Xiaomi Mi 5 pricing
Xiaomi Mi 5 is rumoured to feature new fingerprint sensing technology Reuters

Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi recently launched a smartphone in India called the Xiaomi Mi 4i and announced plans to release it globally, even as Xiaomi loyalists were expecting the company to launch the Mi 5 instead.

The Xiaomi Mi 5 has been in discussion for sometime now and rumours suggest that the Chinese firm would launch the device this year itself.

Nonetheless, in latest developments, reports suggest that the company has filed for a new fingerprint recognition technology patent. And as per a MIUI report the new fingerprint scanning aspect could be incorporated in the Mi 5, making it a high-end device.

The fingerprint scanning technology is currently being used on Apple iPhones, which is called Touch ID. It uses a fingerprint identity sensor to allow users to unlock their phones.

Users of iPhone 5S, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus can unlock their devices by placing a finger on the home button of the smartphone.

Apart from Xiaomi's reported fingerprint sensing functionality, the Mi 5 is likely to feature tech-specs identical to that of the Xiaomi Note Pro, which are as follows:

  • 5.7in IPS LCD capacitive display protected by Gorilla Glass 3
  • Android Lollipop operating platform straight out of the box
  • 1.5GHz quad-core Cortex A53 and 2GHz quad-core Cortex A-57 CPUs
  • 13MP rear camera
  • 4MP front facing camera
  • 4GB RAM
  • 64GB fixed internal storage
  • 4G LTE, HSPA, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 2.0 and microUSB connectivity
  • Fixed 3000 mAh Li-Ion battery

Meanwhile, India's Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata Group, has bought a stake in Xiaomi Technology and the pact would boost the company's prospects in India.

According to Lei Jun, founder and chief executive officer of Xiaomi, "Mr. Tata is one of the most well-respected business leaders in the world. An investment by him is an affirmation of the strategy we have undertaken in India so far."

"We are looking forward to bringing more products into India," the CEO told Reuters.