Xiaomi’s Mi 5 could come in both metal and glass variants

A few days ago we reported on some leaked images of what looked like the finished product of Xiaomi‘s upcoming flagship the Mi 5. The images gave us a look at the front of the device but we never got to see the back of it.

Now, information has surfaced that suggests the new flagship device could feature two different variants sporting different specs and different back panels.

Xiaomi is no stranger to bold choices when it comes to their products. Look at their Redmi Note series where the Redmi Note 2 and the Redmi Note 3 were wildly different — one had a full metal body and a fingerprint scanner — yet they were both launched only two months apart.

Would it really surprise you then that they would do something as radical as having two different back panel/constructions on their upcoming flagship device? Well if it comes true that will definitely still surprise me.

Of the two devices, the first one is purported to have curved 2.5D glass at the front and the back of the device with a metal frame. Think Samsung Galaxy S6 or Galaxy Note5. This variant is also supposed to feature a 1080p full HD resolution display with the possibility of having 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage.

On the other hand, the supposed second phone is said to feature an all-metal design — that means full-metal rear housing instead of curved 2.5D glass. Additionally, the device is said to have a higher QHD 2K resolution display and it could possibly house the 4GB RAM/64GB internal storage variant.

Other than that, both devices should be identical — sporting a Snapdragon 820 quad-core processor and a 16MP/13MP camera combo with a suggested screen size that can range from 5 to 5.2-inches. The smartphone is also said to have a 3,600 mAh battery and become official by January 21, though sales are only expected to start on February 8.

Of course, this is all just guess work based on rumours at this point and for all we know it could be the other way around. That said, this isn’t the first time Xiaomi have done two versions of the same device as the Mi Note and Mi Note Pro are essentially the same device except for the fact that the Pro variant has a more powerful processor plus more RAM and a higher resolution screen.

If these rumours of the Mi 5 are true though, it would be the first time that the Chinese company have gone with two completely different back constructions on a phone. So, take this with a grain of salt.

[SOURCE, VIA, 2]