Xiaomi Poco F5

Xiaomi Poco F5 Review

The Xiaomi Poco F5, launched on May 1, 2023, enters the mid-range market with a focus on performance and a smooth display experience. It measures 161.1 mm in height, 75 mm in width, and 7.9 mm in depth, weighing 181 grams.

Build Quality

The device maintains a fairly standard design, with no foldable mechanisms. The materials and construction offer a decent in-hand feel with a thickness of 7.9mm and a weight of 181g. It is available in Black, Blue, and White color options. A side-mounted fingerprint sensor is included for security. The device does not come with an IP rating for water or dust resistance, so it should be kept away from water.

Screen Quality

The Poco F5 features a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels (FHD+), resulting in a pixel density of 395 ppi. The screen boasts a 120Hz refresh rate, supporting 68 billion colors and HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, providing vivid and smooth visuals. The display also offers a typical brightness of 500 nits, with peak brightness reaching 1000 nits. With 2.5D curved glass and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for protection, the display is further enhanced with features such as a 1920Hz PWM, a 240Hz touch sampling rate, and DCI-P3 and sRGB color space coverage, and a 12-bit panel (10-bit + 2-bit FRC). The screen has a contrast ratio of 5,000,000:1 and is certified by SGS.

Camera Performance

The Xiaomi Poco F5 comes equipped with a triple-camera setup on the rear. The main camera is a 64MP Omnivision OV64B sensor with an f/1.79 aperture and OIS. The secondary lens is an 8MP Sony IMX355 wide-angle lens with an f/2.2 aperture. The third camera is a 2MP macro lens with an f/2.4 aperture, and a GalaxyCore GC02M1 sensor. The front-facing camera is a 16MP Samsung S5K3P9 sensor with an f/2.45 aperture. The rear camera can record video at 4K@30fps with EIS, 1080p@30/60/120fps with EIS, and the device can shoot slow-motion video at 240fps. Camera features include dual-LED flash, autofocus, panorama, HDR, face detection, and night mode among others. The ultra-wide-angle lens is 119 degrees and the macro lens can capture shots up to 4cm.

Software Experience

The Poco F5 launches with Android 13, and is expected to receive an update to Android 14. The device's chipset is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 (4 nm) which includes an Octa-core CPU (1x2.91 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.49 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A510) and an Adreno 725 GPU. The device comes in configurations with 8GB or 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage and it achieves an Antutu score of 1134558 (v10). The device does not have a microSD card slot. The device includes stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos support and Hi-Res Audio, noise-cancelling microphone, dual microphones, and a cooling system. The Poco F5 also incorporates the following sensors: fingerprint, light sensor, accelerometer, compass, gyroscope, and ultrasonic proximity (virtual). It has no notification LED or gaming buttons.

Battery Performance

The Poco F5 is powered by a 5000 mAh Li-Polymer battery. It supports 67W fast charging but lacks wireless charging. The device utilizes a USB Type-C 2.0 port with OTG support.

Value for Money

The Xiaomi Poco F5 is positioned in the medium price range, with the 12GB/256GB variant varying from $290.39 to $463.13, based on the vendor and market. This pricing places it as a competitor in the mid-range smartphone market, offering strong performance, a good display, and adequate camera capabilities at a competitive price. Connectivity features include Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, and dual SIM capabilities. Network bands include comprehensive 5G, 4G LTE, 3G, and 2G support.