A mystery Xiaomi smartphone was spotted earlier today on Chinese microblogging site Weibo, which has a 4.3-inch display and is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC. It is being touted as Xiaomi’s answer to the recently-announced Apple iPhone SE, which is slated to hit Asian markets soon. The phone is likely to be a smaller variant of the Xiaomi Mi 5, which will be announced in India on March 31.
Xiaomi hasn’t revealed any plans regarding a smaller Mi 5, but the image shown in the microblogging website does look convincingly like a Xiaomi phone. The post also claims that the smartphone will have 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The 4.3-inch display is expected to present a screen resolution of 720×1280 pixels, while a 1.8GHz Snapdragon 820 SoC may power the setup. At the back, the phone might house a 13MP camera without OIS (Optical Image Stabilization), using Sony’s IMX258 image sensor (the same one used in Xiaomi's China-only Mi 4c).
Xiaomi is launching the Mi 5 on March 31 in India, and the rumoured small-screen device is expected to be based on that. The Xiaomi Mi 5 packs a 5.15-inch 1080p display, and is powered by the 1.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC, 32GB/64GB storage options, 3GB RAM and a 16MP primary camera with OIS and PDAF (Phase Detection Autofocus).
Xiaomi is also expected to bring the Mi 5 Pro smartphone to India, with a higher-clocked Snapdragon 820 SoC, 4GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The rest of its specifications remain the same as the Mi 5. The phone will be up against Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge and other upcoming flagships.