Xiaomi Mi5s Plus smartphone review: an exemplary student

Model description

The Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus smartphone appeared on the market in September 2016 and became the senior in the line of flagships from famous Chinese mobile device developers. After a long pause that lasted almost the entire year, Xiaomi released its top-end phone, which could compete with the Galaxy Note 7 from the Korean company Samsung. Today, Xiaomi Mi 5c Plus has practically no opponents left that could compete with it in the same class.

Equipment

The delivery of the Xiaomi Mi 5c Plus kit (unofficial name) is quite modest, without any striking details. The device is in a snow-white cardboard box, which doesn’t even have a photo of it, just a logo in the upper right corner.

In addition to the gadget itself, the box contains:

• 1.5A charging device with Chinese plug and fast charging capability;
• cord with USB Type-C interface;
• paperclip-key in order to get the SIM card;
• documents and warranty card.

As an additional accessory, the user is provided with a transparent plastic case.

Review of Android smartphone Xiaomi Mi5S Plus: better, bigger, but not more expensive?

Table of contents

• Introduction
• Specifications
• Packaging and equipment
• Appearance and design
• Display
• Hardware platform and performance
• Software
• Multimedia
• Wireless Interfaces and Communications
• File system
• Battery life
• Camera
• Comparison with competitors
• Conclusion

Introduction

Surely every person interested in the mobile sphere has heard about the achievements of Xiaomi in one way or another.
And almost all interesting new products from the Chinese giant end up on the pages of our laboratory. It should be mentioned that Xiaomi is not only engaged in the production of smartphones. Of the latest and most versatile devices, we managed to test the branded Notebook Air 12.5 laptop, Ninebot Mini hoverboard, and even the YunBike C1 bicycle.

But the bulk of the assortment is still made up of budget mobile solutions, and the fiercest competition is observed there. However, the company also has high-end models at an attractive price. In addition, by the end of the year, it had reconsidered the naming of new devices due to confusion caused by the production of so many variations of the devices.

Thanks to our partner, the online store Store Xiaomi, we will look at one of the latest flagship solutions in the form of an enlarged Mi5s with the Plus prefix.

The potential successor to the Xiaomi Mi5 was introduced quite recently and has literally just begun to appear on store shelves. It features a new look, software improvements, and some hardware specifications that we'll explore in the next section.

announcements and advertising

2080 Super Gigabyte Gaming OC for 60 rubles.

Compeo.ru - the right comp store without any tricks

RTX 2060 becomes cheaper before the arrival of 3xxx

Ryzen 4000

series included in computers already in Citylink

The price of MSI RTX 2070 has collapsed after the announcement of RTX 3xxx

Core i9 10 series is half the price of the same 9 series

The price of memory has been halved in Regard - it’s more expensive everywhere

Technical specifications of Xiaomi Mi5S Plus

The characteristics of the new smartphone correspond to solutions in a higher price segment. As usual, Xiaomi, like a number of other large Chinese companies, differs in its approach to pricing and hardware preparation of devices.

Among the interesting features, in addition to the new case design, we note the processor, the amount of memory on board the device and a capacious battery. Otherwise, with the exception of the diagonal, everything is the same as the younger brother Xiaomi Mi5S. The use of two cameras is of interest, although the first device with this feature from Xiaomi was the mid-budget Redmi Pro. The fingerprint scanner is also in place, but for some reason it moved to the rear panel.

Xiaomi Mi5S Plus can be called the first representative of the line with this name. We will study it with special care and try not to miss the features of the new product during the article, and also share our personal impressions. Let's start, as usual, with packaging.

Packaging and equipment Xiaomi Mi5S Plus

Xiaomi Mi5S Plus is offered to customers in a classic compact white branded cardboard box. The packaging is protected by transparent film. There are no bright elements; the manufacturer even refused to print the image of the smartphone on the front side - there is only an embossed MI logo.

The appearance of the box can be called strict. On the reverse side there is only a classic sticker with legal information and a brief summary of the available technical characteristics of the smartphone.

When you open the lid, the smartphone inside is immediately visible; initially it should be protected with transport films on both sides.

Let's take a look at the delivery package? To do this, remove the cardboard backing under the smartphone.

As we can see, the user receives the following accessories with the smartphone:

• Charger 1.5 A;
• USB Type-C cable;
• Plastic transparent case;
• Documentation and a paperclip for removing the SIM tray.

The case cannot be called ideal, but it’s nice that the manufacturer immediately took care of protecting the device during operation. Now many people neglect this.

The charger is compact, vertical type with a Chinese plug. However, buying a compact adapter is not a problem at all now, and sellers in Russia usually immediately equip smartphones with them. The charger is convenient to use. The USB Type-C cable meets quality standards.

The charger supports fast charging function. Otherwise, there are no complaints about the packaging and delivery set; it copes with the assigned functionality quite well.

Design

When developing Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus, the company's designers did everything possible to make the phone the most attractive. They created a classic candy bar with rounded corners on the back, which is made of metal. It not only looks stylish, but also has a pleasant tactile sensation. Thanks to this material, you can use the device comfortably without fear that the gadget will slip out of your hand.

This flagship has a strict design and a monolithic body that will not allow you to get to the battery. In other words, the battery will not be removable. The rear part has plastic inserts that are almost invisible to the touch. They are needed to ensure that the signal passes through better.

The build quality of Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus leaves only positive emotions. There are no defects, such as backlash or gaps. Each detail fits perfectly with the other. The only inconvenience is the high probability of leaving fingerprints on the back.

The dimensions of the mobile device allow it to fit comfortably in the palm of your hand, but controlling the functions with one hand will be difficult.

The 5.7-inch screen occupies almost the entire area on the front panel. It is protected by special tempered 2.5 D glass, which protects against scratches, and is also equipped with a coating that does not allow fingerprints to show up.

All important navigation keys are in their usual places. The front camera is located above the display. There in the center you can see the speaker mesh, and next to it are various sensors and a notification indicator with LED backlight.

On the back there is a module of two cameras, a flash, and a fingerprint scanner. The latter works quickly and practically without errors.

On the right side, as standard, there are on and off keys, as well as volume control keys.

On the left you can see a cell for two nano-SIM cards. Unfortunately, the phone does not support MicroSD, so the memory capacity cannot be increased.

At the top edge there is a 3.5mm headphone jack, an infrared port, and an additional microphone.

At the bottom there is a USB Type-C port, speakers and the main microphone.

Detailed specifications of Mi 5S and Mi 5S Plus!

A lot has changed for Xiaomi this year. There were ups and downs, a whole cohort of useful gadgets and smartphones was presented. And now Xiaomi is again attacking the high-end smartphone market with the new Mi 5S and Mi 5S Plus. We've already heard quite a lot about them over the past month. Some rumors were true, some were fantastic. But now, both smartphones have been officially announced and we have almost all the information about the new products. Well, let's tell you!

Design

In its spring flagship Mi 5, the company used a rounded 3D Glass body and 3D Ceramic in the top version Mi 5 Pro. This time, the new Xiaomi flagship received a cast all-metal body. This is definitely a good decision for several reasons. Firstly, many, yes, all users asked for a flagship in metal. You asked - Xiaomi did it. Secondly, the economic component plays a role. With the ceramic body in the Mi 5 Pro, our favorite company from the Middle Kingdom got a little burned. The reason is the origin of the zirconium ceramic from which the back cover of the Mi 5 Pro was made. It came straight from the aerospace industry and was extremely difficult to manufacture. So difficult that all the giant factories, including Foxconn itself, were trumpeting production problems and their inability to produce the required number of smartphones. And these problems outweighed all the advantages of a truly innovative ceramic case. But the metal cases of Mi 5S and Mi 5S Plus will not create such difficulties. By the way, Mi 5S Plus is 20 grams lighter than iPhone 7 Plus.

The flagships will be sold in four colors: dark gray, silver, gold and rose gold . Thanks to anodizing, the case acquired a unique look: matte, smooth and at the same time strict, discreet design. On the front, the display is protected by 2.5D tempered glass, giving it a slightly curved appearance. Yes, the display itself is not curved, as insiders expected. Apparently, Xiaomi decided not to rush into this matter, and many users spoke sharply negatively about the need for this type of display.

Performance

As expected, the heart of Xiaomi Mi 5S and Mi 5S Plus was the latest and most powerful mobile processor from the American company Qualcomm - the reference Snapdragon 821 with a clock frequency of 2.15 in Mi 5S and 2.35 GHz in Mi 5S Plus. The processor is paired with an Adreno 530 graphics accelerator with a frequency of 624 MHz. Performance is ensured by 3/4 GB in Mi 5S and 4/6 GB in Mi 5S Plus of LPDDR4 RAM with a frequency of 1866 MHz and 64/128 GB of flash memory of the new UFS 2.0 standard. It is noteworthy that in the new flagships, Xiaomi abandoned the standard version with 32 GB of memory and a processor cut in frequency, and this is obviously the right move.

Screen

The smartphones are equipped with displays with a diagonal of 5.15 and 5.7 inches , and they are made using the unique 16 LED Lights technology specifically for Xiaomi and boast a brightness of 600 nits, without increasing power consumption. Similar technology was used in Mi 5 with the same name. This time the screen has been further improved, but it is not reported what exactly. The color gamut of the NTSC space is no less than 95%, which is even a little excessive.

Well, and of course, the most important thing! The screens now have pressure sensitivity - 3D Touch. This technology is still very new and has not gained much popularity either in the iPhone or in phones from other manufacturers. However, a trend towards an increase in the number of devices with this capability is visible to the naked eye. I am very pleased that Xiaomi was one of the first on the market to put this into practice. After all, the main problem of this technology is the lack of widespread use and the small number of applications that support 3D Touch. We are confident that very soon this technology will gain wide popularity not only among manufacturers and developers, but also among users