Xiaomi Mi 5 could launch this February 24th

Xiaomi continues racing to the top. They dominate the Chinese market, but still need to work on spreading their popularity outside their home base. Will the Xiaomi Mi 5 have what it takes to give the Chinese startup that push they need?

We have been expecting the Xiaomi Mi 5 for a while, with multiple rumors saying February is to be the month we have all been hoping for. And it seems the latest reports may not be wrong. Xiaomi’s Senior VP Wanqiang Li has taken it to Weibo to let us know the company’s Spring conference is to take place on February 24th.

While there is no direct statement from the company about the matter, we can all assume this is about the Xiaomi Mi 5… at least partly. The event is to last a couple hours, so we might be seeing other products hit the stage. Or maybe they will talk about the Xiaomi Mi 5 for two hours!

All in all, the Xiaomi Mi 5 is looking to be quite the handset. We have seen leaked images and videos. Rumored specs include a 5.2-inch QHD screen, a Snapdragon 820 processor, 4 GB of RAM, a 16 MP main camera, an 8 (or 13) MP front shooter and a handsome 3600 mAh battery.

And if Xiaomi’s history is anything to go by, the company will undercut all the competition when it comes to price. We don’t see that habit changing anytime soon, so let’s stay tuned and see how good of a deal we can get from Xiaomi!

What do you guys say? Is anyone thinking of signing up for the next Xiaomi flagship?

Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 (64GB) sells out in under a minute

Last year, Xiaomi released a tablet, fittingly called the Mi Pad. The device was apparently enough of a success that a sequel was in order, and so last month the Mi Pad 2 released. Priced at 999 Yuan (approximately $156) the device had only 16GB of storage and ran Android. Today, Xiaomi released a 64GB variant that has Android or Windows 10 on-board, for a very reasonably 1299 Yuan ($203). The biggest surprise however? The new variant sold out in under a minute.

The Mi Pad 2 features a 7.9 inch, 1536 X 2048 pixel display, a 2.2GHz Intel Atom X5-Z8500 SoC, 2GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel rear camera with f/2.0 and a 5-megapixel front facing camera, a 6190mAh battery, and USB Type-C.

The sudden sell out

The sales surge for this particular product is quite a curious one to say the least. Given that the 16GB Mi Pad 2 failed to generate such a sell-out, it begs the question of what was the cause today? Three potential explanations are plausible:

1. Xiaomi underestimated demand and there were not enough of the 64GB variants to meet it. This is certainly a possibility assuming that the OEM didn’t understand the impact increased storage would have on its tablet, but is probably unlikely.
2. Customers had been waiting and were overwhelmingly interested in the larger storage option.
3. Windows 10.

As global tablet sales have begun to plateau, it is possible the presence of Windows 10 gave the Mi Pad 2 a greater sense of allure than its Android compatriot. While it would ultimately require Xiaomi to provide specifics as to the sales breakdown across all three of the devices, should it be revealed that Microsoft’s platform earns the majority of sales, the relatively new Chinese OEM might conceivably have a viable future in making an entire range of Windows products.

The workings of Windows

Interestingly enough for a growing company like Xiaomi to potentially see success with Windows might not only help out its overall profit picture, but also begin to alter the Chinese OS situation. Android is currently extremely popular there with Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo, OnePlus, and various other OEMs all making use of Google’s platform.

If Windows becomes more relevant however, there would seemingly be little reason not to also see an adoption of Windows 10 mobile devices, or at the very least resources that would have been spent entirely on Android product development split between the two.

Given that Xiaomi has already released Windows 10 on one of its phones, and now a tablet as well, clearly there is more than a mild amount of curiosity as to the potential of such products.

New Xiaomi device stops by China’s TENAA, possibly the Redmi 3

Xiaomi has been producing some really great budget-friendly hardware over the past year or so. Specifically, Xiaomi’s Redmi line of smartphones are some of the more popular budget options available from the China-based smartphone maker, and it looks like we’re getting a pretty good glimpse at the next mobile device in this line.

A new Xiaomi device has just been spotted in TENAA, China’s certification center. What’s rumored to be the successor to the Xiaomi Redmi 2 from last January, this new device will sport a 5.0-inch TFT display with 1280 x 720 resolution. It will also be powered by an octa-core 1.5GHz processor, 2 gigabytes of RAM and have 16GB of internal storage with microSD card expansion up to 128GB. It’ll also likely come with a 13MP rear camera, 5MP front camera, measure 139.3 × 69.6 × 8.5mm and weigh 143 grams. Folks who are worried about running the latest version of Android will probably be disappointed here, as the device is set to launch with Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. It will come in three color variants: Silver, Gray and Gold.

The TENAA listing pegs this new device with model name Mi 2015811. While the Mi 2015811 looks to be made of metal in these photos, it’s entirely possible that it will actually be made of plastic in order to achieve a cheaper price point.

If this is in fact the Redmi 3, we’re really looking forward to what it has to offer. The Redmi 2 launched with lesser specifications pretty much across the board, and also came with a plastic build and a small $110 price point. We haven’t heard anything official from Xiaomi quite yet, but we’ll let you know when we learn more.

Next: Best cheap Android phones (December 2015)307

Xiaomi Mi 5 spotted in video and press renders

Xiaomi fans probably feel that they have been waiting forever for the company’s Mi 5 flagship. Gradually, some new details are emerging and today a number of press renders and a leaked video have appeared, showcasing a fair bit about the upcoming smartphone’s looks.

The leaked pictures show off the Mi 5 in a variety of colors, including Black, Gold, Pink and White options. The phone appears to have taken on a more curved design than the Mi 4, with slightly rounded corners and an oval-shaped home button which reportedly houses a new fingerprint scanner, á la the Galaxy S6. The previously rumored 2.5D curved glass display and 3D glass back panel also seem to make an appearance.

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The short video clip, embedded below, which claims to show the Mi 5 in action reaffirms the look of these press images. However, this model doesn’t look quite as slim as the renders and the corners are noticeably more rectangular.

Previous hardware specifications have pinned the Xiaomi Mi 5 on a quad-core Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB of RAM, a 5.2-inch QHD display, a 16 megapixel rear camera and an 8 megapixel front facing camera. The phone is also said to come with 16GB or 64GB of internal storage and a 3,030mAh battery. A Mi 5 Plus version of the phone with a 5.5 or 5.7-inch display has also been rumored, which may account for the slightly wider looking handset model on the video.

The Xiaomi Mi 5 is rumored to cost around 2500 Yuan ($390) when it finally launches, which would make the smartphone quite the bargain.

Xiaomi Android Marshmallow updates nearing release

A number of Android OEMs are gearing up to release Android Marshmallow updates to their smartphones in the new year, if they haven’t already, and the latest report suggests that Xiaomi is also in the final stages of preparation for its own update roll out.

Xiaomi’s MIUI Operations Manager has shared a little teaser on Weibo which shows off a new MIUI version number, 5.21.24, which is based on Android 6.0. Notably, the update is still designed around the existing MIUI 7 operating system which runs on Android Lollipop. Remember though, Xiaomi’s MIUI features are not tied to the underlying Android version. The update weighs in at a hefty 518MB, suggesting that Xiaomi has plenty of its own software bundle in on top.

The growing Chinese smartphone manufacturer had already indicated earler in the month that its Mi 4 and Mi Note smartphones will receive a Marshmallow update, so the latest teaser suggests that a release is nearing. A Marshmallow update for the Xiaomi Mi 3 also appears to be in testing right now, according to the release notes.

See also: Android 6.0 Marshmallow updates roundup – December 18, 201589

Now all we need is a public launch date and perhaps a word or two about Xiaomi’s extended smartphone line-up.