Both Xiaomi and LG announced their new phones during the MWC 2016 event. A quick glance at both the phones will tell you they are beautifully designed and deserve a closer comparison to know which is better than the other.
The Xiaomi Mi 5 was announced in February and is currently available for purchase in China only. The Xiaomi Mi 5 was announced in 3 different variants, a Standard version, a High-end version and a Pro version. All three phones are alike in their physical dimensions but differ in their hardware.
All variants measure 144.6 mm in length, 69.2 mm in breadth and 7.3 mm in thickness which says it is smaller than the LG G5. The Mi 5 weighs 129 grams, which is 30 grams lighter than the LG G5.
The Standard version is offered with 32GB of internal storage and runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset with two Kyro dual-core processors that clock at speeds of 1.8 GHz and 1.6 GHz respectively. The phone comes along with a 3GB RAM to support it.
The High-end version of the Mi 5 offers 64GB of internal storage, runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset and offers better processor speeds, one at 2.15GHz and the other at 1.6GHz. This variant too comes along with a 3GB RAM. Whereas, the Pro version offers the highest internal storage of 128GB, comes with a 4GB RAM and the same chipset and processing speeds as the High-end version. All versions of the phone come along with an Adreno 530 GPU facilitating the same graphical performance across all devices.
The Xiaomi Mi5 is fashioned with a 5.15” LCD touchscreen, has a metal bezel that runs across the seams and looks very much like a fusion between Apple’s and Samsung’s phone designs. The Standard and High-end variants of the Mi 5 are designed with a 3D-Glass rear while the Pro edition of the phone sports a black 3D-ceramic back-plate.
The phone houses a 16MP camera at the rear end with auto-focus and dual tone flash, while the front camera is 4MP. Unlike the LG G5, the Xiaomi Mi 5 offers support for dual-sim usage. The front bottom of the phone houses a physical home button that also has a fingerprint scanner for better security and the phone is powered by a 3,000mAh battery that is non-removable.
LG’ G5 is slightly heavier and bigger than the Xiaomi Mi 5, but not in vain. The phone is one of its kinds to have adopted a modular design and lets you change accessories, otherwise known as ‘LG Friends,’ by swapping the bottom battery with another module. The phone measures 149.4 mm in length, 73.9 mm in breadth and 7.7 mm in thickness, and weighs 159 grams.
With a 5.3” LCD touchscreen, the G5 runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset; same as Xiaomi’s Mi 5 and offers clocking speeds of 2.15GHz and 1.6GHz with the same dual-core Kyro processors as Xiaomi’s Mi 5 High-end and Pro versions use. The LG G5 offers 32GB of internal storage, and you can expand this up to 2TB (200 GB) with the use of a micro-SD card. With a 4GB RAM like the Mi 5 Pro version, the phone also has the same Adreno 530 GPU kit.
The difference here is how LG allows its users to make use of their hardware, which in truth is not very different from Xiaomi’s Mi 5. The LG G5 has a 16MP rear camera and an 8 MP front one.
For those of you that are VR- fans, the LG G5 supports VR viewing devices so you can view your VR content. Other ‘LG Friends’ allow quality audio playback (B&O Hi-Fi Plus), keep a tab on your home’s security (LG Rolling Bot) and record 360-degree videos (LG 360-Degree Cam).
The LG G5 is yet to go on sale and is currently available on pre-order in the UK. The smartphone will be available in three colors of Silver, Gold, and Titan and will cost approximately $787.
While both phones do offer great specs, you will need to decide between the two based on how you use your phone. The modular nature of the G5 does make it quite impressive, especially if you are a technology fan and would like to try out any of the ‘LG Friends’.