If you’ve been looking forward to get your hands on the ‘insanely fast’ Xiaomi Mi 5, I’m afraid you’re going to have to wait a little longer. Originally scheduled to be at Thorus stores this Saturday, 18 June, Xiaomi Malaysia has announced that “due to unforeseen circumstances” the Mi 5 will only debut on 25 June.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the first day you may purchase a #Mi5 is 25th June. Kindly be notified that in Malaysia.
— Xiaomi Malaysia (@XiaomiMY) June 16, 2016
Xiaomi has always sold its devices via e-commerce channels, but in recent times have expanded into more traditional channels including brick-and-mortar stores and retail partners. In its home country China, though, it has Mi Home–a service centre cum retail store concept.
Like the Mi 4 before this, Xiaomi Malaysia has sold its flagships through a main distributor, which sells through physical stores. This time around, it has partnered with Thorus for the Mi 5.
The Mi 5 comes in three variants, but Malaysians will get the base version of 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, priced at MYR1,549. It’s still a lot of kit for under MYR2,000. In fact, it’s one of the most powerful smartphones around, powered by the blazing Snapdragon 820 processor.
It also boasts a ground-breaking new camera with a six-element lens and 4-axis OIS system.
Read more about the Mi 5 here, and I also summarise five breakthrough things about the device, after my brief hands-on with it in Barcelona.
If you’re too lazy to read, there’s always the video:
Pricing and availability
On an ending note, keep your eyes peeled on Saturday, 25 June 2016. Make no mistake, this is a flagship device you should consider if you have a MYR1,500-MYR2,000 budget.
Head over to Xiaomi Mi 5’s product page for official information: www.mi.com/my/mi5/
