prologue
The Poco X5 5G has arrived. This is yet another specific product in an already huge portfolio of specific products. Whether it’s display type, camera hardware or chipset features, there’s an affordable Poco for everyone.
The X5 in particular, as the official name and the box says, claims next-gen connectivity. In that sense, it is one notch above the LTE-limited M5 and M5s. But the Snapdragon 695 trades off ultimate performance and 4K recording for its 5G, while the M5s has 4K. (Obviously at an extra charge).
The 6.67 inch AMOLED display with 120Hz capability is one of the key selling points. Looking at the specs, it matches the Pro’s on all fronts, but is somehow better than the M-series screen, except for maximum brightness. .
The camera system is in a similar intermediate position. The Poco X5 has a regular camera and an ultrawide (better than the UW-less M5), but its main camera isn’t as spectacular as the M5s and X5 Pro.
Overview of specifications of Xiaomi Poco X5:
- body: 165.9×76.2×8.0mm, 188g; front glass (Gorilla Glass 3), plastic frame, plastic back. IP53, dust and splash proof.
- screen: 6.67″ AMOLED, 120Hz, 1200 nits (peak), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 395ppi.
- Chipset: Qualcomm SM6375 Snapdragon 695 5G (6 nm): Octa-core (2×2.2 GHz Kryo 660 Gold & 6×1.7 GHz Kryo 660 Silver); Adreno 619.
- memory: 128GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM; UFS 2.2; microSDXC (using shared SIM slot).
- OS/Software: Android 12, MIUI 13.
- Rear camera: wide (main): 48MP, f/1.8, PDAF; super wide angle: 8MP, f/2.2; big: 2MP, f/2.4.
- Front camera: 13 MP, f/2.5, (wide).
- Video capture: rear camera: 1080p@30fps; front camera: 1080p@30fps.
- battery: 5000mAh; 33W wired.
- others: fingerprint reader (side-mount); infrared port; 3.5mm jack; NFC.
Pull out the card tray and you’ll find another “middle option”: the X5 has a shared cutout for a microSD and a second SIM, while the M5 and M5s have dedicated memory slots, while the X5 Pro has None.
In a way, all the differentiation makes sense: the X5 is kind of a new model, since there was no vanilla X4 last year, so it needs to carve a niche for itself. There are also some Redmi Note 12 with this or that slightly different. Global Vanilla 12 is arguably the closest thing here to Poco (other chipsets, possibly brighter displays). Whether or not such fine-grained segmentation is really necessary is a question we can’t answer, but we’ll at least try to prove how good the Poco X5 itself is.
Unboxing the Poco X5
The X5 arrives in a regular Poco cardboard package. A black lid with yellow lettering covers the yellow box.
Inside, the contents are nothing out of the ordinary. You get a full set of accessories to get you started right away, including a 33W charger and USB-A-to-C cable, plus a basic clear case for protection.
