Productive phablet Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus

Xiaomi's constant experiments with the design, hardware solutions of their smartphones have a rather positive response from consumers. There are series on the market, devices in which have their own zest, but at the same time offer a slightly changing level of performance. However, the model Xiaomi Mi 5 Plus looks like an attempt on a tested platform to create something new and attractive.

Specifications

The characteristics of Xiaomi Mi 5S Plus are very similar to the parameters of the 5s model. However, there are differences, expressed primarily in the enlarged screen, the new format and the increased performance.

CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 821, marked MSM8996pro (64 bits), 2x2.19, 2x2.34 GHz
GP	Adreno 530, frequency 0.652 GHz
display	386 ppi IPS, FullHD 1920 × 1080, 5.7 inches
RAM / ROM	3/32 Gb, 4/64 Gb, 6/128 Gb and combinations
SIM	slot 2 nanoSIM, not combined
connection	GSM, WDCMA
data	TD LTE 4G, 3G
wireless modules	Bluetooth, dual-band WiFi, NFC technology
orientation	GPS, GLONASS, BDS, A-GPS
sensor unit	pressure, illumination, fingerprint scanner, accelerometer, gyroscope, approximation, step counter, magnetic field
battery	3800 mAh

The Mi 5 Plus phone has dimensions of 155x78x8.6 mm for height, width and thickness, respectively, the device weighs 168 g.

Design and ergonomics

At first glance, the device, positioned as a phablet with excellent performance, looks somewhat sparingly and carelessly. There are no underlined rounded edges of the screen (only a small gathering), notable features of the front panel. Everything is quite utilitarian, simple in Chinese. Not impressive and the back cover. Here are standard, highly functional plastic lining above the antenna unit and the metal of the middle part. Large enough, the smartphone looks extremely minimalistic.

However, despite its considerable size, Xiaomi Mi 5 Plus fits well in hand. The hull shape is carefully thought out. This is evident both in the rounding of the corners, and in the arrangement of the controls. For example, the fingerprint scanner on the back cover does not have to reach - you can attach a fingertip without changing the position of the hand on the phone.

On the edges of the model are located:

• top right familiar volume control and power button;

• on the left side above is the SIM tray compartment;

• below are the grilles behind which the speakers and the main microphone are located; in the center is the USB Type C interface for charging and data exchange;

• on top - an IR transmitter window, 3.5 mm mini-jack interface for wired headphones.

In the upper quarter of the back cover there is a camera (dual), a two-LED flash. Just below is a fingerprint scanner. In the lower third of the cover is located the familiar logo of the manufacturer.

The front panel also meets the expected control and monitoring devices. At the top of the earpiece, the eye of the front camera and light sensor. At the bottom - the navigation buttons. They are not highlighted, represent touch areas with backlight.

In addition to plastic inserts for the normal operation of the antennas, the entire body of the Xiaomi Mi 5 Plus is made of metal. A surface with a texture that imitates scratches with a brush on metal prevents the prints from accumulating and at the same time prevents slippage. As a result of using this solution, Mi 5 Plus fits perfectly in the palm of your hand.

Important! The device is available in four colors: metallic silver, gold, pink and dark gray. In all versions, the front panel is white.

Screen

The diagonal of the display, which occupies almost the entire surface of the front panel of the Mi 5 Plus - 5.7 inches. The IPS matrix displays colors in the usual manner for the flagship series of devices: bright and juicy, twisting the real data. Despite the fact that the screen of the model cannot boast record-breaking density of pixels per inch, the picture is even with smooth color transitions. Both small fonts and small details of images look good.

The screen as a whole looks just huge because of the thin contours of the case. Its physical dimensions are 71x126 mm. However, the display loses its impressiveness when turned on. Black outline around bright image. It is large enough - about 2 mm, which is very noticeable on the background of the white front panel.

Important! Xiaomi Mi 5 Plus phones offer several interesting display settings. There is a special mode for those who like to read when the brightness decreases, and the colors are forcibly shifted to a warm gamut.Adjustment of color temperature is provided, as well as a standard mechanism for changing the brightness - contrast.

Using autotune based on light sensor data, you can forget about manually changing the intensity of the backlight. The owners of the model note that the automation works quickly, has good sensitivity.

Despite the listed facilities and the pleasant features of the Xiaomi Mi 5 C Plus display, its physical characteristics are somewhat one-sided. The brightness level of the backlight is a maximum of 557 cd per square meter. The contrast measurement shows a ratio of 1: 1808. Such characteristics are the best option for working with the device indoors. However, in bright sunlight, the backlight power may not be enough for a feeling of comfort.

However, the review of Xiaomi Mi 5 S Plus will not be complete, if not to mention one feature of the display. Using data from the light sensor, the hardware platform independently optimizes the image. As a result, even with insufficiently powerful backlighting, the images on the screen on a sunny day are well distinguished, text information is easily read.

Hardware platform

Phones Xiaomi Mi 5 Plus have overclocked to 2.35 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor. The version with 64 bit cores was used, which gave a noticeable increase in performance. Increased and the clock frequency of the graphics processor. In sum, such manipulations, even after deducting the increased requirements for servicing a large display, the hardware platform shows excellent performance.

Everything related to the operation of the operating system (drawing screens, reactions to the actions of the owner) happens instantly. Users who do not feel the need for modern games can buy minimum configuration Xiaomi Mi 5 Plus 3/32 Gb. This amount of RAM and drive - more than enough to meet any application needs.

For those who cannot imagine life without demanding games - more charged modifications will do. For example, 4/64 Gb is enough for any demanding application. The price of such a modification remains quite attractive in the general segment of phablets of this class. And those users who are accustomed to the maximum can purchase the most powerful platform with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of ROM.

It is necessary to mention one more feature of the hardware platform. In Xiaomi Mi 5 Plus There is no possibility of working with memory cards. They can not be installed in the tray SIM, a separate port is also not provided. Therefore, the purchase price of the device may be higher than expected if the user is interested in a large internal storage for installing programs and storing data.

Another feature of the Xiaomi Mi 5 C hardware platform is the presence of dual-band Wi-Fi transmitter. The smartphone is able to literally completely choose the Internet channel offered by the provider. The same can be said about the 4G modem. Its performance is also at an impressive level.

Autonomy

Battery capacity in Xiaomi Mi 5 Plus - 3800 mAh This figure seems significant. But you should always remember about the enlarged display, for which additional power is needed. Also, more power is consumed by a forcedly overclocked CPU.

Despite the above remarks, the model shows a good level of autonomy, exceeding the performance of models of the 5 series. In a synthetic test with a display permanently turned on at maximum and a loaded processor, Xiaomi Mi 5 C plus confidently shows continuous operation for almost 9 hours. In the mode of normal use with the included mobile Internet, Wi-Fi, calls, music, 6 hours on screen - the model will work for about a day and a half. This is a very solid indicator for a phablet with such a diagonal display.

Cameras

Some users are delighted with Xiaomi Mi 5 Plus cameras. Others expected much more. One thing can be said with complete certainty: the technical solution of dual rear optics (main camera) is definitely ambiguous.

1. Different sensors are used: color 13 Mp and black and white 13 Mp.
2. When you start the camera program, only the color sensor works by default.
3. You can take black and white pictures with high detail and sharpness.

In stereo mode, when both sensors work - black and white data is used to dynamic color range expansion. However, this is not enough to get rid of all the typical problems of Xiaomi cameras. When the illumination falls, the focusing time increases dramatically. In addition, the processing time of the total data of the two sensors becomes simply indecent. It increases from “less than a second” in the sun to 3-5 seconds or more with less light.

In general, the dual camera cannot offer anything new. The use of two sensors partially solved the problem of narrowing the dynamic range when the light falls. However, it is still not capable of pampering the record-quality picture of the smartphone.

Suddenly front camera works well. Despite the fairly modest performance of 4 megapixel, the device makes very high quality selfies. Users note the better performance of the camera on the front panel when the illumination falls, compared with other models of smartphones from the same manufacturer.

Conclusion

Analyzing the characteristics of Xiaomi Mi 5 S Plus, we can confidently say that this device is extremely balanced in performance and hardware solutions. Due to the overclocking of the CPU and GP, it was possible to avoid a drop in performance in games with the growth of the screen diagonal.Similarly, a more capacious battery allows the device to show excellent autonomy, exceeding the average of the 5th series. The general verdict, which is worthy of Xiaomi Mi 5 Plus - the price of the device is justified, and it makes sense to buy it.