Verdict
The Poco X5 Pro is a solid mid - Texas Ranger with gravid carrying out , though a frustrating bloatware - lumbering software experience may leave you looking elsewhere .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
With Poco centre on the lowly end of the smartphone market , its flagship equipment terminate up in mid - range territory . 2023 ’s top - of - the - range model from Poco is the X5 Pro 5 K – but is it still worth buy in 2024 ?
Packing a whopping 108MP main photographic camera sensing element alongside a 5000mAh battery and flagship lineament display , the X5 Pro support to live up to the pro soubriquet . However , the debut of the Poco X6 Pro and its massively beefed - up processor make the Poco X5 Pro seem like a much less tempting option .
That say , if you ’re not focused on squeeze the best carrying out out of a phone as potential , there ’s still a mickle to like about the Poco X6 Pro . Even better , it ’s useable at a deduction now that the newer Poco X6 Pro is available .
Design
Despite its affordable price tag , the design of the X5 Pro feel very familiar compare to other flagships . Poco ’s offerings have n’t always face so great in the past , so the marque ’s take an chance to complicate thing a small .
The X5 Pro takes on a more rectangular anatomy , with square up - off edge . The material body of the telephone set feels a lot more exchange premium , akin to theGalaxy S23andiPhone 14 , although without the use of spyglass . On the upper - left side of the rear , you ’ll discover the camera bump with all three of the sensor and a instant . Over on the correct - handwriting side , you ’ll recover the brand ’s signature seal of possession .
As on the standardPoco X5 , the Poco name is crabwise in block capitals . It looks rather sleek – well , as sleek as a brand name can look on the back of a phone .
Poco ’s try something a little number different with the rear of the X5 Pro , but unfortunately , it has n’t quite worked . Rather than a traditional smooth panel , the X5 Pro features a textured plastic panel . It seems the firebrand essay a more premium designing but terminate up with quite the inverse .
The plastic back feels , well … incisively like plastic . The texturing does nothing to take off from this , and the integral panel feel thin and flimsy . This year , the garish X5 look better , with a metal shine on its keister . Poco station me its stand up - out yellow color selection , but it ’s usable in black and blue as well .
move over to the sides of the gimmick , things once again feel very intimate . There ’s nothing at all on the leftover side of the smartphone . Down at the bottom is a mic , USB - C charging interface , speaker grill , and a nano SIM identity card tray ( which is quite hard to get out using an ouster tool ) .
Over on the right is the volume rocking chair and power button with a fingerprint sensor construct - in . A nice touch here is the non-white power clitoris – it matches the back gloss of the equipment , just as the erstwhile Pixels used to . And up top , you ’ll find a 3.5 mm phone seafarer , a lowly talker grille , and an IR blaster .
Screen
pluck up the Poco X5 Pro and you ’ll be greet by a 6.7 - in AMOLED panel staring with FHD+ resolving power .
It ’s a display that would n’t look amiss from flagship on the grocery . While the resolution is n’t quite up to that criterion , you will feel a 120Hz refresh rate . Expect buttery smooth piloting on the gadget , though do n’t expect it to throw off down to 1Hz like agio LTPO - enabled smartphones .
Curiously , the X5 Pro ’s display is not quite as bright as that of the stock X5 . The more premium twist only cranks up to 900 nits at maximum when watch HDR subject matter , a firm 300 nit scurvy than its meretricious twin . It ’s a very odd decision .
luminousness by , it meets the HDR criterion of bothHDR10+andDolby Vision . you could rest secure you ’ll get hopeful , vibrant picture with true - to - life semblance while watch over subject from the like of Netflix .
Sure , there are more telling displays out there , but the X5 Pro comes out guns blazing for its price cooking stove . The Dolby Vision support , in particular , is a Brobdingnagian profits for this smartphone . Though it would be decent to observe films in 4 kilobyte …
Camera
As an option at the flashy last of the market , Poco phones are n’t of necessity roll in the hay for their cameras . In fact , it ’s an area that Poco in particular seems to struggle . This generation ’s answer seems to be throwing some extra megapixels at the primary snapper in an attempt to scale things up a bit .
Images taken with the primary center are crisp , and boast vivacious colour . Pictures are bright too , thanks to the larger 1/1.52 - inch sensing element and an f/1.9 aperture . The primary snapper lets a lot of ignitor in , capture the type of picture you ’d expect from a more expensive mid - forest fire fighter , or even a bum flagship .
However , things are n’t quite so rose-colored when you look a little closer . Zoom into an image ( or but get a lilliputian closer ) and detail seems to melt away . Sharpness seems to fall apart quite speedily , leave in dirty and somewhat blurred ikon . With a 108MP main sensor , this is n’t what I ’d expect .
These extra megapixels should be capturing more particular , but it seems that AI processing and pixel bin tech favour colour capture rather than double detail . I ’ve seen a similar thing on the received X5 . And while that phone use a low-pitched resolution sensor , it propose that a lot of this is down to the software .
The radical - wide of the mark sensor works well , offer a 120 - academic degree viewing angle that captures a panoptic image without the classic fish - heart gist straining . double are lower lineament than those from the primary Chelydra serpentina , as to be expected from a lower 8MP sensing element , however , this is n’t needs noticeable at first glance .
The lenses can even moderate their own when using a digital 2x craw . you’re able to definitely notice a hitting in image calibre , just like you’re able to when zoom in on photos claim from a unconstipated soar , but the X5 Pro manages to avoid things becoming too muddy – something which can not be say for the standard X5 .
While the macro camera is a squeamish idea , it does n’t raise usable photos in most scenarios . thing are plainly far too foggy – there ’s not enough light captured by the 2MP detector Poco uses – and lack autofocus too .
Night mode is a nice idea , but is n’t a lineament I ’d find myself using on the Poco . Just like the stock X5 , it certainly make images brighter ( if not a minuscule too warm ) but lacks contingent due to the detector Poco uses . The X5 Pro ’s shots are better than those from tinny model thanks to the large sensors , but they ’re still not great . You ’re more likely to capture a better photo using the flash .
As for other camera features , you ’ll detect a Pro mood , document scanner , short videos , panoramas , Vlog mode , slow movement , metre - lapse , and tenacious vulnerability . Combining some snazzy lineament with becoming sensors , the X5 Pro is n’t a regretful television camera option for a low Leontyne Price period .
Performance
Within the X5 Pro , you ’ll find the mid - rangeSnapdragon 778 G chipsetalong with either 6- or 8 GB of RAM depending on the selection you go for . This central processor is a tone up from the one used in the standard X5 , but rather unsurprisingly , it ca n’t fit the public presentation of more premium options such as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 .
That ’s one fundamental field where the newerPoco X6 Proimproves thing , rollick an impressively capable MediaTek Dimensity 8300 Ultra that give it the best operation at its price full stop ( and even £ 100 - 200 more ) .
That said , the X5 Pro can still handle most of the tasks you fuddle at it . Unlike the received X5 , you ’d be heavily - pressed to find any stuttering in normal , everyday use . Even when gaming , the smartphone can hold its own . In our examination , it seldom missed a frame playing more complex 3D games like Asphalt 9 . And if the smartphone ever did stammer , it did so for nanosecond rather than full seconds .
What ’s the job then ? There is n’t one , particularly . The X5 Pro ’s performance is pretty solid when you ’re using the gimmick for casual chore . However , when you attempt to multitask , you’re able to feel things slack down on the phone . It ’s something you may work around , for sure , but you ’re left want more .
Running a Geekbench benchmark on the phone , I got a 786 single - core musical score , and a 2988 multi - core grade . This is mil forward of the standard X5 , which could n’t break 700 on the exclusive - core , and only just run 2000 on the multi - core .
Thanks to dedicated Speaker at both the top and bottom of the twist , the X5 Pro can blast out some middling decent sound . Sound has some level of depth to it , rather than sounding tinny and tighten up , and there ’s Dolby Atmos support when using headphones . While the X5 Pro ’s spatial audio frequency for certain is n’t anything to compose house about , it can mimic the surround sound effect to some degree .
Connectivity - wise , the X5 pack everything you ’d expect from an low-priced smartphone . It bluster 5 G for the latest in mobile connectivity . There ’s accompaniment for two SIM cards too , which comes in handy for travel . You ’ll also find Wi - Fi , Bluetooth 5.2 , and NFC for payments .
Software
Poco ’s software experience continues to disappoint , even when running the late MIUI 14 . I was n’t too happy with MIUI 13 on the stock X5 , and the update package is n’t much better .
Still ground on Android 12 , the custom skin really complicate the Android experience . It ’s clunky and unorganised , with typical actions buried deep beneath multiple push button and swipes . There ’s also a ton of bloatware pre - installed on the machine – everything from Booking.com to Netflix , and even some mobile games ! It ’s not what you require on a novel phone out of the boxful , regardless of what you paid for it .
Battery life
As I concisely mentioned in the intromission , the X5 Pro has superintend to wad in a 5000mAh stamp battery . It ’s the same size as the barrage fire in the standard X5 , and lasts about the same amount of time as shown in testing .
After an hour of watch Netflix , the X5 Pro lost 7 % of its charge . Half an hour of light play burn down through 3 % , while half an hour of acute play burnt 7 % . It ’s jolly distinctive performance that ’ll easily see you through a day of normal economic consumption , though the big businessman efficiency is n’t quite up to the same criterion as flagship like the OnePlus 11 that can render two days of use with the same 5,000mAh prison cell .
charge is pretty fast on the X5 Pro – in fact , Poco likes to call it “ turbocharging ” . It ’s 67W fast charging via a cable , which is pretty impressive for a telephone at this price power point . I could n’t take advantage of the charging , being supplied with a courser for mainland Europe , but those that corrupt the phone in the UK can wait forrard to a UK plug .
Thankfully I found a similarly matched brick to juice up the X5 Pro . It pick out just 24 minute to shoot down from 0 % to 50 % , and just over one hour to go all the way . Being capable to juice all the style up in an hour is badly telling , beat even theSamsung Galaxy S23 Ultra . And if you necessitate a quick boost before you head up out , Poco can handle that too . It ’s a huge improvement from the regular X5 , charge to full twice as quickly .
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Should you buy it?
While it ’s not the power station that is the newerPoco X6 Pro , the X5 Pro and its Snapdragon 778 G are capable enough for everyday exercise and idle gaming .
The Poco X5 Pro beat a lot of box , but its main weakness is the MIUI 14 Android tegument with an awkward UI and plenty of bloatware .
Final Thoughts
Poco ’s X5 Pro remains a solid mid - range Android smartphone , even if the newerPoco X6 Prooffers a serious encouragement in power with its overpowered Dimensity 8300 Ultra chipset .
The Poco X5 Pro still manages to match the public presentation of other devices at this cost , and outperforms them in areas like display and level . While Poco ’s camera lacks detail , its crack are brighter than those from most other affordable Android phones .
If you ’re looking for reliable performance around the £ 350 mug , then the Poco X5 Pro is an excellent option .
However , for me , it comes down to software system . I ’d pick theNothing Phone ( 2a)over the X5 Pro only for its skin of Android . Is that a little harsh ? Maybe . But the agency you interact with your earpiece 24/7 is a jolly critical element .
At the destruction of the twenty-four hour period , you ’re improbable to be disappointed with the Poco X5 Pro as a mid - range smartphone . It ’s ramp up from last year , and view as its own during daily use and more challenging tasks .
Trusted Score
How we test
We test every mobile telephone set we refresh good . We practice industry - stock trial run to compare features by rights and we utilize the speech sound as our main equipment over the inspection period . We ’ll always tell you what we find and we never , ever , accept money to review a product .
