Poco F5 Review

Poco F5 Review: Unleashing High-Value Mid-Range Excellence

Introducing Xiaomi’s latest lineup of high-value mid-range smartphones: the Poco F5. Building upon the success of its predecessor, this device promises an impressive mid-range experience without breaking the bank. Join us as we delve into the details of the Poco F5 and discover what’s new in our comprehensive review.

Design And Build Quality:

While the Poco F5 may not be entirely new, it represents a rebranded version of Xiaomi’s popular Redmi Note 12 Turbo, initially released in Asia. Within the Poco family, however, it signifies a fresh phase, especially when compared to its predecessor, the Poco F4.

Notable enhancements include an upgraded chipset and a larger battery, providing users with improved performance and extended usage time. Moreover, the new model boasts a remarkably lighter weight of just 181 grams.

The phone features an attractive wide gradient finish, showcasing an intriguing bluish pattern beneath the surface. Both the back panel and the frame are constructed from plastic, contributing to an overall comfortable and ergonomic feel when held in hand.

Differentiating between the Poco F5 and the F5 Pro is not a challenge due to their distinct designs, particularly the camera arrangement. Interestingly, both models share identical camera configurations, which adds a touch of amusement. Furthermore, both variants boast an IP53 rating for Ingress Protection, aligning with the common trend among Xiaomi’s mid-range smartphones.

The Poco F5 showcases a 6.67-inch AMOLED display, featuring a 120Hz refresh rate and protected by Gorilla Glass 5. This display panel is similar to that of its predecessor, the Poco F4, but that doesn’t imply any shortcomings.

On the contrary, the display offers excellent contrast, color accuracy, and supports HDR 10+ video, Adobe Vision, and 12-bit color depth. Additionally, the display is impressively bright, with a maximum measured brightness of 470 nits using the manual brightness slider.

In auto mode, it can reach up to 960 nits. The device intelligently adjusts the refresh rate, automatically scaling it down to 60Hz when idling or engaging specific content or apps.

Speaker fingerprint scanner & Storage options

The standard Poco F5 offers the convenience of a traditional headphone jack, which sets it apart from the Pro model. It also features a pair of stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support.

These speakers deliver impressive loudness and clarity in the high and vocal ranges, resulting in clean and well-defined audio. However, it is worth noting that the bass response might be underwhelming for those who crave a more robust low-end experience.

Unlocking the Poco F5 is a breeze with its side-mounted fingerprint reader, seamlessly integrated into the power button. The device comes with a generous 256GB onboard capacity, but unfortunately, it lacks the option for expandable storage via microSD cards.

System Interface And Chipset:

Powering the Poco F5 is the latest iteration of Xiaomi’s user interface, MIUI 14, running on top of Android 13. However, it should be noted that the Poco variant of MIUI carries a few distinct features compared to most Xiaomi phones.

One notable difference is the presence of an always-on App Drawer, which provides a convenient way to organize and access applications. If you’re interested in delving deeper into the specifics of MIUI 14, we invite you to explore our dedicated video that covers the topic comprehensively.

The Poco F5 introduces a unique and powerful chipset, the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2, manufactured on a 4-nanometer process. This chipset marks the first time it has been utilized in a device, distinguishing it from the previous Snapdragon 7 Gen 1.

The overall performance of the Poco F5 is highly impressive, surpassing its competitors in the mid-range market, particularly those equipped with non-flagship tier processors. With abundant power at its disposal, the Poco F5 effortlessly handles multitasking and gaming requirements, ensuring a seamless experience for users.

Battery Life Cooling System:

While the Poco F5 boasts an Advanced passive cooling system, its thermal management performance left something to be desired, particularly during prolonged stress tests. The device experienced noticeable performance throttling, albeit not in the smoothest manner.

On the battery front, the Poco F5 impresses with its larger 5000mAh battery, an upgrade from the 4500mAh capacity of its predecessor. This enhancement naturally results in improved battery life, as evidenced by an endurance rating of 118 hours in tests.

Additionally, the Poco F5 supports 67-watt fast charging, enabling swift charging times. In just half an hour, the phone can reach an impressive 83% charge from 0%.

Poco F5 Cameras:

As previously mentioned, the Poco F5 shares the same camera setup as its Pro counterpart. This includes a 64-megapixel primary camera, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 2-megapixel macro camera.

These cameras work together to provide users with a versatile photography experience, allowing them to capture high-resolution shots, wide-angle scenes, and detailed close-up shots with the macro lens.

The main camera of the Poco F5 showcases noticeable improvements over its predecessor, potentially benefiting from better processing capabilities provided by the new chipset. In well-lit conditions, the 16-megapixel photos capture an impressive level of detail, exhibiting good sharpness and a wide dynamic range.

Colors appear vibrant, although they can lean slightly towards being oversaturated, particularly in green grass and foliage. Portrait mode shots turn out well, offering ample detail and accurate colors, although the background separation may falter in complex scenes.

Even in low-light conditions, the Poco F5’s main camera doesn’t disappoint. It delivers impressive sharpness, retaining fine details, and producing accurate colors with sufficient dynamic range. However, there might be instances of clipped highlights in certain scenes.

Night mode photos initially appear great, but closer inspection reveals excessive sharpening and noise suppression. Nevertheless, highlights are restored, and the images are brightened to some extent.

The main camera also supports video recording at up to 4K resolution and 30fps. The resulting videos exhibit vibrant colors, good dynamic range, and satisfactory contrast. The electronic stabilization feature effectively reduces unwanted motion, providing smoother footage.

Ultra-Wide Camera:

The ultra-wide camera of the Poco F5 delivers decent results in well-lit conditions. While the level of detail and sharpness may not be extraordinary, they are acceptable. The dynamic range and colors also fare reasonably well, with satisfactory contrast.

However, in low-light situations, ultra-wide photos tend to be darker and fall short of expectations. Night mode can help restore some highlights, but the overall image quality may appear blurry.

In terms of video recording, the ultra-wide camera supports a resolution of 1080p. The resulting videos exhibit decent colors and contrast, but they lack sharpness, detail, and dynamic range.

Macro Cam: Indeed, the 2-megapixel macro camera on the Poco F5 does not offer much to be excited about. Its performance may be limited, resulting in underwhelming results. Check out the latest price of the Poco F5 Here.

Selfie Camera:

When it comes to selfies taken with the 16-megapixel front-facing camera, there is a good amount of detail captured, and the sharpness is reasonably decent. However, the colors may appear lackluster, lacking vibrancy and vitality. Additionally, the samples taken with the front camera may exhibit noticeable graininess, which can impact the overall image quality.

In summary, the Poco F5 stands as a solid mid-range smartphone, excelling in various aspects. With its powerful chipset, impressive speakers, and vibrant display, it offers a satisfying user experience. The device’s battery life is commendable, coupled with fast charging capabilities.

The camera performance, while not extraordinary, is still quite good for its class. Although there are cheaper mid-range options available, considering its price tier, the Poco F5 provides ample features and functionality, making it a worthwhile recommendation. Check out the latest price of the Poco F5 Here.

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About the author: Edouard Balik is a Tech writer at Superfashion.us website. He creates Tech related articles using natural creativity and language tools, Market realities. Edouard loves discussing smartphones and smartwatches Tech and specs using his expertise in the field and reading their news. https://twitter.com/BalikEdouard