Xiaomi Mi 5X Hands-On Review – Inexpensive and Highly Functional Smartphone
Ever since the announcement of Mi 5X, I really wanted to try this phone. Xiaomi Mi5X. Many immediately began to call it a cheaper version of the iPhone 7 Plus. Others believe that this is the light version of the Xiaomi Mi6, not the continuation of the Mi5. Let’s try and we will consider this smartphone from all sides and make a full review of Xiaomi Mi5X. This smartphone is truly a crown of skill, combining all the best that is on the market at the moment. About this, a relatively inexpensive and highly functional “monster” read in our review below. You Can buy Xiaomi Mi 5x From Gearbest at $208.69
Unboxing
A box in our time already no one is surprised. At Mi 5X it is in a white box, with the company’s logo Xiaomi – exactly in the middle of the package. Inside there are not so many things: phone, charger (5V / 2A), USB Type-C cable, SIM card Ejector, and documentation. Modestly, but all the most necessary is present. Please note that the plug is Chinese, so when you buy, you need an adapter or ask the seller to take care of it.
Design and Body
The market will get several color solutions Xiaomi Mi 5X: black, red, gold and “pink gold”, with the latter two have a white front panel, and the two have – black.
2.5D glass, all-metal, non-separable housing, dual camera and fingerprint scanner allow you to step on the phone in “keeping up with the times”. Everything is done very qualitatively, does not creak, does not play. The surface of the back cover is slightly similar to the soft-touch coating. Pleasantly cold hands.
Dimensions are modest, despite the classical design “with frames”, total: 155.4х75.8х7.3 mm with a weight of 165 grams. Of course, the first time there will be a feeling that it is too thin, but you can get used to it very quickly. This smartphone is really good in the hand, and to all its controls to “reach out” is not difficult.
Above the screen are a camera, light and proximity sensors, a conversational speaker. At the bottom of the phone, there are touch buttons “back”, “list of the latest open applications” and “home”. In the best traditions of the genre, the order remained classical for Xiaomi. This is their chip – to change the extreme buttons (“back” and “list”) in places, in comparison with what we used to see in smartphones from other manufacturers.
Mechanical keys of metal are on the right side of the case, the stroke is hard, the buttons have a clear response, without the possibility of accidental pressing. But on the left side, there is only a hybrid slot for two nano-sim cards, or a sim card of the nano format, plus a memory card up to 128 GB. 
On top are the infrared port and microphone. From the bottom is a speaker, a USB Type-C port, a microphone and a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack.
The appearance of the smartphone has something in common with the design of the Apple iPhone 7, but this does not cancel its feature. The weight of the device is absolutely not felt, therefore we recommend to be careful when using because the phone can accidentally fall out of your hands. By the way, he tolerates strikes. Scratches on it are almost invisible.
Display
The screen here is 5.5 inches, IPS has a FullHD resolution (1920х1080) and a lot of settings. In addition to the banal brightness change, there are 3 display modes: Warm colors, Standard, Cold colors. In addition, you can change any temperature and contrast settings.
For fans to read from the phone there is a pleasant news: in the settings, you can find the reading mode. In addition, there are functions for changing the font, its size and the scaling of the interface. Unfortunately, in version 5X it will be difficult to choose the text style, because in the store they are only for the Chinese language, and most are also paid. The multi-touch supports 10 simultaneous touches and works practically without censures: all touches are transmitted accurately, sometimes even too much. Actually, this is the main disadvantage of the screen. Sometimes, when you try to bring up the desktop settings menu for installing widgets (opens by means of a long “click” on the display, in any “empty” place on the desktop), a series of small shifts occurs that the phone perceives as attempts to “flip” the page, rather than as call settings, where you can change the wallpaper, select a widget, or go to the settings.
The display is covered with 2.5D glass, protected by technology Corning Gorilla Glass 3, with rounded corners and has a quality oleo-phobic coating. Impressions, of course, remain, but the screen gets dirty as much as it could if there were no protection at all.-
As you might expect, the viewing angles are ideal, and the brightness is sufficient to prevent the image from fading in bright sunlight.
Hardware
The brain was picked up very correctly for the device, this Snapdragon 625 has 8 Cortex-A53 cores and a 2.0 GHz frequency, with an Adreno 506 graphics chip running at 650 MHz. The choice is extremely successful, both in terms of performance and in terms of power consumption. For those who are tired of the problems associated with the processors Mediatek, we recommend. Very pleased that, like the older 820 “dragon”, this chip is released on a 14 nm process, which technologically brings it to the same level as the top-tier gadgets.
On the same processor, there are a lot of devices from Xiaomi: Mi A1, Redmi Note 4 (4X), Mi Max 2. From competitors, you can note the same ZenFone 3 from Asus, Lenovo Moto Z Play, Nubia Z11 Mini, Blackberry KEYone and even ” direct “competitor – Meizu M6 Note, given the pricing policy. There is a lot of Rams here, as much as 4 GB, which should be enough for everything. Especially, considering the function of screen sharing, which we will talk about a little later.
If the amount of RAM pleases, then the ROM is a little more complicated. Of the 32 GB, only 25 are available to the user, some of which are already preloaded with programs. Of course, due to the possibility of expanding to 128 GB, the problem disappears, but completely sweeps the use of two SIM cards simultaneously, which means that the user will have to choose – more memory, or several operators. Of course, all this is not too noun. There is also a version of 64 GB if a larger volume of ROM is critically important. And 25 GB, in fact, not too little, because this is still enough for the season of your favorite TV series in HD quality, several hundred books and a whole mountain of music files, even without using a microSD card. Honestly, there’s nothing to add here, because tests are more eloquent than words. You can see their results below.
Of course, it’s too early, to sum up, but the device is really wonderful. Everything works very quickly and without the slightest censure. An excellent solution for those who do not get the budget to take a high-end gadget, with a great desire to feel the real stability of work and good performance.
Communication
Thanks to Snapdragon 625 all modern communication standards are supported: 2G, 3G, LTE (cat 7). Wi-Fi (802.11a / b / g / n / a), Bluetooth 4.2 and infrared ports are installed. The latter allows you to control the TV, or another device that can receive IR, or a Wi-Fi signal using the Mi Remote program. Unfortunately, NFC is missing, which is slightly annoying, because there are a lot of necessary functions, which may not be even in more expensive devices.
Due to the metal case, the level of reception of Wi-Fi signals is slightly cut off, despite the presence of plastic inserts under the antennas. But, this does not apply to the GSM module because it works perfectly, without any problems with the audibility of the subscriber, but also not without flaws. Unfortunately, there is a small problem with the noise reduction system. It seems that it is not completely calibrated because sometimes there were “artifacts” in the sound.
Battery and Power Consumption
Surprisingly, having a less capacious battery than the Meizu M6 Note (3080 mAh vs. 4000), the Xiaomi Mi 5X produces results no worse. In idle mode, the device can last 5 days without recharging. Of course, with daily use, this figure is only 2 full days of work, but this is one of the best performance results, especially for a battery of this capacity.
Let’s give you little more figures:
- The 3-hour battery test with the help of “Geekbench” took only 31% of the charge and assigned as much as 3685 points, which has not happened with us in tests of other devices (maximum about 1700)
- For 30 minutes of YouTube viewing, it took only 4%, with automatic brightness (about 70%) and sound through the headphones
- For 60 minutes of the game in Asphalt: Extreme – only 7%, with the same indicators of brightness and sound, with the maximum graphics settings
- 2.5 hours of music through the headphones, 70% of the volume with the screen off – only 7% of the battery.
Of course, the figures may vary from test to test, but we have a beautiful battery with honest 3080 mAh, with good results of energy efficiency testing and excellent component optimization.
Of course, not without strangeness. The fact is that the 625 “dragon” supports fast charging, but this function is not specified in the Mi 5X. Of course, the memory is 2 times more powerful than the standard solutions (5V, 2A vs. 5V, 1A), but this, unfortunately, is not the limit, for example, the technology Quick Charge 3.0 corresponds to the parameters 5-12V, 3A.
But, even with such characteristics, the phone charges quite quickly, from 10 to 100% for 2 hours through a staff memory. USB computer cannot boast with such figures: 8% for 30 minutes from USB 2.0 and 12% for the same time from port 3.0.
Camera
As the main camera in the Mi 5X, there are two 12 Mp modules manufactured by OmniVision (OV13880 + OV12a10). Their distinguishing feature is optics with different aperture (F / 2.2 + F / 2.6). A kind of cheap analog of the matrix that stands at Xiaomi Mi 6, which allows you to take pictures with a 2x optical zoom, or portrait high-quality photos.
The photos look very cool, and the mass of additional settings and modes allow you to turn them into what the user wants. Built-in “beauty” and age determination functions. If in the first case “the skin improves” by Beauty Mode and easy replacement of color, here in the second all is much more cheerful. The function works, but it’s more “fanatic” than it has real benefits. The camera periodically outputs values with an error of + -10 years, with both in both directions. Someone it can amuse and can cause and at all opposite reaction.
In the high ISO mode (in the evening, at night, in poor light), the quality of the pictures starts to “limp”. The less light – the more “noise”. However, it is not surprising, because most mobile phones have the same situation. This is due to the small size of the phones themselves, and hence the filling, where the camera module can be ten times smaller than in full-fledged, professional cameras. Separately, select the mode of “panorama”. Still, no gadget in our hands did not give the same quality of panoramic shooting. All the details are clearly visible, the colors are transmitted as they should be, and the image is stabilized, even if removed from a slightly different angle.
Pictures have a resolution of 4000×2250 pixels, but the video is shot in 4K format 30 frames per second. Detailing at the normal level, as for the device of the middle price segment, but there is no optical stabilization.
The front camera has a 5-megapixel module from Samsung (s5k5e8) and several “chips” already described above. Resolution of images: 2592х1944, video: 1920×1080 pixels, 30 fps. There are no outbreaks, but the photos are good. For Instagram, it will be enough, and the built-in image processing algorithms will help to remove minor skin defects or its irregularities. And this is all without additional, manual processing. Amazing function, but is it necessary? Here it is worth making a small remark: the device is designed primarily for the Chinese market, where such functions are very popular and popular.
If you judge by the camera in the price segment up to $ 250, then it is one of the best. The abundance of settings and “chips” only make it more interesting than others. The intuitive understandability of the interface also adds “points”.
Sound
The speaker in the Mi 5X is located on the lower edge and has a very decent sound. The volume is adjustable, high enough (you do not miss an important call in the street), even if the audio output is blocked by something. This phone has become one of the few smartphones of the company equipped with a dedicated audio chip, with DHS algorithms for sound calibration, which allows rediscovering the beauty of music in a new way. Now listen to your favorite songs through the headphones, or the speakers have become even nicer. A similar solution has already been implemented in Xiaomi Mi 5 and Mi 6, from where it was ported to a more budgetary Redmi Note 4.
Security
Fingerprint reader, pin number, pattern key. Everything is very simple and ordinary, with one exception: prints are read instantly, even with fast and very superficial touches. We recommend those who want to protect their phone but are not ready to remember the password or the key.
For those who care about the use of a smartphone by someone else, you can add additional fingerprint scans, thus maximally protecting the device from outsiders, leaving easy access to all those who need it.
Operating System
The Android version is here 7.1.2, although this has very little value since everything is running under the MIUI 9.0 shell. As mentioned before – the device is designed exclusively for the Chinese market. Nevertheless, the network walks information that the global firmware for this smartphone can also go out.
For the unwilling to wait – we can offer to use “custom” firmware, or recently ported to “clean” Android from the “sibling” – Xiaomi Mi A1. Of course, this promises you an unforgettable evening alone with the phone, but we have to warn: all these actions, dances with a tambourine and the like – you perform solely under your own responsibility, therefore we strongly recommend that you read the information on the firmware in reliable sources, or on the official Xiaomi forum .
For those who, for whatever reason, are not ready to reflash the smartphone themselves, we can offer two alternatives:
- Wait for the release of the official, global firmware
- Buy Xiaomi Mi A1 (international version of Mi 5X, on the “bare” Android)
Nevertheless, the system, even not translated into Russian – intuitively clear, looks very nice and is used with pleasure. Of course, little embarrassing inscriptions on the hieroglyphs in the notification blind, but this is irrelevant, especially if you turn them off in the settings.
Separately, you need to highlight the built-in screen sharing function: now you can do 2 cases on the screen at the same time. For example, in one “window” you watch YouTube, and in another “surf” on the Internet. Some programs do not support this feature. Compatibility can be viewed by opening this mode in the menu of the “latest open applications”.
By the way, RAM is enough to keep in memory more than 10 applications, without them closing, because when going back there is no “re-download”.
The shell is very comfortable. Implemented a system of notifications, leaving a number with the number of missing messages in one application or another, in the upper right corner of the launch icon for each program.
Conclusions
Mi 5X from Xiaomi is one of the best devices in its price category. A powerful, powerful, reliable smartphone with an excellent screen and good autonomy. A lot of additional features and settings, high-quality cameras and a very smart fingerprint scanner make it a strong competitor to even more expensive flagships from second-tier manufacturers.
By itself, the phone makes you think “Is it worth it to pay more?” In the choice between him and even the older ruler from the same manufacturer. Nice design, good ergonomics, and cool sound do their thing, presenting the phone in a favorable light.
But not everything is so smooth. The complete lack of Russification, NFC, and fast charging can alienate very many, if not all. Especially, if there is an alternative for the “international” market – Mi A1, on the “clean” Android.
You Can buy Xiaomi Mi 5x From Gearbest at $208.69
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