Is Hugo Barra's teaser of Xiaomi Mi 5's camera sample photo a fake?

Xiaomi is already in the news with rumours and leaks about the confirmed Mi 5 flagship that will be launched soon. To add to the excitement, Xiaomi’s Global VP, Hugo Barra has posted a few images on Facebook and claims that the images are clicked using the flagship handset during his holiday. The images he posted show a plant being shot in broad daylight and a few cropped and zoomed images of the same sample.

‘Spent the holidays hanging out with my folks….aaaaand playing around with the insanely AMAZING ‪#‎Mi5 camera. I didn't even have to fiddle with manual settings or adjust anything—except turn on HDR—this is a pure SOOC shot. I've cropped and zoomed in on the original, too, just so you can see the incredible details up close,’ mentions Barra on his post, adding that he cannot wait for the Mi 5 to be launched. Barra has also stated that an original copy of the same photo has been uploaded to the MIUI forums, which fans can download and have a look themselves.

We did head to the forums, downloaded the photo and to our surprise, the image has absolutely no EXIF information. The EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) information is a standard that specifies the formats for images, sound and ancillary tags used by digital cameras (which include smartphones, scanners and other AV imaging devices). The EXIF information reveals the camera make and model, the resolution of the image, the settings (ISO, F-Stop, Exposure, etc) using which the image was captured, compression, bit depth and a lot more. Using this information, one can easily confirm the settings and other important data about the image.

Since the image that was uploaded from the alleged Mi 5 smartphone has no EXIF information, there is no evidence about it being a genuine shot from the same device. The image could be photoshopped, doctored or it could be shot from a completely different camera.

The photo was put up on the forums by Barra, which attracted both excitement as well as disgust. While many who tend to believe what they see, there are others who know their stuff and become critics. These are the ones also who found out that the image could be a fake and there is absolutely no concrete confirmation about the photo being shot from the Xiaomi Mi 5’ camera.

While some came to the rescue to mention that when a photo is uploaded to an online website or forum, the EXIF information is automatically wiped off. If the image was given out for download as a compressed archive, the EXIF information would have been preserved. A forum user has also asked for the same, and boldly told Hugo that he should not fool the fans ‘again’ as ‘this pic is from a DLSR or Digital Camera’.

‘I'm just a little Girl, but I promise you I will not buy any other XIAOMI Devices again my life. And all my girlfriends also will not buy anymore.’

But here’s more—EXIF information can also be doctored. A simple photo or screenshot from a desktop can also be doctored to show that it has been clicked from a camera. Using tools and utilities out there, EXIF information can be manipulated to show what you want. So even if there was EXIF information on the same image, it still cannot be taken into consideration.

The forum has a discussion on the same topic where one questions Hugo, while the other is defending him. As for now, Hugo has not yet responded to any of these issues on the forum which can help confirm the image’s source. The only way the Xiaomi Mi 5’ camera’s performance can be tested is when the user has it in their hands.

On the other hand, many have questioned Hugo about the quality of the devices and the MIUI software. Some want answers to the problems with their older handsets and the quality of the service centres back in their country.

One post was where Barra was asked about various malpractices on the forums with regards to contests and also included some more concerns, before ending with ‘I'm just a little Girl, but I promise you I will not buy any other XIAOMI Devices again my life. And all my girlfriends also will not buy anymore.’

Click here to read the posts on the MIUI forum.

Hugo has not responded to any of the fans and other user’s concerns.

Is the Xiaomi Mi 5 photo real? Will the Xiaomi Mi 5 end up in India and the other countries as soon as they launch it in China? Will the MIUI software be bug-free? Will the Xiaomi service centers be better?

What is your take on this?

Also read: Xiaomi Mi specifications leaked in a benchmark test online.

The Xiaomi Mi 5 will be unveiled in China on February 24, 2015. The device is still rumoured to sport a Snapdragon 820 chipset with 2.7GB of RAM, 64GB storage, 16MP + 5MP cameras and a 5.7-inch full HD display. The Xiaomi Mi 5 will run Android 6.0 as the base and MIUI as the user interface. The device will also sport a USB Type-C connector and a ‘large’ battery.

Also read: Xiaomi Mi 5, SD 820, USB Type-C, large battery confirmed for Feb 24.