Xiaomi Redmi 5 Pro (The Almost)

The wait...

Xiaomi Hardware team - We won't opt for Type-c this year.
Fans - NOO!!
Xiaomi Software team - Lets release it with Android 7.1 (No Project Treble)
Fans - uh..wait..what ?
Xiaomi Sales team - The flash sale begins !
Fans - ...

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro

Enter the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro.The company has manged to hit the correct notes with the series in past(Pun intended😝). After two successive hits the company is back with a sequel.
Will it live up-to its hype ? Lets find out.

Basic Specs:

• 5.99 inch LCD display with 18:9 aspect ratio
• SD636
• MIUI 9 (On top of Android 7.1)
• 4/6 GB RAM
• 64 GB Storage
• Primary Dual Camera with 12 MP (f/2.2, 1.25µm) and 5 MP (f/2.0, 1.12µm) and Secondary Camera with 20 MP (f/2.2, 1/2.8", 1µm)
• Black, Champagne Gold, Rose Gold and Lake Blue Color Variants (My pick - The Black one😀)

The Pros:

• The processor
• Regular MIUI updates. MIUI offers tons of features and customization (Okay,okay I get it, Its not everyone's cup of tea). But regular updates are praiseworthy.
• Smooth performance thanks to this capable SoC and software optimizations
• The Cameras (Video review here)
• Big Battery (4000 mAh)
• Fast Charging (?).
• The price €199/₹13,999 (Bang for Buck performance)
• Good After sales support (Dunno about you, But in my case YES!)

The Cons:

• A f****** Micro-USB port !
• Didn't launch with Oreo 8.1 (Although a leak suggested its on its way with Project Treble)
• The Annoying Flash Sales !
• Not much to complain about at this price point.

Longevity of  the device:

The device comes with MIUI (running on Android 7.1). Like it or not, you can't deny the fact that its regularly updated and gets new features added (Although, android version isn't bumped up). The company provides source codes (albeit late,But still) and an option to unlock bootloader (which is quite a troublesome method). The developer support at XDA is fantastic and will continue for quite a long time. Other ROM providers (like xiaomi.eu) upload weekly/dev/beta builds with latest features and latest security patches.
The guys/fantastic devs at XDA have managed to build AOSP/LineageOS form source.(For geeks who like stock experience). Check it out here.


Again, a review by Ash from C4ETech:

A review by GeekyRanjit.

And a few words about Pros & Cons by Bharat from iGyaan.

Update :

• News about leaked oreo firmware which brings project treble compatibility : check it out here.
• Xiaomi has stated it will release source code within 3 months of device release which is a huge step forward given the company's history. Read here.

Mop-Up/Conclusion:

To round up the device is great for day to day activities and gets things done without any hiccups.It offers a smooth lag free experience, gets things done and that's what matters in the end. A solid bang for buck performance. No other manufacturer/OEM is providing this SoC at this price point. So if you are looking in this price segment, look no further !

Thats all folks! Hope you enjoyed this mini-review. Camera Samples will be added once I get my hands on this phone. Till then, this is Rahat Malhotra singing out ! Peace.😁