Poco X5 Pro Review: A powerhouse with a catch

If you're in the market for a new smartphone, the Poco X5 Pro might catch your eye. With impressive specs and a price tag under Rs 25,000, it promises to deliver great value for your money. But does it live up to the hype? In this review, we'll take a closer look at the Poco X5 Pro and see how it stacks up in one of the most demanding price segments. From the display to the camera to the performance, we'll cover all the key aspects to help you decide if this is the right phone for you.

Display: The Poco X5 Pro features a 6.67" FHD+ Xfinity AMOLED display with a resolution of FHD+ and a max refresh rate of 120Hz adaptive (30/60/90/120Hz). The touch sampling rate is 240Hz, and the PPI is 395 with a contrast ratio of 5,000,000:1. The display is pretty vivid and has a good touch response, which is one of the aspects I liked the best about the device. The flat display also gives a confident grip and a good typing experience on the display. The phone is great for consuming media via OTT and the speakers are decent. Dolby Vision adds to the overall appeal of the display.  

Design: The phone's design looks good with the flat sides and frosted glass back. The camera module is not over the top, which I like. The phone is pretty slim and gives a good in-hand feel, although I would've liked a little more heft. The frame is plastic and that's pretty obvious, but it doesn't steal from the overall design. The phone features Corning Gorilla Glass 5, weighs 181g, and has an IP53 rating.

Performance: The Poco X5 Pro's performance is snappy thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G. The 5G chipset consistently scores beyond 500K on AnTuTu. I did not come across any stutters and frame drops while playing demanding games like the Apex Legends Mobile. Thermal management is also efficient. When it comes to daily tasks, you won't see any problems with opening and closing or even switching apps. 

User Interface: The phone comes with MIUI 14 out of the box but it comes with Android 12. The issue is that the phone will get two major latest updates and that might end with Android 14, which is already in the preview stage. The UI is snappy but it comes with some pre-loaded apps which you will have to get rid of separately. Apart from some system apps, all of the other can be uninstalled.  

Camera: The Poco X5 Pro's rear camera features a 108MP f/1.9 (108MP ISOCELL HM2, 0.7μm, 1/1.52") sensor, 8MP ultra-wide camera, and a 2MP macro lens. The primary camera produces good results in daylight conditions, but the night shots are not something to write home about. The LED flash and monochrome setup are great for slow-motion videos, which can be captured at 960/240/120fps at 720p and 120fps at 1080p. While the phone does provide good overall composition, the details are missing. The rear camera supports video recording in 4K at 30fps and 1080p at 60fps, and slow motion video at 1080p at 120 FPS and 720p at 120/240/960 FPS.

Here are some of the camera samples taken from the Poco X5 Pro:

Battery: Battery performance is good. The phone easily lasted a day with the 5000mAh battery, and the charging adapter in the box is quick enough to get a day's worth of battery in 30 to 40 minutes. The phone also supports wired reverse charging at 5W.

Verdict: The Poco X5 Pro comes close to being a complete package. The phone looks good and the display technology has come a long way from previous-generation Poco devices. However, the device leaves more to be desired in terms of camera performance and even future software support. The buyer is spoilt for choice in this price segment and Poco gives its competition a good run for its money.