Xiaomi has just slashed the official price of the Xiaomi Mi5 flagship that was announced back in February. After more than six months, the company has now decided to cut down the price tag of its flagship model by 200 Yuan ($30). The slashed prices are applicable for all the three models, including the Xiaomi Mi5 Pro.

In case you are wondering, here is the new pricing for the Xiaomi Mi5 models in China: Xiaomi Mi5 Standard Edition with 3GB RAM + 32GB ROM now retails at 1799 Yuan ($272), Mi5 high version with 3GB RAM + 64GB ROM retails at 2099 Yuan ($316) and the Xiaomi Mi5 Pro with 4GB RAM + 128GB ROM retails at 2499 Yuan ($377).

These reduced prices should translate into cheaper international reseller pricing. We expect resellers like OPPOMART to reflect the reduced prices in the coming days. So, if you were planning to purchase a brand new Mi5 from China, this could be the ideal time.

Meanwhile, Xiaomi also has silently slashed the price tag of the Redmi 3X model (powered by SD430) that was announced a few months back. To recap, the 3X is exactly like the Redmi 3S with same specs, but it’s is exclusive to China Unicom. The model now retails for 799 Yuan ($120), down by 100 Yuan. If you are interested, check out our launch coverage. The phone is also available for purchase on Gearbest, but it might take some time to reflect the new pricing on the retailer website.

In related news, Xiaomi Mi Note is also being promoted heavily on JD.com, with prices starting at just 1099 Yuan ($165), which is an amazing price considering this was quite a capable flagship of 2015. If you want to recap the specs of the Mi Note, check out this article. Or better check out the specs down below. Please note that the new Mi Note 2 flagship launch is just around the corner, but it will be costlier and much more powerful as compared to the Mi Note.

Mi Note Specs:

• 3D curved Gorilla Glass 3 with metal frame
• 5.7-inch 1080p Sharp/JDI Full HD display (95% NTSC, 1400:1 contrast ratio)
• Snapdragon 801 2.5GHz, Adreno 330, 3GB LPDDR3 RAM
• Dual 4G SIM (micro/nano), Dual Standby
•  Sony 13MP camera f/2.0, Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS)
•  4MP front camera with large 2-micron pixels
•  Hi-Fi audio system, 24-bit/192KHz lossless playback support
•  3000mAh 4.4V lithium-ion battery, Quick Charge 2.0

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Xiaomi didn’t announce the successor to the popular Xiaomi Mi4 last year. This meant that the new flagship smartphone that the company announced in 2016 had to be perfect, satisfying the needs of the millions of Xiaomi fans worldwide. In a way, Mi5 did fulfill the need for a cheap Snapdragon 820 powered flagship, offering pretty good specs for a price tag of just over $305, at least in China. While many manufacturers found it hard to match Xiaomi in terms of its cheap pricing for Snapdragon 820, ZUK came forward and made sure its new ZUK Z2 phone came out as another cheap Snapdragon 820 option. In fact, if we stop and think, the ZUK Z2 is actually meant to be the Xiaomi Mi5 killer. The company already had two ZUK Z2 Pro variants, which were only a few bucks pricier than the Mi5. But it went ahead and released the ZUK Z2, in a separate conference. This does tell us something about the company’s intention with its new device.

Since they are meant to be direct rivals, with similar specs and pricing, let’s take a look at the ZUK Z2 vs Xiaomi Mi5 comparison. We will see a lot of similarities in the design as well as the specs, but there will be a few differences as well. Let’s look at them in detail in the comparison down below.

ZUK Z2 vs Xiaomi Mi5

DESIGN:

Design wise, they are very similar looking smartphones. Both the companies decided to opt for a glass back and a metal frame on their smartphones. While ZUK Z2 features a flatter back, the Mi5 comes with a slightly curved back panel, which should help in the grip. Both have their camera modules placed on the top left corner on the back, and the front features a compact 5-inch (5.15-inch on the Mi5) display with a front home button enabled fingerprint sensor.

ZUK Z2 Measurements: 141.7 x 68.9 x 8.5 mm Weight: 149 grams

Xiaomi Mi5 Measurements: 144.6 x 69.2 x 7.3 mm Weight: 129 grams

As you can see, the measurements are almost the same, except for the thickness. Mi5 comes with a thin 7.3mm body, while the Z2 features an 8.5mm body. But there’s explanation to the increased thickness of the ZUK model, since it features a larger 3500mAh battery. On the other hand, the Mi5 comes with a 3000mAh battery. Since we are on the topic of battery, it’s important to mention that both feature Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging.

ZUK Z2 vs Xiaomi Mi5 Specs:

When it comes to the specs, both have very similar internals. Both the models are powered by Snapdragon 820 quad-core chipset. However, we are talking about the base variants, and the Xiaomi Mi5 standard version is underclocked to 1.8GHz. On the other hand, the ZUK Z2 is clocked at 2.15GHz, which can be overclocked further to 2.3GHz. So, on paper, the performance should be better than the Mi5. Then there’s the RAM on board. The base variant of the Mi5 comes with just 3GB of RAM, while the ZUK Z2 features 4GB RAM as standard. As for storage, you get 32GB on the Mi5 while the ZUK Z2 features 64GB. Both have non-expandable storages, so ZUK definitely gets a plus point in the memory department.

Coming to the display, the Xiaomi Mi5 sports a 5.15-inch 1080 IPS LCD display while the ZUK Z2 has a 5-inch IPS LCD display. But the screen to body ratio on the Mi5 is higher, 73.1 percent as compared to 70.6 percent on the Z2. It is confirmed that the Mi5 has Corning Gorilla glass 4 protection, while we are not sure about the protection on the Z2.

Coming to the camera department, the Xiaomi Mi5 seems to have an edge on paper. The phone features a 16MP rear f/2.0 shooter with 4-axis OIS, PDAF and dual LED flash. The camera has 1/2.8″ sensor size, and 1.12 µm pixel size. Coming to the ZUK Z2, it features a 13MP rear camera with f/2.2, EIS (electronic image stabilization), PDAF and CAF (Contrast Auto Focus) with LED flash. It has 1/2.6″ sensor size, and 1.34 µm pixel size. Both can capture 2K videos and slo-mo videos. Up front, the Mi5 comes with a 4MP f/2.0 camera while Z2 has an 8MP f/2.o sensor.

Other features common on both devices include dual-band Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 4.0, fingerprint sensor embedded into the home button and dual SIM card slots. In the connectivity department, Mi5 has NFC and Infrared but ZUK Z2 doesn’t. The battery is larger on the ZUK Z2 as mentioned above (3500mAh) as compared to Mi5’s 3000mAh. Finally, for software, the Mi5 comes with MIUI 7 based on Android 6, while ZUK Z2 features ZUI 2.0 based on Android 6.0.1.

Pricing & Availability:

When it comes to the pricing of ZUK Z2 vs Xiaomi Mi5, after the recent promotion of the device in China, the prices are almost similar. Xiaomi had announced the Mi5 at around $308 in China at the time of launch, but now, the pricing seems to have gone down. International customers can now purchase the Xiaomi Mi5 base model for just $308 and with shipping included it still is well under $350. Coming to the ZUK Z2, it has an advantage of cheaper pricing as it is priced around $273. So, even after the premium charged by retailers, the pricing should be around $300, which at present is almost the same as the Mi5. Adding express shipping should still limit the price tag to well under $350.

Availability is a different story though. Xiaomi seems to have stabilized the Mi5 stocks, and now, most retailers have the device in stock. As for the ZUK Z2, the phone is yet to go on sale, and the first sale is on June 7. Only after a few days will we know whether the Z2 is readily available for purchase in China as well as via third-party retailers.

So, that was the ZUK Z2 vs Xiaomi Mi5 comparison. It would really be hard to choose between these two devices, but if you were going to buy one, which one would it be?

We have already reviewed the Xiaomi Mi5. You can check it out from here.

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As we near the end of the year, more and more information about Xiaomi’s upcoming flagship, the Xiaomi Mi 5 have started circulating on the internet. From the recent rumors, it looks like the Mi 5 will come with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 chipset on board along with some high-end specs. Given that this is going to be a powerful smartphone, we expect the pricing to be quite high as well.

However, according to the leakster, Leaksfly, Xiaomi might price the device at the same figure as the Xiaomi Mi4 at launch. That’s like 1999 Yuan which roughly comes to around $320. While we would advise you to take this leak with a pinch of salt, anything close to this figure will be quite impressive.

The rumored specs of the Xiaomi Mi 5 have been quite high-end. You can expect the flagship to feature a 5.2-inch full HD 1080p display with a powerful chip like Snapdragon 820 on board. Recent rumors have said that the release might be as soon as November or December 2015. If this is the case, then we may see some other chip like the deca-core Helio X20 MT6797 on board the Mi 5. Qualcomm Exec had earlier said that the first phones with Snapdragon 820 will only be available by Q1 2016, which is why we think there’s quite slim chance that the phone will feature this chip at launch.

As for the other specs, the Xiaomi Mi 5 is rumored to come with 4GB of RAM with multiple storage versions. There should be a 16MP at the back and an 8MP up front. Also, you should get the latest MIUI 7 OS based on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop at launch. As for the body, the phone is expected to feature a metal design.

As you can see, the specs are expected to be pretty high-end. So, its unlikely that the Mi 5 will be priced at just $320. But then, Xiaomi has managed to surprise us all in the past (like the Redmi Note 2), so its best to wait for some more concrete information in the coming days.

Stay tuned.

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We have already heard a lot about this upcoming handset, most of them claiming that it will come with Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 820 chipset on board. Earlier today, another leak seems to build on these speculations, by revealing most of the configuration of the device.

According to leaksfly, the Xiaomi Mi5 will come with the Snapdragon 820 on board. It will be the first smartphone in the market with this chip on board. We have already heard that the Mi5 will debut the new Qualcomm chipset, so lets wait and see if that’s the case. As for the display, there will be a 5.2-inch 1080p FHD screen. The phone will come with 4GB of RAM and 16GB / 32GB internal storage. At the back, you can expect a 16MP camera, while up front, there should be an 8MP shooter. Other features include Hi-Fi audio chip and Android 5.1.1 OS. Unfortunately, the leak didn’t say anything about the pricing of the device, but given Xiaomi’s track record, it should definitely be competitive. You can expect a launch sometime in November.

Well, the specs are more or less in line with what we expect from a new flagship by the end of 2015. However, what’s interesting is that Qualcomm had hinted earlier that Snapdragon 820 powered smartphones will only start shipping by first quarter of 2016. So, if Xiaomi announces the new Mi5 in November, we will have to see if it really comes with Snapdragon 820 on board.

Stay tuned for more details.

Meanwhile, let us know what you think in the comments section below.

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Weibo has always been a source of leaks, rumors and other information and earlier today, we came across a new report which revealed some of the possible specifications of the upcoming flagship smartphones from Xiaomi, namely the Xiaomi Mi5 and the Xiaomi Mi5 Plus.

So, it looks like the company will unveil two different versions of the handsets later this year. According to the new leak, which apparently comes from the engineering machine information, the Mi5 standard edition will feature Snapdragon 810 instead of the rumored Snapdragon 820 chipset. It will also come with Qualcomm Snapdragon Sense ID 3D fingerprint tech. If this does turn out to be true, it will be a big surprise given that the tech was expected to debut only alongside Snapdragon 820. It relies on ultrasonic sound tech instead of the traditional capacitive based touch ID which reportedly makes it more accurate and secure.

The leak further reveals that the Mi5 will come with a 5.2-inch 2K LCD display and a 16MP rear sensor along with a 13MP front facing camera. As for software, the phone is rumored to come with the new version of MIUI, the MIUI 7 which reportedly features floating screen UI. We expect it to be based on Android 5.1 Lollipop version.

Finally, there will be a 3000mAh battery on board which charges up to 30% in five minutes and up to 100% in 40 minutes.

Coming to the Mi5 Plus higher-end model, it is said that the phone will come with a 5.7-inch display with 2K resolution. The screen seems to use some kind of advanced tech, and could be Quantom Dot display. The company has reportedly used Snapdragon 820 under its hood which once again comes with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Sense ID fingerprint tech.

Further, the phone will feature a 23MP rear camera with OIS, Laser Focus and a 12MP front facing shooter. As you can see, for some reason, the front camera sensor on the Mi5 Plus is smaller than the one found on the Mi5 standard edition.

The battery on board the Mi5 Plus will be slightly larger, of 3500mAh capacity. It will also support fast charge. It is said that the phone will charge up to 100% in 50 minutes.

As for body, the company will most likely use an all metal body instead of a traditional plastic one on the new flagship. Also, the front will be protected by Corning’s latest Gorilla Glass 4 + 2.5D glass.

Finally, for pricing, it is said that the standard version will start at 2399 Yuan ($386). There’s still no word on the pricing for the Mi5 Plus version, but it can go up to 3000 Yuan ($480). It looks like the new flagship is going to be costlier than the present generation, but if these specs turn out to be real, it will be worth every penny.

Of course, as always, we can’t fully trust the leak. So, take this news with a pinch of salt and hope for some official specs confirmation from the company. According to a leaked product roadmap, the Xiaomi Mi5 and Mi5 Plus will debut in November. So, there’s still around four months till launch. All we can do till then is wait for some official information.

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