V9.6.3.0.OEIMIFD Global Stable released for Redmi Note 5/Pro

Xiaomi just released V9.6.3.0.OEIMIFD Global Stable for the Redmi Note 5/Pro. Those who are updating from much earlier versions will get a bigger file size update like 680MB or 706MB. For users who are not sure which incremental file update to use, just download the full ROM and update your phone. The full ROM can be found here.

Camera

For convenience sake, I'll be comparing photos between V9.5.13.0.OEIMIFA and V9.6.3.0.OEIMIFD since I'm updating from V9.5.13.0.OEIMIFA.

All photos are taken in:

1. Auto mode ( unless stated otherwise )
2. Picture quality is High
3. Contrast, saturation and sharpness is Normal
4. All photos are taken 35 cm away( from the nearest object ); phone is placed on a fixed stand and position.
5. Auto exposure settings is center-weighted.
6. Light intensity near the objects are about 150 lux ( measured with Lux Meter by Doggo apps ). So it's considered below average lighting condition.

HDR off/No flash. Top photo is V9.5.13.0.OEIMIFA, bottom photo is V9.6.3.0.OEIMIFD.

Portrait mode.  Top photo is V9.5.13.0.OEIMIFA, bottom photo is V9.6.3.0.OEIMIFD.

Portrait mode works fine on V9.6.3.0.OEIMIFD.

Changeable lizard on my plant. The only light source is from a very dim overhead light bulb. Portrait mode, handheld, ISO 2000, shutter speed 1/17.

I've taken various shots and all of them are identical in terms of colour tone, white balance, ISO and shutter speed. So there are no difference between these two firmwares. Portrait mode works fine on both versions.

There are no notification bugs and portable WiFi hotspot is working fine.

First Update V9.5.13.0.OEIMIFA is released for Redmi Note 5 Global

Xiaomi has just released the first update for the Redmi Note 5 Global version. The V9.5.13.0.OEIMIFA firmware seems to have fixed quite a few issues. Android security patch is also updated to the latest one which I'm quite happy about.

Download links for V9.5.13.0.OEIMIFA
Recovery ROM
Fastboot ROM

Camera changes and fixes

Some bugs on the stock camera app were fixed; slow startup, taking next shot is slow and photos taken in portrait mode are zoomed automatically. I think Xiaomi increased the exposure or brightness slightly and faster shutter speed in some. Photos also have a slightly warmer tone to it.

*update(7/7/2018): Some people still have slow startup on V9.5.13.0 it seems. Others like me don't have this problem even on the previous firmware.

Photo comparison before and after firmware update

I've taken photos before (V9.5.6.0.OEIMIFA) and after (V9.5.13.0.OEIMIFA) the firmware update, if you're interested, read on.

These Redmi Note 5 sample photos are all taken in low light and below average lighting conditions.

All photos are taken in:

1. Auto mode ( unless stated otherwise )
2. Picture quality is High
3. Contrast, saturation and sharpness is Normal
4. All photos are taken 38 cm distance from subject, phone is placed on a fixed stand and position.
5. Lux Light Meter by Doggo apps is used to measure the lighting near the subject ( the light sensor on the phone can never measure lighting accurately, but it can give a rough estimate which is good enough ).
6. Auto exposure setting: Center weighted.

A. Lighting intensity near subject is 150 lux. ( left is before, right photo is after update )

Before, ISO: 400, Shutter speed: 1/20. After, ISO: 400, Shutter speed: 1/25.

 Normal photo mode. HDR - Auto, Flash - Auto.

Portrait mode. HDR - Auto, Flash - Auto.

Normal photo mode. HDR - On

B. Lighting intensity near subject is 40 lux.

Both, ISO: 1250, Shutter speed: 1/20

Normal photo mode. HDR - Auto, Flash - Off.

Portrait mode. HDR - Auto, Flash - Off.

Normal photo mode. HDR - On.

C. Lighting intensity near subject is 10 lux.

Both, ISO: 3200, Shutter speed: 1/17

Normal photo mode. HDR - Auto, Flash - Off.

Portrait mode. HDR - Auto, Flash - Off.

D. Almost total darkness.

Normal photo mode. HDR - Auto, Flash - On.

Redmi Note 5 - Specifications and ROMs

Redmi Note 5 Pro/China/Global specifications

CONNECTIVITY AND NETWORK
India
4G	LTE 1/3/5/40/41
3G	WCDMA 1/2/5/8
2G	GSM 2/3/5/8
China
4G	LTE 1/3/5/7/8/34/38/39/40/41
3G	WCDMA 1/2/5/8, SCDMA 34/39/C0
2G	GSM 2/3/5/8 CDMA C0
Global
4G	LTE 1/3/4/5/7/8/20/38/40
3G	WCDMA 1/2/5/8
2G	GSM 2/3/5/8
Wi-Fi	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
BLUETOOTH	5.0
NFC	No
GPS	GPS,A-GPS,GLONASS, BeiDou
CAMERA
India
Rear	Primary: 12MP, Sony IMX486, 1/2.9", f/2.2
	Secondary: 5MP, Samsung S5K5E8, 1/5", f/2.0
Front	20MP, Sony IMX376, 1/2.78", f/2.2
China/Global
Rear	Primary: 12MP, Samsung S5K2L7, 1/2.56", f/1.9
	Secondary: 5MP, Samsung S5K5E8, 1/5", f/2.0
Front	13MP, Omnivision OV13855, 1/3.06", f/2.0
Video	1080p/30fps,720p/30fps, 120fps (slow motion)
	EIS stabilization
	Third party app such as Open Camera can be used to record 4k/30fps with EIS on.
DISPLAY	IPS LCD FHD+
	5.99” 1080x2160 pixels, 18:9 ratio, 403 PPI
	Contrast ratio 1000:1 (typ), 450 (typ) nit brightness.
	84% (typ) NTSC
	Corning Gorilla Glass
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 636
	Octa-core 1.8 Ghz Kryo 260
GPU	Adreno 509
OS	Android 8.1 Oreo / MIUI 9
BATTERY	4000mAh (non-removable)
CHARGING PORT	Micro USB
QUICK CHARGING	Yes ( QC2.0 )
SIM TRAY	Dual Nano-Sim Hybrid Slot
	(2 sim cards or 1 sim card and 1 micro SD card)
RAM / STORAGE	3GB/32GB, 4GB/64GB, 6GB/64GB
	( LPDDR4X 1333MHz RAM, eMMC 5.1 storage )
SENSORS	Fingerprint, Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor,
	Electronic compass, Gyroscope,
	Hall sensor, Infrared, Proximity sensor

Redmi Note 5 Global version hardware information.

Firmware and ROM confusion

Due to various variants released and confusing naming scheme by Xiaomi, it is not easy to know which is the correct ROM for your phone. To clear the confusion here is a list.

India ROM
V9.2.7.0.NEIMIEK
V9.5.3.0.NEGMIFA
V9.5.4.0.NEGMIFA

China ROM
V9.5.4.0.OEICNFA
V9.5.12.0.OEICNFA

Global ROM
V9.5.6.0.OEIMIFA

Do not download and flash V9.2.7.0.NEIMIEK on your Global version. I'm have no idea why Xiaomi decided to put that up on their download page.

The V9.5.6.0.OEIMIFA Global ROM was leaked previously on the MIUI forums but was later taken down by the forum admin. This same ROM is officially available on the Indonesia and Malaysia sets. Indonesia sets had V9.5.5.0.OEIMIFA out of the box.

Download link for V9.5.6.0.OEIMIFA recovery ROM.