Xiaomi Mi5 believed to go on sale on the 22nd Feb for over 2000 Yuan

Belived to already be in mass production and heading for launch on the 5th February, the Xiaomi Mi5 could go on sale during the Chinese New Year on the 22nd Feb.

It has been quite normal in the past for Xiaomi to announce their flagship phone then wait a few weeks before they actually put it on sale, and the Mi5 seems to be no different. Although many insiders believe the Mi5 will be launched on the 5th Feb, it won't be until the 22nd that customers in China will be able to purchase the flagship phone.

Apparently Xiaomi have chosen Feb 22nd at 14:22 to begin online sales (so all the 2's) which is slap bang in the middle of the Chinese holidays.

For international buyers this is going to be a problem. As resellers have to buy stock of Xiaomi phones either online via Xiaomi's website, or through scalpers and all companies will be on vacation during the sales. We probably won't see availability until mid March.

So what about the price? Xiaomi's flagships generally launch for 1999 Yuan, but this year we could see a price hike on the Xioami Mi5. With the phone boasting a Snapdragon 820, 2K display and 4GB RAM, Chinese media are speculating the Mi5 could cost nearer 2499 Yuan.

While a 500 yuan increase is quite substantial it would still make the Xiaomi Mi5 the most affordable Snapdragon 820 phone on the market. The Le Max Pro with Snapdragon 820 for example will be 3500 Yuan.

With a long wait ahead and a possible higher price tag, are you likely to buy the Xioami Mi5 once it launches?