POCO has released their new mid-range phone; POCO X5 PRO 5G. The phone is colorful, and powerful, and ticks most of the boxes. However, being a mid-range phone, it doesn’t come without compromises. If you are planning to buy the POCO X5 PRO, then make sure to read this guide to figure if this phone is for you or not.
Design and Build Quality
The phone is slimmer than the previous year’s X4 Pro, making it more ergonomic to hold. It has a lightweight of 181g, making it easier to carry around. The new design with a fingerprint-resistant plastic back panel gives the phone a cleaner look compared to last year’s X4 Pro. The back panel has a diffuse plastic feel, which may not feel premium to everyone, but it does resist smudges and scuffs. The power button on the right side doubles as a fingerprint scanner. The phone is available in black, blue, and yellow color options.
Display
The Poco X5 Pro 5G has a 6.67-inch 2400×1080 resolution display with a 120Hz maximum refresh rate, HDR10 support, and a high contrast ratio. The screen is sharp and smooth, with exceptional animation quality. The new flexible screen technology used in the X5 Pro helped make the phone thinner and shrink the bezels, making it more compact. The screen brightness can reach up to 500 nits in manual mode and 900 nits in automatic mode. However, it is slightly less bright compared to the X4 Pro and the Redmi Note 10 Pro. The phone’s stereo speakers provide great sound quality, which is expansive and not shrill.
Performance
The Poco X5 Pro 5G features a Snapdragon 778G processor, which is an improvement over the vanilla model’s Snapdragon 695. It delivers smooth performance, playing games like Injustice 2 and Marvel Snap at maxed-out 60fps settings. The phone runs on MIUI 14, but it’s not the latest version of Android. The phone comes in two configurations, 6GB RAM and 128GB storage or 8GB and 256GB storage.
The phone has a 5000mAh battery with 67W turbo charging that powers up in around 50 minutes and lasts all day long. Wireless charging is not available, but it comes with a fast charger in the box. Biometrics include a power button that doubles as a fingerprint scanner and face unlock.
Camera
Poco X5 Pro 5G features a camera system with a 108MP main camera and an 8MP ultra-wide camera, similar to previous POCO X models. However, the 2MP macro camera with fixed focus is a noticeable downgrade from the 5MP macro camera on the previous models.
In well-lit environments, the main camera produces impressive shots with depth and excellent dynamic range when using the AI mode. However, it lacks optical zoom and image stabilization, resulting in mediocre performance and reach in low light conditions. The 108MP mode is useful for capturing detail-rich shots with natural-looking, less processed photos, but the lack of RAW capture may be disappointing for photography enthusiasts.
The Poco X5 Pro 5G offers 4K video capture, which was missing in the X4 Pro 5G, but RAW capture is still not available.
Should you buy POCO X5 PRO?
Poco X5 Pro may not appear to be a significant upgrade from the X4 Pro, but it offers improved performance, making it a better-budget gaming phone. The UI runs smoothly, and the phone is thinner and lighter with a long-lasting battery and fast charging. However, the camera has not received significant updates besides 4K video recording, the screen isn’t as bright as the X4 Pro’s and the plastic back may not be to everyone’s liking. Despite these drawbacks, the Poco X5 Pro 5G is a well-rounded budget phone and a good option if you can find it at a reasonable price.
POCO X5 Pro alternatives in the U.S.
POCO X5 Pro is not available officially in the U.S. However, if you are looking to buy a similar mid-range smartphone with a better camera and decent performance then you can go for the Galaxy A53 5G.
Samsung Galaxy A53 5G offers the best display in its price range, with a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED screen perfect for media consumption and a speedy 120Hz panel. The phone also features a 5,000mAh battery and a versatile camera system with two wide-angle lenses for capturing larger scenes. However, it doesn’t deliver the same level of detail and color accuracy as the Pixel 6a. The A53 is powered by the Exynos 1280, which is comparable to the Snapdragon 750G in the Galaxy A52 5G. Despite being $50 cheaper, the A53 no longer comes with a power adapter or headphone jack, which may offset its lower cost.
