Xiaomi Mi 5 renders hint at possible design (physical home button included)

Will 2016 mark the return of the physical home button? More and more phones are starting to have physical home buttons, something that could probably be attributed to the rising popularity of the fingerprint sensor on the front.

One of the most important phone releases next year is going to be that of the Xiaomi Mi 5. The phone has seen multiple delays, and critics as well as the media -- besides 'Mi fans' of course -- are expecting something worth the wait.

Renders of the phone have started appearing, depicting a design rather in line with Xiaomi's usual taste but with a slight difference -- a physical home button.

Xiaomi's Redmi Note 3 was the first phone from the company to have fingerprint sensor, and it's almost a given that the Mi 5 will sport one also. Now that rumours and renders of a physical home button have started to appear, one would assume that the fingerprint sensor sits on top of exactly that -- instead of on the rear, which is the case with the Redmi Note 3.

Also worth noting is the fact that the renders depict a USB Type-C port on the Xiaomi Mi 5. Nothing groundbreaking here, but it's nice to know anyway.

What's more, word is that the fingerprint sensor on the Mi 5 will be the smallest the world has ever seen on a smartphone.

Whether or not that happens, we will know during the launch which is expected to take place in the very early part of 2016.