Rumors of a follow up to the Xiaomi Mi 4 smartphone have been gathering for a while, and although an early 2015 launch looked likely, the company revealed the Mi Note and the Mi Note Pro instead. Does this mean the Mi 5 will never arrive? According to rumors, it’s still in the works. Here’s everything we think we know about the Mi 5.

Rumors of Mi 5 launch reignite

Xiaomi may still produce a sequel to the Mi 4, and it may be released in 2015. After the Mi Note and Mi Note Pro arrived at the beginning of the year, rumors concentrated on a November launch date for the Mi 5. However, a July report from Chinese site Mobile Dad stated Xiaomi was targeting an August 5 date, but this never came true.

Prior to the August date, there were reports of a November 2015 launch. A tip published by Mobipicker said it had been informed of a November release for the Mi 5, which would be more than a year and a half after the the Mi 4 was announced. Back in May, it was also reported by @leaksfly on the Weibo social network that Xiaomi would launch the Mi 5 smartphone in November, at the time reigniting rumors that had laid dormant since early January. In addition to the launch date, the leaker also commented on the possible specification — and it sounds like a monster.

Apparently, Xiaomi held off releasing the Mi 5 until Qualcomm’s ready to release the Snapdragon 820 processor, its follow-up to the much-maligned Snapdragon 810. The Snapdragon 820 was announced at Mobile World Congress, and is an entirely new platform for Qualcomm, and it promised samples would be available during the latter half of 2015, which suggests phones using the chip probably won’t be on sale until very late on, or more likely, in early 2016.

An analyst has also said the Mi 5’s announcement and release depends on when Qualcomm’s ready with the Snapdragon 820, and a 2015 launch date will only happen if the chip manufacturer can supply Xiaomi with the required amount of 820 processors.

Does this mean a November launch date is unlikely? No, not necessarily. Xiaomi has proved it’s happy to announce and then wait a while to release a phone. The Mi Note Pro was revealed in January, but didn’t go on sale until May.

What about the specifications?

While speculation still grows, one thing seems certain — the Mi 5 will be a powerhouse. In late September, @leaksfly on the social network Weibo published another set of specs, and because they differ once more than those we’ve seen before, it suggests Xiaomi has been gradually tweaking the phone while it waits for the right moment to launch it.

Apparently, the phone will feature a 5.2-inch screen with a 1080p resolution, smaller and lower resolution than previous rumors — including those from @leaksfly — stated. The Snapdragon 820 processor with 4GB of RAM are still likely, according to the source, along with a 16-megapixel camera on the rear, and an 8-megapixel from cam. Android 5.1.1 is the OS mentioned, which will inevitably be covered in the MIUI skin, plus a choice of a 16GB or 32GB model.

Before this, according to a leak in early July, the spec was thought to be different. For example, the display was said to be 5.3-inches — slightly larger than the Mi 4 — and with a 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution. The rear camera was listed as  having 16 megapixels, while the front facing camera may come in at 6 megapixels. The rumor mentioned a microSD slot for expanded storage, a micro SIM slot, a 3030 mAh battery, and Android 5.1.1 Lollipop.

Talk of the Snapdragon 820 started back in May, after a @leaksfly rumor said Xiaomi will pair the processor with 4GB of RAM, and offer both a 16GB and a 64GB model. At that time, the screen was expected to measure 5.5-inches and have a 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution, making it slightly smaller in size than the 5.7-inch Mi Note Pro.

Other features listed back then included a 16-megapixel rear camera, an 8-megapixel front camera — both with optical image stabilization — plus a USB Type-C charging port. Xiaomi may use aluminum for the phone’s body, and it may measure just 5.1mm thick. Finally, as part of the Snapdragon 820, the phone may use Qualcomm’s ultrasonic fingerprint authentication system. The fingerprint sensor was also part of the July rumor report from Mobipicker.

We’ll keep you updated on all the rumors regarding the Xiaomi Mi 5, and let you know any official news when the time comes.

Going back to before the Mi Note and Mi Note Pro were revealed, rumors regarding the specification also suggested the display will measure 5.5-inches, and have a 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution. However, the processor driving the device was tipped as a Snapdragon 805, or a Snapdragon 810, with 3GB of RAM. The Economic Daily News’ source also mentioned a 20.7-megapixel camera, and a fingerprint sensor being fitted.

Questions were raised over the possible price. The Economic Daily News says Xiaomi wants to continue selling hardware at competitive prices, but another local report, quoting an analyst, says the Mi 5 may cost more than previous models. It also speculates Xiaomi could release two flagship phones to compensate for the change. It could now be assumed this was related to the Mi Note and Mi Note Pro.

What will the Mi 5 look like?

We don’t know yet. Up until the Mi Note was announced, several images were leaked, but the best pictures show a phone very similar to the Note and Note Pro — so they should be treated as misnamed leaks for now. We’ll leave the information here for the record though.

In this leak, a phone with an almost bezel-less big screen was referred to as the Mi 5. At the end of December, a clear shot of what was also named the Mi 5 was discovered on the Weibo social network, showing a large-screened phone with very thin screen bezels.

Xiaomi’s Mi logo is in the top left, while the design looks similar to the Mi 4, but it’s most likely a picture of the subsequently announced Mi Note phone.
Xiaomi’s Mi logo is in the top left, while the design looks similar to the Mi 4, but it’s most likely a picture of the subsequently announced Mi Note phone.

According to a report published by the Economic Daily News in China, Xiaomi was rumored to launch the Mi 5 smartphone at the CES 2015. However, this didn’t happen, and has crushed any hopes for a subsequent U.S. launch.

Although it was a tantalizing prospect, the CES launch and U.S. release of the Xiaomi Mi 5 always looked unlikely. Xiaomi has had a small presence at previous CES shows, with its phones being displayed by partners such as Qualcomm.

It launched the Mi 4 smartphone at a high-profile event in Beijing – China is its largest market, after all – last July. Finally, while Xiaomi intends to become a global brand in the future, CEO Lei Jun has recently said any wide international launch won’t be possible until the it’s the world’s number one smartphone manufacturer.

The authenticity of these images and specs is also unconfirmed, and may turn out to be nothing more than speculation. In light of the Mi Note’s launch, the Mi 5’s future uncertain, but we’ll continue gathering any news on the phone’s existence here.