A fun fact about this phone is that it is the first Poco to feature wireless charging. The Poco F5 Pro does 30W wireless and 67W wired charging, so it’s not your standard 5W speed either. Even better, the 67W brick, a case, and a USB cable are all included in the package. The battery has a large 5,160mAh capacity. The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset in the Poco F5 Pro has either 8GB or 12GB of RAM, integrated liquid cooling, and either 256GB or 512GB of storage.
Poco F5 Pro: Description
The display is as high-end as they come: a 6.67-inch AMOLED with a resolution of 3200 x 1440 pixels, an adaptive refresh rate of 120 Hz, and touch sampling at up to 480 Hz. Additionally, the panel can emit up to 1,500 nits. The Poco F5 Pro has three cameras on the back, two of which are very useful for taking pictures: a 64MP main camera and an 8MP ultrawide (the third is a 2MP macro). On the front is a 16MP selfie camera.
On the right, you can see a visual comparison of the Poco F5 Pro and Poco F5. The Poco F5’s 6.67-inch display has a 120Hz refresh rate and is similar in size to its competitor’s, but it only has a lower 1080p resolution. The vanilla model lacks a wireless charging option but has the same cameras and a slightly smaller 5,000mAh battery with the same wired charging speed.
Poco F5 Pro: Pros and Cons
Pros
- Really speedy flagship-level performance
- Great QHD+ display
- Really accessible price point for the spec
- Fast wired and wireless charging
Cons
- MIUI software isn’t the most intuitive
- Cameras are only “ok”
Specification Table
| Display | 6.67″ OLED |
| Working memory | 8 / 12 GB LPDDR5X RAM |
| OS | Android 13 / MIUI14 |
| Connectivity | 5G / LTE / Wi-Fi 6 / Wi-Fi Direct / Bluetooth 5.3 / NFC |
| IP certification | IP53 |
| Colors | Black, White |
| Official Link | Visit Website |
Poco F5 Pro: Design
A 6.7-inch WQHD+ (3200 x 1440) OLED screen with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz is featured on the Poco F5 Pro, a typical slab. There aren’t any side angles that show any color distortion, the bezels are thin, and the colors cover the entire P3 color spectrum. However, there are a few telltale signs that indicate that these are not the premium screens found on Xiaomi’s (or other Android brands’) smartphones. The flat panel’s edges sort of stop abruptly rather than blending in with the aluminum chassis.
The maximum brightness of the screen, at 1000 nits, is also lower than on more expensive phones. The screen does feel a little dim in direct sunlight, but given the price point, it’s still quite good. we compared the Poco F5 Pro screen to the flagship smartphones with four-digit price tags that I’m used to carrying, like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. There shouldn’t be any complaints at this sub-$500 price range.
The phone’s back is made of regular glass with a glossy coating that gives it a grippy texture but also makes it more prone to fingerprints. The phone does come with a soft plastic case, but the back glass is just a regular brand-hardened glass, not Gorilla Glass, even though the front display is protected by Gorilla Glass 5. With a 5,160 mAh battery and flagship-level haptics, the phone’s 8.59mm thickness and 204g weight aren’t too bad. Along with an IR blaster, a SIM tray, a USB-C port, and symmetrical stereo speakers at the top and bottom, the chassis also houses these components.
Poco F5 Pro: Display
Android phone displays have increasingly tended to come with a full HD (1080p) resolution panel in recent years. That is accurate across a wide range of price points, but Poco excels in this area as it does in many others far more than much of its direct competition. The WQHD+ screen on the F5 Pro puts it on par with the S23 Ultra, Xiaomi 13 Pro, and OnePlus 11 in terms of sharpness.
It’s not turned on by default, like the majority of devices with QHD+ equivalent resolutions. The resolution is set to 1080p right out of the box. The theory behind this is that by setting it to a lower sharpness, the battery won’t be depleted as quickly. According to our testing, having a lower resolution definitely helps if what you want most is a longer battery life.
The full HD+ setting is more than sufficient to deliver sharp images, as we have found with so many different devices. Even up close, it would be difficult to distinguish individual pixels, but there’s no denying the extra sharpness you get from turning on the full resolution. Smaller, more minute details get clearer and crisper.
Poco F5 Pro: Camera
The ultra-wide and macro cameras on the phone’s back almost seem to have been completely disregarded by Poco, who instead chose to focus 90% of its resources (for that portion of the device) on the main camera. When it comes to the camera system on the F5 Pro, it appears that poco has concentrated the majority of its efforts (and resources) on the primary snapper. After all, that is how it ought to be.
This 64MP camera provides rich, deep colors and seems to handle HDR like a pro (no pun intended). Images are razor sharp, and the shutter reaction is lightning fast. We have nothing negative to say about the Poco F5 Pro’s primary camera. Any time of the day, we could rely on it to assist me in getting some amazing pictures.
Poco F5 Pro: Software
Regarding the MIUI 14 operating system, which is installed here and runs over Android 13, there isn’t much to report. Anyone who has used a Xiaomi phone in the past three years should be familiar with it because it is standard fare. Animations are cartoonish with extra animated flourishes, such as an app “exploding” into pieces when uninstalled or a water tube representing the phone’s storage capacity.
It is possible to restore the notification shade and shortcut toggle buttons to their original state of being on a single page. With three separate pages for display-related options, the settings menu is still a little too complicated.
Poco F5 Pro: Performance
Even more than its razor-sharp display, the Poco F5 Pro’s processor is its key feature. The Poco F5 Pro is the fastest Poco yet. The brand in general and the F-series in particular have always been about excellent performance at a price. It is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1, which up until recently was the industry’s fastest Android processor. You won’t find a more capable phone for £500, but it still performs superbly.
With 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, this model is a mid-ranger with excellent specs. In some markets, there are 8GB/256GB and 12GB/512GB variants available, but they are not offered in the UK. At least those gamers who don’t like the garish “gamer” aesthetic of the Redmagic 7S Pro will want to pay attention.
With all of the graphical settings at their highest, we was able to play the 3D console racer Wreckfest for a solid hour with playable but imperfect results. Furthermore, unlike the Poco F4 GT from the previous year, the phone didn’t overheat. Unfortunately, Xiaomi does seem to insist on preventing the standard battery of GPU benchmark tests, so unable to provide hard evidence of the Poco F5 Pro’s graphical prowess. But in a variety of form factors, the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 has proven to be a dependable chip.
Poco F5 Pro: Battery Life
The times it takes for the battery to recharge also match the sensation of speed and fluidity. Because of its 67W, even a quick top-up of 10 to 15 minutes will last you almost all day. From empty, a full refill takes about 40 minutes. Even though Xiaomi’s 120W wired charging, which comes with the Xiaomi 13 Pro, is faster, it’s still incredibly quick when compared to Apple, Samsung, and Google’s solutions.
It is the type of speed that enables you to alter your charging habits, as we have previously noted. You won’t need to leave your phone plugged in overnight or every night with 67W wired charging. It is fairly simple to wait until it reaches the dreaded 20% mark, plug it in for about 15 minutes, and then pick it back up.
There isn’t really any battery anxiety with this kind of speed because you know that even if you do manage to drain it before the day is over, you can plug it in and get back on the road quickly. You wouldn’t really be concerned about the battery, anyway. Its 5160mAh capacity is quite generous, and despite using the screen for 2-3 hours per day and the QuadHD+ resolution, we were never able to completely drain it before the end of a workday.
Final Words
We did enjoy using the Poco F5 Pro overall. My addiction to watching videos was very well served by the display and audio quality. Additionally, its primary camera is very adept at capturing some jaw-dropping images in any lighting situation. You also get 30W wireless charging and 68W fast charging.
The two years of software support, however, is a deal-breaker for me. We were also a little put off by the problems we encountered when recording videos in 4K. However, there is a good chance that you will like the Poco F5 Pro if neither of these matters to you and you don’t mind MIUI and some of its drawbacks.
FAQs
When it comes to delivering impressive performance without breaking the bank, the POCO X3 Pro keeps its word. To get there, however, there were obviously sacrifices made. Although it’s still a great choice for power users and ardent smartphone gamers, most buyers might find it to be too narrowly focused.
The M2 Pro is clearly better in terms of design, build quality, and battery life. Poco also gives you more RAM for the same price. On the other hand, the Realme 6 has a slightly better main camera and is the only phone in this price range with a high-refresh-rate screen.
