Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus Unboxing, First Impressions

The Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus initially lands in the Philippines via Widget City PH. With its price range pitted against its feature set, the handset could easily outshine other smartphone releases below Php 10K. The Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus, also known as the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 in other markets, marks a promising user experience without breaking the bank. Let’s see what it has in store for us in this unboxing and hands-on review.

[ads-post]

The Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus Unboxing Philippines

The Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus is a breath of fresh air when we talk about hardware specs. Upfront, it packs the very 2018-ish 5.99-inch FHD+ IPS LCD display with 18:9 aspect ratio.

[youtube src="v8yGWERByH8"][/youtube]

Under the hood, Redmi 5 Plus churns with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 which features 2.0GHz octa-core Cortex-A53 processor and Adreno 506 GPU. You can choose between 3GB RAM with 32GB internal storage; and 4GB RAM-variant with 64GB native storage. 

We got the 3GB RAM base version and so far, we are impressed with the optimization of the hardware and the MIUI 9.2 on top of Android 7.1.2 Nougat.

What’s in the Box?

The Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus comes with a red box. Opening it will give way to the smaller white box which contains the free plastic case. There’s also a 2A 5V AC power adaptor which supports fast charging, device manual and the microUSB cable. And no, there’s no earphones included in the box.

Design

The Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus construction is primarily made of metal.  The back portion employs subtle curves to make the handset nestle easily on the hands. Likewise, there’s also a plastic area on both the upper and lower portion of the back panel. There’s also 12MP rear camera and the fingerprint sensor on the upper half. The back of the handset exudes a premium metallic finish which is also complemented by the metal frame on the sides.

SIM Tray on the Left Side

Dual SIM (Nano), Hybrid

Power button and Volume rocker on the right side

The left side houses the SIM tray; while the right side has the power button and the volume rocker. The 3.5-mm jack is located at the top together with the IR blaster. There’s single speaker located at the bottom together with the microUSB port.

MicroUSB Port, Speaker grills

Display

With the new 18:9 aspect ratio, Xiaomi is keeping up with its competitors this 2018. However, we feel that the LCD display in this phone is better than its peers. Colors are accurate with great sunlight legibility. Navigation buttons are now on screen due to the new aspect ratio.

Initial Impressions

So far, the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus is a promising handset. Xiaomi has been optimizing the Snapdragon 625 so it’s no surprise that the company is using this older chipset in its value-for-money handsets just like the Redmi 5 Plus. Thus, we are delighted with better performance and battery efficiency. There are almost zero lags in our initial use of the handset. The metallic design also highlights Xiaomi’s capability in producing stunning designs even in lower price point. The camera is also great but we will reserve our judgment in our review.

Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus Specs

5.99-inch 18:9 Full Screen FHD+ IPS LCD Display

Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 MSM8953

2.0GHz octa-core Cortex-A53 processor

Adreno 506 GPU

3GB/4GB of RAM

32GB/64GB Internal Memory
MicroSD support, up to 128GB

12MP Rear Camera, f/2.2, PDAF, dual-LED Flash
2160p and 1080p@30fps video recording

5MP Selfie Camera, f/2.0, Softlight LED Flash

Dual SIM (Nano), Hybrid

4G LTE, 3G, 2G

Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n

Bluetooth 4.2

GPS, A-GPS

MicroUSB 2.0, USB OTG

3.5mm Audio Jack

Gyroscope, Proximity, Compass, Accelerometer Sensors

Android 7.1.2 Nougat with MIUI 9

Fingerprint Sensor Rear Mounted
158.5 x 75.5 x 8.1 mm, 180 grams

4000mAh Li-Po non-removable battery

Php 9,800 in Widget City PH (3GB RAM, 32GB)
Php 9,990 in Xiaomi Official Stores starting March 17

Get it in Widget City PH