The three most popular phones part of the Xiaomi lineup include the Redmi Note 3, the Mi 5, and the Mi 6; each offering something a little different in terms of storage, processing power, camera quality, and price range. The following is therefore a run down of what each has to offer.

Smart choice for Xiaomi phone in 2018

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3

With a price point of around $250, the Redmi Note 3 is still a rather robust, dependable smartphone for almost any user. Coming with a 16GB or 32GB internal storage that can be expanded to 128GB, this phone is perfect for individuals who like to occasionally take photos or want to have a few “go-to” applications downloaded.

Speaking of photos, however, the Redmi Note 3 offers a 16MP rear facing camera, but only comes with a standard single lens system. This can be an issue when compared to the better camera quality and dual lens system found on the other two phones, but is still of remarkable quality for individuals.

Out of all three phones, the Redmi Note 3 also offers the greatest battery capacity, offering just over 4000mAh

The Redmi 3 also comes in three distinct colors: grey, silver, and gold; allowing you a bit of customization in terms of what color you want to show off.

Xiaomi Mi 5

The Mi 5 costs $350 but is definitely an upgrade to the Redmi Note 3. Not only is the Mi 5 significantly lighter, weighing only 129g, but the overall body is a bit smaller as well, having just a 5.15in display size compared to the Note 3’s 5.5in display. This form factor makes the Mi 5 perfect for individuals who want a smaller, more compact, and lighter phone, especially if you find yourself carrying this phone around at all times.

In terms of camera quality, the Mi 5 still rocks an amazing 16MP, but this time comes with a 4 axis optical image stabilization system, giving users a much smoother photography and videography experience.

The lens is also covered with a durable sapphire glass to prevent scratches, ensuring that your photos are of high quality for many years to come. And in terms of low light photography, the Mi 5 also offers low light photo enhancement by putting together multiple images taken together.

The Mi 5 also has a faster processor but the same storage capacity as the Redmi Note 3.

Xiaomi Mi 6

Coming in at around $500,the Mi 6 is truly a powerful, slick smartphone that is a must have for people who love massive storage and truly stellar camera quality. Coming with a Snapdragon 835, 10nm processor, the responsiveness on this phone is extremely satisfying to use.

In terms of form factor, this phone is exactly the same as the Mi 5, lending itself to being an extremely light, easy to hold smart phone. However, in terms of pure aesthetics, the Mi 6 is definitely an upgrade, offering a four sided curved ceramic/glass body, with a casing that comes in black, white, or the more popular, vibrant blue.

The phone also offers a dual lens, each being 12MP, giving users more control over lighting and aperture. And the processor is a more advanced Snapdragon 835, with a storage capacity of either 64GB or 128GB with 6GB of RAM for each.

However, in terms of battery power, the Mi 6 offers the least battery power, coming in at just around 3350mAh.

Final Thoughts

Each of these phones are stellar, offering a great durability, form factor, camera quality, and processing power. If you’re someone who wants to save some money while still having a decent phone, the Redmi Note 3 is great.

However, if you’re looking for something that is a little snappier and has better camera quality, the Mi 5 and Mi 6 are definitely something you should look into.

The post Which Xiaomi Phone is Right For You? appeared first on Xiaomi Firmware.

Download PC Drivers for Xiaomi Mi5, Mi5S and Mi5S Plus Phones

Download Xiaomi USB Drivers for Mi5

The basic package of official Windows PC drivers to connect your Xiaomi Mi5 phone to PC

Download: xiaomi_usb_driver.rar – 8 MB

ADB Tools and ADB Setup for Mi5

ADB (Android Debug Bridge) is required in case you’re flashing your phone, using terminal & fastboot mode.

• adb.zip
• adb-setup-1.4.3.exe

Qualcomm Driver for Mi5

• Qualcomm+Drivers.zip – 10 MB

QDLoader HS USB Driver for Mi5

• QDLoader+HS-USB+Driver_32-64bit_Setup.7z – 15 MB

XiaoMiFlash Tool for Mi5

MiFlash Tool is the official software for flashing and updating MIUI ROM on your Xiaomi phone.

Download: XiaoMiFlash.zip – 30 MB

MiPhone Manager for Mi5

Official Mi PC Suite for Xiaomi Mi5 phone. Download latest version from official MIUI forum: http://en.miui.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=92720&highlight=MiPhone%2BManager

Android SDK Platform Tools

Download: Android+SDK+Platform+Tools.rar – 1 MB

QPST – Qualcomm Tools for Mi5

Download: QPST.2.7.378.rar – 15 MB

Flasher Toolkit for Mi5

Download: FLASHER TOOLKIT Mi5v3.zip – 37 MB

The post Download Drivers and Tools for Xiaomi Mi5 appeared first on Xiaomi Firmware.

Latest custom kernels for Xiaomi Mi 5

Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow Custom Kernels for Mi5

mKernel R1

Developed by msdx321 | XDA Thread | Download

How to install mKernel R1?

Very simple: Boot into TWRP Custom Recovery and install downloaded .zip archive with custom kernel.

Falcon Kernel

Developed by Harrynowl | XDA Thread

How to install Falcon Kernel?

Boot into TWRP Custom Recovery and install downloaded .zip archive with custom kernel.

Brand Kernel 1.2

Developed by WhyOrean | XDA Thread

How to install Brand Kernel 1.2?

Boot into TWRP Custom Recovery and install downloaded .zip archive with custom kernel.

Android 7.1 Nougat Custom Kernels for Mi5

DragonXia Kernel v3.9

Developed by WhyOrean | XDA Thread

Xceed Kernel Nougat (LOS/CM)

Developed by kairi_zeroblade | XDA Thread | Download

Standard snapdragon 820 kernel

Developed by mrmathematica | XDA Thread | Download

How to install Standard snapdragon 820 kernel?

Flash .zip file after each Lineage OS update.

The post Download Custom Kernels For Xiaomi Mi5 appeared first on Xiaomi Firmware.

UPD: We’ve made a separate post with latest Android 8 Custom ROMs for Xiaomi Mi5.

Download Xiaomi Mi5 Android 7.1 Nougat Custom ROMS

Android Ice Cold Project ROM for Xiaomi Mi 5

Developed by: WhyOrean

• Official website
• XDA Thread

How to install Android Ice Cold Project ROM:

1. Download AICP ROM from official website and Gapps (optionally).
2. Boot your phone in recovery mode.
3. If you’re flashing from other ROM version, then wipe “System” and “Data” partitions.
4. Install downloaded ROM .zip archive.
5. Install Gapps.
6. Reboot into system.

Android Open Source Project NJH47D for Xiaomi Mi 5

Developed by: -+BB+- | Android 7.1.2

• Download
• XDA Thread

Atomic OS for Xiaomi Mi 5

Android 7.1.2 (AOSP-JDC based)

Atomic OS is a beautiful ROM based on AOSP. This ROM includes a lot of features and regularly updates. Main features are status bar, navigation, custom lock-screen and additional panels.

Required firmware 7.7.6: Download

• Download
• XDA Thread

How to install Atomic OS:

1. Backup your current system.
2. Wipe Cache, Dalvik, System and Data.
3. Install firmware 7.7.6
4. Install ROM and Gapps (optionally).
5. Wipe Cache and Dalvik.
6. Reboot in system.

Cr.Droid ROM for Xiaomi Mi 5

Developed by: sai milind | Android 7.1.2

CrDroid ROM is based on LineageOS with an additional settings and more options, which are quite usable.

• Download
• XDA Thread

How to install CrDroid ROM:

1. Download latest ROM version and Gapps.
2. Reboot in Custom Recovery.
3. Wipe Data, System, Dalvik and Cache partitions.
4. Install ROM and Gapps.
5. Reboot in system.
6. That’s it!

How to update installed CrDroid ROM:

1. Reboot into Custom Recovery.
2. Wipe Dalvik and Cache.
3. Install new ROM version.
4. Reboot in system.

CypherOS 3.6.3 for Xiaomi Mi5

Developed by: 33bca | Android 7.1.2

Clean ROM with a lot of customization options. Smooth interface, quite good battery life. It’s been reported that “Developer menu” is bugged and you can’t enter it.

• Download
• XDA Thread

EmotionOS for Xiaomi Mi5

Developed by: cc0705 | Android 7.1.1

• Download
• XDA Thread

LineageOS 14.1 for Xiaomi Mi5

Android 7.x

• Download
• XDA Thread

MoKee ROM for Xiaomi Mi5

Developed by: cc0705 | Android 7.1.1

Mokee ROM is great because of regularly updates, huge community, good performance & optimization.

• Download
• XDA Thread
• Google Plus

How to install MoKee ROM:

1. Download latest ROM version and Gapps.
2. Reboot in Custom Recovery.
3. Wipe Data, System, Dalvik and Cache partitions.
4. Install ROM and Gapps.
5. Reboot in system.

How to update MoKee ROM:

1. Reboot into Custom Recovery.
2. Wipe Dalvik and Cache.
3. Install new ROM version.
4. Reboot in system.

OctOs Oct-N 7.1.2 for Xiaomi Mi5

Developed by: cc0705 | Android 7.1.2

• Download
• XDA Thread

Paranoid Android 7.2.1 – AOSPA ROM for Xiaomi Mi 5

Android 7.x

• Download
• XDA Thread

Resurrection Remix v5.8.3 for Xiaomi Mi 5

Developed by: 33bca (Offain) | Android 7.1.2

• Download
• XDA Thread

Slim7 for Xiaomi Mi 5

Developed by: WhyOrean | Android 7.1.2

• Download
• XDA Thread

SlimDragons 4.0 for Xiaomi Mi5

Developed by: WhyOrean | Android 7.1.2

Quite smooth and stable Android 7 Nougat Custom ROM for Xiaomi Mi5 based on AOSP. Currently this ROM is still in development state and many functions are not working. Although, it is quite popular and widely used., definitely worth to check out. Find more information in official XDA thread.

• Download
• XDA Thread

XOSP for Xiaomi Mi5

This ROM is based on Cyanogen Mod 14.1(LineageOS) and have Xperia style interface. Very stable and quite popular custom ROM, which is also ported on many other device models.

Developed by: sai milind | Android 7.1.1

• Download
• XDA Thread

How to install XOSP ROM:

1. Download latest ROM version and Gapps.
2. Reboot in Custom Recovery.
3. Wipe Data, System, Dalvik and Cache partitions.
4. Install ROM and Gapps.
5. Reboot in system.

How to update XOSP ROM:

1. Reboot into Custom Recovery.
2. Wipe Dalvik and Cache.
3. Install new ROM version.
4. Reboot in system.

Zephyr-OS V6.1 for Xiaomi Mi5

Developed by: prince trishi | Android 7.1.1

• Download
• XDA Thread

The post Android 7.1 Nougat Custom ROMS for Xiaomi Mi 5 appeared first on Xiaomi Firmware.

Flashing unlocked Xiaomi Mi 5 with MiFlash Tool Guide

1. First of all make sure you’ve got all drivers installed on your PC. On Windows 8 & 10 disable driver signature verification (here’s the tutorial).
2. Install Xiaomi USB Drivers, XiaoMiFlash and ADB drivers and tools. It’s recommended to use the latest version of MiFlash Tool.
3. Download required fastboot ROM (do not confuse it with the recovery ROM version) from en.miui.com and unpack downloaded ROM.
4. Boot your device in fastboot mode (turn it off > press “Power” and “Volume Down” buttons and wait for fastboot logo to appear on the screen).
5. Connect to PC via USB-cable.
6. Open folder with ADB files and open command window here (press “shift” and right mouse click on empty space, select “Open command window here”. Type “fastboot devices” to check if device is connected.
7. If everything is ok, you’ll see a unique device number.
8. Run MiFlash.exe as administrator and press “Refresh” button. In your device is not being seen, then try updating drivers.
9. Next, in MiFlash press “Select” or “Browse” and locate the folder with unpacked ROM files.
10. In the bottom select “clean all” or “flash all” option. This will lead to clean ROM installation and deletion of all data.
11. Press “Flash” to start ROM installation. You should see a progress bar at this point. Flashing takes around 5-7 minutes. If everything was successful you’ll see a “The operation is completed successfully” message on the screen.
12. The phone will automatically reboots, first startup will take around 5-7 minutes.

In case you stuck with some errors:

• Probably you’re using old version of MiFlash, try installing a newer version.
• Try unpacking ROM again.
• Update / reinstall drivers.

The post How to flash Xiaomi Mi5 with Unlocked Bootloader appeared first on Xiaomi Firmware.

In the latest MIUI ROM’s, Xiaomi has closed the EDL (Download mode). So, to follow this tutorial you must have installed 7.2.13.0 (or previous) ROM. In case you’ve got a newer ROM version installed on your device, then you’ll need to request unlock permission and use another instruction on how to flash Xiaomi Mi5 with unlocked bootloader.

Otherwise, there’s also another method on how to enter EDL mode on Xiaomi Mi5, for this you’ll need to get Engineering Cable (or make it by yourself).

Flashing ROM on locked bootloader Xiaomi Mi 5 with MiFlash

Ok, so first you’ll need to check what ROM version is currently installed on your device. If you’ve got 7.2.13.0 or older, then continue to follow the steps below:

1. First of all make sure you’ve got all drivers installed on your PC. On Windows 8 & 10 disable driver signature verification (here’s the tutorial).
2. Install Xiaomi USB Drivers, XiaoMiFlash and ADB drivers and tools. It’s recommended to use the latest version of MiFlash Tool.
3. Download required fastboot ROM (do not confuse it with the recovery ROM version) from en.miui.com, and unpack downloaded ROM.
4. Now move the folder with unpacked ROM files to C:\ drive.
5. Take your device and enable developer options. Go to developer options and enable “USB Debugging” (simply use search on our site if you don’t know how to enable developer options on Xiaomi phones).
6. Boot in EDL mode. Turn off your device and connect to PC. Open folder with ADB files and open command window here (press “shift” and right mouse click on empty space, select “Open command window here”. Type “adb devices” to check if device is connected. In case everything is ok, we use another command to boot into EDL mode: “adb reboot edl”.
7. At this point, your phone should reboot into EDL (download) mode.
8. Let’s flash our Mi5 phone.
9. Run MiFlash.exe as administrator and press “Refresh” button.
10. You should some port number, COM3 or COM10 for example.
11. In case you see a yellow signal, then update installed drivers manually.
12. Next, in MiFlash press “Select” or “Browse” and locate the folder with unpacked ROM files.
13. In the bottom select “clean all” or “flash all” option. This will lead to clean ROM installation and deletion of all data.
14. Press “Flash” to start ROM installation. You should see a progress bar at this point. Flashing takes around 5-7 minutes. If everything was successful you’ll see a “The operation is completed successfully” message on the screen.
15. That’s it. The phone doesn’t automatically reboots. Disconnect it from PC and start by pressing the “Power” button. First startup will take around 5-7 minutes.

In case you stuck with some errors:

• You’re using old version of MiFlash, try installing a newer version.
• Try unpacking ROM again.
• Drivers aren’t installed.

In case of hardbricked Mi5 device you may try boot into the EDL mode through fastboot:

1. Boot your Mi5 device in fastboot mode (turn off > press “Power” and “Volume Down” buttons and wait for fastboot logo to appear on the screen).
2. Connect your device to PC.
3. Open folder with ADB files and open command window here (press “shift” and right mouse click on empty space, select “Open command window here”. Type “fastboot devices” to check if device is connected.
4. If everything is ok, you’ll see a unique device number.
5. Now enter “fastboot oem edl“.
6. Your device will boot into EDL mode and you can now proceed with MiFlash ROM flashing.

The post How to flash Xiaomi Mi5 with locked bootloader appeared first on Xiaomi Firmware.