Premium All Around

The moment I took the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus out of the box, the metal case and 5.99-inch screen with its 18:9 ratio encouraged me to think it’d be expensive; I thought its price range is 3x its suggested retail fee. My perspective went into another tail-spin once I learnt of the real asking price. After using it for a while, I can’t help but instantly fall in love with the Xiaomi MIUI 9 and the full screen gestures this device offers.

Mid-range Delivery

If anything, the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus feels like a certain flagship from the fruity-brand. Complementing the premium build is the excellent FullView display that is great for YouTube-binging too. Of course, despite looking premium, the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus is still only a mid-ranger. With multiple apps running in the background, tiny bits of lag begin to show. Thankfully, clearing the background apps will enable it to perform well again.

Brilliant Bang-for-Buck

Of course, gaming is a stretch with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 626. Even so, personally, I find the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus to be a decent performer. Just one minus: the GPS has a wonky user interface though Xiaomi is now addressing it (Editor: at press time). It’s nothing major and, likely, limited to this review unit. As for the battery, it lasted just over a day. All in all, it’s more than capable of being a daily driver.

Verdict: An absolute mid-range madness of a mobile, Xiaomi delivers solid specs without overkill at a very good price.