Everybody does it. And Xiaomi did the best. Guess what? Copy iPhone of course!
New Xiaomi Mi 5X- almost an exact copy iPhone 7 Plus, ranging from size and appearance, and ending with a proprietary software shell in the style of iOS. The devices at a cursory glance are almost indistinguishable (ok, if you do not peer into the details).
Unlike others pseudo-iPhones, Mi 5X received a bunch of strengths: a fashionable metal case "for iPhone", a good processor and video accelerator, a fresh operating system and, most importantly, an advanced dual camera "from.
That's just iPhone 7 Plus costs like 3 these same Xiaomi Mi 5X. Strange, but with such a difference in price, there is no huge difference in use. Xiaomi itself, with the light hand of marketers, calls the Mi 5X not only a competitor, but also “the killer of the iPhone” and “the cheapest photo flagship of the year”. The smartphone is usable.
Xiaomi Mi 5X is the coolest iPhone clone I've come across. If you want to switch from iPhone to Android, be sure to read our review.
Has Xiaomi got the best photography smartphone of the year?
Appearance
To confuse the buyer, Xiaomi is constantly releasing completely different devices within the same line. Mi 5X is completely different from others Mi 5(except for Mi 5C). 
Instead of glass, metal is used, in which antennas are neatly laid. They do not protrude, there are no gaps between plastic and metal. The body is made of a single panel with a flat back and rounded edges. In gold color, the rectangular shape is almost invisible.
Black Mi 5X looks very stylish, masculine - like the familiar iPhone 7.
The entire front surface is covered with glass with edges made using 2.5D technology. And here lies the second difference from its brothers - Mi5X received a 5.5-inch screen instead of the traditional 5.15 for the line. Thus, it is rather a relative of Redmi Note 4 (which will be confirmed by the hardware platform). 
Hiding under the glass is a gorgeous IPS display with FullHD resolution. Brightness, contrast, viewing angles - everything is at a high level and does not cause any complaints. Some people may not like the color scheme, but it can be easily changed in the system settings. 
The controls are located traditionally: on the right side there is a volume swing and a power button, on the left there is a SIM-card tray, under the screen there are touch-sensitive navigation keys. 
Xiaomi engineers abandoned the multifunctional button, so the fingerprint scanner was on the back. Above it, in the left corner, there is a top-end dual camera and flash for the company's smartphones. 
At the bottom there is a microphone hole, everyone's favorite audio jack, stylish speaker grille and port USB-C.
On the top, there is an additional microphone for noise cancellation and a proprietary infrared sensor for turning a smartphone into a remote control for home appliances.
Performance and hardware capabilities
The hardware of Xiaomi Mi 5X is based on a mid-price single-chip platform Qualcomm Snapdragon 625... Yes, you guessed right - the same one that is used in some other devices of the company.
Capacities Snapdragon 625 quietly enough for the next couple of years for all users.
Games run smoothly, software behaves correctly, and even large office files can be opened without any problems. Although this is not least due to the 4 GB of RAM (there is also a 3 GB option, be careful).
The processor supports work with modern communication standards, perfectly processes photos and practically does not get warm.
Unification has a positive effect on the consumer qualities of a smartphone:
- the price gets lower,
- the core of the system is better developed and better reveals hardware capabilities,
- the manufacturer gets the opportunity to concentrate on the features of the gadget instead of licking the basic functions.
Operating system
Mi 5X is a Chinese version of the acclaimed Xiaomi A1 created with the support of Google under the Android One program. But Xiaomi A1 uses pure Android 7.1, Mi 5X is offered with proprietary MIUI 8/9.
In my opinion, it is Xiaomi's own system that is the most user-friendly. But in the next article we will turn the smartphone into A1 and analyze the differences.
This positioning has led to the absence of Xiaomi Mi 5X official European localized firmware. Officially, the device comes with only bilingual firmware: English and Chinese.
To translate, you will either have to use custom firmware (for example, from Mi Max 2), or at least get root rights and translate the shell using the More Locale program (download for Android).
When you buy in a store, you will be sent a smartphone with a localized, Russian-language firmware. Unfortunately, they have certain problems: in particular, such hacked Chinese firmware cannot be updated. But they do not have unnecessary software that is useless in the European region. 
But there is MIUI 8 in the basic package and MIUI 9 after a couple of hours with wifi. These are great systems based on Android 7.1 with all that it implies: comfortable, secure, reliable and beautiful. Many users don't like MIUI. But it seems to me - they just know too little about her.
In the coming days, wait for a detailed MIUI 9 overview, in which I will tell you about all the features of this modification of the "green robot", its advantages and disadvantages.
Autonomy
Perhaps this is the most controversial issue for the buyer. The original ones work with a full load for 2 days, or as much as 16 hours with an active screen thanks to a huge 4000 mAh battery. 
The Xiaomi Mi 5X uses a battery 3080 mAh... Much less, you might say. But it was not there. The device received improved power consumption, an optimized software shell and expanded sleep capabilities. Therefore, with the correct operating system settings, it works only 15% less than its common counterpart.
The supplied charger has parameters 5V / 2A and does not support fast charging despite using USB-C.
On average, the numbers are as follows:
- Full HD video viewing in airplane mode - 12 hours;
- surfing in Chrome via Wi-Fi - 9 hours;
- 3D gaming - 4 hours;
Cameras and their real capabilities
The main camera of Xiaomi Mi 5X has become the main advantage of the smartphone. But not without a catch. Xiaomi promised to use cameras from the flagship Mi 6.
In fact, instead of the flagship, the novelty uses completely different ones: the main sensor is 12-megapixel OmniVision OV12A10 c f / 2.2, with EGF 26 mm, additional - OmniVision OV13880 12 megapixels with f / 2.6, 50 mm. This provides a wider color gamut, accurate white balance, 2x optical zoom and the ability to shoot portraits. In the first series of photos - pair photos using zoom and portrait mode.
In good lighting conditions, portrait mode photos are good, but sometimes you can see that the edges are not processed correctly. In low light conditions, it is difficult to focus on the subject. Detailing is lame in comparison with the older comrade.
On the other hand, Xiaomi Mi 5X has the best camera in its segment at the moment. Already among the devices of this company - for sure. 
The front camera uses a 5 megapixel sensor Samsung s5k5e8... Despite the marketing statements of Xiaomi representatives, the real image quality is average. In addition, the camera sins with aggressive algorithms for processing the skin of the face: it always turns out to be smooth. Even with disabled enhancers. 
The convenience of use
Most of all, the Xiaomi Mi 5X looks like a version reduced to 5.5 inches. The body, the navigation elements, the overall styling and even the shades of color have all migrated unchanged. 
Of course, it makes no sense to broadcast convenience from a "tablet phone". Due to its reduced size, Xiaomi Mi 5X fits perfectly into the average palm. The buttons are under the thumb. There is no need to reach for the scanner - it is exactly under the index.
But at the same time, the experience of communicating with the devices of the Redmi Note series cannot be broadcast on the Mi 5X. The described device has a thinner body, fits better in the palm of your hand and is much more pleasant. Thickness decides! Plus, rounded edges and corners are much nicer than a sanded edge. 
Based on the experience of communicating with various Xiaomi, I would give Mi 5X a solid "top five": this is the most convenient smartphone of the company, even if we consider
