Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus (64GB): Hands-on and first impressions
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus also known as the Redmi Note 5 in the Indian subcontinent, is one of the two smartphones, aside from the affordable Redmi 5A that was announced yesterday during the official comeback of the Chinese tech company in the country.
The Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus is the first 18:9 smartphone from the company that showcases narrow or thin bezels and larger screen. Offering a sub-P10K price is a surprise, as some of its competitors are having much more price, but with almost same features. As we go on to the screen, the aforementioned 18:9 form factor features a 5.99-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, protected by the Corning Gorilla Glass 5 panel and 2.5D glass screen. Measuring 158.5 x 75.5 x 8.1 mm, and weighing 180 grams, the phone isn’t much larger than the previous Redmi Note 4 with the standard 5.5-inch screen.
There is two memory options: 32GB with 3GB RAM and 64GB with 4GB RAM. The latter storage version will be available here in the Philippines this upcoming March 17, with a price tag of P9,990.
When it comes to the camera department, the 12-megapixel rear camera has a f/2.2 aperture with phase detection auto-focus and dual-LED flash. Surprisingly, it comes with a 4K video recording, a rare feature in the mid-range segment. For capturing selfies, we have the 5-megapixel that is accompanied by a softlight LED flash.
The battery of the Redmi 5 Plus has a 4,000 mAh non-removable, that supports fast charging feature. Unfortunately, you’ll have to deal with the micro-USB 2.0 port, as the phone doesn’t have the USB Type-C which is better for rapid transferring of files and documents.
Proving to be one of the best in its costing range, the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus delivers a good quality of specifications. The power-efficient Snapdragon 625, big-screen size with narrow bezels, highly-customizable user interface, fast fingerprint scanner, superb battery size and expandable storage, all for just under P10,000. There are no camera samples and benchmark scores due to limited time, so stay tuned for the full review.
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus key specs:
| Display | 5.99-inch FHD+ IPS LCD screen, 2160 x 1080 pixels, 403 ppi |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
| CPU | 2.0Ghz 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset |
| RAM | 4GB |
| GPU | Adreno 506 |
| SIM | Dual-SIM, dual-standby (hybrid) |
| Storage | 64GB |
| Storage expansion | microSD slot up to 128GB |
| Rear camera | 12-megapixel, f/2.2 aperture with phase detection auto-focus and dual-LED flash |
| Front camera | 5-megapixel |
| Video recording | 1080p (30 fps) |
| Operating system | Android 7.1.2 “Nougat”, MIUI 9 |
| Others | Fingerprint scanner |
| USB-OTG support | |
| Connectivity | WiFi 802.11 b/g/n |
| Bluetooth 4.2 | |
| GPS, with A-GPS and GLONASS | |
| GSM, HSPA+, 4G LTE | |
| Infrared port | |
| FM Radio | |
| microUSB 2.0 | |
| Dimensions | 158.5 x 75.5 x 8.1 mm |
| Weight | 180 grams |
| Battery | 4,000 mAh non-removable capacity, fast battery charging |
| Colors | Rose Gold, Gold, Black and Light Blue |
| SRP | P9,990 |