With 18:9 aspect ratio phones being all the rage nowadays, we were not surprised in the least when Chinese brand Xiaomi announced their own take on the new technology. And while the Redmi 5 Plus appears to be a reworked Redmi Note 4X with an 18:9 display , the phone is still one of the best options...

So, no more Redmi Notes, eh Or so we thought until Xiaomi recently launched the Redmi 5 Plus in India calling it the Redmi Note 5. The Redmi 5 Plus certainly looked like a proper successor of the Redmi Note 4 so we're glad the company's lineup naming is back at making sense.

Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus is a budget smartphone. If on start of sales it costed $180, then now you can buy it for only $160. It is a great deal! To be honest, it is difficult to find a really decent budget phone.

While there are plenty of good reasons to stick with locally-certified and available smartphones, the rise of online tech resellers in recent years has made it easier and easier - and more and more tempting - to experiment with smartphone brands that aren't usually available for Australian...

Great battery; Solid performance

Weak camera; Subject to the usual drawbacks of importing a phone

If ever there has been a smartphone series that has enjoyed a superstar status in India, it has to be Xiaomi's Redmi Note series - a true all-rounder smartphone that caters to an overall decent performance along with a long battery run time, terming it as a perfect daily driver.

With the same internals, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 is just as powerful as its predecessor, only with a brighter screen and a slightly better camera. It's the old Redmi Note 4 disguised under a taller univisium display.

Stellar battery life; Bright 18:9 display; Good camera

Recycled design; Android 7.1.2 Nougat; Recycled hardware

2017 was a great year for Xiaomi and the company crossed RMB 100 billion in revenue. In India, the company's biggest market outside of China, Xiaomi became the biggest smartphone vendor towards the end of the year.

Solid build quality Impressive battery life Great performance Good; bright display with 18:9 ratio

Average camera quality No fast charging - limited to 5V/2A microUSB; instead of USB Type-C

All said and done, the Redmi Note 5 is still a budget smartphone, just like its predecessors. The smartphone comes with a better, brighter and taller display, along with improved cameras. Xiaomi has also upgraded the base storage and RAM, while keeping the price intact.

Xiaomi , which is now the top smartphone vendor in India, has officially launched the Redmi Note 5 in India at a starting price of Rs 9 ,999 for the 3GB RAM and 32GB variant, while the 4GB RAM and 64GB version will be priced at Rs 11,999.

Xiaomi sold more than 9.6 million units of it. It was crazy. Redmi Note 4 became the go-to phone for anyone looking to purchase a smartphone under-Rs 13,000 and its popularity spiked in leaps and bounds.

Impressive 18:9 display; Great battery life; Camera creates good pictures; Value for money

No USB Type-C; Dated design