Poco is eyeing to heat up the mid-range segment competition to a new level by launching its latest Poco X5 Pro 5G. Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G, the latest Poco X5 Pro 5G will be taking on the likes of Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus and Realme 10 Pro.
Design
The Poco X5 Pro 5G comes with a flat design with light body weight which is mainly due to the plastic body built. The variant we got for this review came in the Horizon Blue colour which, under bright light, has a shiny texture. At the rear side lies a square frame with three camera sensors that protrude a little and an LED flash. The shiny rear design no doubt looks good, but it attracts smudges and requires timely cleaning.
The front side is all-screen with minimal bezels on the sides and a very thin chin at the bottom. On the right side of the phone lies the power button and the volume rockers, whereas the left side is completely blank. Just like the previously reviewed Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus, the top side of the phone holds a 3.5mm headphone jack, speaker grille, IR emitter and a secondary noise cancellation mic. At the bottom lies the SIM tray, TYpe-C port, and speaker grille. The screen of the phone is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and has IP53 certification to safeguard the phone from dust and water splashes.
Display
The new Poco X5 Pro 5G features a 6.67 inches AMOLED display size with an aspect ratio of 20:9. The display has an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz, which varies according to the usage. The phone offers 240 Hz of touch sampling ratio, which allows you to surf smoothly on the screen and is of major help when it comes to gaming.
The display has Dolby Vision and HDR 10+ support which allows the phone to stream content in high definition from YouTube, Amazon and Netflix, thus enhancing the viewing experience. The phone comes with 500 nits and 900 screen visibility, which are quite good, allowing it to read content easily on the screen.
OS
Poco X5 Pro 5G is running on Android 12 and has the company’s MIUI 14 interface. The UI offers a compartmentalized section according to the categories of applications which we liked. There are several other smart features available in the settings section, like the ability to clone certain apps etc., which you can opt for.
(For top technology news of the day, subscribe to our tech newsletter Today’s Cache)
Processor
The new X5 Pro is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G (6nm) chipset that supports 5G, and has octa cores where one core is clocked at 2.4GHz Cortex-A78 (Kryo 670 Prime), three cores at 2.2GHz Cortex-A78 (Kryo 670 Gold), and rest four at 1.9GHz Cortex-A55 (Kryo 670 Silver). We feel that the use of the Qualcomm processor over MediaTek is a smart move from the company as the Snapdragon 778G offers a fraction of fast processing time over Dimensity 1080 SoC which we saw in Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus.
The phone handles every task with ease, and we did not come across any lag while multitasking or switching apps regularly. The company has used an Adreno 642L GPU to handle games. We were able to run every game comfortably, and the 240Hz TSR assisted us very well in navigating quickly while playing intense games. Also, the presence of 12-layers graphite heat dissipation allows for the management of the heat quite effectively.
The processor is further assisted by 8GB RAM, which helps the processor to distribute every task smartly. For storage purposes, there is 256GB of ROM available on the device.
Camera
Poco X5 Pro 5G has used triple rear camera sensors to help customers deliver clear images. The company has used a 108MP primary lens with an aperture of f/1.9, followed by a secondary lens of 8MP with an aperture of f/2.2 and has 120-degree FoV. The third sensor is a 2MP macro lens with an aperture of f/2.4. The images captured by the primary lens were detailed, as we saw the images maintained the colour and contrast balance quite well.
The Poco X5 Pro 5G has used triple rear camera sensors which maintain details even under low light conditions in the right balance. | Photo Credit: Haider Ali Khan
The 108MP lens, we feel, is comparatively better than the default camera setting as it manages to capture wide angles, and the contrast level is deep. The ultrawide lens is on point as well when it comes to capturing sharp details. The detailing in the ultra-wide images was caught in a very defined manner, incorporating every detail. The portrait images captured were good, and the background was separated nicely, but we feel on some occasions, the distinctions were not clearly defined.
The pictures taken at night maintained details in the right balance. On some occasions, we felt that the exposure turned out to be a little bright. We suggest using the night mode to capture crisp and with the right colour and shadows.
To capture selfies, the phone comes with a 16MP selfie lens with an aperture of f/2.4. The selfies taken were detailed with no additional AI effects changing the skin tone or over-beautifying.
Battery
The new Poco X5 Pro 5G is powered by a 5,000mAh battery. The power provided by the battery is enough to make you use the phone quite comfortably throughout the day. To charge the phone, the company has provided a 67W charger which takes around 50-55 minutes to completely charge the phone.
Verdict
The new Poco X5 Pro 5G has every trick under its sleeve to emerge as one of the favourites in the mid-range segment, considering the price and the features it offers. It is surely going to give tough competition to the recently launched Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus and Realme 10. The Poco X5 Pro 5G starts at ₹22,999.
