Xiaomi Launches a 4K Indoor Camera With Full-Color Night Vision and AI
Xiaomi NewsFriday, 25 September 2026 at 10:55
Xiaomi has launched a new indoor security camera in China, and this one has a rather interesting trick. The Xiaomi Smart Camera 5 Pro Full-Color Night Vision can keep footage in color even at night, while also using local AI to detect people and pets.
The camera is now available through crowdfunding in China for 429 yuan, or about $60. Xiaomi has set the regular retail price at 599 yuan, which is around $84. The crowdfunding campaign runs from September 23 to September 30.
There is no global launch date yet, so these prices are for the Chinese market.
4K video with two cameras
The Smart Camera 5 Pro uses an 8MP + 4MP dual-camera setup. The main 8MP sensor can record video in 4K. The second 4MP camera adds another view, giving the system more information when monitoring a room.
The big focus, though, is not the 4K resolution. It is what happens when the lights go out.
Full-color night vision
Most indoor security cameras switch to black-and-white footage when the room gets dark. Xiaomi is taking a different approach here.
The Smart Camera 5 Pro can use its built-in soft light to keep recording full-color video throughout the night. When nobody is around, the camera can switch to black-and-white night vision to save power and avoid unnecessary light.
When it detects a person, it can turn on the small night light and switch back to color.
There is also a 940nm infrared light for situations where color is not needed. Xiaomi says this avoids the visible red glow that some infrared cameras produce.
I think this is the most useful feature here. A black-and-white image can show that someone entered a room, but color can give you extra clues about what actually happened.
The night light is built into the camera
Xiaomi has not simply added a bright LED to the front - and I am glad they didn't. The camera uses a soft built-in night light with a matte optical diffuser. This spreads the light more evenly and helps avoid glare.
The light can also turn on when the camera detects a person or pet.
That makes sense for bedrooms and other areas where you do not want a strong light suddenly turning on in the middle of the night.
Local AI does the detection
The camera also has a 1.5 TOPS AI chip.
Xiaomi says the local processing allows the camera to run more advanced detection without sending every task to the cloud. It can detect people and pets, track movement and record events for later review.
This is another feature I like.
A smart camera does not need to send everything to the cloud just to tell you that your dog walked into the room. Local AI can make these alerts faster and, depending on the feature, better for privacy.
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The camera can also follow people and pets as they move around the room.
Remote pan and tilt
The Smart Camera 5 Pro has an upgraded motorized gimbal. Thankfully, you can remotely move the camera up, down, left and right from the app. This gives it a much wider monitoring area than a fixed camera.
That is useful for a living room, nursery or another larger space.
Instead of buying two fixed cameras, you can use one camera that can move when needed.
You can make calls with a hand gesture
Xiaomi has also added a rather unusual feature that I find really neat: gesture-controlled calls!
If you stand in front of it and make an "OK" gesture, the camera can start a call to a smartphone through the app. You can also start a call from your phone to the camera.
Two-way voice communication is supported, so it can work as a simple home intercom.
This could be useful for checking on children or family members without having to pick up the phone first.
Wi-Fi 6 and three storage options
The camera supports dual-band Wi-Fi 6.
For storage, Xiaomi gives users three options:
- microSD card
- Cloud storage
- NAS storage
That is a good range of choices. You can keep recordings locally if you prefer, or use cloud storage for easier remote access.
The camera also works with Xiaomi's smart-home platform, allowing it to connect with other compatible Mijia devices.
Price and availability
The Xiaomi Smart Camera 5 Pro Full-Color Night Vision is currently being crowdfunded in China for 429 yuan ($60).
Its suggested retail price is 599 yuan ($84). At $60, the crowdfunding price looks interesting on paper.
You get 4K recording, full-color night vision, local AI, motorized tracking, Wi-Fi 6 and multiple storage options in one device.
Of course, there is one important limitation. This is currently a China-market product, and Xiaomi has not announced a global launch. So we should not assume that it will officially arrive in Europe or the US at the same price.
Still, I think Xiaomi is onto something here.
The move from simple black-and-white night vision to useful color footage could make a real difference for home security. Add local AI and automatic tracking, and the Smart Camera 5 Pro becomes much more than a basic indoor camera.
Now we just need to see whether Xiaomi decides to bring it to more markets.
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