Why Xiaomi Mi 5 and not LG G5, Galaxy S7 or Xperia X Performance

Now we have got some great smartphones released at MWC with Snapdragon 820 CPU. Users may get confused which one they should buy and why? You can keep searching for detail, but we are going to discuss here what is the best option along with reasons.

What do you see in a smartphone before you buy one?

• Brand ? Of course many users do that, and this is because of the warranty stuff. If something happens to the device, you can claim warranty.
• Hardware ? Only smart users do that. The hardware inside matters the most compared the to brand name it carries on its frame/body.
• Price ? The most important thing. Many users switch to mid-range device, because they can’t afford to spend $600, $700 or even more.

Xiaomi Mi 5 vs LG G5 vs Galaxy S7 vs Xperia X Performance

Why LG G5, Galaxy S7 or Xperia X Performance?

• MicroSD card support (LG G5 up to 2TB, Galaxy S 7 and Xperia X Performance up to 200GB)
• Removable battery (Only LG G5)
• 2K Resolution (Only LG G5 and Galaxy S7)

What do you do with 2K resolution?

Why do we need 2K resolution on a Smartphone? A smartphone between 5 to 5.5 inches with 2K resolution is the desire of many users, but they don’t really know what to do with it. Ask yourself how often do you play 2K video from YouTube or store them in your Phone? If you want to look at the menu, play games, use internet, social media apps etc., 1080 pixels is sharp enough. 2K display also drains the battery much faster compared to Full HD. Don’t run behind something that you don’t really need. Give me a valid reason to have 2K display in comment.

Lets have a quick look at Specs comparison LG G5 vs Galaxy S7 vs Xperia X Performance vs Xiaomi Mi 5

Dimension and weight

LG G5 : 149.4 x 73.9 x 7.7 mm, 159 grams

Galaxy S7 : 142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9 mm, 155 grams

Xperia X Performance : 143.7 x 70.4 x 8.7 mm, 164 grams

Xiaomi Mi 5 : 144.6 x 69.2 x 7.3 mm, 129 grams

So Mi 5 is the lightest in weight with less thickness

Display

LG G5 : 5.3 inches Quad HD Display

Galaxy S7 : 5.1 inches Quad HD Display

Xperia X Performance : 5 inches Full HD Display

Xiaomi Mi 5 : 5 inches Full HD Display

RAM

LG G5 : 4GB RAM

Galaxy S7 : 4GB RAM

Xperia X Performance : 3GB RAM

Xiaomi Mi 5 : 4GB RAM with 128GB Storage or 3GB RAM with 32 or 64GB Storage variant

Processor and Graphic (CPU and GPU)

All four models features Adreno 530 GPU, so there is nothing to compare. All of them also features Snapdragon 820 quad-core process but with slightly different clock speed

LG G5 : 2 cores @ 2.1 GHz + 2 Cores @ 1.6 GHz

Galaxy S7 : 2 cores @ 2.15 GHz + 2 Cores @ 1.6 GHz

Xperia X Performance : 2 cores @ 2.2 GHz + 2 Cores @ 1.6 GHz

Xiaomi Mi 5 : 2 cores @ 2.15 GHz + 2 Cores @ 1.6 GHz  (128GB or 64GB variant), If 32 GB the first 2 cores will be clocked at 1.8 GHz and rest 2 at 1.6 GHz

Rear Camera 

LG G5 : 16-megapixel (f/1.8 Aperture) + 8-megapixel (f/2.4 Aperture), LED Flash, OIS, Laser Autofocus, 4K Video Recording

Galaxy S7 : 12-megapixel with dual pixel technology, f/1.7 aperture, OIS, 1/2.6″ sensor size, LED Flash, Phase Detection Autofocus, 4K Video Recording

Xperia X Performance : 23-megapixel, f/2.0 Aperture, 1/2.3″ sensor size, LED Flash, Phase Detection Autofocus

Xiaomi Mi 5 : 16-megapixel with dual LED flash, OIS, f/2.0 Aperture, 1/2.8″ sensor size, Phase Detection Autofocus, 4K Video Recording

Font Camera

LG G5 : 8-megapixel

Galaxy S7 : 5 MP, f/1.7 Aperture

Xperia X Performance : 13 MP, f/2.0 Aperture, 1/3″ Sensor Size

Xiaomi Mi 5 : 4 MP, f/2.0 Aperture, 1/3″ Sensor Size, 2µm pixel size

Battery

LG G5 : 2800 mAh

Galaxy S7 : 3000 mAh

Xperia X Performance : 2800 mAh

Xiaomi Mi 5 : 3000 mAh

Look at the pricing of each smartphones(SIM-Free)

Galaxy S7 (32GB) : $780

LG G5 (32GB) : $700

Xperia X Performance (32GB) : Yet to be announced, but Xperia X with Snapdragon 650 has been listed by Amazon Germany for 599 Euros that makes around $658. So Xperia X Performance would certainly cost around or over $800,

Xiaomi Mi 5 : 32GB for $306, 64GB for $352, 128GB for $413

So Xiaomi Mi 5 cost almost half even when you buy a 64GB Variant compared to LG G5, Galaxy S7, and Xperia X Performance. If you want with 4GB RAM, you can get a premium Ceramic edition with 128GB ROM, and that will save your more than $300. After all it’s you hard earned money, spend it for something that values it.

Antutu Benchmark

LG G5 : 133054

Galaxy S7 : 127712 (for Exynos 8890, Snapdragon 820 variant has not been tested yet)

Xperia X Performance : Unknown so far

Xiaomi Mi 5 : 142084 (according to Mi Forum report)

What are the challenges if you want to buy Xiaomi Mi 5?

The only problem with Xiaomi devices is they are not available internationally. You may import from international online stores, but claiming warranty could be a paid if something happens to the device. For Software issues, Xiaomi Forums are the best way to resolve. They post the resolution of each known problems, but the hardware issue could be something you can’t resolve yourself. If you find a local store or online seller that provides services and warranty for the device, you are in luck. Usually devices hardly get damages within a year (never happened to me as far as hardware part is concerned). If you are worried about the warranty, you should certainly give it a second thought if you want to buy Xiaomi devices.