NO BAND 20 (800Mhz) - O2, or any network using O2, your 4G WILL NOT WORK (All other networks are okay and 4G will work absolutely fine)
This has no SD card slot or Optical Image Stabilisation.
Right, now we have that out the way...
How do you get what is very similar in hardware spec to the Google pixel for a mere £174?
1. Download the banggood app for iOS or android. Here iOS or Android
2. Register or login to the app
3. On the landing page when you open the app, it will have a banner saying "11% off aniversary coupon" click that.
4. Scroll down on the new page just opened until you see the orange banner "11% Off aniversary coupons". Now just below that is a 12% coupon. Click on - "Pick Now". If there are none available just wait until the timer runs out above the coupons and it will generate more. ;-)
5. Search for the xiaomi Mi5s on the banggood app.
6. Buy it now.
7. On the checkout or "place order" page, under the PayPal and credit card logo is a section " discount method".
8. Hit the plus symbol in the discount method section and select your newly acquired 2017 aniversary coupon.
This will reduce your $253.99 to $223.51 or £174.00
The Xiaomi Mi5s is made by Xiaomi who are a huge electronics company in China and third largest mobile phone OEM in China. This is NOT Chinese tat and I'll back up why this is true.
The Mi 5s uses the same Sony IMX378 12MP camera that you will find on the £500 Google pixel. ( I know the pixel 2 is around the corner but comparison sake, also the pixel uses software enhancements so although the pics on the xiaomi won't be quite as good as the pixel, they are very very good for any phone despite the price)
It has a 3.5mm headphone jack - YAY
It also has 64GB UFS 2.0 memory - thats fast.
It uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 which is, the same one used in the Google pixel and an excellent high end chipset in 2016.
It has NFC for android pay.
It has a Japan Display Inc 5.15 1080p panel which is excellent and the same company who make Sony and HTC displays. 600nits brightness (that's bright) but also has night mode to really dim the screen for night owls.
3200mah battery with Qualcomm quick charge through usb type C
Ultrasonic fingerprint scanner under the front 2.5D glass display.
Also comes with the official global Miui ROM from xiaomi so English language and Google play store out the box, and it's just been upgraded to miui 9 this week, expect many more updates in the future as well since xiaomi like to provide software support via updates much longer than any other manufacturer.
No it's not as high end as a Samsung galaxy S8 but it's £174 and on par with Google's flagship from 2016.
So it's not just a good phone for the the price, it's a good phone full stop. The price is a bonus.
Antutu benchmark
Google pixel - 145.387 Xiaomi mi5s - 146.988
All comments (162)
badboyofrock
25 Aug 17#1
MIUI 9 is still in beta. This won't update until the stable version is released.
Kenneth131 to badboyofrock
25 Aug 17#3
Correct, the beta is out for the mi5s though and stable won't be far off :sunglasses: :raised_hand:
umirza85
25 Aug 17#2
this is a ridiculous price for a solid phone that will last years. I replaced mine with the mi 5s plus because i like a bigger screen but I paid double this for the phone when i bought it.
edit: Also i've never had any issues with android pay with either of the phones which is a huge plus. I know some of the chinese phones are hit and miss.
badboyofrock to umirza85
25 Aug 17#4
How's the 5s plus? I have Mi5 but fancy a larger screen. Can't decide between Mi5s plus and Mi Note 2.
malky39
25 Aug 17#5
No quits correct about band 20 4g, o2 is not the only network to use this band, yes they use it only, but every other network uses it in some way or another
Kenneth131 to malky39
25 Aug 17#8
Correct but most networks, as you say, don't rely on it exclusively.
I have had several Xiaomi phones without band 20 and used on Vodafone EE and three without any noticeable hindrence to data speed or coverage compared to my wife's iPhone 6 in the same location. So while I agree band 20 is used by all networks to some degree it certainly only really affects O2 when it's omitted entirely from a phone.
sumpter
25 Aug 17#6
Torn between this and the Leeco Le 3 Pro Elite posted earlier today, would rather Xiaomi as a brand but not sure it warrants the extra £50. Damn i'm indecisive
ssjinzo
25 Aug 17#7
Does this have android 7.0 upgrade? I as it says android 6.0. I have attached it also how does the updates work ota or do you need to manually install. I get 179.18 as total price? Thanks
Kenneth131 to ssjinzo
25 Aug 17#9
Well Xiaomi phones run on Miui. Think of it like Samsung's touchwiz but it works lol.
While android underpins the operation system, Xiaomi implement many many many improvements and useful features in their miui custom skin over the top of android. So many useful features exist that aren't normally in stock andorid such as being able to swipe down anywhere on the screen to pull down notifications, simple I know but you miss it when it's not there.
It will initially be on android 6.0 but with miui 9 will be andorid 7.0
This as mentioned above is in beta which can me manually installed or wait about a month and it will be released in stable and you will get it over the air so it will just pop up and say to install it.
Xiaomi release updates for the miui os
Chinese beta ROM - every Friday
Global beta - every 2 weeks on a Friday
Chinese and global stable ROMs - usually once a month.
As for price, depends on the currency conversion but at the min $223.51 is £173.52 :grin:
ssjinzo to Kenneth131
26 Aug 17#33
Is there 2 version of the phone global and China? I will i went to the site to look for software but I could only fine the mi5 not the mi5s?
So can you stick Nova Launcher on it so as to make MiUI 'disappear'?
Kenneth131 to Naith
25 Aug 17#13
Yep if you wish to :thumbsup:
If I'm honest thought having used miui for 4 years now, I would miss some of the handy features it has built in and the customisation available as standard. I find stock android a little lacking in features in comparison and unlike Samsung's offerings it's largely useful features that miui has included.
Obviously if you hate it you can whack on a new launcher but I'd give it a try for a while and see it's actually a really good use of android
danj303
25 Aug 17#14
Not valid on the mi5s plus unfortunately. Still a great deal for the mi5s
Kenneth131 to danj303
25 Aug 17#15
I know, i also tried on several other handsets lol. Seems it only works on the mi5s just now
jwrodger
26 Aug 17#16
every time I see a phone I want for the price im happy to pay it turns out its fekin gold coloured :disappointed:
Kenneth131 to jwrodger
26 Aug 17#18
Yeah, tbh the mi5s is now only available in gold/white even in China. Anyone selling any other colour has old stock. This is a pic from the official Xiaomi app in China It's actually selling for 1999 Chinese yuan which is about £233 in China direct from xiaomi
jnm21
26 Aug 17#17
[quote]NO BAND 20 (800Mhz) - O2, or any network using O2, your 4G WILL NOT WORK (All other networks are okay and 4G will work absolutely fine)[/quote] Nice that you tried to include that info, but wrong on both counts; as has been said B20 (800MHz) is the only band used by all 4 main UK networks - performance will be affected on all. As for o2, they do have limited 1800MHz 4G.
Kenneth131 to jnm21
26 Aug 17#19
Correct that all networks use the 800MHz band but 4 years using Xiaomi phones and testing the signal strength and 4G speeds against my wife's iPhone 6, I have found no notable difference in internet speed or signal strength across 3, EE and Vodafone when using my Xiaomi devices without band 20 so while on paper it could be an issue, in real world tests I have yet to find any occasion it has proven to be detrimental
Never tested on O2 as I an aware of the issues off the bat and their network speed are typically much lower than the others so I've never used them as my provider
Joe90_guy
26 Aug 17#20
Nice review here. Interesting that whilst this phone's camera doesn't have OIS, it does have electronic image stabilisation which seems to work well.
liaqathussain
26 Aug 17#21
What happens if the phone goes faulty? Does it have any warranty?
Kenneth131 to liaqathussain
26 Aug 17#27
Not much of a warranty tbh, down side to any product direct from China. If you had an issue out the box banggood will assist you to return it and get a replacement. Had to do it once a year ago ( with a different device not the mi5s) and shipped it to china for £9 tracked with royal mail, got the replacement in 20 days from shipping mine back. Not a bad turn around given the distance etc
Problem is xioami only have service centres in China but tbh these phones are hugely repairable if not by yourself, by a local mobile phone shop. Parts are generally available as well from China so yeah it can take a little while to get them but a repair can be carried out here in the UK if really needed. Personally iv never had to carry out a repair on any device to date though.
Alvie
26 Aug 17#22
There's a really good Google Camera port that works on Snapdragon 820/821/835. It's on XDA and it uses Google processing and HDR+. It works really well on my OnePlus 5 and should work equally as well on this.
Kenneth131 to Alvie
26 Aug 17#26
Yeah it does work but you need to f about a bit from what I have read. On Miui 9 though I believe many features are implimented from the off for the camera. Can't confirm but in miui 9 it's better I know that much and it's defo possible to port the Google camera :raised_hand:
Alvie to Kenneth131
26 Aug 17#39
There's not much faffing about. Just install the app from XDA and then allow permissions, set as default and done :smile:
badboyofrock to Alvie
26 Aug 17#40
Do you have a link for the camera, or is it just the ordinary Google camera app?
bensbargains
26 Aug 17#23
Neither company to be trusted. Both extremely underhand in their operations and both founded and built on counterfeit goods. Wouldn't surprise me at all if fake lens, screen and even processor are used in later production. Xiaomi certainly have a history of this. Cold.
Kenneth131 to bensbargains
26 Aug 17#25
Source of information please?
Ben, you do this all the time, why don't you like Xiaomi products, have you had a bad experience?
Xiaomi do not sell counterfeit products, your not the number 3 mobile company in China selling counterfeit parts, anyone can Google xioami btw and look up the company history, accounts and products.
Xiaomis vice President for the last 2 years was Hugo barra who was head of andorid at Google. You don't leave Google to join a counterfeit operation.
Honestly man you need help. I wish you well and hope you get it.
ovi_andre
26 Aug 17#24
very good phones.better then samsung
Kenneth131 to ovi_andre
26 Aug 17#28
They are certainly better priced than Samsung. If people care to look, they will find all electronic manufacturers obtain parts from varying companies, noone makes a device today start to finish in house.
All the components for the Xiaomi phones come from the same companies making the components for Sony, Google, HTC, apple etc. There are only a limited number of assembly plants and component manufacturers. It stands to reason that these manufacturers will supply more than one company for a specific part. I mean like noted above the sony camera on this is the same Sony module on the Google pixel. Sony don't make cheaper modules for xiaomi, that would be a ball ache in their production lines. And xiaomi don't make counterfeit anything as they use foxconn for assembly ( the same company who asemmble iPhones for apple) so quality control is good.
The only reasons Xiaomi devices are cheap is that they don't have massive budgets for advertising, they only make the number of phones they have sold so rarely sit on stock hence no money laid out in advance of receiving it and the components are made in china for Qualcomm, Sony, jdi etc so no import duty to pay on these parts. their business model has always been to have marginal profit per device but sell mass volume as the golden figures in China are not how much you made as a company in profit but how many handsets did you shift in a financial year, the most sold handsets is the winner. So Xiaomi have on occasion been known to sell handsets pretty much at cost just to boost their end of year sales figures, not great for their bottom line but great for us consumers.
Anyway hope this sheds some light on the company and if anyone wants to, Google the info and you will see it's merit.
alastairhardisty
26 Aug 17#29
Hi, the voucher is saying it can only be used between the 7th and 9th of September for me....
Kenneth131 to alastairhardisty
26 Aug 17#30
Can anyone else confirm? was worning over last night and today unless they have fixed it and it was a glitch?
ah_heng
26 Aug 17#31
How is this compare to the Mi Note 2? Thanks...
alastairhardisty
26 Aug 17#32
I've checked again and if you use "2017 Anniversary App Only" coupon rather than any of the other ones you get the discount from 253.99usd to 223.99usd and this can be applied today.
Kenneth131 to alastairhardisty
26 Aug 17#34
Cheers Alastair, top man :raised_hand:
alien_jiggy
26 Aug 17#36
I'm getting £178 so can I buy tomorrow or day after?
Kenneth131 to alien_jiggy
26 Aug 17#37
:raised_hand:
looks like it will run while stocks last, currency coversion fluctuates and the date you buy wont nessesarily be when the payment is collected from your card so could be a few days later and the price you pay depends on the exchange rate when the payment is collected, will only be give or take a few quid.
I also wouldnt worry too much about what it says in £ on the site as their conversion rates tend to be a bit worse than your bank actually give. If you search in google $223.51 it will return a value in £ of £173.20 based on todays exchange rate. Go with google not banggood lol
alien_jiggy
26 Aug 17#38
Cheers mate
umirza85
26 Aug 17#41
I love the 5s plus, the mi note 2 came out just after and spec wise is pretty much the exact same phone but has a larger battery. 5s plus has dual camera where as the note 2 has a single large megapixel camera.
In theory both these cameras should be great but the crappy chinese software really doesnt take advantage of them properly. I believe the 5s plus has the same camera as some google (other big brand?) phone but the picture quality is miles different as the camera app for miui is just terrible.
In all the mi note 2 came out a little after and is probably slightly better/will be updated longer. I just prefer the fingerprint sensor at the back which is why i went with that.
Kenneth131
26 Aug 17#42
Have you got a link to the XDA guide for the guys on here, I'm at work so cant link it in :angry:
Northerndave
26 Aug 17#43
Like buying a car with 3 wheels !
liaqathussain
26 Aug 17#44
Just taken the risk and brought the phone.. Now the wait will be for it to arrive... Any idea if the charger is 3 pin or a 2 pin one?
Never brought a imported phone so this is a first.. Feeling nervous now.
malky39
26 Aug 17#45
Most likely it will be a 2 pin and they will send an adaptor. Just use any USB 3 pin socket
justpassingthru
26 Aug 17#46
I've taken the plunge and am about to order this. What gives the best protection, Paypal or credit card?
badboyofrock
26 Aug 17#47
That's great, cheers bud.
cheaperbythe12
26 Aug 17#48
Agree. I have this exact phone. Bought a few months back for £25 more and it's honestly the best phone I've ever been owned. If it were stolen, I wouldn't hesitate in the slightest to buy another one, rather than a Sammy s7/8 or one of Sony's newer models for more than double the price. Can only but recommend. Btw, 4g works well on EE on this phone.
Kenneth131
26 Aug 17#49
It will be a 2 pin but the usb type c cable is sperate to the plug so you can put it in any usb wall adapter you already have or pc etc its a standard usb cable at one end and a usb type c coneection that goes into the phone.
Kenneth131
26 Aug 17#50
Paypal with a credit card linked for payment. That way your covered by paypal and your card company :raised_hand:
Kenneth131
26 Aug 17#51
Well i have the redmi note 3 just now and decided on an upgrade to this, CEX also buy xiaomi phones so you get a decent amount back on old ones if your getting rid of them so i get ( i think £68.00) from CEX for my redmi note 3 makes this a very good deal.
My redmi note 3 has hit 90mbps on speedtest over EE 4G and like I mentioned before no issue with the lack of band 20 on any network bar o2 which I havent used anyway, three, vodafone and EE have all been fine with no detriment to the signal strength, areas of reception or speed compatitive to my wifes iphone 6 so while it could be a problem theoretically in practice iv yet to see it impact the usablity in any way in every day use.
Nice to see the recommendation though from a current user and that your happy with it, I have used xiaomi products for 5 years and their phones for 4 years. everythings impressed me greatly and hence why I have no issue recommending their products.
Kenneth131
26 Aug 17#52
:raised_hand:
Dont be nervous, will be fine, when it ships you will get a tracking number, just download an app called 17Track from your app store.
When you get the tracking number pop it into 17 track and it will keep you updated along the way.
dont worry if it shows nothing for a few days after you get the tracking number, this is fine, Banggood ship the phone using an automated postage machine so although you have a tracking number its likely not fully shipped until the next working day and then not received by any of the sorting offices in china until day 2 or 3 hence the delay.
Once it ships its tracked up to the airline acceptance and then it will go quiet again for about 7 days, this is just because it will go through european airports and then onto the uk.
when it hits the uk 17 track will be again updated and then it will be maybe 4 - 7 further days for good el royal mail to get it to you. Depends on how long it takes at the main sorting depot at the air port in the uk.
So there is a wee bit of waiting about however dont panic, I have ordered tons of stuff from banggood, gearbest and ali express, some cheap and others really expensive, all from china and nothing has failed to arrive yet and I dont usually pay for tracked shipping on anything unless I need it ASAP. Plus banggood ship millions of items every week and globaly they are not a back street diddy company, they know what they are doing. Any issues though give me a shout, always happy to help
mug51
26 Aug 17#53
Thanks, just ordered this. Had ordered the p8 lite 2017 a couple of days ago for £140 after cashback, but think this will be much better for £35 more, although much prefer the look of the blue p8 lite.
rfc5stars
26 Aug 17#54
Think im gonna bite the bullet and just and buy this gold one.
Kenneth131
26 Aug 17#55
Lol did you go for gold? It's not my favourite colour either to be fair but price Vs spec and I can live with it tbh
rfc5stars
26 Aug 17#56
Not yet . I am flip flopping . Nearly bought the honor 9 last week. My heads bursting make the decision lol
rfc5stars
27 Aug 17#57
Ordered it . And 2 cases to cover that bloody gold . Hopefully by the time i nees to replace it Xiaomi will have started selling in the uk
Kenneth131
27 Aug 17#58
Wow finally decided eh lol, doubt you will be disappointed with the performance and features which will let you see past the colour.
Like I said they are officially only selling this colour just now for the mi5s? No idea why.
Mi6 is out and it's a beast but also £320 of quid so not in the same price bracket. When the time comes to change this, you can trade it to cex or sell it on eBay get a decent amount and upgrade with little cost while making use of this until then. Really a great phone and the price makes it a steal just now. Congrats man, now just patience while you wait, always difficult but great when it lands :sunglasses: :raised_hand:
DealDog
27 Aug 17#59
also placed order, last night came up to £178 but still a very good price. thanks op. black version would have been nice, but will stick a case on it, so doesn't really matter :sweat_smile: .
what is the expected delivery time for this 2-3 weeks?
Should I go for this mobile or the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 64Gb/4 Ram ?
ssjinzo
27 Aug 17#65
Different devices I would say as the note is larger and supports a different processor depending on what you need. If you want a smaller device or larger one
Kenneth131
27 Aug 17#66
This has a more capable top end processor and camera + NFC
but the note 4 has a a mid range processor but more power efficient with bigger battery so will last longer on a single charge.
The note 4 is also a 5.5 inch display where was the mi5s is 5.15 so depends if you want a larger screen or not
Hope that helps a bit
tom118
27 Aug 17#67
Thanks for the feedback. Thinking of getting the MI5 one. By any chance do you know if BT SIMS work on it and pokemon go? Thanks alot guys.
Kenneth131
27 Aug 17#68
Yeah it will work with bt mobile as it works over EE. It's only O2 4G that won't work on this.
And yes Pokémon go will work as well no issue at all
tom118
27 Aug 17#69
Thanks again. Will order now
Kenneth131
27 Aug 17#70
Just incase anyone wants to get a screen protector, much like the Google pixel and any other phone with a 2.5d glass display, tempered glass protectors won't go all the way to the edge as the curve prevents them from bonding. Doesn't bother me much
but if you want one that covers the whole screen and are okay using the plastic screen protectors like you used to get, obviously they will save it from scratches but probably not hard knocks,
This is by far the best, it covers the whole screen and the seller is brilliant, my wife's arrived in 8 days and it has the Mi logo on the top. It is as I said plastic though
As for tempered glass protectors, any will do and none fit the entire display as mentioned above but the $2 ones are as good as the $12 ones so take your pick
wildecat
28 Aug 17#71
Vodafone also use 800 MHz as their main 4G band, so i'd avoid for either Voda or O2. As you've noted, you'll not have access to any 800 MHz coverage on 3 or EE (and roaming) too..
ssjinzo
28 Aug 17#72
Ordered but starting to regret my purchase a little due to speed test done on the phone. Not as fast as s7 and it's multitasking that it's bad on reloading all apps with battery saver turned off as well as both the one plus 3 t and LG g6 both beat it out also. only the honor 8 which I had was super fast better than the s7 edge I had and is the fastest phone I have ever used in all fairness. I buy and sell my phones every 6 months and iam sure this won't lose much value until a decent deal on the honor 9 comes when black Friday hits during December like they did with honor 8 last year. I my current phone is moto z which I like but I find this and the s7 edge before it too big to use as a phone. Still I may probably keep it as vr and daydream on it is awesome. Will let you know what I think when the phone comes.
Kenneth131
28 Aug 17#73
Keep in mind it was tested with android marshmallow and miui 8, the mi5s didn't get much software support which annoyed allot of people but it was always intended to be updated to miui 9 and based on android nougat. So miui 9 has been released as a beta for this phone and it will be updated ota soon as a stable ROM.
Trust me miui has never been a lite ROM or been known for its lightening speed per say but it's a great ROM loaded with a ton of features that are actually useful. If it adds a second to opening an app, I'm happy to sacrifice that second for usability improvements over stock android.
See what you think when you get it but make sure you set it up and make the most of testing the usefulness of miui. There are featured on it which I couldn't be with out and while you can no doubt achieve these on other phones by way of third party apps, I love everything baked in from the word go.
Of your into running a beta ROM you could also bang miui 9 on there when you get it as it's main development was to address the communities request to make miui faster and more efficient.
sumpter
28 Aug 17#74
But it's £174?! surely you're comparing apple's and oranges?
ssjinzo
28 Aug 17#75
I got the honor 8 for 270 and moto z for 300 which I sold the sound mod making it 260 I know that's a price gap of 100 but that's full uk support with warranty. I also bought honor 8 for 200 from Sainsbury's phone shop deal too fir th e misses . :grin:
Kenneth131
28 Aug 17#76
The only one for similar money I would recommend is the zuk z2 pro it's on offer at gearbest for about £210 but it's missing NFC but gains a few other features so depends what you value and need but the zuk is solid as well and has an 820 with 6GB ram
ssjinzo
28 Aug 17#77
It's very poorly optimised that phone a mate of mine has it and it is really bad compared to other snapdragon 820 phones like my moto z. I have doing a speed test next to mine the app load time are slower and multitasking is poor closing app in the background. I comparing other sd 820 devices like the s7 and moto z it quite close but the zuk z2 feels like a completely different processor used. Gaming is really bad on it especially. Of course the device runs fine if you haven't used other devices or have the devices to compare it too but having used the devices and having devices side by side you can see a difference. Like I said other sd devices that use the same chip the difference is quite small.
You know what these features are on honor too surprisingly. To u can run 2 of the same app under different account. I have scrolling screen shot that mi ui has as well multi user accounts similar to second space feature of miui they also had a similar look to having all the app on the home screen like iPhone but they have added the option of an app draw now. All devices have some features I have liked for example moto z has moto apps like moto voice which is really good you can get 3 party app probably k
Kenneth131
28 Aug 17#78
You certainly like to test the market lol, never personally used the zuk Z2 so nice to see some hands on experience.
Kenneth131
29 Aug 17#79
It would seem that the code no longer works with the phone as it's on promotion. I have expired the offer but thanks to everyone on here for being so helpful to one another while it was available.
Edmundo07
29 Aug 17#80
Had it still in my basket from sunday while i pondered. Still got it for 223.51 dollars.
Kenneth131
29 Aug 17#81
Awesome man must have been saved with the discount :raised_hand:
mug51
29 Aug 17#82
Well my order has just been dispatched this morning :thumbsup: Hmm I actually don't want it delivered too quickly, getting it delivered to my parents who are currently on holiday.
Kenneth131
29 Aug 17#83
Dont worry it will arrive in about 14 days how long they away for
Kenneth131
29 Aug 17#84
Seems like it's working again, just tried it and it's going through at $223.51 which works out at £172.95 just now
That's alright then, away for 10 days I think :thinking:
Kenneth131
30 Aug 17#87
Brilliant Alvie that's even better news about the issues that have been fixed, excellent find and thanks for the update :raised_hand:
ssjinzo
2 Sep 17#88
ordered a case and screen protector from China the case has come which is the fastest thing I have ever received from China hopefully the phone will come just as fast now :raised_hand:
Rebel_1980
2 Sep 17#89
My phone took a total of 7 days from shipment to receipt!!
Rebel_1980
2 Sep 17#90
Mine took 7 days frm shipment to receipt! :smile:
ssjinzo
2 Sep 17#91
What do you think of this phone? did u have to reflash it with global rom some people say it has pop ups and has to be flashed before use?
bozy09
3 Sep 17#92
i get the error this coupon is not available for limited offer products... anyone have a way to get past this?
Kenneth131
3 Sep 17#93
It actually comes with the official global stable ROM installed and bootloader unlocked so everything works expect android pay as it's bootloader is unlocked.
This is fixed very easily then when you get it, Google miui download and go to the official miui page for ROMs. On the left hand side select fastboot ROMs.
Follow the instructions on this page. Essentially you download the miflash tool. Download the mi5s global stable fast boot rom to your desktop for ease.
Instal the miflash tool Turn off your phone unzip the ROM you downloaded to desktop Open miflash tool Click on the browse button (or whatever it's called) and find the unzipped ROM folder and click one one it and then load On your phone hold the volume down and power button When it shows fastboot on the phones screen connect the usb to the phone and pc On miflash click the little refresh button Your phone will show in the mi flash tool as 1comm or something similar, it will populate a line in the miflash tool anyway
Now down the bottom right of the miflash tool is a few options, tick the box that says lock and wipe all ( again something to that effect as Im not at my pc)
Click flash
Done
Phone will take a while to restart, like up to 10 mins but when it does it will be factory reset with the bootloader locked and fresh miui global installed
Set it up and android pay works fine
Kenneth131
3 Sep 17#94
Ah it was doing this before, maybe try it later on or tomorrow. Think it stopped working last weekend as well. Sorry
ssjinzo
3 Sep 17#95
Thanks I thought boot loader was locked anyway to check if it is locked or unlocked when you get it?
Kenneth131
3 Sep 17#96
It will be unlocked as they have to do this to flash the global ROM before shipping it. You just go into settings -> about phone -> tap on the miui version several times until it says your a developer
Back into settings -> additional settings -> developer settings then click "miui unlock status"
It will let you know locked or unlocked
BSAB80
9 Sep 17#97
The bootloader is already unlocked? Awesome, means no waiting to install other ROMs (you have to ask Xiaomi permission to unlock bootloader normally and that might take a couple of days) Phone left Hong Kong on the 30th, now it's just waiting...
ssjinzo
9 Sep 17#98
Mine too just waiting got my moto z back from repair but using my cheap Alcatel. I am thinking i should wait or should I transfer to the moto and then to the 5s but I probably wait. I was wishing it would come today but it hasn't :angry:
Kenneth131
9 Sep 17#99
Yep unlocked defo, received my wife's on Thursday, ordered 3 days prior to posting the deal and it's unlocked and running official global stable ROM out the box
Kenneth131
9 Sep 17#100
Just wait I would say, should be with you by Wednesday this week, have you tracked it on 17 track
ssjinzo
9 Sep 17#101
Yeah it says left china on the 30th I know it may take a few weeks from china but i was hopeing I would get it sooner. I downloaded the fastbooot global from as per your instruction and the mi software ready to flash and lock thanks, just waiting for the phone now
BSAB80
11 Sep 17#102
Mine just arrived in Ireland this morning. And it was sent to customs. Ah balls, hope I don't get done on it.
liaqathussain
15 Sep 17#103
I checked my delivery status today.. It says in transit ( Swiss post-- royal mail) I purchased it on the 30th September... I'm hoping it turns up soon.
taiko
15 Sep 17#104
I just got a letter from RM , i have to pay a £11.24 custom fee and I presume 8 quid handling fee :disappointed: :rage: :cry:
taiko
15 Sep 17#105
just got it from post office and i was charged £11.24 , no import or excise ,just VAT at £3.42 and Royal mail international handling fees.
ssjinzo
15 Sep 17#106
Mine says delivered today at 7.15 but I haven't received anything?
ssjinzo
15 Sep 17#107
When did you get the letter was it showing delivered when you got the letter?
taiko
15 Sep 17#108
it was already delivered aka in sorting office , i went along with the card to sorting office and paid and collected the phone.
ps i got letter/card at 11 am and went to post office at 12 pm
ssjinzo
15 Sep 17#109
Its says delivered on track17 delivery and on royal mail tracking says its being sent ? I havent or didnt get a letter from royalmail as of yet regarding and fees yet and nothing in the post today
liaqathussain
15 Sep 17#110
When did you place the order? I placed the order on the 30th of September..
Just wondering at what point do I start panicking
mug51
15 Sep 17#111
I placed my order on the 26th August and finally got some news where it is. This is my tracking info..
2017-09-15 11:16GBLALA, Arrival at border point in the destination country
2017-09-15 09:21GBLALA, Arrival at border point in the destination country
2017-08-30 17:04Asendia Hong Kong, The consignment has left the origin border point
2017-08-30 17:04Asendia Hong Kong, Arrival at origin border point
2017-08-30 17:04Asendia Hong Kong, Mailed
Hopefully, I'll get it soon as it's at Heathrow
Kenneth131
15 Sep 17#112
20 days ish, mine said arrival at border point up to the day it was delivered by royal mail only then it updated to delivered. Once it arrives in the UK it takes about 5 days to get from Heathrow to your door
Kenneth131
15 Sep 17#113
Yeah so you should have yours by Friday next week as it will go through customs over Monday Tuesday out Wednesday and to you Thursday Friday next week
ssjinzo
15 Sep 17#114
Mine says
2017-09-15 07:52 M 16 Delivered
2017-09-15 03:12 GBLALA Arrival at border point in the destination country
2017-09-14 09:20 GBLALA Arrival at border point in the destination country
2017-08-30 17:04 Asendia Hong Kong The consignment has left the origin border point
2017-08-30 17:04 Asendia Hong Kong Arrival at origin border point
Switzerland2017-08-30 17:04 Asendia Hong Kong Mailed
Kenneth131
15 Sep 17#115
Sounds like it's at the local royal mail sorting office, unfortunately you will probably get a customs card tomorrow for about £12 and have to go to the sorting office with the cash and pick it up. Sorry man, customs seem to have picked up on all these handsets, think it's because they used Swiss post as normally stuff comes through no problem.
ssjinzo
16 Sep 17#116
Yep got the card this morning going post office no before it closes it says amount due £11.38 on the card.
ssjinzo
16 Sep 17#117
Charged me 11.38 royal mail take 8 pound for "handling fee" and the rest was tax. The parcels value was around 20 dollars so bulk of the money was charged based on the handling fee. In all fairness 1st time this has happened to me as I have ordered a few things for china.
Kenneth131
16 Sep 17#118
Me to, first time, I assume with them coming through swiss post and having the same details on every package, customs decided they couldn't all be private sellers so decided to tax em but yeah £8 royal mail handling fee and the £3 odd is tax. Never mind at least you know where it is and it's ready for you :raised_hand:
ssjinzo
16 Sep 17#119
Just picked it up flashed and setting it up may do a mini review soon first impressions if anyone is interested the glass screen protector is rubbish don't cover the screen and docent stick well on the corners.
taiko
16 Sep 17#120
Did you flash so you can use banking apps ? or other reason ?
ssjinzo
16 Sep 17#121
Android pay more than anything else but also a clean install from the official Rom is best in all fairness
Kenneth131
16 Sep 17#122
Yeah the glass protectors don't work too well but the tpu one I linked in a few weeks ago work really well if you don't mind plastic and they have a mi logo on the top left which is really nice.
Plastic screen protector but no halo effect and black borders round screen blend perfectly to the mi5s, if your happy for forefiet glass for plastic this is brilliant
dreadzone101
17 Sep 17#124
That screen protector looks like it was originally made for the Mi5 but then had the bottom cutout altered to fit the size of the Mi5s fingerprint sensor. The Mi5 has that front corner MI logo and pill shaped light sensor. Whereas Mi5s has no front MI logo and has a circular light sensor.
A coloured screen protector specifically made for the Mi5s would look like the product images in this listing<
liaqathussain
17 Sep 17#125
Feels like everyone else has received their phones except me ,
ssjinzo
17 Sep 17#126
Did you check your tracking? What does it say today? Mine said delivered but I did not get the card till yesterday and I would have not got it. But I rushed to the depot as it closes early on Saturday.
liaqathussain
17 Sep 17#127
Just says in transit... Swiss post ---- royal mail
liaqathussain
17 Sep 17#128
This is what iv been getting for weeks now.
DealDog
17 Sep 17#129
an update of my process...
i ordered on 26th Aug, late in the evening. Got a email on 28th saying my item has been shipped, 17track started to show my item on the 30th then it went all quite. Then on 14th Sept i got a new update saying 'Arrival at border point in the destination country' and following day it said 'Registered for collection'.
The big day, 15th Sept , Royal mail left a card while i was out saying we've taken ur item ransom (for customs reasons), and demand £11.38...... I so one 16th went down my local depot and picked the phone up hooray....
Since then i have played round with phone and etc. - The phone only came with chinese adapter, usb cable and some leaflets. - I set the country to UK and region to India, got updates immediate after. i did a virus and malware scans (Malwarebytes) after this.
the good points: - Build quality and structure it very good - Performance wise, very smooth and does very well with games. - Screen is all pretty good, bezel could have beena bit smaller. - Finger print scanner is very fast
only bad point so far i noticed: - no EU adapter - camera focus out of box is poor, doesn't always work and will need shake the phone to get to work.... (it seems a fault in camera module) - loud speaker not the best.
i thinking of getting this screen protector, seem decent and will be in UK = fast shipping
louiselouise
17 Sep 17#130
If only it had MicroSD, Band 20 and a REALLY decent camera, I'd be tempted :stuck_out_tongue:
ssjinzo
17 Sep 17#131
Had a play now for around 24 hours still getting to understand the customisation of mi ui. As a phone its quick fast and camera is good. I don't have a issue with camera or focusing nfc android pay and all my apps work as they should. I haven't got the camera mod in the xda forum to work on any of the apk all fail when you open the camera. To early to make a decision but overall it's good to great phone. I didn't like how it had hidden notifications and a few other out of the box settings but I changed a lot of it including stock launcher and a few other settings to my liking.
The negatives are fingerprint scanner is awful the worst I have used on any device. Functional but it's slow and misreads a lot. The quick setting and notification look the ui I don't like the icon colours ect. Multitasking has a little load not that noticeable but it's there. Black borders on the screen I don't like. I would have preferred the device to be a little less wide but I prefer this foam factor compare to the 5.5 inch screen size not to tall and not to wide.
liaqathussain
17 Sep 17#132
If for some reason the phone doesn't arrive. How will I go about getting my money back? I did pay via PayPal. I ordered a cover from China and that arrived few days ago..
Kenneth131
17 Sep 17#133
It will turn up, it's still not arrived in the UK by looking at your tracking info but that will no doubt update tue or Wednesday. If it doesn't contact banggood and they will handle the refund or replacement for you. Takes about 24 hours for them to respond Monday-friday
liaqathussain
17 Sep 17#134
Appreciate your response..
justpassingthru
18 Sep 17#135
I ordered one of these and apparently the credit card payment didn't go through, so Banggood cancelled the order. I contacted them to confirm it had been cancelled before I reordered. They confirmed it had been cancelled and I have a screen shot of the cancelled order. On Saturday I got the Royal mail customs charge card and went to the delivery office to collect the phone. I didn't check the tracking number at the time, but it isn't the same as the one I'd been tracking. Today I got another customs charge card. On checking my credit card I find I have been charged twice. If I don't collect the second one will Royal Mail return it to China?
ssjinzo
18 Sep 17#136
How's battery drain for people. I took my phone off charge at around 7 am now it's past three now screen on time has been 40 minutes mostly browsing and battery is currently 58%. I haven't even use the phone much.
liaqathussain
18 Sep 17#137
I havnt received my phone but I'm starting to think the phone isn't as good as made it to be :-(
DealDog
18 Sep 17#138
after researching it seem my mi5s got faulty camera module, Macro mode works but anything in distance it wont focus on unless i shake the phone.
im debating whether it worth hassle returning it , or keep it :cry:
Kenneth131
18 Sep 17#139
Yep or go to the sorting office and tell them your refusing the delivery and they will send it back
Kenneth131
18 Sep 17#140
Costs about £14 to send it back to China and have it fixed or replaced
Kenneth131
18 Sep 17#141
Or you could buy a new camera module and fit it yourself takes 10 mins
One like this, can't say it's exactly the one you need but shop about
thanks for reply, i might just sort it out myself :sweat_smile: rest phone so far is very good
ssjinzo
19 Sep 17#143
Any new update about your phone? Hope you get it sooner rather than later
justpassingthru
19 Sep 17#144
Thanks. I showed the phone to a friend of mine and he likes it enough to have it, but the info will come in handy if I ever have to return another item to China. Thanks again.
Kenneth131
19 Sep 17#145
Nice one good you have a solution man
liaqathussain
20 Sep 17#146
Hi Got this today at 1pm Can't wait to pick it up tomorrow.. I'll update everyone once iv got it.
Thanks
Kenneth131
20 Sep 17#147
Glad you got it, shame customs hold these things up
liaqathussain
21 Sep 17#148
Got it...
AB100
21 Sep 17#149
they may return it to China but seller will now the one who will pay the return fee. And probably they wont refund all of your money too.
Kenneth131
21 Sep 17#150
About time lol glad you got it and hope it's treating you well :raised_hand:
Kenneth131
21 Sep 17#151
Bang good have a Fantastic returns policy, ship it back, they will even pay your return postage once the item is received. They will ask for a picture of the shipping receipt from the post office showing the postage cost and tracking number that's it.
So if you want to return it, contact them set up a return pay the £14 potage (take photos of the phone in the returns package, the shipping address on the package and your post office receipt) wait until it arrives with them in China, drop them an email and let them know it's delivered and you want to initiate a replacement or refund and they will refund it and your postage.
Great team at banggood honestly. All the above was from previous experience 3 months ago btw not a single issue, other than the 24 hours delay on email replies but they supply the world so I find it amazing they can hit a 24hr turn around on the email enquires tbh.
liaqathussain
21 Sep 17#152
So far so good.. Mines is running on mui 8.35 I believe. Any idea if will get any updates soon here
Kenneth131
22 Sep 17#153
Mm that's not a miui version I recognize.
There is two parts to miui if you will. Version and build.
So they bring out new versions, like ios7 ios8 each one brings new features or improvements to the whole user experience.
At the moment sounds like you are on Miui 8
The miui version has nothing to do with the android version it is built on, you could have a redmi note 3 with miui 8 and a mi5s with miui8 so they look visually the same but underneath the redmi note 3 is android marshmallow while the Mi5 is android nougat. Just so you know.
The version 5.3.0 or 7.9.15 etc is just the build number so they update the os each week or so worth bug fixes. Just like you would have windows 10 but their will be many different builds of Windows 10 each with different bug fixes implimented along the way.
If you want android pay etc to work, I would suggest flashing the phone from a pc with the latest global stable ROM.
Turn off the device. Press the Volume down key and the Power button at the same time to enter Fastboot mode. Then connect the phone to the Windows PC/laptop via a micro USB cable
Unzip the downloaded ROM file to your desktop so you have a new unzipped folder.
install the flash tool download from above (if there is security warning, select 'Run').
After installation is completed, open the flash tool and click the "select" button to open a file location in the flash tool, find the unzipped folder from above (saved to your desktop) click the folder once to highlight it and then click open.
Click on the Refresh button and you should see details populate the first row (this is your phone connected to the flash tool)
In the bottom right tick the box that says clean all and lock.
Now
click the flash button the ROM file to the device.
Leave it to work and when it says complete the phones up to date and relocked so android pay works. Might take 10 mins to load the phone from flashing it don't worry it will come back to life.
Any questions just ask :thumbsup:
Kenneth131
22 Sep 17#154
Sent a post above for you to follow think it would be useful to flash the phone so all details are enclosed in my earlier post for you :raised_hand:
liaqathussain
22 Sep 17#155
Thanks.. I'm not tech savvy so dunno how to flash etc.. But really not fussed about android pay...
liaqathussain
27 Sep 17#156
Hi everyone.i need help. I today realised my phone is running android 6.i thought it wud be on nughat but it isn't.. any idea how I update this?
liaqathussain
27 Sep 17#157
mug51
27 Sep 17#158
You can get Nougat if you update to MIUI 9, but at the moment no stable ROM is available. Developer ROM for MIUI 9 is though however, so you need to flash your phone if you want this. Details here. Or alternatively you can wait for a stable version (could be a while though) and you can use the update feature on the phone for that.
Kenneth131
27 Sep 17#159
Not yet unless you change to a beta ROM. Miui 9 based on Nougat is planned shortly but it won't affect the operation of the phone, was there by reason in particular you needed android 7
liaqathussain
27 Sep 17#160
No particular reason just wanted the split screen option... But it's not a big issue...
Kenneth131
27 Sep 17#161
Yeah nice addition but believe it's implimented in miui 9. Xiaomi tend not to focus so much on the base android version because it's so heavily customised and they incorporate many new andorid features on new miui versions despite the underpinning android version being maybe 2 behind the current release so you never really miss out on features. Plus the security patches are still sent down but updates are slow just now because it's a Chinese holiday soon.
![Fresh Breakfast Meat Box (Using code) @ Campbells Meat [Haggis / Lorne Sausage / Bacon / Black Pudding & More]](/images/topics/208684_1.jpg)
![[Xbox One] Q. u. b. e: Director's Cut on Deals with Gold](/images/topics/208716_1.jpg)
Opening post
(All other networks are okay and 4G will work absolutely fine)
This has no SD card slot or Optical Image Stabilisation.
Right, now we have that out the way...
How do you get what is very similar in hardware spec to the Google pixel for a mere £174?
1. Download the banggood app for iOS or android. Here iOS or Android
2. Register or login to the app
3. On the landing page when you open the app, it will have a banner saying "11% off aniversary coupon" click that.
4. Scroll down on the new page just opened until you see the orange banner "11% Off aniversary coupons". Now just below that is a 12% coupon. Click on - "Pick Now". If there are none available just wait until the timer runs out above the coupons and it will generate more. ;-)
5. Search for the xiaomi Mi5s on the banggood app.
6. Buy it now.
7. On the checkout or "place order" page, under the PayPal and credit card logo is a section " discount method".
8. Hit the plus symbol in the discount method section and select your newly acquired 2017 aniversary coupon.
This will reduce your $253.99 to $223.51 or £174.00
The Xiaomi Mi5s is made by Xiaomi who are a huge electronics company in China and third largest mobile phone OEM in China. This is NOT Chinese tat and I'll back up why this is true.
The Mi 5s uses the same Sony IMX378 12MP camera that you will find on the £500 Google pixel. ( I know the pixel 2 is around the corner but comparison sake, also the pixel uses software enhancements so although the pics on the xiaomi won't be quite as good as the pixel, they are very very good for any phone despite the price)
It has a 3.5mm headphone jack - YAY
It also has 64GB UFS 2.0 memory - thats fast.
It uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 which is, the same one used in the Google pixel and an excellent high end chipset in 2016.
It has NFC for android pay.
It has a Japan Display Inc 5.15 1080p panel which is excellent and the same company who make Sony and HTC displays. 600nits brightness (that's bright) but also has night mode to really dim the screen for night owls.
3200mah battery with Qualcomm quick charge through usb type C
Ultrasonic fingerprint scanner under the front 2.5D glass display.
Also comes with the official global Miui ROM from xiaomi so English language and Google play store out the box, and it's just been upgraded to miui 9 this week, expect many more updates in the future as well since xiaomi like to provide software support via updates much longer than any other manufacturer.
No it's not as high end as a Samsung galaxy S8 but it's £174 and on par with Google's flagship from 2016.
So it's not just a good phone for the the price, it's a good phone full stop. The price is a bonus.
Antutu benchmark
Google pixel - 145.387
Xiaomi mi5s - 146.988
All comments (162)
edit: Also i've never had any issues with android pay with either of the phones which is a huge plus. I know some of the chinese phones are hit and miss.
I have had several Xiaomi phones without band 20 and used on Vodafone EE and three without any noticeable hindrence to data speed or coverage compared to my wife's iPhone 6 in the same location. So while I agree band 20 is used by all networks to some degree it certainly only really affects O2 when it's omitted entirely from a phone.
Thanks
While android underpins the operation system, Xiaomi implement many many many improvements and useful features in their miui custom skin over the top of android. So many useful features exist that aren't normally in stock andorid such as being able to swipe down anywhere on the screen to pull down notifications, simple I know but you miss it when it's not there.
It will initially be on android 6.0 but with miui 9 will be andorid 7.0
This as mentioned above is in beta which can me manually installed or wait about a month and it will be released in stable and you will get it over the air so it will just pop up and say to install it.
Xiaomi release updates for the miui os
Chinese beta ROM - every Friday
Global beta - every 2 weeks on a Friday
Chinese and global stable ROMs - usually once a month.
As for price, depends on the currency conversion but at the min $223.51 is £173.52 :grin:
en.miui.com/dow…tml
There's only one version the Mi5 was released January 2016 and mi5s September 2016.
In China they typically call the mi5s just the Xiaomi 5s though
The mi5 uses the Sony IMX298 and the mi5s uses the same Sony IMX378 which is used in the Google pixel.
You decide
See the camera samples from both phones here Mi5 Vs Mi5s Camera examples
If I'm honest thought having used miui for 4 years now, I would miss some of the handy features it has built in and the customisation available as standard. I find stock android a little lacking in features in comparison and unlike Samsung's offerings it's largely useful features that miui has included.
Obviously if you hate it you can whack on a new launcher but I'd give it a try for a while and see it's actually a really good use of android
It's actually selling for 1999 Chinese yuan which is about £233 in China direct from xiaomi
(All other networks are okay and 4G will work absolutely fine)[/quote]
Nice that you tried to include that info, but wrong on both counts; as has been said B20 (800MHz) is the only band used by all 4 main UK networks - performance will be affected on all. As for o2, they do have limited 1800MHz 4G.
Never tested on O2 as I an aware of the issues off the bat and their network speed are typically much lower than the others so I've never used them as my provider
Problem is xioami only have service centres in China but tbh these phones are hugely repairable if not by yourself, by a local mobile phone shop. Parts are generally available as well from China so yeah it can take a little while to get them but a repair can be carried out here in the UK if really needed. Personally iv never had to carry out a repair on any device to date though.
Ben, you do this all the time, why don't you like Xiaomi products, have you had a bad experience?
Xiaomi do not sell counterfeit products, your not the number 3 mobile company in China selling counterfeit parts, anyone can Google xioami btw and look up the company history, accounts and products.
Xiaomis vice President for the last 2 years was Hugo barra who was head of andorid at Google. You don't leave Google to join a counterfeit operation.
Honestly man you need help. I wish you well and hope you get it.
All the components for the Xiaomi phones come from the same companies making the components for Sony, Google, HTC, apple etc. There are only a limited number of assembly plants and component manufacturers. It stands to reason that these manufacturers will supply more than one company for a specific part. I mean like noted above the sony camera on this is the same Sony module on the Google pixel. Sony don't make cheaper modules for xiaomi, that would be a ball ache in their production lines. And xiaomi don't make counterfeit anything as they use foxconn for assembly ( the same company who asemmble iPhones for apple) so quality control is good.
The only reasons Xiaomi devices are cheap is that they don't have massive budgets for advertising, they only make the number of phones they have sold so rarely sit on stock hence no money laid out in advance of receiving it and the components are made in china for Qualcomm, Sony, jdi etc so no import duty to pay on these parts. their business model has always been to have marginal profit per device but sell mass volume as the golden figures in China are not how much you made as a company in profit but how many handsets did you shift in a financial year, the most sold handsets is the winner. So Xiaomi have on occasion been known to sell handsets pretty much at cost just to boost their end of year sales figures, not great for their bottom line but great for us consumers.
Anyway hope this sheds some light on the company and if anyone wants to, Google the info and you will see it's merit.
looks like it will run while stocks last, currency coversion fluctuates and the date you buy wont nessesarily be when the payment is collected from your card so could be a few days later and the price you pay depends on the exchange rate when the payment is collected, will only be give or take a few quid.
I also wouldnt worry too much about what it says in £ on the site as their conversion rates tend to be a bit worse than your bank actually give. If you search in google $223.51 it will return a value in £ of £173.20 based on todays exchange rate. Go with google not banggood lol
In theory both these cameras should be great but the crappy chinese software really doesnt take advantage of them properly. I believe the 5s plus has the same camera as some google (other big brand?) phone but the picture quality is miles different as the camera app for miui is just terrible.
In all the mi note 2 came out a little after and is probably slightly better/will be updated longer. I just prefer the fingerprint sensor at the back which is why i went with that.
Now the wait will be for it to arrive...
Any idea if the charger is 3 pin or a 2 pin one?
Never brought a imported phone so this is a first..
Feeling nervous now.
My redmi note 3 has hit 90mbps on speedtest over EE 4G and like I mentioned before no issue with the lack of band 20 on any network bar o2 which I havent used anyway, three, vodafone and EE have all been fine with no detriment to the signal strength, areas of reception or speed compatitive to my wifes iphone 6 so while it could be a problem theoretically in practice iv yet to see it impact the usablity in any way in every day use.
Nice to see the recommendation though from a current user and that your happy with it, I have used xiaomi products for 5 years and their phones for 4 years. everythings impressed me greatly and hence why I have no issue recommending their products.
Dont be nervous, will be fine, when it ships you will get a tracking number, just download an app called 17Track from your app store.
When you get the tracking number pop it into 17 track and it will keep you updated along the way.
dont worry if it shows nothing for a few days after you get the tracking number, this is fine, Banggood ship the phone using an automated postage machine so although you have a tracking number its likely not fully shipped until the next working day and then not received by any of the sorting offices in china until day 2 or 3 hence the delay.
Once it ships its tracked up to the airline acceptance and then it will go quiet again for about 7 days, this is just because it will go through european airports and then onto the uk.
when it hits the uk 17 track will be again updated and then it will be maybe 4 - 7 further days for good el royal mail to get it to you. Depends on how long it takes at the main sorting depot at the air port in the uk.
So there is a wee bit of waiting about however dont panic, I have ordered tons of stuff from banggood, gearbest and ali express, some cheap and others really expensive, all from china and nothing has failed to arrive yet and I dont usually pay for tracked shipping on anything unless I need it ASAP. Plus banggood ship millions of items every week and globaly they are not a back street diddy company, they know what they are doing. Any issues though give me a shout, always happy to help
Like I said they are officially only selling this colour just now for the mi5s? No idea why.
Mi6 is out and it's a beast but also £320 of quid so not in the same price bracket. When the time comes to change this, you can trade it to cex or sell it on eBay get a decent amount and upgrade with little cost while making use of this until then. Really a great phone and the price makes it a steal just now. Congrats man, now just patience while you wait, always difficult but great when it lands :sunglasses: :raised_hand:
what is the expected delivery time for this 2-3 weeks?
Different devices I would say as the note is larger and supports a different processor depending on what you need. If you want a smaller device or larger one
but the note 4 has a a mid range processor but more power efficient with bigger battery so will last longer on a single charge.
The note 4 is also a 5.5 inch display where was the mi5s is 5.15 so depends if you want a larger screen or not
Hope that helps a bit
And yes Pokémon go will work as well no issue at all
but if you want one that covers the whole screen and are okay using the plastic screen protectors like you used to get, obviously they will save it from scratches but probably not hard knocks,
This is by far the best, it covers the whole screen and the seller is brilliant, my wife's arrived in 8 days and it has the Mi logo on the top. It is as I said plastic though
Plastic full screen protector (Not tempered Glass)
The best case I have found for full protection including the buttons is this one:
Cafele tpu case (protects side buttons as well)
Or if you want the official flip case wish allows you to see calls and text through it:
Xiaomi official smart flip case (gold or grey). There are other sellers though
As for tempered glass protectors, any will do and none fit the entire display as mentioned above but the $2 ones are as good as the $12 ones so take your pick
Vodafone also use 800 MHz as their main 4G band, so i'd avoid for either Voda or O2.
As you've noted, you'll not have access to any 800 MHz coverage on 3 or EE (and roaming) too..
Trust me miui has never been a lite ROM or been known for its lightening speed per say but it's a great ROM loaded with a ton of features that are actually useful. If it adds a second to opening an app, I'm happy to sacrifice that second for usability improvements over stock android.
See what you think when you get it but make sure you set it up and make the most of testing the usefulness of miui. There are featured on it which I couldn't be with out and while you can no doubt achieve these on other phones by way of third party apps, I love everything baked in from the word go.
Of your into running a beta ROM you could also bang miui 9 on there when you get it as it's main development was to address the communities request to make miui faster and more efficient.
You know what these features are on honor too surprisingly. To u can run 2 of the same app under different account. I have scrolling screen shot that mi ui has as well multi user accounts similar to second space feature of miui they also had a similar look to having all the app on the home screen like iPhone but they have added the option of an app draw now. All devices have some features I have liked for example moto z has moto apps like moto voice which is really good you can get 3 party app probably k
This is fixed very easily then when you get it, Google miui download and go to the official miui page for ROMs. On the left hand side select fastboot ROMs.
Follow the instructions on this page. Essentially you download the miflash tool. Download the mi5s global stable fast boot rom to your desktop for ease.
Instal the miflash tool
Turn off your phone
unzip the ROM you downloaded to desktop
Open miflash tool
Click on the browse button (or whatever it's called) and find the unzipped ROM folder and click one one it and then load
On your phone hold the volume down and power button
When it shows fastboot on the phones screen connect the usb to the phone and pc
On miflash click the little refresh button
Your phone will show in the mi flash tool as 1comm or something similar, it will populate a line in the miflash tool anyway
Now down the bottom right of the miflash tool is a few options, tick the box that says lock and wipe all ( again something to that effect as Im not at my pc)
Click flash
Done
Phone will take a while to restart, like up to 10 mins but when it does it will be factory reset with the bootloader locked and fresh miui global installed
Set it up and android pay works fine
Back into settings -> additional settings -> developer settings then click "miui unlock status"
It will let you know locked or unlocked
Phone left Hong Kong on the 30th, now it's just waiting...
ps i got letter/card at 11 am and went to post office at 12 pm
I placed the order on the 30th of September..
Just wondering at what point do I start panicking
2017-09-15 11:16GBLALA, Arrival at border point in the destination country
Hopefully, I'll get it soon as it's at Heathrow
Just make sure you chose mi5s
Plastic screen protector but no halo effect and black borders round screen blend perfectly to the mi5s, if your happy for forefiet glass for plastic this is brilliant
A coloured screen protector specifically made for the Mi5s would look like the product images in this listing<
i ordered on 26th Aug, late in the evening. Got a email on 28th saying my item has been shipped, 17track started to show my item on the 30th then it went all quite. Then on 14th Sept i got a new update saying 'Arrival at border point in the destination country' and following day it said 'Registered for collection'.
The big day, 15th Sept , Royal mail left a card while i was out saying we've taken ur item ransom (for customs reasons), and demand £11.38...... I so one 16th went down my local depot and picked the phone up hooray....
Since then i have played round with phone and etc.
- The phone only came with chinese adapter, usb cable and some leaflets.
- I set the country to UK and region to India, got updates immediate after. i did a virus and malware scans (Malwarebytes) after this.
the good points:
- Build quality and structure it very good
- Performance wise, very smooth and does very well with games.
- Screen is all pretty good, bezel could have beena bit smaller.
- Finger print scanner is very fast
only bad point so far i noticed:
- no EU adapter
- camera focus out of box is poor, doesn't always work and will need shake the phone to get to work.... (it seems a fault in camera module)
- loud speaker not the best.
i thinking of getting this screen protector, seem decent and will be in UK = fast shipping
The negatives are fingerprint scanner is awful the worst I have used on any device. Functional but it's slow and misreads a lot. The quick setting and notification look the ui I don't like the icon colours ect. Multitasking has a little load not that noticeable but it's there. Black borders on the screen I don't like. I would have preferred the device to be a little less wide but I prefer this foam factor compare to the 5.5 inch screen size not to tall and not to wide.
I did pay via PayPal.
I ordered a cover from China and that arrived few days ago..
im debating whether it worth hassle returning it , or keep it :cry:
One like this, can't say it's exactly the one you need but shop about
s.aliexpress.com/QBV…N7F
Got this today at 1pm
Can't wait to pick it up tomorrow..
I'll update everyone once iv got it.
Thanks
So if you want to return it, contact them set up a return pay the £14 potage (take photos of the phone in the returns package, the shipping address on the package and your post office receipt) wait until it arrives with them in China, drop them an email and let them know it's delivered and you want to initiate a replacement or refund and they will refund it and your postage.
Great team at banggood honestly. All the above was from previous experience 3 months ago btw not a single issue, other than the 24 hours delay on email replies but they supply the world so I find it amazing they can hit a 24hr turn around on the email enquires tbh.
Mines is running on mui 8.35 I believe.
Any idea if will get any updates soon here
There is two parts to miui if you will. Version and build.
So they bring out new versions, like ios7 ios8 each one brings new features or improvements to the whole user experience.
At the moment sounds like you are on Miui 8
The miui version has nothing to do with the android version it is built on, you could have a redmi note 3 with miui 8 and a mi5s with miui8 so they look visually the same but underneath the redmi note 3 is android marshmallow while the Mi5 is android nougat. Just so you know.
The version 5.3.0 or 7.9.15 etc is just the build number so they update the os each week or so worth bug fixes. Just like you would have windows 10 but their will be many different builds of Windows 10 each with different bug fixes implimented along the way.
If you want android pay etc to work, I would suggest flashing the phone from a pc with the latest global stable ROM.
You can find all the official mi5s ROMs here
Roms but
Me personally, I would and I did want to relock the bootloader otherwise android pay won't work. The latest mi5s ROM runs miui 9 btw.
Takes 10 mins to do, just make sure the battery is more than 50% before starting the flashing process so it doesn't die halfway through.
Download This flash tool to your pc
Download This ROM
Turn off the device. Press the Volume down key and the Power button at the same time to enter Fastboot mode. Then connect the phone to the Windows PC/laptop via a micro USB cable
Unzip the downloaded ROM file to your desktop so you have a new unzipped folder.
install the flash tool download from above
(if there is security warning, select 'Run').
After installation is completed, open the flash tool and click the "select" button to open a file location in the flash tool, find the unzipped folder from above (saved to your desktop) click the folder once to highlight it and then click open.
Click on the Refresh button and you should see details populate the first row (this is your phone connected to the flash tool)
In the bottom right tick the box that says clean all and lock.
Now
click the flash button the ROM file to the device.
Leave it to work and when it says complete the phones up to date and relocked so android pay works. Might take 10 mins to load the phone from flashing it don't worry it will come back to life.
Any questions just ask :thumbsup:
Or alternatively you can wait for a stable version (could be a while though) and you can use the update feature on the phone for that.