Xiaomi Mi5 set for launch in January 2016: Release date revealed

The flagship smartphone Xiaomi Mi5 was speculated to debut at the 24 November event in Beijing, but it never materialised.

The company's CEO (also founder and chairman) Lei Jun, during the Xiaomi device launch event which witnessed the unveiling of Redmi Note 3, Mi Pad 2, Mi Water purifier 2, had said Mi5's development was still underway.

Jun also said he tried the device's prototype and was highly impressed, but stopped short of revealing when the company would launch flagship smartphone.

Now, Chinese market analyst Pan Jiutang has claimed Xiaomi Mi5 will be launched in January 2016 and hit the stores on 8 February, the first day of the Chinese Year of the Monkey, reported Gizmo China.

There is no proof to validate the Jiutang's claims, but his track record, especially the accurate predictions of Huawei-made Google Nexus 6Ps' features before the official launch, lead us to believe this revelation might turn true.

Xiaomi's CEO had earlier said the company takes 12-18 months to develop a flagship device and release it in the market. This actually puts the Xiaomi Mi5 launch in the same time-frame as predicted by Jiutang.

[Note: Mi5's predecessor Mi4 made debuted in July 2014]

Expected features of Xiaomi Mi 5: