Xiaomi Mi5 round-up: Expected specifications, release date

Xiaomi has confirmed to unveil the new flagship smartphone Mi5 on Feb. 24 in China and also at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2016, Barcelona, on the very same day.

It will be the first time in the company's history, a smartphone is being showcased outside China, probably indicating that Xiaomi may enter developed markets of Europe and America. In its bid to keep the buzz around the event, Xiaomi has begun teasing key features of the device inciting excitement among fans.

To provide better perspective on Xiaomi Mi5, we have sifted through multiple reports and lined up key features that are more likely to make the cut in the upcoming phone.

Display:

From what we have gathered, Xiaomi will unveil two 5.2-inch based Mi5 models -- one having QHD (2560x1440p) and another with full HD (1920x1080p) resolution.

Processor, RAM and Storage capacity:

Both Xiaomi Mi5 models are coming with the Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 processor.

But, there will be a couple of differences between the two in terms of storage and RAM. The full-HD model will house 3GB RAM and 32GB in-built memory, whereas the QHD variant will come packed with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage capacity.

Mobile Operating System:

Since the Xiaomi Mi5 is being launched in 2016, it is almost certain to come shipped with Android Marshmallow out-of-the-box.

Word on the street is that Xiaomi may launch seperate limited edition Mi5 models with Microsoft Windows 10 mobile OS.

Camera:

Earlier in the month, Xiaomi president Lin Bin posted a couple of photo samples taken from Mi5, hinting that the device might boast OIS (Optical Image Stabilizer) and laser auto-focus [Read more, HERE].

And just a few days ago, Hugo Barra -- Xiaomi vice president (international operation) -- posted a few more shots taken from Mi 5. The photos highlighted "Zoom" feature of the phone.

Read more: New Xiaomi Mi5 photo samples released

Going by the series of photo samples released by the company officials, we believe camera will be the marquee feature of Mi5.

Xiaomi Mi5 is expected to boast 16MP camera with dual-LED flash, PDAF (Phase Detection Auto Focus), OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation), optical zoom and laser autofocus.

And on the front, it is expected to house a 13MP snapper with wide-angle photo-taking ability.

Value-added features:

A few days ago, Hugo Barra teased the Xiaomi Mi5 display, revealing that the device is confirmed to boast NFC (Near Field Communication) feature for faster data transfer, dual-SIM -- One normal 4G-LTE and another 1xCDMA (China-based carrier).

Another notable feature that is expected to come in Xiaomi Mi5 is the fingerprint sensor.

Expected release date:

Going by the previous release pattern, Xiaomi Mi5, after being unveiled on Feb. 24, is most likely to be made available first in China and probably a month later in other markets.

As far as India is concerned, Xiaomi may release the Mi5 by February-end or early March as India is the second-biggest market for the company in terms of smartphone sales and would be unwise if the device release gets delayed in the sub-continent.

Rival Samsung is expected to release new Galaxy S7 series in India in early March.

Watch this space for more updates.