Xiaomi Mi 5 was announced at the MWC 2016 in Barcelona in February, March 31 saw India as the second country to get the device after China. The Xiaomi Mi 5 was launched in India on March 31, and the very next day, Hugo Barra ripped apart the phone to let us see what is inside and how easy it was to repair the smartphone if something went wrong. Unlike the flagships from LG and Samsung which has a unibody and waterproof body respectively, servicing the devices makes it tough as they seal it with glue that needs to be torn through. However, the Xiaomi Mi 5 is not difficult to service. Opening the rear panel is child’s play and after the turn of a few screws here and there, you can see the motherboard, battery, camera and a lot of other components being pulled out. Let’s check out how the Xiaomi Mi 5 can be opened and what are the internals that were displayed to us.
The Xiaomi Mi 5 has a Gorilla Glass 4 rear panel, which can be removed by the user too. However, there are no user serviceable parts inside. The rear panel can be replaced in case you accidentally shatter it. Sadly, Xiaomi does not sell the rear panels separately.
Removing the rear panel can be done with ease. Simply use any suction tool and squeeze it to the rear panel. Grip the phone with the other hand and get ready to pull the suction cup in the opposite direction.
Once gripped, pull apart the rear panel from the body and you are done. You should be able to hear some clicking sounds and your rear panel should come loose. It uses the same mechanism as that seen in most smartphones with a removable rear panel. Make sure you use the suction cup on the upper half on the phone.
The rear panel has a thin metallic sticker which helps in transferring the heat from the battery and the chipset (marginally) to dissipate it and keep the internals cool.
Hugo points out to the tiny notch that also helps attach the rear panel to the body from the inside.
The Xiaomi Mi 5 uses LDS (laser direct structuring) antenna for trans-receiving signals. This type of antenna is very thin and is actually printed with metals on the surface of the plastic itself. This technology helps reduce the thickness of the device by a large margin, allowing for slimmer devices ahead.
The Mi 5 also makes use of the metal frame as an antenna. This further helps for better reception of signals, further slimming down the smartphone thickness.
The sub-PCB resides on the bottom and holds the USB Typs-C connector, the speaker, the vibrator motor and the necessary pins for the antenna. A few screws need to be released in order to get the bottom half opened up.
Once opened, you can see that the plastic cover actually holds the speaker and the pins to connect to the antennas.
The speaker is pretty large, because Xiaomi claims they have made sure there is enough hollow room inside the speaker for better audio quality.
A closer look at the speaker.
The USB Type-C holds an IP67 certification for prevention of dust and water. Since the USB port is the largest hole in the device, water can easily get past to the internal circuitry, damaging the PCB completely. To prevent accidental water spills from entering through this route, Xiaomi has incorporated an IP67 USB Type-C connector. Do note: The Xiaomi Mi 5 is not a waterproof phone, but only the USB port is waterproof.
Above the sub-PCB is the vibrator motor. This motor is not a conventional vibrator motor with a counterweight, but is built with a different mechanism that vibrates the phone in the opposite direction. This helps the user feel the vibration more prominently when it is in the pocket.
After removing the covering plastic from the main PCB (Motherboard), Hugo showed us the metal plate that houses the rear camera. This metal plate is extremely thin and is under 1mm to ensure that the camera does not force the increase of thickness of the entire device.
Few screws removed and the cables released, the PCB shows off the internals.
Shown here is the Mi 5 motherboard with the chipsets exposed (left) and with the radio (EMF) shield and the chipset heatsink in place.
A closeup of the motherboard.
The SD820 chipset is connected below the memory chip in order to gain the fastest performance from the device. The closest proximity between the memory and chipset makes sure you get the best performance from the SoC. Chown above is the RAM chip.
Shown above is the SIM card connector slot.
Shown above is the rear side if the motherboard. Here again, the EMF shields are removed to expose the chips below it.
The rear camera sports a 16MP Sony sensor and is equipped with an optical image stabilizer (OIS).
Hugo shows off the OIS feature where, using a tweezer, he moves the camera lens in all directions.
Also Read: Xiaomi Mi 5 review: A 'budget high-end' smartphone
Also Read: Xiaomi Mi 5 review: A quick verdict roundup
Also Read: Watch: Xiaomi Mi 5 goes through a brutal stress test
Also Read: Watch the demo: Xiaomi Mi 5 camera’s stabilizer is definitely good
After detaching one more screw, Hugo pulls out two adhesives which hold the battery in place. These are special adhesives that allow the service personnel to remove the battery with ease. The adhesive used here features in a way that when you pull it sideways, it releases itself, but when you pull it in the opposite direction, it does not come apart.
The second adhesive being pulled apart.
Once the two adhesive tapes are removed, the battery can be plucked out easily.
Shown here are the plastic flexible cables that connect the mainboard to the sub-PCB.
Hugo then goes ahead to detach a few more connectors to release the USB connector.
Shown here is the USB Type-C connector.
Below the USB port is the capacitive fingerprint sensor with an incorporated physical home button.
The 5.15-inch LCD display.
The display is an OGS technology which is basically a single unit made from a more than one glass sandwiched together. These comprise of the Gorilla Glass upper layer, the digitizer glass, the LCD display, a few Fresnel lens layers, a diffuser, a reflector and a light disperser.
Here you see the reflector being ripped off to reveal the internals.
Lastly, below the reflector you will find the 16, bright white, low power LEDs that give the Xiaomi Mi 5's display a high brightness.
Being a technician by profession myself, by the way Hugo exposed the guts of the Xiaomi Mi 5, I personally think that servicing the Xiaomi Mi 5 is far easier than its rivals. Take for example the Samsung Galaxy flagships that need to be heated with care for removing the rear panel, the display, and a few other areas. Since I too personally rip up smartphones for basic servicing, I would give the Mi 5 a 4 out of 5 for ease of repair.
Also Read: Xiaomi Mi 5 review: A 'budget high-end' smartphone
Also Read: Xiaomi Mi 5 review: A quick verdict roundup
Also Read: Watch: Xiaomi Mi 5 goes through a brutal stress test
Also Read: Watch the demo: Xiaomi Mi 5 camera’s stabilizer is definitely good
