Poco X5 Pro Review – Hard on the mark

Poco phones are owned by Xiaomi. This almost dedicated series is specific in that it tries to bring surprisingly good equipment, which is underlined by an interesting price. Exactly such an example is the hot new Poco X5 Pro, which targets users looking for a phone with a really high-quality display, powerful hardware, good endurance and a decent main camera. Can it outshine all the competition, or will we uncover some negatives?

POCO X5 Pro 5G – videorecenze

Package contents: the case is not missing

In addition to the phone itself, you will also find a USB cable in the black and yellow sales package, which has USB-C on one side and USB-A on the other. There is also a quick charger and a silicone protective case.

Design processing: striving for originality

In terms of design, this is a pretty good piece, even if you don’t expect any inventions from the front. The back is dominated by a larger brand logo integrated into the photo module. It is worth noting the interesting surface of the back, which is decently rougher, looks original and attracts fingerprints less. However, this does not apply to the already mentioned photo module, which is shiny, attracts dust as well as fingerprints and is essentially uncleanable. Despite its larger dimensions, the phone feels comfortable in the hand, thanks to its small thickness and pleasant weight of 181 grams.

The buttons on the right side are easy to reach and are sure to press. The bottom one has a fingerprint reader, which could be a little bigger, but still works reliably. You will also find two speakers around the perimeter.

Despite the plastic processing, the body is sturdy, fully suitable for the middle class. Increased resistance takes place, however only to a very limited extent. The degree of protection IP53 only protects against rain or splashing water.

Display: the competition should be shaking

The good mood of the new Poc also sticks to the display. Look forward to a 6.67″ AMOLED panel with Full HD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. It certainly won’t embarrass the middle class, on the contrary. Apparently, the Always-On mode was also included, which would show the time and missed events on the display. Unfortunately, but everything on the display only lasts for 10 seconds, then it turns off completely. We don’t like this solution at all and it makes no sense. A small patch is the fact that you can quickly see everything by tapping/lifting the mobile. A protective film is stuck on the display from the manufacturer, in our case however slightly crooked, which breaks many a perfectionist’s heart.

Sound: it’s better in two

The Poco X5 Pro has stereo speakers that play loudly and with decent quality. Listening to headphones is even possible via the 3.5mm jack, which many will certainly appreciate.

Hardware performance: in the sign of the place

Poco phones are rarely performance-related issues. Therefore, the solid Snapdragon 778G and 8GB of RAM are not surprising. 256GB of storage is generous, leaving 231GB for your data after first powering up. In practice, this means that there is really plenty of space for your data. If you’re running low, you can easily slide up to a 1TB memory card into your phone.

Battery life: more than solid

Inside the phone is a battery with a very common capacity of 5,000 mAh. Lasting is around 1.5 days with moderate usage which is great. In addition, two days will be standard for many users. We also positively evaluate the fast 67W wired charging, with which you can use up the energy in just under 45 minutes.

Connectivity: 5G plus

The mobile phone is very well equipped in terms of connectivity. It has Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 or 5G. It is also possible to pay contactless with your phone thanks to NFC. You can always and reliably find your location thanks to GPS, GLONASS and BeiDou positioning systems. USB-C is also available and there is also Dual SIM support. However, the slot (or drawer) is hybrid, which means that the secondary space is intended for either a memory card or a SIM card.

Camera: will 108 megapixels appeal to you?

The three cameras on the back give us an idea of ​​what Poco X5 Pro has in store for us. The main sensor has a high resolution of 108 megapixels, which, however, is not unusual even in the middle class. Unfortunately, there is no optical image stabilization, so photography is evidenced by sufficient light. Interiors or night images are no longer always completely sharp and noise-free.

It is complemented by a more ordinary 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, which is suitable for taking pictures of landscapes. Inside, he is troubled by the lack of light. The list ends with a 2-megapixel macro lens, the use of which is significantly limited by the low resolution.

You can shoot video in up to 4K resolution with 30 frames per second of average quality, selfies with the camera in the display slot can have 16 megapixels and are fully sufficient for sharing via social networks.

Software: outdated Android

The disappointment comes in regards to the environment. The fact that Xiaomi, which is behind the Poco brand, is bringing the old Android 12 in 2023 is otherwise impossible to explain. Fortunately, you can uninstall everything. The optimization isn’t bad, but sometimes the phone rears its head and the home screen takes a few seconds to load. At least on the issue of patches you can be satisfied – currently the phone has January ones.

Evaluation

Poco X5 Pro 5G is an interesting and to some extent traditional effort of this brand. It emphasizes display quality and performance in combination with a decent main camera and solid processing. The downside is the older Android and the lack of optical stabilization in the camera. At a price of 8.5 thousand crowns, the competition is definitely not toothless, and the Poco X5 Pro will have to fight with customers.

Competition

There is, for example, the Samsung Galaxy A33 5G, which has a slightly worse display, but is attractive not only with a lower price, but also with a better camera, newer environment and higher IP67 resistance.

You can also consider the Motorola Edge 30 with a similarly high-quality display, better camera, but on the other hand, worse battery life.

Photo: Petr Vojtěch, mobilenet.cz