The Xiaomi Mi 5 was announced at MWC (Mobile World Congress) less than a year ago, but it looks like the Chinese handset maker is already gearing up to update its flagship. The Mi 5s ousts the glass rear in favor of a brushed metal back and replaces the capacitive button fingerprint sensor with an ultrasonic one.

The change is likely to position the smartphone in a more economical range as far as manufacturing is concerned since Xiaomi won't have to drill a hole in the screen's glass to enable the capacitive sensor to touch your skin. However, there's still a minor indentation where the sensor is. The ultrasonic fingerprint sensor takes a 3D map of your fingerprint and is said to recognize it even when your finger is wet.

In terms of other changes, Xiaomi Mi 5s will be powered by a beefed up processor in the form of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, coupled with a mammoth 128GB of onboard storage, CNet reported.

But that's not all! Xiaomi has also amplified the camera. Although it's gone down from 16MP to 12MP, the Mi 5s deploys either a Sony IMX378 1 or 2.3-inch CMOS sensor with larger pixels at 1.55 microns, which the company claims is comparable to those found on compact cameras.

Although the changes seem awe-inspiring at first glance, maybe getting rid of the glass rear isn't such a great idea after all as it helped original Mi 5 to stand out against a slew of competitors that boast a metal rear.

In other words, the Mi 5 now will not really stand out. That being said, a metal rear could make a significant difference when you accidentally drop the smartphone as unlike the Mi 5, Xiaomi Mi 5s will be able to withstand the drop thanks to a more durable rear material.

While it remains to be seen if this really makes a considerable difference, here's a quick recap of the phone's specs:

• Powered By: Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor
• Onboard Storage: 3GB or 4GB RAM, 64GB or 128GB
• Cameras: 12MP primary, and 4MP front shooter
• Battery: 3,200mAh 
• Connectivity: USB Type-C port
• Availability: At the moment retails only in China
• Price: 1,999 Yuan (about $299) or 2,299 Yuan (about $344)

Meanwhile, Lei Jun, CEO and founder of Xiaomi Inc, has shared a bevy of camera samples taken with the Mi 5s' camera just ahead of its announcement, and the company has released a heap of additional shots now, AndroidHeadlines reported.

Although these photos taken with the Xiaomi Mi 5s' camera are quite impressive, its important to bear in mind that these images had been taken professional photographers, and though they haven't been fiddled with, Xiaomi resized them.