Xiaomi recently launched the Poco F5 5G in India on 9th May 2023. Poco has launched a range of value for money devices with their F series smartphones. Even though the phones of this lineup are meant as mid-range smartphones, what they pack inside would easily compete with yesteryear’s flagships. And their latest innovation Poco F5 5G has pushed that line even further. Here’s how.
Key Specifications of Xiaomi Poco F5 5G
Design and Build Quality
Being a mid-range, the Poco F5 generated quite a buzz even before its release. The device also made it to our list of the best upcoming smartphones for the month of May. And after the release, the hype train has only lengthened.
Much of the excitement has to do with the design of the device itself. The F series goes for a new iteration each year and the F5 is also no different. The device has a glass front, an aluminium frame, and a plastic back.
The back design has an abstract scratch-like design that refracts under direct light. It gives off a fresh snow vibe on the white variant. The aluminium frame is boxy and sturdy, bringing some heft to the device. But the magic is happening on the front.
Read more: Asus ROG Strix G16 Review: Is it a value for money gaming laptop?
Weighing 181g, the Xiaomi’s Poco F5 5G has dimensions of 6.34 x 2.95 x 0.31 (inches). Its display is protected by the corning gorilla glass 5.
Before the Nothing Phone 1, there weren’t really any mentionable mid-range smartphones with a uniform front bezel. The Poco F5 has brought that uniformity and has done a better job at it. The bezels are much thinner all around compared to the Nothing Phone 1 and it honestly feels like a Samsung S23 from the front.
The usual selection of ports and buttons are all there. The micro SDXC has been scrapped but the headphone jack has made a comeback. It's unusual to see headphone jacks on a premium midrange device in 2023. The fingerprint and the volume button are mounted on the right. The sim tray slot is on the left with the secondary noise-cancelling mic on top.
The only gripe with the design would be the fingerprint scanner. As a premium midrange, Poco could’ve easily incorporated an in-display fingerprint scanner. But overall, the build and the design will impress most people.
Read more: Walton Orbit Y21 Review: Budget-friendly phone with a smart look
The Display
The 6.67-inch display on the Poco F5 is probably its biggest highlight. While being a midrange, Poco has somehow incorporated a 12 bits AMOLED FHD panel on the device featuring resolutions of 1080 by 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio, along with 395 ppi density.
For context, 12 bits can produce up to 68B colours, which was only reserved for the premium flagships up until now. In comparison, most midrange and some flagships come with 10 bits which produce 1B colours.
There is also Dolby Vision and HDR10+ to support such a wide colour array. And the 120 Hz refresh makes interaction buttery smooth.
The spec on the paper also translates to use. There are no weird colour shifts on the angles and everything looks much more contrasty than an average midrange. Users would definitely enjoy the panel for normal use and media consumption.
The display also has a typical 500 nits brightness with a 1000 nits HBM for perfect outdoor viewing.
Read more: OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G Review: What’s special about it?
The Camera
The Poco F5 has a triple camera setup. The main sensor is a 64 MP (f/1.8) wide-angle shooter complemented by an 8MP (f/2.2) ultrawide and a 2 MP (f/2.4) macro shooter. From the spec, the F5 has been geared to be a performance-oriented device and as such, users will be getting the same camera hardware from the Poco F4.
It's not necessarily a bad thing as the camera can shoot decent images in broad daylight. The colours look crisp with great details and dynamic range. The lack of a depth sensor means the portrait mode will be a hit or miss at times.
The low-light performance of the F5 is also satisfactory. The videography on the F5 is a bit choppy on 4K as there is no EIS.
There’s also a 16 MP (f/2.5) selfie shooter at the front. Compared to the Nothing Phone 1, the camera experience on the F5 falls short slightly. It's not a deal breaker, but if camera is the priority, then there are better options out there at this price point.
Read more: Redmi Note 12 Turbo Harry Potter Edition: Enter the Magical Wizarding World
