Now take the recently launched Redmi 5. It is a link between the Redmi 5A (Review) and Redmi Note 5 (Review), but sometimes it becomes difficult to differentiate. The new phone has all the necessary features, that too in a strong and sleek package. Xiaomi has repeatedly captured the market by launching powerful products at low prices. Similar expectations are from Redmi 5. Will this phone live up to expectations? We will try to find the answer to this question through this review.
Redmi 5 Design
The Xiaomi Redmi 5 looks very similar to the Redmi Note 5 that was launched in India last month. This is not surprising as the Redmi Note 5 was launched in the Chinese market as the Redmi 5 Plus. The Redmi 5 and Redmi Note 5 Plus seem to be from the same family, but Xiaomi launching the Redmi Note 5 and Note 5 Pro (Review) together now seems a bit odd.
As expected, the front panel has an 18:9 screen. The display is tall. But the plastic is still clearly visible on the borders. Especially on the forehead and bottom of the phone, there is a lot of space for the borders.
We got the black unit for review. This phone is also available in Gold and Rose Gold colours. To stand out in the crowd, you can also choose the Lake Blue option. The front panel of all three variants is white, while the black unit is black.
Xiaomi claims that it has used 2.5D curved edge glass on the front. Plastic has been used on the sides, top and bottom. Most of the rear is metal. The main camera is in the middle on the rear. It is raised. About 1 mm out of the back surface of the phone. Below it is a single LED flash and below that is the fingerprint sensor. The size of the body is such that there is no problem in reaching this sensor.
The power and volume buttons are on the right side and are easy to reach. There is a micro-USB port at the bottom. There is a single grill housing the speaker. There is a headphone socket and infrared emitter on the top. There is a hybrid SIM slot on the left side, which means you have to choose between a second SIM card or a microSD card. We were disappointed to see the micro-USB port.
Considering the price, the build quality and finish of the phone impressed us. Our only complaint is the ring on the edge of the rear camera. It gets scratched easily. Apart from this, the phone is comfortable to hold and use. The good thing is that fingerprints do not appear easily on the front or rear of the handset.
Redmi 5 Specifications and Features
Compared to the popular Xiaomi Redmi 4 (Review) launched last year, the new model is an upgrade in many ways. The most important of these is the longer screen. The display now measures 5.7 inches. Remember that the Redmi 4 handset comes with a 5-inch screen. The resolution of the new handset is HD+ (720×1440 pixels), which is enough for us.
The processor has gotten better. You will get the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 chipset. Considering the processor available in the price range of Rs 10,000, this is a very powerful chipset. Based on RAM and storage, you have three options – 2 GB RAM and 16 GB storage, 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage and 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage. The rest of the specifications of all three variants are exactly the same. We have reviewed the variant with 3 GB RAM. We expect this to be the most popular option. Interested customers will be able to get more RAM and more storage than the starting variant by spending just a thousand more. At the same time, the price of the top variant is in the league of Redmi Note 5. You can buy the 32 GB variant of Redmi Note 5 cheaper than the 64 GB variant of Redmi 5.
The battery capacity is that of an average Android phone. It is 3300 mAh and does not support fast charging. The rear camera is 12 megapixels which is equipped with PDAF, F/2.2 aperture and single LED flash. At the same time, a 5 megapixel sensor is provided on the front panel and LED illuminator is also present. Redmi 5 supports Wi-Fi 802.1n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS and 4G VoLTE.
We were surprised and disappointed to see that Xiaomi has used Android 7.1.2 Nougat on the phone. Xiaomi’s custom skin is up to date, so MIUI 9.2.7 is available. Many people are fans of Xiaomi’s MIUI skin, but we think it would have been better if new Android features like shortcut menu were available. Xiaomi says that there is support for bundled notifications and in-depth replies in the notification shade.
You can do multitasking by running a few apps simultaneously. But it is necessary to have support for them. The screen to the left of the first home screen is called App Vault. There are many useful action shortcuts and widgets for selected apps. Mi Drop is a clone of Apple AirDrop. With its help, you will be able to transfer any file directly to another phone. However, the other phone must also have the Mi Drop app.
Redmi 5 performance, camera and battery life
As expected, the performance is very smooth. We never faced any issues whether we were using the phone for work or entertainment. Many apps now work fine on the 18:9 screen. Other apps run in letterbox style. MIUI is not very difficult to understand. However, there are times when you will need to dig into the Settings app.
In everyday use, the phone performs well. There was no problem in running all types of apps and games on this phone. The phone slowed down a bit only when playing some powerful games. We also found that the phone did not heat up too much even while multitasking.
During our time with the phone, we found the screen to be dull. Colours don’t pop. Videos and games look fine. But looking at the pictures, it was clear that they didn’t look their best on the screen. You can expect loud sound from the speakers, but clarity is lost at maximum volume.
Battery life is strong. In our video loop test, it lasted for 13 hours and 36 minutes. In normal use, it lasted for more than a day. It would have been nice if there was fast charging. But considering the price, such expectations are meaningless. After charging for half an hour, the battery got charged only 32 percent and after an hour, it got charged 62 percent.
Like most budget phones, the Redmi 5’s camera is good, but not great. Shots look good on the phone, but not on a larger screen. The lack of detail is evident when zoomed in to full size. Photos taken in sunlight were also a bit dull and grainy. We managed to achieve some nice depth effects in macro shots. But photos tend to get blurry when in motion.
Smart Beautification mode is already active while taking selfies. Unfortunately, the pictures do not look natural. You will be able to record videos in full-HD resolution.
Our verdict
There is no doubt that the Xiaomi Redmi 5 will be a popular phone. It is a value for money product. As before, once again this Chinese company has given such strong specifications at a low price, which is not easy for other companies to replicate. The processor is so powerful that it will last for many years. You will get an 18:9 screen which is in the most demand today. It seems that the 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage variant will be the best selling. We would also suggest you to buy this variant, because 2 GB RAM does not seem to be enough even for a cheap Android phone today. Unfortunately, we cannot tell you with confidence about the experience of 2 GB or 4 GB RAM variants.
We were impressed by the battery life and user experience of the Redmi 5. The MIUI has many customization features, but the old version of Android is disappointing. The phone is expected to get MIUI 9.5 in April. But it is also based on Android Nougat. The camera is nowhere great. If photography is a priority then you should consider buying a slightly more expensive phone.
It can be said with confidence that Xiaomi has once again set a new benchmark for budget smartphones. In such a situation, our focus will be on the handsets of other companies.
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