After launching the Redmi Note 5 and Redmi Note 5 Pro, Xiaomi is widely expected Wednesday, March 14, to launch the Redmi 5 in India.
The Redmi 5 launch was first teased in Xiaomi's Mi 4A TV live stream, which happened a few days ago. Xiaomi has also been promoting the upcoming Redmi 5 on various social media sites as a "Compact Powerhouse."
Although Xiaomi hasn't officially revealed which device is being launched Wednesday, the upcoming smartphone is in all likelihood the Redmi 5. And as the name suggests, the Redmi 5 will be the successor to the popular Redmi 4 smartphone launched in India last year.
The Redmi 5 will most likely be positioned in the affordable price segment, below its elder sibling, the Redmi Note 5.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 review: A reliable mid-range phone
The device will feature a complete design overhaul over its predecessor and sport a larger 18:9 aspect ratio full-screen display, and have a long battery life, a faster processor, and an improved selfie camera.
When and where to watch the Redmi 5 launch live stream?
Xiaomi will live-stream the launch of the upcoming device March 14 at 3 pm IST, and if you're just as excited as we are about the new device, you can head over to Xiaomi India's YouTube channel or Facebook page to watch the live stream. Alternatively, you can also watch the live stream on Xiaomi's official Mi.com website, where it is currently running a countdown for the launch event.
It was recently confirmed that the upcoming device would be available exclusively via Amazon India. The e-commerce site is already displaying a banner on its homepage that suggests the Redmi 5 will be an Amazon-exclusive device.
However, we can also expect the phone to be available on Mi.com and Mi Home stores.
Xiaomi will most likely tweet out the details of availability along with the specs and other details once the device is out.
Xiaomi has been teasing the upcoming device for quite some time using the hashtag #CompactPowerhouse on its social media channels. Like the teasers, the Amazon webpage too highlights the smartphone's key features, which are a bigger display, a slimmer body and a faster processor.
To recall, the Redmi 5 was first launched in China in December last year alongside the Redmi 5 Plus. And while the Redmi 5 Plus was rebranded and launched as the Redmi Note 5 in India, the slightly smaller Redmi 5 will most likely be the phone launched Wednesday.
Redmi 5 expected price in India
In China, the prices for the Redmi 5 start at CNY 799 (or roughly Rs 7,800) for the base variant, packing 2GB RAM and 16GB storage, and CNY 899 (or roughly Rs 8,800) for the 3GB RAM variant with 32GB storage.
However, it is highly speculated that the Redmi 5 could be priced around Rs 7,000 for the base variant and the model with better specs may be priced around Rs 8,000. We shall get to know the price very soon.
Redmi 5 Specifications
The Redmi 5 sports a 5.7-inch HD+ IPS display with a resolution of 720x1440 pixels and comes with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The display is slightly smaller than the Redmi Note 5/ Note 5 pro, which come with a 5.9-inch display.
Under the hood, the Redmi 5 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 processor along with 2GB/3GB/4GB of RAM. The phone comes in three variants, 2GB RAM +16GB storage, 3GB RAM + 32GB storage and a 4GB RAM variant with 32GB storage.
On the photography front, the Redmi 5 features a 12MP rear camera with f/2.2 aperture, PDAF and an LED flash. There's a 5MP selfie camera on the front which now comes with a "soft light" flash for better low light selfies. The front-snapper also features the company's proprietary Beautify 3.0.
The Redmi 5 provides dual-SIM support with support for 4G VoLTE, and runs the Android Nougat-based MIUI 9 custom ROM. It packs a 3,300mAh battery, has a thickness of just 7.7mm and weighs 157 grams.
