanced.	LTE 1800 MHz LTE 2100 MHz LTE 2600 MHz LTE-TDD 1900 MHz (B39) LTE-TDD 2300 MHz (B40) LTE-TDD 2500 MHz (B41) LTE-TDD 2600 MHz (B38)

Mobile technologies and data rates

Communication between devices in mobile networks is carried out through technologies that provide different data transfer rates.

Operating system

The operating system is the system software that manages and coordinates the operation of the hardware components in the device.

SoC (System on a Chip)

System on a chip (SoC) includes all the most important hardware components of a mobile device in one chip.

SoC (System on a Chip) A system on a chip (SoC) integrates various hardware components such as a processor, graphics processor, memory, peripherals, interfaces, etc., as well as the software necessary for their operation.	Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996
Technological process Information about the technological process by which the chip is made. The value in nanometers measures half the distance between the elements in the processor.	14 nm (nanometers)
Processor (CPU) The main function of the processor (CPU) of a mobile device is the interpretation and execution of instructions contained in software applications.	2x 1.8 GHz Kryo, 2x 1.36 GHz Kryo
Processor bit depth The bit depth (bits) of a processor is determined by the size (in bits) of registers, address buses, and data buses. 64-bit processors have higher performance than 32-bit processors, which, in turn, are more productive than 16-bit processors.	64 bit
Instruction Set Architecture Instructions are commands by which the software sets/controls the operation of the processor. Information about the instruction set (ISA) that the processor can execute.	ARMv8-A
First level cache (L1) Cache memory is used by the processor to reduce access time to more frequently accessed data and instructions. L1 (level 1) cache is small and much faster than system memory, and other cache levels. If the processor does not find the requested data in L1, it continues to look for them in the L2 cache. With some processors, this search is performed simultaneously in L1 and L2.	32 kB + 32 kB (kilobytes)
Second level cache (L2) L2 (level 2) cache is slower than L1, but in return it has a larger capacity, allowing more data to be cached. It, like L1, is much faster than system memory (RAM). If the processor does not find the requested data in L2, it continues to look for it in the L3 cache (if available) or RAM.	1536 KB (kilobytes) 1.5 MB (megabytes)
Number of processor cores The processor core executes program instructions. There are processors with one, two or more cores. Having more cores increases performance by allowing many instructions to be executed in parallel.	4
Processor clock speed The clock speed of a processor describes its speed in terms of cycles per second. It is measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz).	1800 MHz (megahertz)
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) handles calculations for various 2D/3D graphic applications. In mobile devices, it is used most often by games, consumer interface, video applications, etc.	Qualcomm Adreno 530
Clock frequency GPU Speed ​​is the clock speed of the GPU and is measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz).	510 MHz (megahertz)
The amount of random access memory (RAM) Random access memory (RAM) is used by the operating system and all installed applications. Data stored in RAM is lost when the device is turned off or restarted.	3 GB (gigabytes)
Type of random access memory (RAM) Information about the type of random access memory (RAM) used by the device.	LPDDR4
Number of RAM channels Information about the number of RAM channels that are integrated into the SoC. More channels means higher data rates.	dual channel
RAM frequency The frequency of RAM determines its speed, more specifically, the speed of reading / writing data.	1333 MHz (megahertz)

Built-in memory

Each mobile device has a built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed amount.

Screen

The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.

Type/technology One of the main characteristics of the screen is the technology by which it is made and on which the image quality of information directly depends.	IPS
Diagonal For mobile devices, the screen size is expressed in terms of its diagonal length, measured in inches.	5.15in 130.81 mm (millimeters) 13.08 cm (centimeters)
Width Approximate Screen Width	2.52in 64.13 mm (millimeters) 6.41 cm (centimeters)
Height Approximate Screen Height	4.49in 114.01 mm (millimeters) 11.4 cm (centimeters)
Aspect Ratio The ratio of the dimensions of the long side of the screen to its short side	1.778:1 16:9
Permission Screen resolution indicates the number of pixels vertically and horizontally on the screen. More a high resolution means sharper image detail.	1080 x 1920 pixels
Pixel Density Information about the number of pixels per centimeter or inch of the screen. Higher density allows information to be shown on the screen in clearer detail.	428 ppi (pixels per inch) 168ppm (pixels per centimeter)
Color depth Screen color depth reflects the total number of bits used for the color components in a single pixel. Information about the maximum number of colors the screen can display.	24 bit 16777216 flowers
Screen area Approximate percentage of screen space on the front of the device.	73.33% (percentage)
Other characteristics Information about other functions and features of the screen.	capacitive Multitouch Scratch resistance
	Display manufacturer - LG Display / Japan Display Inc. /Sharp Corning Gorilla Glass 4 16 lamp LED technology 1500:1 contrast ratio 600 cd/m² 95% NTSC

Sensors

Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical indicators into signals that are recognized by the mobile device.

Main camera

The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on the back of the case and is used for taking photos and videos.

Sensor model	Sony IMX298 Exmor RS
Sensor type	CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor)
Sensor size	5.22 x 3.92 mm (millimeters) 0.26in
Pixel size	1.132 µm (micrometers) 0.001132 mm (millimeters)
crop factor	6.63
ISO (light sensitivity) ISO values ​​determine the light sensitivity level of the photosensor. A lower value means weaker light sensitivity and vice versa - higher values ​​mean higher light sensitivity, i.e. better ability of the sensor to work in low light conditions.	100 - 3200
Diaphragm	f/2
Excerpt The shutter speed (exposure time) indicates the amount of time the camera shutter is open during the shooting process. The longer it is open, the more light reaches the photosensor. Shutter speed is measured in seconds (eg 5, 2, 1) or fractions of a second (eg 1/2, 1/8, 1/8000).	1/1000 - 32
Focal length Focal length is the distance in millimeters from the photosensor to the optical center of the lens. There is also an equivalent focal length that provides the same field of view with a full frame camera.	4.3 mm (millimeters) 28.53 mm (millimeters) *(35 mm / full frame)
Flash type The most common types of flashes in mobile devices cameras are LED and xenon flashes. LED flashes give a softer light and, unlike brighter xenon flashes, are also used for video shooting.	Double LED
Image resolution One of the main characteristics of mobile device cameras is their resolution, which indicates the number of pixels in the horizontal and vertical direction of an image.	4608 x 3456 pixels 15.93 MP (megapixels)
Video resolution Information about the maximum supported resolution for video recording by the device.	3840 x 2160 pixels 8.29 MP (megapixels)
Information about the maximum number of frames per second (fps) supported by the device when shooting video at the maximum resolution. Some of the main standard shooting and video playback speeds are 24p, 25p, 30p, 60p.	30 fps (frames per second)
Characteristics Information about other software and hardware features related to the main camera and improving its functionality.	autofocus Burst shooting digital zoom Digital Image Stabilization Optical Image Stabilization geo tags panoramic shooting HDR shooting Touch focus Face recognition Adjusting the white balance ISO setting Exposure compensation Self-timer Scene Selection Mode Macro mode
	Phase detection DTI technology (Deep Trench Isolation) 4-axis OIS 6-element lens Sapphire crystal glass lens cover 720p@120fps

Additional camera

Additional cameras are usually mounted above the screen of the device and are used mainly for video calls, gesture recognition, etc.

Sensor model Information about the manufacturer and model of the photo sensor used in the device's camera.	OmniVision OV4688
Sensor type Digital cameras use photo sensors to take pictures. The sensor, as well as the optics, is one of the main factors in the quality of a camera in a mobile device.	CMOS BSI (backside illumination)
Sensor size Information about the size of the photosensor used in the device. Typically, cameras with a larger sensor and lower pixel density offer better image quality despite lower resolution.	5.44 x 3.07 mm (millimeters) 0.25in
Pixel size The smaller pixel size of the photosensor allows more pixels to be used per unit area, thus increasing resolution. On the other hand, smaller size pixels may have a negative effect on image quality at high ISO speeds.	2.024 µm (micrometers) 0.002024 mm (millimeters)
crop factor The crop factor is the ratio between the size of a full-frame sensor (36 x 24mm, equivalent to a frame of standard 35mm film) and the size of the device's photosensor. The number shown is the ratio of the diagonals of the full frame sensor (43.3 mm) and the photo sensor of the specific device.	6.93
Diaphragm Aperture (f-number) is the size of the aperture opening that controls the amount of light reaching the photosensor. A lower f-number means the aperture is larger.	f/2
Image resolution Information about the maximum resolution of the secondary camera when shooting. In most cases, the resolution of the secondary camera is lower than that of the main camera.	2688 x 1512 pixels 4.06 MP (megapixels)
Video resolution Information about the maximum supported video resolution additional camera.	1920 x 1080 pixels 2.07 MP (megapixels)
Video - frame rate/frames per second. Information about the maximum number of frames per second (fps) supported by the optional camera when shooting video at the maximum resolution.	30 fps (frames per second)
	Angle of view - 80° self-timer

Audio

Information about the type of speakers and audio technologies supported by the device.

Radio

The mobile device radio is a built-in FM receiver.

Location determination

Information about navigation and location technologies supported by the device.

WiFi

Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication to transfer data over short distances between different devices.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless data transfer between different types of devices over short distances.

USB

USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to communicate.

Headphone jack

This is an audio connector, which is also called an audio jack. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Connecting devices

Information about other important connection technologies supported by the device.

Browser

A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.

Browser Information about some of the key features and standards supported by the device's browser.

HTML HTML5 CSS 3

Audio file formats/codecs

Mobile devices support various audio file formats and codecs that store and encode/decode digital audio data, respectively.

Video file formats/codecs

Mobile devices support various video file formats and codecs, which store and encode/decode digital video data, respectively.

Battery

Mobile device batteries differ from each other in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge they need to function.

Capacity The capacity of a battery indicates the maximum charge it can store, measured in milliamp-hours.	3000 mAh (milliamp-hours)
Type of The type of battery is determined by its structure and, more specifically, by the chemicals used. There are different types of batteries, with lithium-ion and lithium-ion polymer batteries being the most commonly used in mobile devices.	Li-polymer (Li-polymer)
Talk time 2G Talk time in 2G is the period of time during which the battery is completely discharged during a continuous conversation in a 2G network.	33 h (hours) 1980 min (minutes) 1.4 days
2G standby time The 2G standby time is the amount of time it takes for the battery to fully discharge when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 2G network.	250 h (hours) 15000 min (minutes) 10.4 days
3G talk time Talk time in 3G is the period of time during which the battery is completely discharged during a continuous conversation in a 3G network.	25 h (hours) 1500 min (minutes) 1 days
3G standby time The 3G standby time is the amount of time it takes for the battery to fully discharge when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 3G network.	250 h (hours) 15000 min (minutes) 10.4 days
4G standby time The 4G standby time is the amount of time it takes for the battery to fully discharge when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 4G network.	200 h (hours) 12000 min (minutes) 8.3 days
Adapter output power Strength information electric current(measured in amps) and electrical voltage(measured in volts) that supplies Charger(output power). Higher power output ensures faster battery charging.	5 V (volts) / 2.5 A (amps) 9 V (volts) / 2 A (amps) 12 V (volts) / 1.5 A (amps)
Fast charging technology Fast charging technologies differ from each other in terms of energy efficiency, maintained output power, control over the charging process, temperature, etc. The device, battery and charger must be compatible with fast charging technology.	Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0
Characteristics Information about some additional features of the device's battery.	fast charging Fixed

Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)

SAR levels refer to the amount of electromagnetic radiation absorbed by the human body while using a mobile device.

SAR level for head (EU) The SAR level indicates maximum amount electromagnetic radiation that the human body is exposed to when holding a mobile device near the ear in a conversation position. In Europe, the maximum allowable SAR value for mobile devices is limited to 2 W/kg per 10 grams of human tissue. This standard established by CENELEC in accordance with IEC standards following ICNIRP guidelines of 1998.	0.376 W/kg (watt per kilogram)
Body SAR (EU) The SAR level indicates the maximum amount of electromagnetic radiation that the human body is exposed to when holding a mobile device at hip level. The maximum allowed SAR value for mobile devices in Europe is 2 W/kg per 10 grams of human tissue. This standard has been established by CENELEC following the 1998 ICNIRP guidelines and IEC standards.	0.798 W/kg (watt per kilogram)
Head SAR (US) The SAR level indicates the maximum amount of electromagnetic radiation that the human body is exposed to when holding a mobile device near the ear. The maximum value used in the US is 1.6 W/kg per gram of human tissue. Mobile devices in the US are controlled by the CTIA and the FCC conducts tests and sets their SAR values.	0.703 W/kg (watt per kilogram)
Body SAR (US) The SAR level indicates the maximum amount of electromagnetic radiation that the human body is exposed to when holding a mobile device at hip level. The highest acceptable SAR value in the US is 1.6 W/kg per gram of human tissue. This value is set by the FCC, and the CTIA controls whether mobile devices comply with this standard.	1.422 W/kg (watt per kilogram)

Snapdragon 820, tempered glass Gorilla Glass 4, the highest photo quality - all these are the characteristics of most flagships in 2016. However, in this barrel of honey there is not even a spoon, but a whole ladle of tar - these smartphones are very expensive. And Xiaomi Mi5 is perhaps the only device that breaks the established stereotype.

Xiaomi Mi5 Models

Xiaomi review Mi5 cannot be called complete in isolation from the study of its modifications. And here the "Chinese Apple" traditionally seeks to confuse the end customer. Remember at least the previous device - Mi4, of which there were plenty of different copies: this is Mi4i, and Mi4C, and now some more Mi4S. Frank horror!

Having introduced the latest Mi5, the manufacturer has already started by releasing several versions of the device, each of which differs from each other in one way or another. What happens next is scary to imagine.

However, on my test, there was a younger version with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal memory in white. This model is already available in three colors: gold, white or completely black body. With the latter at the time of publication of the material, there are problems even in China. It seems to be there, but actually buying it is very difficult. But the silver-white variation is not difficult to acquire.

The next version with the same 3 gigabytes of RAM, but with 64 GB of internal memory. In addition, this model is more powerful than my sample and is sometimes referred to with the prefix "Pro". Body colors are the same. Some users have already acquired this modification.

The juice itself is, of course, the top modification with a memory ratio of 4 + 128 GB. She has a hell of a ceramic cover on the back, which in theory (and in practice) is not scratched. In addition, the model has not yet gone on sale, and when it does, it will only be available in black. It is reported that ceramics are hardened here at a temperature of as much as 1500 degrees Celsius, and the thickness of the coating itself is only 0.35 mm. An interesting fact, so to speak.

Equipment

I liked what boxes Xiaomi made in the past. They are made from recycled cardboard. Pleasant, one might say, "tube" appearance of the packages. In addition, each box could support the weight of one adult.

The box from the Mi5 is just as solid (tested personally by my 83 kg), but its design is unremarkable. Exactly the same appearance can be found in any other smartphone manufacturer. Boredom.

Inside the device itself and accessories are laid out in their compartments. Frankly, all these cardboard insides and partitions are very cheap. It's like unboxing some $100 Cubot.

The whole set is visible in the animation above. I will not describe it in detail. Of course, there are no additional covers here. If you order a device from China, be sure to ask the seller to report an adapter for a Russian plug and at least one film on the screen. For the first time.

Design

The first impression is the most positive. Beautiful, very neat stylish smartphone and that's a fact. The surrounding device also causes extremely positive emotions.

The body is beautifully assembled. Nothing backlash, no creaks. I did not find gaps and criminal cracks.

Everything is assembled to the conscience and fully corresponds to the premium status of the device.

The set of front elements is completely standard. A little about the touch keys. They are equipped with moonlight illumination. The duration of the backlight can be adjusted, and for 20 or even 30 seconds, and not 6, as in Samsung.

There is a vibration feedback and I did not like it.

Vibration strongly resonates through the body and one gets the feeling that you have in your hands not a tightly packed gadget, but a rattling, empty blank.

Fortunately, the vibration intensity can be adjusted in the parameters. In this case, the rattle is no longer so strong.

The most pleasant response in my memory, for which the special Taptic Engine is responsible for it. Unfortunately, Mi5 is far from it.

Surprisingly, Xiaomi did not install 2.5D glass curved at the edges on the front panel. The front side is completely flat. The metal sides do not protrude from the case at all, so I would not recommend placing the device face down despite the fact that Corning Gorilla Glass 4 is installed here.

Of course, there is an oleophobic coating. It perfectly copes with its task: it practically does not collect fingerprints, and the latter slide on the glass as if on ice.

The back side has got the same glass, only it is really curved here and is already referred to as 3D.

By the way, the back is very similar to that in Samsung Galaxy Note 5. Borrowing between manufacturers is now in full swing, and only you and I benefit from this, getting gadgets balanced from all sides. Therefore, you should not kick xiaomi for allegedly copying something from the Koreans.

The back surface is very smooth. Why is it bad? If you put your smartphone near the edge of the table, then it can simply move out and break on the floor. Believe me, the back is really very slippery. And if our fingers cling to the glass quite well due to the structure of papillary patterns and all that, then there is no need to cling to the back of the gadget on a hard and smooth surface.

In vibration mode, the device will definitely leave the table on its own and end up on the floor. In general, I warned you.

In the white and black model, the back side of the corresponding color is without any pattern, while the gold one has a subtle mesh structure. I have not seen this model live, so I only judge by press images.

For me personally, it is important how the device lies in the hand. It directly depends on whether there is a risk of dropping the device on the floor and breaking it. Of course, there is such a risk in Mi5, but it is much lower than in the same or in the record holder for falls. As for me, the latter is simply impossible to hold securely in your hands. Need a cover.

	Length	Width	Thickness	The weight
Xiaomi Mi5 (5.15'')	144,6	69,2		129 / 139 (with ceramic cover)
Samsung Galaxy S7 (5.1'')	142,4	69,6
iPhone 6S (4.7'')	138,3	67,1
LG G5 (5.3'')	149,4	73,9

The peephole of the rear camera does not stick out here. More precisely, the sapphire crystal itself is flush with the case, but the metal border protrudes slightly, so it scratches very quickly. It is visible, however, only if you look closely.

On the top end, in addition to the headphone jack and microphone, there is an infrared port. In memory, there was a proprietary application for controlling household appliances. It is partially Chinese, but, fortunately, intuitive.

At the bottom is a USB Type-C port. For some reason, everyone likes it when a manufacturer completes his offspring with this connector. Personally, I can't think of a single real argument for. There is only cons: most likely in your environment you will be alone with such a “breakthrough” device and you won’t be able to borrow charging from anyone. In addition, there is a problem with adapters. Personally, I have already ordered a couple from one Chinese store. Just so as not to be out of work. At least I thought so, but more on that later.

The perforation around the connector is symmetrical: the microphone is on the left, and the multimedia speaker is on the right. By the way, it is quite loud and, best of all, of high quality. Sounds especially good standard ringtone Guitar Classic. Missing an incoming call on a noisy street, most likely, will not work.

On the side there are mechanical buttons. They wobble a little and that's ok. I have not yet seen a single device where these keys would not stagger.

On the left side is a retractable slot for two Nano SIM cards. No memory cards for you, get by!

Obviously, this is what Xiaomi thought. I wouldn't be surprised that Mi6 will have such support and it will be presented in the light of some kind of revelation, as Samsung did this year. Or maybe it won't show up. Still, the Chinese manufacturer is actively promoting its own online services for watching videos and listening to music. Extra memory in such a case is useless to users. A technique successfully practiced by LeEco.

The fingerprint scanner

A thing that deserves its own section in the review. The sensor is located on the front panel, right in the "Home" button. It has a ceramic coating.

Despite the narrow surface, the reading speed is not bad.

However, there is a downside. For the scanner to work, you need to press the button.

This is the path of the same Samsung and Apple. Most Android device manufacturers take a different approach - just touch the sensor. And this, in my opinion, is correct.

The location of the scanner in front is the most convenient. I use smartphones in the car and install them directly on the dashboard in the holder. In this case, just put your finger on the front key and the smartphone is unlocked. No need to climb somewhere behind the back and feel for the contact pad there. Still, you need to follow the road behind the wheel, and not poke your finger in an incomprehensible place.

The scanner is used here in the standard mode: to lock the device itself, to protect individual files with a fingerprint, and to pay via an electronic wallet (only in China).

Unfortunately, you cannot set a fingerprint lock on applications. They can only be protected with a password or pattern. It's strange somehow.

And a little more about the control keys. They are touch sensitive and touches can be divided into two types: short tap or hold. It can be two different functions, which is convenient.

Thin and light handsome man on the most powerful Qualcomm platform

Surely, many have heard and know that the Svyaznoy chain of electronics stores has once again made an attempt to officially introduce Chinese Xiaomi products to the Russian market. But not all, but, as before, only a part of it, and this time - on the example of the top and latest of the company's smartphones, the Xiaomi Mi 5 model. At the moment, this seller's activity is widely supported by advertising in several media channels at once. This, of course, does not mean that Xiaomi is now officially represented in our market. It's just that in Svyaznoy, realizing how strong brand recognition is all over the world, they are trying to arrange successful sales of this equipment with us. But so far this is not working out very well, since the prices “here” and the prices “there” differ by almost one and a half times, and users of online stores, which are the majority of fans of the Xiaomi brand, are very good at calculating benefits, preferring to order goods from abroad. In China itself, this high-end device is priced at only 1999 yuan, and in online stores it can be ordered at a price of $345 or a little over 23 thousand rubles. Inexperienced Russian users are less familiar with the popular Chinese brand, and the price of 33 thousand rubles, which is exactly how much a smartphone costs in Svyaznoy stores, naturally rejoices not so vividly. But here the buyer purchases a smartphone already certified for sale on the territory Russian Federation, with localized firmware, fully Russified and equipped with the charger plug that is familiar to us.

In any case, this review is intended to thoroughly study all the technical capabilities of the new smartphone, and we will leave the discussion of pricing policies to analysts. Xiaomi's latest flagship is indeed very interesting in many ways, so it's time to move on to reviewing the technical specifications of the novelty.

Key Features of Xiaomi Mi 5

• SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 (MSM8996), 2×1.8 GHz, 2×1.36 GHz, 4 Kryo cores (ARMv8)
• GPU Adreno 530
• Operating system Android 6.0
• 5.15″ IPS touch display, 1920×1080, 428 ppi
• Random access memory (RAM) 3/4 GB, internal memory 32/64/128 GB
• SIM cards: Nano-SIM (2 pcs.)
• No microSD card support
• GSM networks 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• WCDMA networks 850/900/1900/2100 MHz
• LTE networks FDD Band 1/3/5/7, TDD Band 38-41
• Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Display
• Bluetooth 4.2, NFC
• USB 2.0 Type C, OTG
• GPS/A-GPS, Glonass, BDS
• Direction, proximity, lighting sensors, accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, magnetic compass, infrared transmitter, fingerprint reader
• Camera 16 MP, f/2.0, autofocus, LED flash
• Front camera 4 MP, f/2.0
• Battery 3000 mAh
• Quick Charge 3.0
• Dimensions 145×69×7.3 mm
• Weight 132 g

Appearance and usability

The design and ergonomics of Xiaomi Mi 5 can only be praised: the smartphone came out surprisingly small and light, it fits in the hand more comfortably than most modern top-end smartphones from other manufacturers. Nice-looking and very pleasant to the touch case made of glass and metal turned out to be neither slippery, nor thick, nor wide, nor heavy. This is practically the same “golden mean”, unattainable and desirable.

Even compared to its direct competitor, Meizu Pro 6, the hero of the review lies more comfortably in the palm of your hand due to a more sloping back wall, a slightly less rounded and therefore less slippery side frame, and also because of the very low weight, which is simply amazing with taking into account the large battery (3000 mAh) of this elegant handsome man.

Concerning appearance new items, then there can be no two opinions: Xiaomi Mi 5 almost exactly copies the design of the Samsung Galaxy 6/7. It has the same unusual metal side frame, tapering on the sides and expanding towards the ends, Gorilla Glass 4 glass panels on both sides in the front and back, and, of course, an elongated oval mechanical button, inscribed in the middle under the screen, exactly like modern Korean smartphones.

There are no complaints about the materials and assembly: the metal of the side frame has received a noble dullness, and both glass panels have an excellent grease-repellent coating, which is why the smartphone came out not only not slippery, but also completely not easily soiled. On the sidewalls, the prints are not visible at all, and on the glasses they appear with great difficulty and are easily erased. The mass of the device is such that any pocket of clothes will suit it: Xiaomi Mi 5 is only 10 g heavier than the small four-inch iPhone SE and weighs 30 g less than the “classmate” Meizu Pro 6.

The case of the older model of the Xiaomi family, as usual, is non-separable, the battery is non-removable here, and the cards are inserted into the side slot. This connector is not hybrid, that is, you cannot replace one of the SIM cards with a memory card, and there is no separate slot for microSD either. Nano-SIM cards are stacked one after another in a single metal sled, their hot swap is supported.

Side mechanical keys are located on the right side in the usual manner. The buttons are quite large, protrude noticeably beyond the body, have a stiffness slightly above average, but this does not cause much discomfort when manipulating them.

The back wall, made of Gorilla Glass 4, has noticeable roundings on its sides, which makes the smartphone, like a boat, successfully fits in the palm of your hand. The camera module does not protrude beyond the surface at all, so it is quite convenient to control the device lying on the table, it does not sway.

In addition to the large eye of the main camera on the back, there is also a two-color rather bright flash, consisting of two LEDs. It is possible to use the flash as a flashlight.

Curiously, unlike most modern smartphones, whose designers strive to follow fashion trends, here the front glass is completely flat and does not have curved edges, like 2.5D panels. But the entire necessary set of sensors is present in full, as well as the LED event indicator located above the display among the sensors. The user can change the color and operating modes of the indicator in the settings.

At the bottom of the front panel there is an oval mechanical key with a fingerprint sensor area inscribed in it. The sensor instantly and almost unmistakably recognizes the owner's fingerprints, but, contrary to rumors about the use of Qualcomm 3D Ultrasonic ultrasonic technology, it is not capable of scanning through gloves. Two adjacent control buttons are marked with dots and have their own white backlight.

The main speaker is brought to the bottom end; here, as elsewhere, you can see two arrays of holes in the body, but the sound comes out only through one of them, the second is a props. In the middle is a USB type C connector that supports connecting third-party flash drives in USB OTG mode.

On the top end, in addition to the usual hole for a headphone minijack and a second auxiliary microphone, you can find a small dark eye for an infrared transmitter to emulate a remote control. True, in our firmware version there was no special program for its use.

There are no plugs on the connectors, there are no fasteners for a strap on the case either. The device did not receive protection from moisture and dust. As for the colors of the case, here the manufacturer has gone the already familiar way, offering the usual modifications of its device in three color options: black, white and gold. But the premium version, which, apparently, has not yet appeared on open sale even in China itself, will have a ceramic case and will be presented in only black.

Screen

The smartphone is equipped touch screen IPS flat protective glass Gorilla Glass 4. The physical dimensions of the display are 64 × 114 mm, the diagonal is 5.15 inches. The screen resolution is standard 1920×1080, the dot density is 428 ppi. The frame around the screen is very thin, about 2 mm on the sides, but in a face-to-face comparison, even it turns out to be slightly wider than the new Sony Xperia XA, which will be discussed in one of the following reviews. Xiaomi Mi 5 can not rightfully be classified as "frameless", but the sidewalls are really very thin. The width of the frame at the top and bottom is 14-15 mm.

The display brightness is automatically adjusted based on a light sensor. There is also a proximity sensor that blocks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear. Multi-touch technology allows you to handle 10 simultaneous touches.

A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the "Monitors" and "Projectors and TV" sections Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the test sample.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, resistant to scratches. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are better than the screen of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the off screens (on the left is Nexus 7, on the right is Xiaomi Mi 5, then they can be distinguished by size):

The screen of Xiaomi Mi 5 is noticeably darker (brightness in photos is 100 versus 113 for Nexus 7). The doubling of reflected objects in the screen of Xiaomi Mi 5 is very weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen (more specifically, between the outer glass and the surface of the LCD matrix) (OGS type screen - One Glass Solution). Due to the smaller number of borders (glass/air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of strong external illumination, but their repair in case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be changed. On the outer surface of the screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (better in efficiency than the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed more easily, and appear at a slower rate than in the case of ordinary glass.

With manual brightness control and with a white field displayed in full screen, the maximum brightness value was about 650 cd/m², the minimum was 1 cd/m². The maximum brightness is very high, which means that, given the excellent anti-reflective properties, readability even on a sunny day outdoors should be at a good level. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. In the presence of automatic brightness control by light sensor (it is located to the left of the front speaker slot). In automatic mode, when the ambient light conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. This function depends on the position of the brightness slider. If it is 100%, then in complete darkness the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 175 cd / m² (a little too much), in an office lit by artificial light (about 400 lux) it sets it to 460 cd / m² (it could have been less), in a very bright environment (corresponds to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) the brightness increases to 650 cd / m² (to the maximum - it is necessary); if the adjustment is about 50%, then the values ​​​​are as follows: 10, 170 and 650 cd / m² (ideal combination), the regulator at 0% is 1, 140-230 and 630 cd / m² (the first value is too low, the other two are normal). It turns out that the auto-brightness function works absolutely adequately and to some extent allows the user to customize their work to individual requirements. Significant backlight modulation appears only at a very low brightness level, but its frequency is high, about 2.4 kHz, so there is no visible flickering of the screen (but, perhaps, it can be detected in the test for the presence of a stroboscopic effect, however, we did not succeed) .

This smartphone uses an IPS type matrix. Micrographs show a typical IPS subpixel structure:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

The screen has good viewing angles without significant color shift even at large deviations of the gaze from the perpendicular to the screen and without inverting shades. For comparison, here are photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of Xiaomi Mi 5 and Nexus 7, while the brightness of the screens was initially set to about 200 cd / m², and the color balance on the camera was forcibly switched to 6500 K. A white field is perpendicular to the screens:

The field darkens a little towards the bottom edge (in the photo on the right), but in general, the uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field is good. And a test picture:

The colors on the Xiaomi Mi 5 screen are oversaturated (note the tomatoes and bananas) and the color balance is slightly different. Recall that the photo can not serve as a reliable source of information about color quality and is provided for illustrative purposes only. In this case, apparently due to the characteristics of the screen emission spectrum, the color balance in the photographs is somewhat different from what is visible to the eye and is determined by the spectrophotometer. Now at an angle of about 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens, but on the Xiaomi Mi 5, the contrast has decreased to a greater extent due to the strong black highlighting. And the white box:

The brightness at an angle of the screens has decreased (at least 4 times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but Xiaomi Mi 5 has a lighter screen (brightness in photos is 242 versus 223 for Nexus 7). The black field, when deviated diagonally, is highlighted strongly and acquires a reddish tint. The photos below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is the same!):

And from another angle:

When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is good:

Contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is high - about 1100:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 27 ms (15 ms on + 12 ms off). The transition between grayscale 25% and 75% (according to the numerical value of the color) and back in total takes 43 ms. The gamma curve constructed from 32 points with an equal interval according to the numerical value of the shade of gray did not reveal a blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows. The fit exponent is 2.09, slightly below the standard value of 2.2. In this case, the real gamma curve deviates little from the power dependence:

In this case, we did not find any dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness in accordance with the nature of the displayed image, which is very good.

The color gamut is noticeably wider than sRGB:

Let's look at the spectra:

Such spectra (unfortunately) are found in top mobile devices from Sony and other manufacturers. Apparently, this screen uses LEDs with a blue emitter and a green and red phosphor (usually a blue emitter and a yellow phosphor), which, in combination with special matrix light filters, allows you to get a wide color gamut. Yes, and in the red phosphor, apparently, the so-called quantum dots are used. For a consumer device, a wide color gamut is not an advantage, but a significant drawback, since as a result, the colors of images - drawings, photos and films - oriented to the sRGB space (and the vast majority of them) have unnatural saturation. This is especially noticeable on recognizable shades, such as skin tones. The result is shown in the photo above.

This device has the ability to adjust the color balance by adjusting the hue warmer-colder (you can select only one of the three values ​​​​with the slider), as well as select one of the three profiles.

Profile is of interest standard, since it is the only one that attempts to fix creepy colors by adjusting the gamut:

The result is average, but the attempt counts. We hope that by the next smartphone, software developers will master the simplest operations of matrix algebra and they will get an sRGB triangle without kinks on the sides. For now, we have the following result:

Everything is better. Yes, and one more drawback: when choosing a profile standard hue adjustment does not work, you must first move the slider, and only then select a profile standard. It looks like the software was written in a hurry.

The balance of shades on the gray scale is average, since the color temperature is below the standard 6500 K, and the deviation from the black body spectrum (ΔE) is above 10, which is considered a bad indicator even for a consumer device. However, at the same time, the color temperature and ΔE change little from hue to hue - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of color balance. (The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since the color balance does not matter much there, and the measurement error of color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

Going through the profiles and the position of the hue slider in the smartphone settings, you can change the balance, but in principle best result we failed to achieve. Yes, and another slider on the page Reading mode will help reduce the intensity of the blue component. However, the developers again “forgot” to proportionally reduce the intensity of the green component, so as a result the screen acquires a nasty greenish tint. This setting, of course, has exclusively marketing significance, since it is still necessary to try very hard to illuminate your eyes with the light from the screen in order to shift your daily rhythm, and in any case it is better to reduce the brightness of the backlight, since the range of its adjustment in this device is simply huge.

To summarize: the screen has a very high maximum brightness and has excellent anti-glare properties, so the device can be used outdoors without problems even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable level. It is permissible to use the mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works adequately. Also, the advantages of the screen include the presence of an effective oleophobic coating, the absence of an air gap in the layers of the screen and flicker, high contrast, as well as not the worst color balance and approaching the sRGB color gamut when choosing a profile standard. The disadvantages are the low stability of black to the deviation of the gaze from the perpendicular to the screen plane. Nevertheless, taking into account the importance of the characteristics for this particular class of devices, the screen quality can be considered high.

Sound

Xiaomi Mi 5 sounds, like its siblings, not too impressive. In this regard, other "branded Chinese" will give it a head start, including the top devices Meizu, Huawei. The frequency spectrum is not wide, there is no bass at all, the volume margin is not always enough, and at the maximum level the sounds sometimes begin to merge into a “mess”. In general, everything is not so bad, but this is the level of the middle peasant, not the premium class. In high-quality headphones, the situation is better, here the sound is both bright and rich, and low frequencies not deprived, and the volume margin is enough. As usual, there are no complete headphones, but at the same time, in the settings you can select specialized profiles with preset values, specially designed for specific headphones. Also, in a regular music player, the user has access to manual sound quality control settings in the form of preset equalizer values.

There are no special complaints about the spoken speaker and microphone, there are practically no extraneous noises. True, the sound comes out somehow bass and rough, but you can always recognize a familiar interlocutor. It is possible to record telephone conversations from the line. There is no FM radio in the smartphone.

Camera

Xiaomi Mi 5 is equipped with two modules of digital cameras with a resolution of 16 and 4 megapixels. The front camera is equipped with a 4-megapixel sensor and an f / 2.0 lens without autofocus and its own flash. Manual settings no, there are only three degrees of decoration and the function of determining the gender and age of the subject - everything is familiar here, nothing new. The quality of the resulting images is not particularly praised for anything, the image turns out to be whitish, the detail is weak, although there are no particular complaints about color reproduction and sharpness.

The main camera is equipped with a 16-megapixel Sony IMX298 sensor with a quad-axis system optical stabilization(OIS) and phase detection autofocus (PDAF). Outside, the camera lens is covered with sapphire crystal. Autofocus is fast, it doesn’t make mistakes, the double multi-colored flash is brighter than the average level, there is not a word about stabilization in the settings, that is, it cannot be turned on or off on its own.

The camera control interface is exactly the same as that of all devices with the MIUI interface. The menu with additional modes is pulled out with a side gesture, the settings menu is called up by clicking on the gear icon. Photo resolution, as usual, is not specified: you can not directly set the size of the image, you can only choose between veiled definitions, such as "high, normal or low quality." In manual mode, it is possible to influence the white balance, shutter speed, ISO level (maximum sensitivity - ISO 3200), adjust contrast, saturation and clarity. There are also several additional modes, such as panoramic, night, fisheye and others. Third-party applications cannot control these settings via the Camera2 API, nor can they save images in RAW.

The video camera can shoot at resolutions up to 3840 × 2160 (4K UHD), there is the possibility of slo-mo recording at 720p resolution at 120 frames per second, but the image quality there is very poor. Nothing is said about stabilization for video shooting, and in any case, the camera does not cope very well with shooting at maximum resolution. As can be seen from the test videos, the video sequence is torn, the image is twitchy, in places artifacts in the form of spots with decaying squares are clearly visible, and this is with excellent ambient lighting and bright colors. In this regard, the top Xiaomi device is clearly inferior to the flagship products of LG and Samsung. The sound is also recorded with average quality, the noise reduction system copes with difficulty even with a slight wind noise, the sound itself is monophonic, high, the sound is simple, not bright and not saturated.

• Clip #1 (88 MB, 3840×2160 @30 fps)
• Movie #2 (81 MB, 3840×2160 @30 fps)

	Good sharpness across the frame.
	Even in the shadows, the detail is good.
	Good detail in medium shots.
	The text is well done.
	Macro photography is excellent for the camera.
	With the removal of the plan, the sharpness drops very slowly. Even in the distant plans, the detail is good.
	There is a noticeable drop in sharpness in the corners of the frame.

Xiaomi Mi 5	Apple iPhone 6 Plus

The camera turned out to be excellent, if not a flagship one. Immediately striking is the good elaboration of details throughout the field of the frame and on all plans. This is not often seen even in flagships. In addition, the program works well, carefully removing noise in the shadows. Sharping is barely noticeable, and then only in places. Even the iPhone 6 loses the comparison in many ways. As a result, the camera will cope well with both documentary and artistic shooting.

Telephone part and communications

The smartphone can function as standard in most bands of 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks, and also has support for fourth-generation LTE FDD and TDD networks. The SoC Snapdragon 820 used here has a built-in X12 LTE Cat.12/13 modem, which theoretically allows you to receive data at speeds up to 600 Mbps. As before, the Xiaomi smartphone has support for only two of the three most common bands among domestic operators (B3 and B7), but the frequency of 800 MHz (B20), which better than others meets the requirements for indoor communication, as well as in sparsely populated areas, this unit do not support. That is, for some residents of regions outside large settlements, this can become a particular problem.

In practice, with the SIM card of the MTS operator in the Moscow region, the smartphone was confidently registered and worked in 4G networks, although it was not possible to achieve maximum speeds from it. The quality of signal reception does not cause any particular complaints, the device confidently maintains communication indoors and does not lose the signal in areas of uncertain reception. Full list supported frequency bands is as follows:

• FDD-LTE: B1/B3/B5/B7
• TD-LTE: B38/B39/B40/B41
• TD-SCDMA: 1900 / 2000 MHz
• WCDMA: 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz
• GSM: 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz

The device also has support for Bluetooth 4.2, NFC, dual Wi-Fi bands (2.4 and 5 GHz) MU-MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Display, you can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth channels . The USB Type C connector supports connecting external devices in USB OTG mode. From a USB 3.0 port on a desktop PC, a 4 GB file is transferred to a smartphone over a cable within 135 seconds (about 30 MB/s), which is more like USB 2.0 specifications, not USB 3.0. At this point, it is worth noting that the Meizu Pro 6 in USB 3.0 mode performs the same transfer in just 53 seconds (about 75 MB / s).

The NFC module demonstrates compatibility with the Mifare Classic protocol, which is necessary for the successful operation of the "" application with the Troika transport card.

The phone application supports Smart Dial, that is, while dialing a phone number, a search is also carried out immediately by the first letters in contacts. There is also support for continuous input such as Swype. It is possible to reduce the size of the working area virtual keyboard for ease of use with the fingers of one hand.

The smartphone provides work with two SIM-cards. Typically for the MIUI shell, in the settings you can set a specific SIM card for data transfer and voice calls, but to send SMS messages, you must select the desired card each time.

A SIM card in any slot can work with 3G / 4G networks, however, only one of the cards can operate in this mode at the same time. To change the assignments of card slots, you do not need to swap places - this can be done directly from the phone menu. Working with two SIM-cards is organized according to the usual Dual SIM Dual Standby standard, when both cards can be in active standby mode, but cannot work at the same time - there is only one radio module.

OS and software

As a software platform, Xiaomi Mi 5 uses Android OS version 6.0 with the obligatory proprietary MIUI shell. Here is the seventh version user interface(MIUI Global 7.2.8.0), which is well known to most buyers of Chinese smartphones, since it was it that once became the basis for customized user shells.

Everything is familiar here, no innovations have been introduced, in the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 we reviewed earlier, all this was already there. Of the features: there is no separate menu for installed applications, the navigation menu and quick settings have been completely redone in their own way; conveniently arranged menu of the latest open programs with indexing of the amount of memory released when closing.

The settings menu is very detailed, you can configure almost everything, up to long or short keystrokes and the color of the light indication, it is possible to reduce the working area of ​​​​the screen to control the fingers of one hand, reduce the font, change themes, although the default one is very nice. There are child and guest modes, but there is practically no support for gestures in Xiaomi smartphones.

There are very few pre-installed programs, and those that are are useful, and this is good, because there is no clutter with unnecessary applications. Each user is free to download and install from the Play Store what he needs.

Performance

The Xiaomi Mi 5 hardware platform is based on Qualcomm's newest and most powerful mobile platform on the market today, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 quad-core SoC. 810 respectively (you can read more about the new platform in our separate article). The Snapdragon 820 is configured with four 64-bit Kryo (ARMv8) processor cores, which are Qualcomm's own development. Maximum frequency processor cores in Xiaomi versions The Mi 5 with 4 GB of RAM is 2.2 GHz, but here it is reduced to 1.8 GHz. The new GPU Adreno 530 with support for OpenGL ES 3.1+ is responsible for graphics processing. This model has 3 GB of LPDDR4 RAM (of which 1.9 GB is initially free) and 32 UFS flash memory, but Xiaomi Mi 5 variants with 4 GB of RAM and 64 or 128 GB of flash memory are also available. Installation of microSD cards is not provided at all. Connecting third-party flash drives in USB OTG mode is supported, but for this you will have to get an OTG adapter for a USB Type C connector.

The results of testing the new platform, as expected, turned out to be very impressive, at the level of other modern top solutions, close to the maximum. The new SoC demonstrates decent results in both complex and specialized browser tests. As for the graphics, in this regard, the heroine of the review, along with the Samsung Exynos 8890 Octa installed in the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, simply has no equal. Top solutions MediaTek (MT6797T) and Huawei (HiSilicon Kirin 955), as well as Snapdragon 810, are inferior to these two champions in all graphics tests without exception. The results of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, summarized in tables, can be visually evaluated and compared with the results of alternative modern top platforms using real numbers obtained in the same test programs as an example.

Modern demanding games run at maximum settings. You can comfortably play World of Tanks at 60 fps, the frame rate simply does not drop below. The rest of the games also do not show even the slightest delay, playing games with high graphics quality on Xiaomi Mi 5 is a real pleasure. The platform is new, extremely powerful, and clearly has significant performance headroom for future upgrades.

Testing in the latest versions of AnTuTu and GeekBench 3 comprehensive benchmarks:

For convenience, we have summarized all the results obtained by us when testing a smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks in tables. Several other devices from different segments are usually added to the table, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the received dry numbers). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison, it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” due to the fact that they once passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions of test programs.

Testing the graphics subsystem in 3DMark gaming tests, GFXBenchmark and Bonsai Benchmark:

When testing in 3DMark for the highest performing smartphones, it is now possible to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (due to which the speed can rise above 60 fps).

Browser cross-platform tests:

As for benchmarks for evaluating the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowances for the fact that the results in them depend significantly on the browser in which they are launched, so that the comparison can only be truly correct on the same OS and browsers, and this possibility is available when testing not always. In the case of Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.

thermal images

Below is a thermal image of the back surface obtained after 10 minutes of running a battery test in the GFXBenchmark program (closer to white - higher temperature):

It can be seen that the heating is more localized in the upper part of the device, which apparently corresponds to the location of the SoC chip. According to the heat chamber, the maximum heating was 38 degrees (at an ambient temperature of 24 degrees), this is not very much.

Video playback

To test the "omnivorous" when playing video (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Web. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern versions using processor cores alone. Also, do not expect everything from a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a single table.

According to the test results, the test subject was not equipped with all the necessary decoders that are needed for the full playback of most of the most common multimedia files on the network, in this case, sound ones. To successfully play them, you will have to resort to the help of a third-party player - for example, MX Player. True, it also needs to change the settings and manually install additional custom codecs, because now this player does not officially support the AC3 audio format.

Format	container, video, sound	MX Video Player	Regular video player
BDRip 720p	MKV, H.264 1280×720, 24fps, AAC	plays normally	plays normally
BDRip 720p	MKV, H.264 1280×720, 24fps, AC3		video plays fine, no sound
BDRip 1080p	MKV, H.264 1920×1080, 24fps, AAC	plays normally	plays normally
BDRip 1080p	MKV, H.264 1920×1080, 24fps, AC3	video plays fine, no sound	video plays fine, no sound

Further testing of video playback performed Alexey Kudryavtsev.

Due to the lack of the necessary adapter, we could not verify the hypothetical presence of the MHL interface, as well as Mobility DisplayPort, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Methodology for testing video signal playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices) 720/24p

Great No

Note: If both columns Uniformity and Passes green ratings are given, this means that, most likely, when watching movies, artifacts caused by uneven interleaving and dropping frames will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems with the playback of the respective files.

According to the frame output criterion, the quality of video files playback on the screen of the smartphone itself is good, since frames (or groups of frames) can (but are not required) to be displayed with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without frame drops. When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels (1080p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen, one to one in pixels, that is, in its original resolution. The brightness range displayed on the screen corresponds to the standard range of 16-235 - in the shadows, only a couple of shades of gray do not differ in brightness from black, and in the highlights, all gradations of shades are displayed.

Battery life

The capacity of the non-removable battery installed in Xiaomi Mi 5 is 3000 mAh. This is quite an impressive figure, given the medium-sized, thin, and most importantly, very light smartphone case. It is difficult to say from the first acquaintance with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 platform, whether it should be thanked for the highest level of autonomy demonstrated by Xiaomi Mi 5, or something else. But the fact remains: the most powerful and productive smartphone, which heats up quite noticeably when performing demanding tasks, nevertheless demonstrates an extremely high level of battery life. This is not a record, of course, but even against the background of the most modern flagships, the hero of the review looks more than worthy.

Testing, as usual, was carried out without using any energy-saving modes, although, of course, there are such in the device.

Continuous reading in the Moon + Reader program (with a standard, light theme, with auto scrolling) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd / m²) lasted almost 19 hours to full discharge. When continuously watching Youtube videos in high quality (720p) with the same brightness level through the home wifi network the device lasted 13 hours, which is an extremely good result. In the 3D gaming mode, the smartphone functions confidently for 6.5 hours.

Xiaomi Mi 5 with its latest hardware platform is one of the first smartphones to support Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 technology. It comes with a AC adapter with variable maximum output current and voltage (2.5/2/1.5 A; 5/9/12 V). From its own charger, the smartphone is fully charged within 1 hour and 20 minutes with a current of 1.75 A at a voltage of 9 V.

Outcome

As already mentioned at the very beginning of the article, the prices for Xiaomi Mi 5 from official and non-certified supplies vary quite a lot. In the case of other smartphones, the spread is not so noticeable, but here it is very large. At a price of 22-23 thousand rubles when ordering from an online store, for example, this option can rightfully be called extremely interesting and even agree with the popular epithet about the best “anti-crisis flagship”. However, at a cost of 33 thousand rubles (as in Svyaznoy), our hero will already have many worthy rivals, and here it will already be necessary to compare characteristics and capabilities. However, in terms of characteristics, the hero of the review is a real flagship with a high-quality screen, the most powerful hardware platform, an excellent camera, wide communication capabilities and an outstanding level of autonomy. But in terms of sound and video shooting, the Chinese “handsome” is inferior to the top solutions of the same LG, Samsung, and maybe even Huawei. And yet, if you are not afraid to buy equipment from abroad without guarantees, then a more profitable alternative at the level of Xiaomi Mi 5 is now hard to imagine.