Xiaomi Redmi Note 5: full setup of the smartphone from A to Z

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 remains one of the most popular budget smartphones even years after its release. Its balanced characteristics — a 5.99-inch Full HD+ screen, a Snapdragon 636 processor and a battery of 4000 mAh — make the device relevant for everyday tasks. However, out of the box, the smartphone does not work at full capacity: factory settings MIUI often overloaded with unnecessary services, and key functions are hidden in the depth of the menu.

This article will help you set up the Redmi Note 5 from scratch, from the basic configuration after first powering on to fine-tuning performance and safety. We’ll look at how to turn off ads in MIUI, increase battery life, adjust controls, and even activate hidden firmware features.

First Installing and Basic Setup

When you first turn on the Redmi Note 5, the system offers you to go through the initial setup wizard, so it's important to not miss key points that you'll have to manually fix.

When you select a language, select Russian (Russia) to ensure that your voice assistant works correctly and that you localize your notifications. When connecting to Wi-Fi, choose a 5GHz network if your router supports it: Snapdragon 636 works better with this frequency, which will reduce delays when downloading content.

• 🔄 Update MIUI: Immediately after connecting to the Internet, check for updates in Settings → The phone. → Update system. For Redmi Note 5 the current version — MIUI 12.5 (newer ones may not work smoothly).
• 🔐 Xiaomi account: create it by all means – without it you will not be able to use the cloud backup, theme of design and some security features.
• 📱 Data portability: If you are switching from another Android smartphone, use the option to “Clone apps” through Settings → Additionally. → Cloning apps. This will save the settings of messengers and games.

Important: At the stage of setting the lock screen, select Password instead of pattern lock or PIN. This model has a bug unlocking the pattern lock after resetting, which can lead to loss of access to the device.

Optimizing performance and cleaning MIUI

MIUI is known for its heavyweight, which means that background processes eat up to 20 percent of battery power and slow down. On the Redmi Note 5 with its 3/4GB of RAM, this is especially noticeable. Here's how to fix:

First, turn off auto-run of unnecessary applications. Go to Settings → Apps → Auto-run and leave only messengers, phone and calendar on. Also in Settings → Battery and Performance → Application Power Management, set a “Limit Background Activity” mode for all applications, except those that should work in the background (for example, music players).

• 🧹 Cache Cleanup: Once a week, run the built-in security utility → Cleaning. It removes until 1-1.5 GB of unnecessary files.
• 🚫 Disabling Advertising: Go to Settings → Additionally. → Advertisements and deactivate all sliders. Also disable Personalized Recommendations in Settings → Xiaomi account.
• 🔄 Reset animation: to speed up the interface, activate the developer mode (7 times click on "Version" MIUI" About the phone" and then in the settings. → Additionally. → For developers, install all animations on 0.5x.

⚠️ Note: Do not use Memory Cleanup manually through the button in the menu of recent apps. On Redmi Note 5, this often leads to system processes being shut down, which causes notifications to stop working.

Disable autorun of unnecessary applications | Set background limits for all applications | Clear cache via "Security" | Turn off advertising in MIUI settings | Set alternative launcher-->

Screen settings and control gestures

The Redmi Note 5 screen, with a resolution of 2160×1080 and an aspect ratio of 18:9, requires a separate setup for comfortable use. By default, brightness often jumps and colors look unnatural.

To calibrate the screen, go to Settings → Display → Colors and select Standard Mode (Saturated Mode distorts the colors in photos). Turn off automatic brightness - the light sensor on this model does not work correctly at sudden changes in light. Instead, set the brightness to 60-70% manually and use night mode from 20:00 to 8:00.

The MIUI controls are not perfect, but they can be improved:

• 👆 Back: swipe left to right on the bottom of the screen (setting in Settings) → System system → Gestures).
• 🏠 Swipe up from the bottom edge and hold your finger for 0.5 seconds.
• 🔄 Latest Apps: Swipe up and hold your finger in the center of the screen.

For ease of use of gestures and navigation buttons simultaneously, activate the floating navigation bar via Settings → Special features → Floating panel. This is especially useful in games where standard MIUI gestures conflict with control.

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If the screen begins to "blink" at low brightness, turn on the "Read" mode in the display settings - this will temporarily turn off the adaptive backlight, which often bugs on the screen. AMOLED-Xiaomi screens.

Extension of battery life

Battery on. 4000 MACh in Redmi Note 5 should hold 1.5-2 In practice, many users are faced with the 10-12 The main energy eaters are background activity. MIUI and non-optimized applications.

First, turn off fast charging in Settings → Battery → Fast Charging. Despite the promised 2 hours to fully charge, this mode heats the battery very much, which reduces its life. Also deactivate “Optimize Charging” – this feature often works incorrectly, limiting the charge to 80% even when it is not necessary.

• 📵 Power Saving Mode: Turn it on constantly through Settings → Battery. → Power saving mode: It limits background activity and reduces the CPU clock speed on the 10%, It has little impact on productivity, but it adds 20-30% time-work.
• 📡 Mobile data: turn off 4G If you're not using high-speed Internet, you're going to 3G Saves up to 15% of charge per day.
• 📍 Geolocation: Set the "On-Demand Only" mode in Settings → Confidentiality → Permits → geodata.

⚠️ Note: If the smartphone is discharged for 4-5 hours without active use, check the "Security" app in Settings → Sometimes its background processes are eaten up to 40% The solution is to clear the cache and the application data.

Camera: Hidden settings and optimization

The Redmi Note 5 dual camera (12 MP + 5 MP) is capable of taking high-quality pictures, but only with the right settings. By default, filters and processing algorithms are turned on, which spoil the detail.

Open the Camera app, go to Settings (cogs) → Additional and turn off:

• 🎨 "Improving photos" - adds unnecessary sharpness.
• 🌈 "Automobile-HDR" — on this model HDR It only works manually.
• 📏 "Grid" - interferes with the composition (only when shooting documents).

For best results, use Pro mode (in the camera's drop-down menu).

• 📸 ISO: 100-400 (daylight), 800-1600 (nightly).
• ⏱️ Excerpt: 1/1000 moving-object, 1/30 static.
• 🎯 Focus: manually (click on the screen and hold to lock).

To shoot video in 4K, you need to turn off stabilization - otherwise the camera will automatically reduce the resolution to 1080p. Also remember to clean the camera cache after a long shot: it can take up to 2-3 GB of memory.

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Use the Google Camera (GCam) configuration app for the Redmi Note 5, which gives 30% better detail in low light compared to a stock camera.

Data security and protection

The Redmi Note 5 on MIUI has several vulnerabilities that can compromise your data, the most serious being the lack of default encryption (as opposed to pure Android), and it also has a bug that bypasses the pattern lock through recovery mode.

To protect the device:

1. Enable encryption in Settings → Lock and Protect → Encrypt your phone, and it takes 30-60 minutes, but then the data is protected even if the theft occurs.
2. Turn off USB Debugging in Settings → For developers, if you do not use it constantly.
3. Set the lockdown. SIM-map PIN-code (even if the operator does not require it).

To protect against viruses:

• 🛡️ Install Malwarebytes instead of the built-in antivirus MIUI (It often gives false positives).
• 🔗 Disable the installation of applications from unknown sources in Settings → Confidentiality.
• 📲 Regularly check the permissions of applications in Settings → Confidentiality → Permissions: For example, messengers should not have access to your contacts without a reason.

⚠️ Attention: Redmi Note 5 has a vulnerability that allows you to bypass the lock screen through fastboot "OEM Unlock in the developer settings and never connect your phone to other people’s computers.

Hidden functions and chips MIUI

MIUI hides a lot of useful features that most users don't know about, and here are the most useful features for the Redmi Note 5:

• 🔊 Double tap to wake up: activate in Settings → Lock screen → Double-touch wake-up, even with the screen off.
• 🎵 Sound separation: c Settings → The sound can be set to separate volume levels for multimedia, alarm clock and notifications.
• 📶 Network Amplifier: From the Engineering Menu (#4636###) select Phone Information and set your preferred network type to the LTE only for stable 4G.
• 🖥️ Second Space Mode: Creates a separate work profile with other applications (good for work). → Special facilities → Second space.

For customization enthusiasts:

• 🎨 Set Custom Themes Through Themes → Online (there are free options without advertising).
• 🔧 Use it. ADB-commands to disable system applications (e.g. pm uninstall) -k --user 0 com.miui.analytics to be removed by Xiaomi statistics collector).
• 📲 Activate Hidden Developer Mode to Access Additional Network Settings and Performance.

If you want to go further, consider installing custom firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience) that will give you a clean Android without ads and unnecessary services, but will require unlocking the bootloader (which voids the warranty).

FAQ: Frequent questions about setting up Redmi Note 5