Poco X5 Pro 5G Review: Value Proposition 

Xiaomi’s reasonably priced telephones below the Poco branding have been glorious through the years, offering strong specs and engaging design on the reverse of eye-watering costs.  

For 2023, the Poco X5 vary is extra of the identical and although they symbolize an incremental enchancment over the X4 fashions, stay glorious worth handsets in a crowded market.  

I’m testing the X5 Professional right here, with the latter half usually which means little greater than it being higher-spec than the common mannequin. Total, these two telephones look very comparable and share loads of options, however the Professional gives issues like a greater major digicam, sooner charging and, oddly, newer software program. 

There are titans of the mid-range cellphone house such because the Pixel 6a and OnePlus Nord 2T however Xiaomi as soon as once more undercuts its rivals for these on a decent price range. It’s wonderful what you may get for this a lot cash for those who don’t thoughts a few downsides. 

Design & Construct 

• Small visible tweaks 
• Nonetheless very plastic 
• Lighter and extra comfy 

After the design overhaul of the Poco X3 Professional, issues are extra comparable this yr, although it has some refined tweaks from the X4 Professional. The principle one being the digicam encompass which nonetheless takes up a big portion of the rear however now solely has a raised part to 1 facet and the big ‘POCO’ emblem rotated 90-degrees. 

Two of the digicam lenses stick out additional nonetheless making this cellphone severely wobbly when positioned on a flat floor and propping it up with a beer mat gained’t assist. Nonetheless, the cellphone is thinner and lighter this yr at a formidable 7.9mm and 181g.  

I’ve been testing the yellow mannequin, which as standard for Poco, I actually like together with the matching energy button which hides the fingerprint scanner. When you’re not so eager, although, you may get the X5 Professional in a extra sedate blue or black. 

Chris Martin / Foundry

Sadly, it’s nonetheless the case that the rear cowl of the smartphone is plastic, and never a pleasant plastic. It’s attempting to mimic frosted glass however appears and feels low cost with a extreme lack of grip. Fortuitously, there’s a fundamental clear silicone case supplied within the field. 

The cellphone continues to be IP53 rated so isn’t totally waterproof however you don’t all the time get any safety in any respect with mid-range telephones. Construct high quality is okay however nothing notably particular, you continue to get Gorilla Glass 5 on the entrance (model 3 on the common X5) however the again is flimsy as confirmed by the way in which it got here with the sticker once I eliminated it. 

Display screen & Audio system 

• 6.67in AMOLED 
• 120Hz refresh fee 
• Some small downgrades 

On the entire, the show within the X5 Professional is unchanged from its predecessor so it’s nonetheless a flat 6.67in AMOLED panel with as much as 120Hz refresh fee and a Full HD+ (2400×1080) decision.  

That’s a big show, particularly contemplating how svelte it’s, and its panel tech mixed with DCI-P3 and 10bit color help makes for a stunning expertise. Distinction can be glorious, and the show is a pleasure to make use of no matter you’re doing from social media to video games. 

To nitpick on specs for a second, the height brightness has been diminished from 1300- to 900 nits. Nevertheless, the standard brightness of 500 is nice sufficient for the overwhelming majority of conditions and I measured it barely above that determine at 525 nits when set to most and automated adjustment switched off. 

The contact sampling fee has additionally been downgraded from 360- to 240Hz, however until you’re a gaming fanatic this gained’t be one thing you discover. The very fact is, this may be thought of a flagship-level show in an nearly price range value cellphone and it’s actually higher than many handsets on this value bracket. 

Chris Martin / Foundry

The audio system on the X5 Professional are among the many finest I’ve ever heard on a mid-range cellphone. The machine has stereo audio system and there’s a formidable quantity of oomph – even at 75% quantity – whereas retaining readability and tone.  

Bass is a bit missing however that’s to be anticipated and I can actually forgive that when, anticipate it, there’s a headphone jack on the highest (sure, I nonetheless use wired headphones generally). 

Specs & Efficiency 

• Snapdragon 778G 
• 5G as normal 
• 6/128GB minimal 
• Dynamic RAM Growth 3.0 

Talking of gaming, the Poco X5 Professional is as soon as once more pitched as a gaming machine with its ‘The key to win’ tagline. Nevertheless, the conclusion for the X4 Professional was that it was “a little bit of a stretch” to make these sorts of claims. 

There’s excellent news once we raise the metaphorical lid of the machine because the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G is discovered within the engine room, making a step up from the 695 5G within the X4 Professional. It’s nonetheless a 6nm octa-core chip however extra advanced with as much as 2.4GHz Cortex-A78 cores. 

Chris Martin / Foundry

Elsewhere you get both 6- or 8GB RAM paired with 128- or 256GB of storage respectively. There’s no microSD card slot so select your mannequin correctly. Dynamic RAM Growth 3.0 goals to ‘help extra apps working within the background’. 

It’s one thing we’ve seen on different telephones and basically borrows some space for storing however it’s unattainable to say how effectively it really works as we are able to’t toggle it on and off. The Snapdragon 778G means there’s 5G community help and the cellphone is dual-SIM, too. 

Though I couldn’t get GFXBench to run for some comparative graphics scores, the cellphone runs very effectively on a day-to-day foundation in my testing. It’s not a correct flagship-level chipset however the X5 Professional is nippy in use and gives completely good efficiency for this value level.

Cameras 

• 108Mp
• 8Mp ultrawide
• 2Mp macro
• 16Mp selfie

Total, the digicam system on the X5 Professional is similar as its predecessor, albeit with the next decision selfie digicam. On the again although, is a 108Mp major digicam flanked by an 8Mp ultrawide and 2Mp macro.  

As is way too frequent, the macro digicam is hidden within the settings menu quite than given its personal choice within the rail of digicam modes. It’s a bit higher than some I’ve used however stays mediocre and troublesome to make use of because of the fastened focus so that you’re finest off forgetting this digicam is there until you actually need it. 

Chris Martin / Foundry

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You’re much more doubtless to make use of the primary and ultrawide cameras, in that order. The principle sensor is a big 1/1.52in and there’s a good f/1.9 aperture. You may shoot in full 108Mp for those who like however, in fact, it makes much more sense to permit the cellphone to pixel bin to 12Mp for storage causes. 

There’s good ranges of element, color copy and publicity when taking pictures in good lighting circumstances. As some extent and shoot snapper it does job, particularly if you keep in mind the asking value. 

Nevertheless, there’s no optical picture stabilisation (OIS) right here which does imply there’s the chance of blur, notably in low gentle, and video footage (which works to 4K/30fps) isn’t as easy because it may very well be.  

You may swap to the ultrawide by tapping the 0.6x zoom degree within the common digicam mode which retains comparable color ranges however you get a noticeable drop in high quality as is typical. Nonetheless, it’s helpful to have if you wish to match extra within the body. 

The selfie digicam is 16Mp and presents glorious high quality shot and has a portrait mode which did a fairly respectable job of slicing out my hair with a plain inexperienced background to work with.  

Battery Life & Charging 

• 5000mAh battery 
• 67W charging 
• No wi-fi charging 

As per final yr, the X5 Professional has a considerable 5000mAh battery and impressively speedy 67W wired charging. With the plastic rear cowl there isn’t a wi-fi charging right here. 

Issues is likely to be unchanged from the X4 Professional right here, however you’ll be able to hardly blame Xiaomi when the specs stay higher than many rivals available on the market and the charger is provided within the field which might’t be mentioned of many telephones double the value or extra. 

In typical useage the X5 Professional ought to comfortably get most customers by a day with out worrying about hitting depletion. Lighter customers on the market like me can count on a day and a half or extra. I couldn’t get the PCMark check we standard run to finish with out failing half manner by.

Chris Martin / Foundry

When the cellphone does run down, that 67W turbo charger can get you to 49% in quarter-hour and 84% in half an hour with the machine ranging from utterly useless. That’s spectacular stuff, albeit 10% behind the X4 Professional on each figures. 

Software program & Apps

• MIUI 14 
• Android 12
• Unknown software program updates

And so, we come to the software program part of one other cellphone with MIUI and but once more should breathe a not-so-small sigh of disdain. 

On the threat of sounding like a damaged document (learn any of our opinions of a cellphone with MIUI from any author) issues are nonetheless only a manner off from the place we’d prefer it to be.  

And this can be a new model, MIUI 14, however comprises principally small (and foolish) tweaks comparable to Tremendous Icons, new widgets and, bizarrely, digital pets or vegetation – though I can’t discover the latter on my pattern as proven off on Xiaomiui. 

After an unusually lengthy setup course of, you might be introduced with a garish homescreen with extra colors than a child’s tender play. An eyesore that’s partly on account of how the whole lot clashes with the default wallpaper.

Chris Martin / Foundry

I’m undecided why a mid-range cellphone like this has to come back out the field with icons wanting like they’ve been stolen from a devoted child’s pill.  

The excellent news, as all the time, is that a lot of this may be customised and due to this fact rectified. However nonetheless, MIUI stays lagging behind nearly each rival by way of how intuitive and straightforward to make use of it’s. 

It’s irritating which is the very last thing you need from software program and Xiaomi doesn’t add many helpful touches like, for instance, Motorola does. As a substitute, you simply get an inordinate quantity of pre-installed apps. 

Chris Martin / Foundry

Some is likely to be helpful to you however there are just too many for my liking. I counted 17 not together with the Mi and Poco branded ones, that are largely duplicates of the Google ones you’re much more doubtless to make use of. Examples embody Netflix, Opera, Amazon Procuring, Spotify and Genshin Affect. 

Players would possibly benefit from the Sport Turbo bar which you’ll be able to summon by swiping in from the facet. It has shortcuts for apps in addition to a plethora of instruments comparable to efficiency enhance, display screen recorder and a voice changer.

So far as I’m conscious, Xiaomi doesn’t decide to a sure variety of OS updates which is one other mark towards the cellphone in comparison with rivals. 

Value 

With the Poco X4 Professional coming in at simply £259/€299 for a 6/128GB mannequin, I had excessive hopes for this yr’s model.  

Going cheaper than the likes of Google and OnePlus is a surefire option to stand out and tempt consumers who don’t bend the knee to only one model.  

Positive sufficient, the Poco X5 Professional prices simply $299/€299 and that once more will get you a strong 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, however you’ll be able to soar to eight/256GB for those who like for $349/£369/€349.

Early chook costs can be found till 13 February from $249 and also you’ll discover that the one UK value there’s for the upper spec mannequin, which is one thing of an issue for these merely wanting a less expensive machine

If you would like one thing cheaper, the common Poco X5 is extra of a steal at $249/£279 and there’s a alternative of mannequin within the UK. Simply keep in mind that you simply get slower charging and a decrease megapixel major digicam, together with another extra minor tweaks. 

Nonetheless undecided which cellphone to purchase? Take a look at our charts of one of the best price range telephones and finest mid-range telephones. 

Verdict 

These on the lookout for a super-value smartphone can be appropriate to look to Xiaomi’s Poco vary and the X5 Professional is one other good instance.

Not a lot has modified for the reason that X4 Professional however meaning there are many issues to love right here together with a big 120Hz AMOLED show, speedy 67W charging and a strong 108Mp major digicam.

Upgrades embody a brand new Snapdragon 778G chipset and a greater 16Mp selfie digicam, together with a extra svelte design. It’s nonetheless plasticky although and within the west, MIUI nonetheless lags behind rivals for cleanliness and value.

When you can look previous these issues, then the X5 Professional has quite a bit to supply for not a lot cash however it’s a disgrace that Xiaomi is barely providing the costlier 8/256GB mannequin within the UK, stopping the cellphone from being an actual steal.

Specs

• Android 12, MIUI 14
• 6.67in AMOLED show (120Hz, FHD+)
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G
• 6GB/8GB RAM
• 128/256GB storage
• 108Mp 1/1.52in f/1.9 major rear digicam
• 8Mp 118-degree f/2.2 ultra-wide digicam
• 2Mp f/2.4 macro lens
• 16Mp f2.4 selfie digicam
• 5G
• Bluetooth 5.2
• Wi-Fi 6
• NFC
• Twin audio system
• Fingerprint reader in Energy button
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• 5000mAh battery
• 67W quick cost tech
• 162.9 x 76 x 7.9mm
• 181g
• Out there in Black, Blue and Yellow