Xiaomi Mi5 and Mi5s: 7 key differences that will affect your choice

Choosing between 2016 Xiaomi flagships — Mi5 and Mi5s — It's easy to get confused about specifications. Both models are based on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, equipped with a high-end design. AMOLED-displays and operate under control MIUI. But in the six months between their releases, the company’s engineers made changes that dramatically affected the user experience.

This article will not just list the dry parameters from the specifications, but will look at the real consequences of every difference, from charging speed to low-light photo quality, and answer the question: should you overpay for the Mi5s in 2026 or should you save money on the Mi5?

1. Design and Materials: Metal vs Ceramics

The first thing that catches your eye is the body. Xiaomi Mi5 offers a choice of three options for the rear panel: glass (standard version), ceramics (Mi5 Pro) and metal (Mi5 Prime), but the Mi5s is completely metal, with antenna lines on the top and bottom edges - like the iPhone 6s.

The ceramic version of the Mi5 looks premium, but has two critical drawbacks:

• 🧲 Slippery surface – the phone falls out of hand even with a minimal tilt.
• 💥 Fragile: When falling, ceramics break into small pieces, unlike metal Mi5s, merely deformable.

On the other hand, the metal Mi5s is 10 grams heavier (145 g vs 135 g for the glass Mi5) and holds the network signal worse because of the shielding properties of the housing. In GSMArena tests, the difference in signal level reached 5-7 dB in favor of the glass version.

⚠️ Warning: If you are often in areas with a weak surface (metro, basements), ceramic or glass Mi5 It will be more stable than metal. Mi5s.

Processor and performance: overclocking vs stability

Both models run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, but with different settings:

On paper, the Mi5s is 11 percent faster, thanks to overclocking, but in real-world applications, the only difference is:

• 🎮 Demandatory games (PUBG Mobile, Genshin Impact): Mi5s stable 50-55 FPS against 45-50 FPS bal Mi5.
• 📷 Processing RAW-Photo: Exports to Lightroom take place 15-20% less.
• 🔄 Multitasking: Open 10+ annexes Mi5 Begins to “kill” background processes earlier.

But there's a downside: the overclocked Mi5s warms up more. In the 3DMark test, after 30 minutes of loading, the body temperature reached 48°C (versus 43°C for the Mi5), which leads to trottling, a forced decline in performance for cooling.

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To reduce the heat of the Mi5s, turn off background activity for unnecessary applications in the Battery settings → Optimization.

Screen: brightness and color reproduction

Both smartphones are equipped 5.15-inch AMOLED-resolution-screen 1920×1080, but with key differences:

• 🌞 Brightness: Mi5s 20% brighter (up to 600 nits vs 500 nits y) Mi5), what's critical in sunlight.
• 🎨 Color profiles: Mi5s supportive DCI-P3 (film standard, while Mi5 limited by sRGB.
• 🔄 Sensor refresh rate: y Mi5s It is higher (240 Hz vs 180 Hz), which makes the scroll menu smoother.

In the tests of DisplayMate screen Mi5s rated "A-" for color accuracy (vs. "B")+" bal Mi5). The difference is especially noticeable when viewing HDR-video: Mi5s shadows are more detailed, and colors are saturated without overexposure.

⚠️ Attention: AMOLED-Both models are subject to pixel burnout during prolonged display of static elements (for example, navigation panels). Mi5s This effect is more rapid due to higher brightness.

Camera: megapixels vs real quality

The most significant changes are:

Despite the lower resolution, the Mi5s shoots better thanks to:

1. Large pixels: They capture 38% more light, which is critical at dusk.
2. Optical stabilization: Video on the Mi5s doesn’t “tremble” when walking, unlike the Mi5.
3. PDAF: Focusing takes 0.1c versus 0.3c for the Mi5.

Examples of differences:

• 🌃 Night shooting: on Mi5 The photos are noisy when ISO 800, whereas Mi5s keep up ISO 1600.
• 👤 Portraits: thanks OIS background blur Mi5s looks more natural.

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If the camera is your priority, the Mi5s is ahead of the Mi5 in all respects except resolution.

5. Battery and charging: Capacity vs speed

The Mi5s battery is 100 mAh smaller (3200 mAh vs 3000 mAh), but thanks to the optimization of MIUI 8 and a more efficient processor, the operating time was comparable:

• 📱 Screen time: ~5.5 hours Mi5 vs ~5 hours. Mi5s (medium-brightness).
• 🎮 Games: Mi5s It is 15% faster due to a processor being overclocked.
• ⚡ Fast charging: Mi5s Supports Quick Charge 3.0 (0-50% post 30 minutes, whereas Mi5 Quick Charge is limited to Quick Charge 2.0 (0-50% post 45 minute).

An important nuance: Mi5s is equipped with 18W charging, and Mi5 – 12W. When using third-party adapters Mi5 can overheat and turn off fast charging.

Use the original cable and power supply|Turn off background activity for social networks|Don't discharge below 20%|Avoid overheating (do not play on charging)-->

6 Additional features: what lost and what acquired Mi5s

Xiaomi Mi5s lost some of the “chips” of its predecessor, but received unique features:

The most useful innovations of Mi5s:

• 📱 3D Touch: allows you to open context menus (for example, to quickly respond to a message without opening a chat room).
• 📁 MicroSD slot: You can use two SIM-card and memory card simultaneously.
• 🔊 Improved speakers: Volume 15% higher and distortions at maximum volume less.

This is the absence of an IR port in Mi5s This can be a problem if you use your smartphone as a remote for your technology, and the alternative is to buy an external IR adapter for a computer. ~500₽.

7.Price and relevance in 2026

In the secondary market (for example, Avito or Yula) prices for models differ slightly:

• Xiaomi Mi5 (3/32 GB): 6 000–8 000₽
• Xiaomi Mi5s (3/64 GB): 8 000–10 000₽

Should you overpay? Yes, if you care about:

• 📸 Quality of photos and videos (especially in low light).
• ⚡ Fast charging and a separate microSD slot.
• 🎮 Performance in games (but take into account heating!).

Not if:

• 📶 You are critical of the signal level of the network (ceramic) Mi5 catcher).
• 🔋 You plan to use your phone as a backup (battery) Mi5 Keeps the charge longer in standby mode).
• 💰 Budget limited – difference of 2,000–3,000₽ You may need to buy a spare battery or a cover.

⚠️ Both models are not officially supported MIUI 14 and newer.Last available firmware — MIUI 12.5 based on Android 9.This means problems with modern applications (for example, Tinkoff Bank or Sberbank Online may refuse to work).

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For everyday tasks in 2026, it’s best to consider newer models – for example, the Redmi Note 11 or the POCO X3 Pro, which cost a little more, but support the current versions of Android.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Mi5 and Mi5s