Chinese smartphone player Xiaomi said it will launch its first product of 2016, its flagship Mi5 device, on 24 February, putting it in direct competition with devices from rivals launched at Mobile World Congress 2016.

So far, few details of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820-powered device have been revealed.

But the company has said it will be unveiled at an event in Beijing, rather than Barcelona – reflecting the China focus of the device. Commercial availability is expected shortly after, in early March 2016.

While for several years Xiaomi has been the rising star of the smartphone market, it has recently lost some of its shine – for example its 2015 shipment growth came in below expectations.

It is set to boost its presence in offline sales this year.