Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has confirmed that the MIUI 9 user interface, the company’s latest version for its Android 7.0 Nougat-based firmware announced last month, is set to hit the Xiaomi Mi 5 handset on August 7 in addition to its scheduled rollout to other Xiaomi devices this month. The Beijing, China-based original equipment manufacturer revealed the upcoming launch of MIUI 9 on the Mi 5 via MIUI’s Weibo account, adding that the phone was initially scheduled to receive the update after MIUI 9 lands on the Mi 6, Redmi Note 4X, and the Mi 5X handsets on August 11.
The reason behind the change in schedule remains unclear after Xiaomi recently confirmed during a product event in Beijing that the MIUI 9 update was set to be released to the Mi 5 on August 25 along with the Mi MIX, Mi Note, Mi Note 2, and the Mi 4-series. The relatively earlier MIUI 9 treat for the Mi 5 indicates that the company is giving a high priority to the phone, which was announced back in February last year and is still performing well in sales. Keep in mind, though, that while the MIUI 9 is first coming to the Mi 5, this version of the firmware is a beta edition that is available only to users who have signed up for the MIUI beta program. That means the latest MIUI version, billed to have a super fast performance, is expected to encounter a number of bugs and issues prior to its final release on August 11 since it is not a stable version yet.
Nonetheless, the user interface boasts a substantial upgrade compared to the previous version of MIUI, with Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun recently commenting that MIUI 9 will be significantly smooth, powerful and stable. Xiaomi even recently demonstrated capabilities of the MIUI 9 in a performance test that pitted the Mi 6 with the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Huawei P10, showing how the MIUI 9-equipped device outperformed its rivals. Some of the key features of MIUI 9 include the all-new Smart App Launcher, an image search engine, split-screen support, digital assistant, picture-in-picture mode, a screen recorder feature and other optimizations meant to significantly improve the performance of Xiaomi devices to provide a better experience to users.
