The Xiaomi Mi 5 houses some of the best hardware components, but what the smartphone maker is particularly excited to showcase is the camera fitted with a four-axis optical stabilization (OIS).
Former Googler and current Global VP of Xiaomi Hugo Barra presented via a video how the mechanism in the Mi 5 is a cut above the rest, and by "rest," he's referring to the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. The footage included the three smartphones in question being shaken, revealing that the Mi 5 is definitely superior over the other two in this department and essentially taking the pair to the cleaners.
This clip wasn't meant to go beyond the attendees' eyes, but seeing as how things go in the industry when it comes to big news like this, it got leaked.
In Apple's defense, the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus take advantage of a system that's part OIS and part smart digital stabilization. The software side of things will show its effect only after the video is processed. Based on the demo, Xiaomi may have taken that factor out of the picture (no pun intended). Nevertheless, what the Chinese company brought to the table at the 2016 Mobile World Congress wowed plenty of people.
It's worth noting that OIS doesn't only help produce stable and smoother videos, but it also lends a hand in making sharp images in dim lighting conditions.
For the record, the Mi 5 has a 16 MP f/2.0 rear-facing shooter and a Sony IMX 298 sensor along with the four-axis OIS. It also sports a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, which allows smartphones equipped with it to take better low-light photos.
Sure, the Mi 5 is impressive and eye-catching, but it's hard to get excited about it when it still hasn't reached the western markets. With that said, Barra did say that Xiaomi devices will land on U.S. shores at some point, but that won't be until the end of 2017.
Despite that faraway expansion date, the Mi 5 or perhaps a newer Xiaomi model with better specifications is a smartphone worth looking forward to.
