Poco, the subsidiary of Xiaomi, has just launched this Monday, February 6, 2023 the X5 and X5 Pro 5G. These two new smartphones, offered under the 400 € mark, take up a very large part of the technical sheet of the X4 GT and X4 Pro, except for the processor part. We take stock together.
As promised, Poco lifted the veil this Monday, February 6, 2023 on its new mid-range smartphones: the X5 and X5 Pro 5. With these two devices, the Xiaomi subsidiary wants to offer an entry window to accessible 5G, with an invoice placed below the 400 euro mark.
Be careful though, those who were expecting a revolution compared to last year’s X4 GT and X4 Pro 5G will be disappointed. In reality, the X5 and X5 Pro 5G have very similar technical characteristics, with a few differences of course. But without further ado, let’s see together what Poco has prepared.
POCO X5: the embodiment of versatility
With the Poco X5 5G, Poco actually offers a rather versatile smartphone, more geared towards gaming than photography. First, the device has a 6.67″ AMOLED screen in Full HD+ definition (1080 x 2400 px) with a refresh rate of 120Hz. This is a significant advance over the X4 GT, which had to deal with a 144 Hz LTPS LCD screen. In fact, we gain in brightness with 1200 nits peak and a contrast ratio of 4,500,000: 1.
Under the hood, there is a Qualcomm chip instead of the Mediatek Dimensity 8100 of the X4 GT, namely a Snapdragon 695 5G engraved in 6 nm. It comes with an 8-core CPU (clocked up to 2.2 GHz) and a Qualcomm Adreno 619 GPU.
As recent leaks predicted, the Poco X5 5G once again features a 5000mAh batteryfast charging compatible 33W (note that the charger is included in the box). The manufacturer promises an average autonomy of 20 hours depending on usage: 21 hours in video playback, 20 hours in calls, 13 hours in video recording.
On the photo side, the device has a triple sensor consisting of a 48 MP main lens, an 8 MP ultra wide-angle and a 2 MP macro. As for the selfie part, it is provided by a 13 MP front sensor. Note also that the smartphone offers unlocking by facial recognition, while a fingerprint sensor is installed on the side of the device. Finally, the Poco X5 is obviously 5G compatible and has support Bluetooth 5.1 and Wi-Fi 802.11. A 3.5 mm jack port is also included. On the price side, the Poco X5 is available in two versions:
- 6 GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128 GB in UFS 2.2 at €299.90
- 8 GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 256 GB of 349, 90 €
Poco X5 Pro 5G: a photophone for less than 400 €
Now let’s come to the Poco X5 Pro 5G. As we explained in our full test, the X5 Pro 5G’s technical data sheet is very similar to that of its predecessor, apart from a few differences on the processor side.
Indeed, to stand out from its competitors such as the Poco F4, the Redmi Note 11 Pro or the Realme 9 Pro +, the latest Poco is based on a chip Snapdragon 778G engraved in 6 nm. This Soc, designed to offer good performance in video and photo, comes with a CPU made up of Kryo 670 cores (2.4 GHz) and an Adreno 642L GPU. Here again, we find between 6 and 8 GB of LPDDR4X RAM depending on the version, and 128/256 GB in UFS 2.2 (expandable up to 1 TB).
Regarding the screen, the X5 Pro 5G has a 6.67″ AMOLED Dot Display panel in Full HD+ definition with a refresh rate of 120Hz and a touch sampling rate of 240 Hz. According to Xiaomi, this screen offers a somewhat weak brightness of 500 nits (up to 900 nits peak). Note that it is protected by a glass Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
As for the photo component, the X5 Pro 5G relies on a triple photo sensor consisting of a 108 MP Samsung main sensor, an 8 MP ultra wide-angle lens and a 2 MP macro lens for a balanced experience. On the autonomy side, the X5 Pro 5G has an accumulator of 5000mAh here again, with the difference that it is compatible with 67W turbo fast charging (0 to 100% in one hour). Finally, there is obviously 5G compatibility, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 802. 11, a dual speaker and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. Unlike the X5, the X5 Pro 5G is powered by MIUI 14 overlay based on Android 13.
Let’s conclude this overview with the prices of the X5 Pro 5G
- 6/128 GB to €349.90
- 8/256 GB to €399.90
Note that for both models, Poco offers between February 6 and 13 more than 100 € of gifts, which notably include a Poco Watch and a bracelet. For €1 more, in-ear headphones are also provided.