As of today, I have, on hand, three Xiaomi Mi 5 Pros (two in white, one in black).

Just a word of warning:

• my first unit (white) first appeared to have serious battery drain issues
  • a simple work-around was found (and this supposed software issue is still not fixed as of writing this!)
• my second unit (white) first appeared to have issues with GPS
  • flashing from scratch with China Stable/Developer, Global Stable/Developer ROMs did not help
  • finally did a one-for-one exchange with seller after one month
• my third unit (black) first appeared to have no issues (tested GPS, WiFi, display, touchscreen, speaker, etc.)…
  • but… when I finally attempted to put SIM1 in, there was no network signal; finally did a one-for-one exchange with seller after two weeks of trying to fix it

In short: buying from an overseas seller has its risk (shipping back and forth and getting charged import taxes is no small issue), so try to buy one from a local reseller!

What with the issues plaguing the stock China Stable 7.3.3.0 and 7.3.4.0 ROMs, there was a definite need to rid the “good” hardware of the “bad” software… Enter Xiaomi.EU, stage right…

This is a description of the journey, from full stock to EU ROM…

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For those looking for my review of the MIUI 7 Global Stable 7.3.5.0 ROM, I do not have the time just yet to try and muck around with this…

Just a quick reference on the expected differences between the China Stable and Global Stable:

• http://xiaomiupdate.com/differences-between-miui-global-and-chinese-version

One thing I definitely need to test is if the Global Stable ROM includes the Netcom 3.0 “feature”/software, which is supposedly the “secret sauce” in enabling simultaneous LTE/4G/3G connectivity on both SIMs (which appears to be targeted at the Chinese market and is probably the “thing” that enables me to use both SIM slots in some countries/operators with no 2G networks, and is the only real reason I bought multiple Mi 5 Pros over other choices in the first place).

2016/06/05 Update: Tested and confirmed that simultaneous 4G/LTE and 3G is working!

2016/07/31 Update: Latest ROM at this moment is Global Stable 7.5.2.0; all notes from my experience here has been updated while using Global Stable 7.5.1.0.

From the prelude to the current predicament: I have, on one hand, a powerful device with notable capabilities, but, on the other hand, appears to be plagued by Chinese dictatorship and possible unwarranted data gathering…

Putting aside personal political views and paranoia, does the Mi 5 Pro, in full unadulterated “China Stable ROM” glory, work?

2016/06/05 Update: The Global Stable version 7.3.5.0 of the ROM was launched, although it should be noted that if your device is on the China Stable ROM, then you will still need to unlock your boot loader, literally reformat the /data partition (i.e. losing all your information because the stupid China Stable 7.3.4.0 ROM does not give you the option to decrypt the partition) before installing the Global ROM. Depending on what time and inclination I have, I may try to install it and review this Global version (maybe in comparison to China Stable and EU ROM).

2016/07/31 Update: Other numerous Global ROM updates have since been released (the latest being “Global Stable 7.5.2.0“), and although my experience grows with multiple handsets being used as “daily drivers” (one with ROM version “Global Stable 7.3.10.0”, the other “Global Stable 7.5.1.0”), the below points have been updated and all other points are still relevant up to “Global Stable 7.5.1.0”.

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