Xiaomi Mi Logo
People stand near a logo of Xiaomi ahead of the launching ceremony of Xiaomi Phone 4, in Beijing, in this July 22, 2014. REUTERS/Jason Lee

The newly announced Xiaomi Mi Max is the largest smartphone from the Chinese manufacturer. It comes with midrange specs and affordable pricing. Xiaomi MI 5, the flagship smartphone from the company, is one of the most desirable smartphones of this year. Here is a comparison of specifications, features, price and release date between Xiaomi Mi Max and Xiaomi Mi 5.

Design and Display

The Xiaomi Mi Max features a metal unibody design that measures 7.5 mm in thickness and weighs 203 grams. The Xiaomi Mi 5 has a metallic frame that is sandwiched between front and rear glass panels. Its thickness is 7.3 mm and it weighs 129 grams. Both the smartphones come in common colors like black, white and gold. The highest configuration model of Mi 5 comes with a ceramic rear panel.

The Xiaomi Mi Max is a larger device as it houses a massive IPS LCD screen of 6.44 inches and it carries support for full HD resolution. The 5.15-inch IPS LCD screen of Mi 5 also supports full HD resolution. Both the displays are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 4.

Chipset, RAM and Storage

The Xiaomi Mi Max comes in three models. The 32 GB storage variant features Snapdragon 650 chipset and 3 GB of RAM. The 64 GB model has Snapdragon 652 SoC and 3 GB of RAM. The highest version features Snapdragon 652 SoC, 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB storage. All the variants feature a hybrid SIM slot which allows users to use up to 200 GB of microSD card one of the SIM slots.

The Xiaomi Mi 5 also comes in three versions that are driven by Snapdragon 820 chipset. The 32 GB and 64 GB models feature 3 GB of RAM. The 128 GB model is called Mi 5 Pro Edition and it features 4 GB of RAM. It lacks a microSD card slot.

Camera and Software

There is a 16-megapixel camera that is enabled with a dual-LED flash on the rear side of Mi Max. It has a selfie camera of 5-megapixel. The 16-megapixel camera of Mi 5 is supported by features like OIS and dual-LED flash. Its front-facing camera is of 4-megapixel.

Both the smartphones come preinstalled with Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS. However, the Mi Max comes with the latest MIUI 8 user interface, but the Mi 5 features the older MIUI 7 software.

Other Features and Battery

Both Mi Max and Mi 5 smartphones feature fingerprint sensor. The Mi 5 is equipped with a USB Type-C port whereas the Mi Max has the older microUSB port. The Xiaomi Mi Max comes with a huge battery of 4,850 mAh capacity and the Mi 5 has a smaller 3,000 mAh battery.

Price and Release Date

Xiaomi Mi 5 was announced in February and since the previous month it is available for purchase in China and select regions. There is no confirmation on when it will be officially made available in the U.S. The 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB models of Xiaomi Mi 5 are priced at 1,999 Yuan ($305), Yuan 2,229 ($351) and Yuan 2,699 ($413), respectively.

The Xiaomi Mi Max will be for purchase in China from May 17. The 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB variants of Mi Max cost Yuan 1,499 ($230), Yuan 1,699 ($260) and Yuan 1,999 ($306).