Lei Jun, Xiaomi founder and CEO
Lei Jun, Xiaomi founder and CEO, speaks at a launch ceremony for the Xiaomi Phone 4 in Beijing in 2014. Reuters/Jason Lee

The Xiaomi Mi 5 is undoubtedly the most awaited smartphone of 2015. It’s been nearly 18 months since the release of Xiaomi Mi 4 and the Chinese manufacturer has yet to announce its successor.

A leaked photo of the purported Xiaomi Mi 5 has appeared on Xiaomi’s Weibo account, indicating the handset’s release is around the corner.

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun said the company follows a time gap of 12 to18 months before revealing a flagship smartphone, according to Phone Arena. Word has it the handset is almost ready and the Chinese company is soon going to announce its existence. Jun is already using the handset as his daily driver and has claimed the Xiaomi Mi 5 is worth waiting for.

Although the Xiaomi Mi 5 has been in the news for several months, it’s only now a leaked photo of the alleged handset has surfaced. Looking at the image reveals a handset sporting very slim bezels.

The phone appears quite similar to the Xiaomi Mi Note released earlier this year. The Mi Note features thicker bezels, however.

As of this writing, there’s no evidence that confirms the mysterious handset in the photo is really the Xiaomi Mi 5. Since it’s the only Xiaomi major handset under the wraps, word is rife it may really be the Xiaomi MI 5.

The buzz suggests the handset will feature a 5.3-inch Quad HD display. It will become the first ever smartphone to come with the Snapdragon 820 chipset.

The 32 GB storage variant is expected to feature 3 GB of RAM whereas the 64 GB variant is likely to arrive with 4 GB of RAM. Other features expected on the Xiaomi Mi 5 are a 16 MP camera, an 8 MP selfie camera and a 3,030 mAh battery.

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