Xiaomi Poco X5 Pro review - Light 5G smartphone with 108 MP and 120-Hz Flow AMOLED (Redmi Note 12 Pro Speed Edition)

Since the Poco X5 Pro is marketed internationally as Redmi Note 12 Pro Speed Edition, the many similarities to its Redmi Note 12 Pro sibling model are therefore not very surprising. But also in comparison to the processor, there are not many nominal changes aside from the SoC upgrade. The Snapdragon 778G smartphone is equipped with a large and fast 6.67-inch 120 Hz AMOLED display and uses the 1/1.52 inch Samsung ISOCELL HM2 sensor as the main camera.

The MSRP of the Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos certified Poco X5 Pro is 349.90 Euros (~$384) including 6 GB LPDDR4X RAM and 128 GB UFS 2.2 storage. The top version with 8 GB + 256 GB is offered for an MSRP of 399.90 € (~$439), although the prices have already dropped significantly below the 300-Euro mark (~$329) in some cases at the time of our test. 

The Poco X5 Pro is available in three colors: black, blue, and yellow. While the plastic back is matted, the large camera module keeps its dark gloss, causing fingerprints to collect quickly in this area. The quality of the workmanship and haptics is at a solid level for a midrange smartphone, but a Redmi Note 12 Pro with its glass back exudes a bit more quality.

Barely weighing 181 grams (~6.4 oz), not only is the midrange smartphone lighter than its predecessor, but with a case thickness of less than 8 mm (~0.3 in), it is also slimmer. This is made possible by the P-OLED materials of the Flow Display technology. Instead of layering the OLED components inside glass, the display components of the X5 Pro display are completely made of plastic. This allows for a more flexible OLED display, so it can also be made thinner. 

The front of the Poco smartphone consists of scratchproof Gorilla Glass 5 that transitions evenly into the metal frame. The ratio between the display and case front is a good 87%. As its predecessor, the Poco X5 Pro also includes an IP certification according to IP53, offering splash water protection. 

With Bluetooth 5.2, stereo speakers, an IR blaster, and NFC for contactless payments, as well as a 3.5 mm audio port, the X5 Pro offers a well-rounded equipment package for the midrange. Our test unit includes 256 GB of UFS 2.2 storage, but the actually available storage space is smaller at 224 GB, due to the operating system and several preinstalled apps. Those who need additional space for videos or photos can store them on external storage media such as USB sticks via USB OTG. The current X Pro series doesn't allow you to expand the storage space by using a micoSD card. 

Like that of the Redmi Note 12 Pro, the USB-C connection of the sibling model from Poco only supports the 2.0 specification, which means that you cannot use it for wired image output with the midrange smartphone. In our copy test with a connected M2 SSD drive (Samsung 980 Pro), the transfer speed of the USB port is a low 32 MB/s. On the other hand, you can use wireless transfer of the display contents to external monitors via Miracast and watch video content from streaming services in HD quality thanks to Widevine L1.

Xiaomi combines the Android operating system with its inhouse MIUI user interface for Poco version 14. At the time of our test, the X5 Pro uses only Android 12 with the security patches from January 2023. Unfortunately, our questions to Poco Germany on the period of guaranteed upgrades remained unanswered. The Note 12 Pro sibling model is supposed to receive two large Android updates, and we can assume a similar support for the Poco smartphone. However, you should keep in mind that you already need one major OS upgrade to update the X5 Pro to the current Android 13, so that the next Android generation (Android 14) will probably be the end of the line for the X5 Pro.  

In our view, the Chinese manufacturer unfortunately saves on expenses in the wrong place here, with Samsung, for example, showing that things can also be done better in the midrange in terms of software maintenance. A Galaxy A34 receives four major updates and five years of software support. You probably cannot expect more than three years of security updates as in the predecessor for the Poco X5 Pro.  

The Poco X5 Pro determines its location via the main GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, and Beidou satellite systems but only in the single band. On the other hand, the signal strength is fairly high even indoors at an SNR value of more than 30, and the locating accuracy is also very high at 3 meters.

In order to evaluate the locating accuracy of the midrange smartphone in practice, we record a route in parallel with the Garmin Venu 2 for comparison. Even though we see some deviations in the recorded route details of the Poco smartphone, the route is often identical to that recorded by the Gamin smartwatch. At the end of the 10-km (~6.2 miles) test route, the difference between the recordings from the two devices is only 50 meters (~164 ft). The X5 Pro is therefore very well suited for everyday navigation tasks. 

The Poco X5 Pro supports dual-SIM 5G with two Nano-SIM cards as well as the VoLTE standards and WLAN calls, but not an eSIM. The voice quality is very satisfactory, and voices are reproduced clearly. Our conversation partners describe the quality of the voice recordings with the X5 Pro with its two microphones as very clear. During a video conference using the stereo speakers, the voices are also clearly understandable and sufficiently loud. 

The main camera of the X5 Pro is based on an "old acquaintance," the Samsung HM2, which has already been used in the X4 Pro. The 108-MP main camera (f/1.9) records 12-MP pictures via 9-in-1 pixel binning but still doesn't offer optical image stabilization, causing pictures to become blurry fairly quickly, particularly in the dark.

With a lot of light, the pictures impress with a very beautiful image sharpness and many details. We also like the dynamic of the pictures. However, colors are reproduced very bright with the Poco X5 Pro, appearing slightly unnatural particularly with green color tones such as in the meadow in our comparison pictures. Under low-light conditions, the Poco smartphone also quickly reaches its limits. On one hand, with its large open aperture, the pictures appear less dark than those of a Pixel 6a, and the noise level is also fairly low. On the other hand, the contours of the objects look very soft.

The box of the midrange smartphone includes a modular 67-Watt charger, a data and charging cable, a protective case, a SIM tool, and quick start instructions together with warranty information. The manufacturer doesn't offer any particular accessories for the X5 Pro in its online shop.

Xiaomi offers a 12-month warranty for its smartphone in Germany. 

The inputs on the large 6.67-inch Flow AMOLED dot display with a 240-Hz scan rate are implemented quickly and accurately up to the corners of the touchscreen. Xiaomi also equips its smartphone midrange with an attractive vibration motor that offers very accurate haptic feedback in everyday operation.

The active fingerprint sensor in the on/off button is easy to reach and unlocks the X5 Pro very reliably and also fairly quickly. There is also the less secure 2D face recognition, which is based on a face unlock function via the front camera. In daylight conditions, this works similarly speedily. 

The 6.67-inch AMOLED display of the Poco X5 Pro has a 2,400 x 1,080 pixel resolution and supports a maximum refresh rate up to 120 Hz. Those who want to conserve some battery life can also use the display in automatic mode. A refresh rate of 60 and 120 Hz is used here, which is also implemented well during our test. 

In our brightness measurements, the OLED panel reaches 770 cd/m² on average with a full-area white display, which is satisfactory for this price class but less than in the Redmi Note 12 Pro. In the APL18 measurement that is more representative of everyday operation, it reaches 774 cd/m² in the image center. 

Because of the OLED panel, PWM technology together with its display flickering is used to control the display brightness. We measure a constant 120 Hz with an even amplitude. However, the manufacturer speaks of a very high PWM frequency of 1920 Hz, which would be much more comfortable particularly for more sensitive users. In the end, we are unable to determine whether the difference here is due to our measurement equipment or such a mode that would be similar to automatic DC dimming was simply not active. 

* ... smaller is better

We evaluate the color calibration of the AMOLED panel using the Calman analysis software. In the default settings (Standard profile), the sRGB color space is targeted and almost covered completely. In the Vivid profile, we also determine only small deviations from the larger DCI-P3 color space. There are hardly any noticeable differences in the separate colors. The DeltaE values we measure show a very low deviation in the colors (<2). The display of the grayscale also only reveals a small deviation that remains within the target range (<3).

Like the Xiaomi high end, the Poco X5 Pro offers three color profiles and also an "Adjusted" mode where you can adjust the color temperature as well as single parameters such as the saturation or color space. 

The midrange smartphone proves itself to be well-equipped for outdoor use, even if the reflections can be annoying. Due to the high brightness and powerful contrast, the contents remain sufficiently readable even in direct sunlight. You should keep in mind, however, that the maximum brightness without activated brightness sensor is only 494 cd/m². 

The viewing angle stability is very good, but there is a noticeable loss in brightness from very steep viewing angles. While you can hardly see any changes in the colors, the display then looks slightly cooler.

Those who want to play some games from the Play Store with their smartphone can definitely use the Poco X5 Pro to do that. Accompanied by 8 GB of working memory, the Adreno 642L is able to reach good values in our measurements with the app from GameBench.

At medium details (HD mode), the frame rates for PUBG mobile remain constant at 40 fps. If we reduce the graphics details in the test, the graphics unit reaches a constant 60 frames per second. Less demanding games such as Armajet are able to use the full 120 Hz of the OLED panel, at least sometimes. However, after a short time period, the frame rate drops to about 70 fps. The Note 12 Pro remains more constant here.  

* ... smaller is better

For a relatively affordable midrange smartphone – with prices starting around 290 Euros (~$318) at the time of our test – the Poco X5 Pro brings almost everything that a price conscious buyer could expect: powerful hardware, fast communication modules, and extensive equipment.

Those who can get along with less SoC power will find an interesting alternative in the Note 12 Pro, since the sibling model offers a better main camera and slightly higher case quality. With its plastic case, unfortunately the latter is not one of the strengths of the Poco X5 Pro.    

The Poco X5 Pro is a great 300-Euro smartphone for those who don't like updates. However, owners of a X3 Pro would surely have wished for a better SoC, since nothing much has changed in the last two generations of the X Pro series in terms of the performance.   

Unfortunately, the Chinese manufacturer has saved on the software or to be exact, its support. Only two large Android updates for a smartphone that is still delivered with Android 12 aren't really up to the current standards anymore. In the same way, the long intervals between security updates don't belong in the midrange anymore. Here Samsung shows how things can be done better with its Galaxy A34.