Xiaomi has particularly mentioned that it will not be releasing an affordable mini version of the Mi 6, however, a new leak has surfaced online suggesting that the company has been indeed working on a new smartphone, presumably an updated version of last year’s Mi 5.
Dubbed as the Xiaomi Mi 5X, the smartphone is expected to be launched in China on the 26th of this month. Even though the upcoming device is being perceived as the newest best version of the Mi 5, the Mi 5X will allegedly sport a Mi 6-like dual camera setup on the rear of the device. Now, this could mean that the Mi 5X might just be the Mini Mi 6 that fans have been enthused about since Xiaomi first launched the Mi 6 a few months ago.
The smartphone manufacturer took to Weibo, a Chinese social networking site, to confirm the launch date of the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 5X. Moreover, Xiomi’s official website had been teasing the phone, giving away bite-sized information on the device.
From these leaks and other rumours floating around the Internet, we can at least confirm a couple of odd specs or two – the phone’s full metal unibody design being one of them. This is a stark detour from the glass and metal bodies seen in the Xiaomi Mi 5 and the Mi 6. The Xiaomi Mi 5X will also come with the fingerprint sensor mounted on the rear. The Mi 5X will be available in a Gold variant.
The Xiaomi Mi 5X also marks the debut of the much awaited MIUI 9, the company’s next iteration of Xiaomi's mobile operating system. The company had recently announced that it would start rolling out the MIUI 9 before August 16, 2017. "When is MIUI 9 coming, is one of the most commonly asked questions across sub-forums on MIUI Forum. Everyone is excited and looking forward to the next major update," Xiaomi addressed on the company’s official forum.
At this point, we do not know much about what the MIUI 9 will bring to the table, but rumour has it that it would offer features like split-screen multitasking and picture-in-picture mode. Xiaomi has not yet confirmed the presence of any of these features.
Meanwhile, Xiaomi has announced a list of all its smartphones qualified to receive the Android 7.0 Nougat update. 14 of the Xiaomi phones have made the cut out of which only ten will get the Android 7.0, and the other four will be eligible for a more upgraded version of Android – Android 7.1. The updates for these devices will roll out in in the coming days.
The Xiaomi phones to get an Android 7.0 update are - Mi 5, Mi 5S, Mi 5S Plus, Mi Max, Mi 4C, Mi 4S, Mi Note, Mi Mix, Mi Note 2, Mi Note 4X. On the other hand, the devices to receive an Android 7.1 update are - Mi 6, Mi 5C, Mi Max 2, and Redmi 4X.
