Unboxing The Xiaomi Redmi 5
Xiaomi started 2018 with two great budget smartphones, the Redmi Note 5 and Redmi Note 5 Pro. While the Redmi Note 5 is essentially the Redmi 5 Plus that was launched in China, many expected the Redmi 5 to never hit the Indian shores. That, however, changed on the 14th of March when Xiaomi held a live stream event and launched the Redmi 5 in India.
At a starting price of Rs 7999, the Redmi 5 is a peculiar device for the India market. That doesn’t mean that it won’t sell because Xiaomi appears to have cracked the code for India. With three variants launched, there are a few options to consider. But, the base variant is expected to be the popular choice because the Redmi Note 5’s base variant essentially cancels out the other two models of the Redmi 5. Pricing:
- 2GB RAM/16GB storage: Rs 7999
- 3GB RAM/32GB storage: Rs 8999
- 4GB RAM/64GB storage: Rs 10999
So, does the Redmi 5 have enough firepower to have an impact on the increasingly congested budget smartphone segment of India? Let’s unbox the device and find out:
- Xiaomi Redmi 5
- Documentation
- Wall Charger
- Micro USB Cable
- Clear Case
First Impressions
Usually, the difference between a regular and a plus variant of a device is usually substantial, size wise. However, that is not the case with the Redmi 5 and Redmi Note 5 (Redmi 5 Plus). At a glance, the difference between the two is barely noticeable. The design and build quality of the Redmi 5 resembles the Redmi Note 5 with the same 18:9 aspect ratio. That being said, it still possesses considerable bezels which are even more prominent if you buy the Gold colour variant.
One of the two main differences between the Redmi 5 and Note 5 is the display. It has a 720P display which measures 5.7 inches.
Specifications
Under the hood, it has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 chipset, a 1.8GHz octa-core processor, Adreno 506 GPU, 2GB, 3GB or 4GB of RAM, 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of onboard storage which will be expandable via microSD card. In fact, the Snapdragon 450 is an underclocked Snapdragon 625 chipset, which is used in the Note 5.
There is a fingerprint sensor placed at the back of the phone just below the camera. However, that is mainly a signature Xiaomi decision and not due to the lack of bezels on the front. Powering the device is a 3300 mAh battery which, Xioami claims has a standby time of up to 12 days. The battery is charged via a micro USB slot which means no fast charging.
Xiaomi recently launched the Redmi Note 5 AI in China that, surprisingly, runs Android 8 Oreo. However, that is not the case in India as the Redmi 5 still runs Android 7 Nougat with MIUI 9 on top.
The device has a 12MP camera at the back with 1.25-micron pixel size. The camera surprisingly only records 1080P videos at 30fps. To the front of the device is a 5MP camera with Beautify 3.0, which is Xiaomi’s software for enhanced selfies. However, unlike the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro, the device misses out on Face Unlock feature.
