This article is a description of Xiaomi’s Redmi 5. A smartphone released in December 2017 by Xiaomi. An even better version of it was released February of 2018 and is tagged Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Plus, and its review is done on yet another article on this website: www.phoneplacelenya.com, be sure to check it out. Below is a list of the main features of the subject phablet device.
Key features
GSM / CDMA / HSPA and LTE technology
Hybrid Dual SIM (nano-SIM, dual stand by)
Front glass, plastic frame & ends, aluminum back
5.7 inches IPS LCD capacitive touch screen, 16M colors
720 x 1440 pixels resolution, 18:9 aspect ratio (282 ppi density)
Corning Gorilla Glass Protection
Android Nougat 7.1 – MIUI 9.1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 450
Octa-Core 1.8 GHz Cortex A53 CPU
Adreno 506 GPU
32GB +3/4GB RAM or 16GB + 2GB RAM
12MP primary camera, phase detection autofocus and LED Flash
1080p@30fps video recording
5MP, 1080p selfie camera
Wi-Fi 802.11
Bluetooth 4.2
GPS
Infrared port
FM Radio
microUSB 2.0, USB On The Go
Rear mounted fingerprint scanner
Non removable 3300mAh battery with fast battery charging
Colors: black, gold, light blue and rose gold
Design and build
Design
Xiaomi id going all out with the way the displays on their smartphones look. This is probably the first thing you will notice with the Xiaomi Redmi 5. It has slim top and bottom bezels that sandwich its 5.7 inches display. Curved edges and rounded corners. The display isn’t square like we see on most phones on displays and shelves, it is smoothly and slightly rounded at all corners like how we see on the LG G6. Actually, you may think the Redmi 5 is an LG G6 at first sight of its front part. The side bezels are also kept very slim and thin to allow for a large display estate. The bottom bezel has been kept clean since the fingerprint scanner has been moved to the back of the Xiaomi Redmi 5, it sits below the LED flash which if right below the primary camera. Power and volume buttons have been kept on the same side of the Redmi 5 while the 3.5mm jack is on the top.
Looks-wise, this phone nails it. It is one of those phones you will never get tired of admiring.
Build
Its front is made of glass (unspecified corning gorilla glass) while the back is aluminum and its frames are made out of plastic. It measures 171.8 x 72.8 x 7.7 mm and weighs about 157 grams.
Display and camera
Display
Its IPS LCD capacitive touch screen is a 5.7 inches panel with 720 x 1440 pixels (282 ppi density) resolution. Well, it is mostly a bright display. It has a 75% screen to body ratio and covers 83.8 cm3 of the front section of this phone. I love that it has Corning gorilla glass protection and has support for multi touch functionality.
Camera
Primary Camera: A 12MP primary shooter with phase detection autofocus and an LED Flash. You get fine pictures with it really you do. And some of the features on board with it include touch focus, face/smile detection, HDR and panorama.
It shoots videos with 1080p@30fps moving pictures quality
The selfie camera on the other hand is a 5MP shooter.
Performance and memory
Platform
It runs on Android Nougat 7.1, themed with Xiaomi’s MIUI version 9.1. Powered with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 chipset and an Octa-Core 1.8 GHz Cortex A53 CPU, you get above average platform performance. Graphics are well handles by the Adreno 506 GPU it comes with.
Memory
Memory wise, there are two versions of the Xiaomi Redmi 5. The first a 32GB +3/4GB RAM version and the other a 16GB + 2GB RAM one. A microSD card can be used to expand the memory up to 128GB and it is slid into the SIM 2 slot.
Battery
Its 3300mAh battery supports fast battery charging 5V/2A and it is non removable. It has an endurance rating of 83 hours so it should see you through a whole day of mixed usage until next charge.
This phone, Xiaomi Redmi 5 is made for the Chinese and Indian market only, but PhonePlaceKE makes it possible for you to buy it here in Kenya. Buy yours today at www.phoneplacekenya.com. Be sure to check out the Redmi Note 5 Plus as well. It comes with the choice of four colors the Note 5: black, gold, light blue and rose gold.