Xiaomi launches affordable Smart Camera 5 Pro with 4K full-color night vision

Xiaomi has unveiled the Smart Camera 5 Pro Full-Color Night Vision, a home security camera designed to avoid the grainy black-and-white footage that most budget cameras produce after dark. By pairing an 8 MP main sensor with a 4 MP secondary one, alongside image-processing software, the device outputs 4K video in color around the clock, including several night modes such as person detection and a red-light-free option. 

For comparison, the Xiaomi Smart Camera C500 Pro only offered a single 5 MP sensor, making the 4K sensors a significant upgrade. Processing is handled by a 1.5-TOPS on-device AI chip that recognizes people and pets and detects sounds like crying, without routing footage through the cloud. A dual-motor mount rotates 360° horizontally and 174° vertically, while dual-band Wi-Fi 6, two-way voice communication and Mijia integration handle connectivity and smart-home functions.

Privacy features include a physical lens shutter, access controls and local processing, though the camera still supports cloud and NAS storage alongside microSD cards, so how much data leaves the device likely depends on user settings. An AOR recording mode is also intended to reduce power and storage requirements during long recording periods.

The Smart Camera 5 Pro is currently crowdfunding in China for 429 yuan (approx. $64), with a planned regular price of 599 yuan (approx. $90). Availability outside China has not been announced. Given Xiaomi's track record of regularly bringing security cameras to the global market, a international launch is likely to be on the cards. When exactly, however, is uncertain. Prospective buyers looking for alternatives may wish to take a look at the Reolink RLC-820A, Eufy’s E42 or E30.