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The ongoing narrative regarding Chinese mobile giant Xiaomi is that while it makes amazing phones, it's never going to expand into the West due to fear of costly litigation with Apple, the company it strives so hard to emulate. While that rather lazy assessment might have held water a year or so ago, things have changed in recent months. Xiaomi picked the Spain-based Mobile World Congress to announce its latest flagship - the Mi5 - and has recently purchased 1,500 patents from Microsoft. While Xiaomi's International Vice President (and former Android spokesperson) Hugo Barra still insists that the company is resolutely focused on its core markets in the East, the wheels are in motion for global expansion - and with the flagship Mi5, Xiaomi has a smartphone that is more than equal to the task of taking on established rivals in America and Europe.Xiaomi's hardware designers have talent - the gorgeous (if slightly derivative) Mi4 proved that back in 2014 - but in purely cosmetic terms, the Mi5 is in another league entirely. Stunningly slender and beautifully lightweight yet comfortable to hold, the phone's design hits all the right notes. From the almost bezel-free 5.15-inch display to the metal surround and pleasingly curved rear glass panel, this is a handset designed to be desired - although the infamous bend test reveals structural weaknesses, so some kind of protective case is a must; either that or remember to never put it in the back pocket of your impossibly tight skinny jeans.
Despite retailing for around half the cost of the LG G5 and other flagship Androids, the Mi5 packs Qualcomm's latest chipset, the Snapdragon 820. The base model has 3GB of RAM, but opting for the 128GB edition not only gives you a faster 820 SoC but also 4GB of RAM. NFC returns to Xiaomi's lineup, and a reversible USB Type-C connection offers fast charging for the 3000mAh battery. All of this is contained within a lightweight and thin chassis that combines metal with glass to stunning effect.
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