Design and Build Quality

So, the Mi5 is thinner and lighter than its predecessor, and it’s even lighter than the iPhone 6S, but what about its footprint? Surely, a bigger 5.15-inch display will result in a somewhat bigger device.

Not quite. The phone is 69.2mm wide and 144.6mm tall, which means it’s as wide as an average 5-incher, but the curved sides make it feel even more compact.

It’s 5mm taller than Xiaomi’s previous 5-inch designs, but this is hardly a big deal.

The glass is not curved, and if you place it face down, it’s protected by the alloy frame.

The sides are CNC-machined alloy. This is not a unibody design, as the glass back is removable, although you need a suction cap to pry it off. Xiaomi refers to the glass on the back as “3D Glass.” Before you start complaining that the back design is a blatant Samsung ripoff, consider this: Xiaomi used a similar design on Note series products a full year before Samsung adopted it for its Galaxy flagships.

At the bottom, you’ll find a USB Type-C connector and the side firing speaker, with an added decorative grille for symmetry (which also houses the microphone).

The power button and volume rocker are located at the right, as you’d expect.

The SIM slot can accommodate two nano SIM cards, but sadly the Mi5 does not have a microSD slot.

The 3.5mm audio port and IR blaster are located at the top.

The back is minimalism at its best. Curved glass, camera, flash, and the Mi logo. While the battery is not user replaceable, the glass cover can be removed and replaced with relative ease.