After the release of Xiaomi Mi Note Pro, which features a better performing Snapdragon 810 compared to the one present in both HTC One M9 and LG G Flex 2 (the latest version is able to outperform the previous version in both speed and thermal tests), the company will be gearing up to release Mi 5. Mi 5 is expected to be packing impressive hardware specifications, most notably Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 SoC, which is going to feature a processor based on the Kryo architecture rather than the company's Krait one.
Snapdragon 820 will be processed on a much smaller lithographic process compared to Snapdragon 810 (which was processed on the 20 nm technology). Currently, Samsung is the only firm capable of mass producing chips for mobile devices based on the 14 nm FinFET process, so having no choice left, Qualcomm eventually partnered with the South Korean tech giant. Additionally, the handset is expected to feature a QHD display (1440p), along with a large battery pack and 4 GB RAM.
With the superior architecture, Qualcomm will most likely have put its worst fears behind it, which were overheating and thermal throttling from previous versions of Snapdragon 810. Xiaomi Mi 5 is also expected to feature a 20.7 rear camera sensor, which will be assimilated with image supplementing features such as an OIS chip and HDR. Details on whether the camera sensor will belong to Sony, Samsung or OmniVision will be revealed later in the year, when the smartphone has been disassembled by teardown experts.
Since Sony has a much larger market share compared to Samsung and OmniVision combined, it will be able to produce and distribute a substantially larger volume. Using this advantage, Sony can provide camera sensors to Chinese smartphone firms at a much lower price tag than Samsung and OmniVision.
With a boatload of smartphones being released by Xiaomi to cater to every smartphone maker, it appears that the rising Chinese smartphone maker will generate a substantial amount of revenue towards the end of the year. As for its Mi 5, the handset is expected to be announced in November, 2015
