Xiaomi’s inexpensive phones under the Poco label have been fantastic throughout the years, giving good specifications and appealing design at costs that are far from exorbitant.
The Poco X5 line for 2023 is more of the same, and while they are a marginal upgrade over the X4 models, they remain outstanding value devices in a congested market.
I’m trying the X5 Pro, which frequently means little more that it has a greater specification than the standard device. Overall, these two phones appear identical and share many features, but the Pro has a better primary camera, quicker charging, and, strangely, newer software.
There are mid-range phone heavyweights like the Pixel 6a and OnePlus Nord 2T, but Xiaomi once again undercuts its competitors for consumers on a low budget. If you don’t tolerate a few of drawbacks, it’s astonishing what you can get for this price.
Design & Build
Small visual tweaks
Still very plastic
Lighter and more comfortable
Following the redesign of the Poco X3 Pro, things are more comparable this year, with some slight differences from the X4 Pro. The biggest one is the camera surround, which still occupies a significant piece of the back but now only has a raised area to one side with the enormous ‘POCO’ logo turned 90 degrees.
It’s trying to imitate frosted glass but looks and feels cheap with a severe lack of grip
Two of the camera lenses protrude even farther, making the phone unsteady when put on a flat surface, and propping it up with a beer mat won’t help. Despite this, the phone is slimmer and lighter this year, measuring 7.9mm and weighing 181g.
I’ve been trying the yellow variant, which, as is typical with Poco, includes a matching power button that conceals the fingerprint scanner. If you’re not into the bright colors, the X5 Pro is also available in blue and black.
Unfortunately, the smartphone’s rear cover is still plastic, and not a lovely plastic. It attempts to resemble frosted glass, but it looks and feels cheap, with a significant lack of grip. Fortunately, a basic clear silicone case is included in the packaging.
The phone is still IP53 certified, so it isn’t completely waterproof, but mid-range phones don’t always come with any protection at all. The build quality is adequate but not exceptional; you still get Gorilla Glass 5 on the front (version 3 on the standard X5), but the back is weak, as seen by how it came with the sticker when I removed it.
Screen & Speakers
6.67in AMOLED
120Hz refresh rate
Some small downgrades
Overall, the X5 Pro’s display is the same as its predecessor, with a flat 6.67in AMOLED panel, up to 120Hz refresh rate, and Full HD+ (24001080) resolution.
That’s a big screen, especially given how small it is, and its panel technology, along with DCI-P3 and 10bit color capability, provides for a stunning experience. The contrast is likewise superb, and the display is a delight to use for anything from social media to gaming.
The fact is, this can be considered a flagship-level display in an almost budget price phone
For a brief moment, the peak brightness has been decreased from 1300 to 900 nits. However, the normal brightness of 500 nits is enough for the great majority of scenarios, and I measured it slightly higher at 525 nits when set to maximum with automatic adjustment turned off.
The touch sampling rate has also been reduced from 360Hz to 240Hz, although unless you’re a gaming addict, you won’t notice. In reality, this is a flagship-level display in an almost budget-priced phone, and it is unquestionably superior to many devices in this price range.
The X5 Pro’s speakers are among the finest I’ve heard on a mid-range phone. The gadget includes dual speakers, and even at 75% volume, there’s a remarkable amount of power while maintaining clarity and a pleasant tone.
The bass is a touch missing, but that’s to be anticipated, and I’m willing to overlook that when, wait for it, there’s a headphone port on the top (yes, I still use wired headphones sometimes).
Specs & Performance
Snapdragon 778G
5G as standard
6/128GB minimum
Dynamic RAM Expansion 3.0
With its ‘The secret to win’ motto, the Poco X5 Pro is once again positioned as a gaming device. The X4 Pro, on the other hand, was found to be “a bit of a stretch” to make such promises.
When we raise the metaphorical lid of the gadget, we find the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G in the engine room, which is a step up from the 695 5G in the X4 Pro. It’s still a 6nm octa-core device, but it’s more complicated, with Cortex-A78 cores running at up to 2.4GHz.
Aside from that, you can choose between 6- or 8GB of RAM and 128- or 256GB of storage. Because there is no microSD card slot, pick your model carefully. Dynamic RAM Expansion 3.0 seeks to ‘support more background programs’.
It’s similar to what we’ve seen on other phones and simply borrows some storage space, but we can’t say how well it works because we can’t turn it on and off. The Snapdragon 778G signifies 5G network capabilities, and the phone is also dual-SIM.
Although I couldn’t get GFXBench to run for some comparison graphics results, the phone performs admirably in my day-to-day testing. Although it is not a true flagship-level chipset, the X5 Pro is quick to boot and provides excellent performance for the price.
Cameras
108Mp
8Mp ultrawide
2Mp macro
16Mp selfie
Overall, the camera system on the X5 Pro is identical to that of its predecessor, with the exception of a better quality selfie camera. However, in the rear is a 108Mp primary camera flanked by an 8Mp ultrawide and a 2Mp macro.
The macro camera is hidden in the options menu, as is far too usual, rather than having its own choice in the rail of camera modes. It’s a touch better than some I’ve used, but it’s still poor and difficult to use owing to the fixed focus, so you’re better off ignoring it until you absolutely need it.
The primary and ultrawide cameras, in that order, are significantly more likely to be used. The primary sensor is a big 1/1.52in sensor with a good f/1.9 aperture. You can shoot at full 108Mp resolution if you want, however it makes far more sense to enable the phone to pixel bin to 12Mp for storage reasons.
When photographing in excellent lighting circumstances, there is good detail, color reproduction, and exposure. It performs admirably as a point-and-shoot camera, especially considering the asking price.
However, because there is no optical image stabilisation (OIS), there is a possibility of blur, especially in low light, and video footage (up to 4K/30fps) isn’t as smooth as it might be.
cent job of cutting out my hair with a plain green background to work with.
You may convert to ultrawide mode by tapping the 0.6x zoom level in ordinary camera mode, which keeps the same color levels but results in a notable loss in quality, as is customary. Still, it comes in handy when you need to squeeze more inside the frame.
The selfie camera is 16Mp and produces high-quality images. It also has a portrait mode, which did a good job of chopping out my hair against a basic green background.
Battery Life & Charging
5000mAh battery
67W charging
No wireless charging
The X5 Pro retains its large 5000mAh battery and exceptionally fast 67W wired charging from last year. There is no wireless charging here due to the plastic rear cover.
Things may have remained same from the X4 Pro here, but you can’t blame Xiaomi when the specs remain superior to many competitors on the market and the charger is included, which cannot be true of many phones twice the price or more.
In normal use, the X5 Pro should comfortably get most users through the day without needing to recharge. Lighter users, like me, should expect a day and a half or more. I couldn’t complete the regular PCMark test without failing halfway through.
When the phone runs out of juice, the 67W turbo charger can get you to 49% in 15 minutes and 84% in half an hour, even if the gadget is fully dead. That’s amazing, but 10% lower than the X4 Pro in both numbers.
Software & Apps
MIUI 14
Android 12
Unknown software updates
So we arrive to the software part of another phone running MIUI and have to heave a not-so-small sigh of distaste.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, things are still a long way from where we’d like them to be (read any of our evaluations of a phone with MIUI from any writer).
You are presented with a garish homescreen with more colours than a kid’s soft play
And there is a new version, MIUI 14, although it just has minor (and ridiculous) changes like Super Icons, new widgets, and, strangely, virtual pets or plants – which I can’t locate on my sample as showed off on Xiaomiui.
Following an extremely lengthy setup process, you are greeted with a gaudy homescreen with more colors than a kid’s soft play. An eyesore, in part because everything clashes with the default background.
I’m not sure why a mid-range phone like this has to ship with icons that seem like they were taken from a dedicated kid’s tablet.
As always, the good news is that most of this can be customized and hence corrected. However, MIUI continues to trail behind practically every competitor in terms of intuitiveness and ease of use.
It’s annoying, which is the opposite of what you want from software, and Xiaomi doesn’t add many beneficial touches like, say, Motorola. Instead, you receive an excessive number of pre-installed programs.
Some may be valuable to you, but there are far too many for my taste. I counted 17, not including the Mi and Poco branded ones, which are mostly clones of the Google ones you’re considerably more likely to use. Netflix, Opera, Amazon Shopping, Spotify, and Genshin Impact are a few examples.
Gamers may like the Game Turbo bar, which can be accessed by swiping in from the side. It includes program shortcuts as well as a slew of utilities like as a performance booster, screen recorder, and voice changer.
As far as I’m aware, Xiaomi does not commit to a specific amount of OS upgrades, which is another disadvantage when compared to competitors.
Price
With the Poco X4 Pro starting at only £259/€299 for a 6/128GB variant, I had high expectations for this year’s model.
Going cheaper than Google and OnePlus is a certain method to stand out and entice shoppers who aren’t loyal to a single brand.
True, the Poco X5 Pro costs $299/€299 and comes with a decent 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, but you can upgrade to 8/256GB for $349/£369/€349.
Early bird rates start at $249 until February 13th, and you’ll see that the sole UK price is for the higher spec model, which is a concern for people looking for a cheaper gadget. It is available on AliExpress.
If you prefer something less expensive, the normal Poco X5 is a better deal at $249/£279, and there are several models available in the UK. Just keep in mind that you’ll receive slower charging and a lesser megapixel primary camera, among other minor changes.
Those seeking for a low-cost smartphone can choose Xiaomi’s Poco line, of which the X5 Pro is another fine example.
There hasn’t been much change since the X4 Pro, but that means there’s much to appreciate here, including a huge 120Hz AMOLED display, quick 67W charging, and a strong 108Mp primary camera.
A new Snapdragon 778G CPU and a better 16Mp selfie camera, as well as a more slimline design, are among the improvements. It’s still plasticky, and in the west, MIUI trails behind competition in terms of cleanliness and usefulness.
If you can get beyond those flaws, the X5 Pro has a lot to offer for a low price. However, it’s a shame that Xiaomi only offers the more costly 8/256GB variant in the UK, preventing the phone from being a true deal. Despite having technically lesser features, I’d rather have the Pixel 6a with its promises for £30 extra.
