Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi is set to unveil the newest addition to its smartphone line, the Mi 5X, on July 26. To be launched alongside it is the new version of the company's user interface, MIUI 9.
The company announced the launch date on Chinese social website Weibo, according to Android Authority. The company's official page also posted a photo that provides a glimpse of the upcoming smartphone. Based on the photo, the new product will have dual cameras, a rear-mounted fingerprint reader, and a metal body.
Although not yet confirmed by the company, other specifications of the Mi 5X is said to include a 5.5-inch screen with a full HD resolution, Snapdragon 625 chipset and 4 GB of random access memory (RAM). Color-wise, consumers will be able to choose from three variants of the 5X: black, gold, and rose gold. The 5X is also expected to ship at an affordable rate of $295.
Xiaomi phones, while running Android operating systems, are known for the modifications that the MIUI provides them. Because of the deep changes that it implements in the aesthetic and functional aspects of the operating system, MIUI offers the user a different experience compared to using a phone with a bare Android OS.
MIUI 9 is expected to run on top of Android 7.1 Nougat. A teaser post in the MIUI forum indicates the new features of the user interface that have been revealed so far, including a redesigned lock screen shortcut, and the addition of a split-screen feature and three new themes. It also mentions that rarely used features have been removed.
According to website XDA Developers, the upcoming iteration of the UI will be in its Chinese format, and the global version will likely take some time. Its release would most likely coincide with the release of a prominent device with MIUI 9 in a large market like India.
