The launch of the POCOM2Pro in July 2020 by Xiaomi’s subbrand POCO saw them double down on budget phones, giving birth the M line. While this series expands Xiaomi’s budget offerings some models were rebranded Redmi phones.
Like Redmi, POCO has enjoyed the greatest success in the budget market in recent years, especially in European and Asian markets. POCO’s M series phones are among the most affordable on the market. The POCO M3The M4 series was a prime example of how a Chinese phone manufacturer can create distinctive designs in the low cost segment.
POCO continues that trend with its POCO M5, It debuted September 5 with its sibling M5s(which I will cover in a separate report). This is the latest member in the POCO M line. It has a unique design that provides a premium experience without costing too much.
POCO M5 Price and Availability
The POCO M5 now has a limited availability in selected markets. The entry-level POCO M5 phone is now available in select markets. Although there are no physical POCO stores in the United States of America, you can purchase it via Amazon starting at $210. You can choose from black, yellow or green colors.
Elsewhere, the device is available to buy through Amazon Netherlands for €258, which gets you 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. In Germany, the phone retails at €190 for the 4GB/64GB configuration and €210 for the 128GB storage variant. POCO sells it in India at INR 15,999 for the 4GB/64GB variant and INR 18,999 to the larger storage option.
POCO M5 – What’s good?
The POCO 5 has many appealing features. It borrows from the POCO M3’s design. M4 ProThe design style guide of’s and some enhancements to it. This model features a large camera island which extends over the top of the back panel. This unique design makes the phone stand apart from other phones. best cheap Android phonesOn the market
The faux leather finish at the end of the matte black plastic frame helps to add design flair to the back. These elements make it easier to hold the phone and prevent fingerprint grease. The phone is also light, meaning you can watch movies in bed while only using one hand. It won’t weigh much and will not significantly impact your wallet.
I also like that POCO squeezed a 3.5mm headphone jack into this phone — a rare sight nowadays. The USB-C port is used for data transfer and charging. The handset’s fingerprint scanner, which is mounted on the side of the phone, is fast and accurate.
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Although Xiaomi’s MIUI may not be my favourite Android skin, MIUI 13 for the POCO M5 makes an exception. This version has removed too much bloat, unlike previous generations. MIUI’s control features are also worthy of special mention. The phone’s software offers a remarkable level of customization, in addition to its beautiful aesthetics. You can choose between a touch or a button press for fingerprint recognition. You can also modify the response of the power button to a double tap (launch Google Assistant, or the camera). Volume controls are available per-app.
The POCO M5 is a strong product with a great design, impressive battery life and decent performance.
The handset’s MediaTek Helio G99 6nm processor delivers solid performance for common tasks such as multitasking, browsing web and taking photos. You can expand the RAM with MIUI’s virtual RAM extension feature. The phone comes with up to 6GB RAM. This feature is also shared by many Chinese brands like Vivo and Realme, as well as Xiaomi.
Genshin Impact and PUBG Mobile were also played well by the chipset. The last game, Genshin Impact, was particularly demanding, with frequent frame drops. It wasn’t so significant that it adversely affected the user experience. Thanks to the 90Hz refresh rate of the screen, gaming was smooth.
Speaking of the screen, the POCO M5 has a practical 6.58-inch IPS LCD screen running at a 2408 × 1080 resolution. The motion and scrolling are fluid thanks to the 90Hz refresh rate. You don’t need to strain your eyes when reading messages.
The IPS display may not be as vivid or deep-contrast rich as OLED screens but it is still a very serviceable screen. The screen of the POCO M5 is sharp and vivid. However, it can be easily changed in the settings menu to alter its color temperature.
Except for the bottom chin, the bezels around this screen are also very slim. It is an expected sight in low-cost smartphones so it shouldn’t be a dealbreaker.
| Specifications | POCO M5 |
|---|---|
| Software | MIUI 13 is based on Android 12. |
| Display | 6.58 inch FullHD+ IPS LCD with 90Hz and 500 nits brightness |
| Chipset | Octa-core MediaTek Helio G99 (6nm) |
| RAM | 4GB, 6GB |
| Storage | 64GB, 128GB |
| Rear Camera 1 | 50MP, f/1.8 (wide) |
| Rear Camera 2 | 2MP, f/2.4 (macro sensor) |
| Rear Camera 3 | 2MP, f/2.4 (depth sensor) |
| Front camera | 5MP, f/2.2 |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth, NFC |
| Batteries | 5000mAh, 18W |
| Security | Side-mounted fingerprint |
| Colors | Black, Green, Yellow |
| Dimensions | 164 x 76.1x 8.9mm |
| Weight | 201g |
One of the most attractive features of the POCO M5 is its battery life. It has a remarkable battery life that can be used between charges. The phone can last almost two days without requiring a charge if you don’t watch Netflix or play games.
The battery level has been well above 45% for the past two weeks I have used the phone after a full charge in morning. A budget phone has a more simple screen and less complex specs which means a longer battery life.
If your day includes heavy tasks such as gaming or GPS navigation, then this may not be the case. The handset can still be charged for up to a full day without needing to be recharged. That’s some impressive stamina.
POCO M5: What’s wrong?
Like many complaints about Xiaomi/POCO smartphones, the software I tested often displayed in-UI ads. I was able to spot them when I woke up the phone. If you install an application from the Google Play Store, ads are also displayed. A few years back, Xiaomi explained to me that ads were a major reason why their phones are more affordable than other brands. This strategy seems to be here to stay.
The phone’s charging process is slower than you might expect, despite the fact that it comes with a 22.5W power block. It only supports 18W charging which is not ideal for those who are in hurry. The POCO Mo3 was launched in 2020 and has the same charging ability. There have been no changes to that feature for two years. However, unlike its spiritual predecessor, the M3 supports reverse charge. You’ll have to wait longer for the phone to fully charge due not only is it lacking wireless charging but also the 18W charging rate. My experience is that it takes approximately 45 minutes to charge 100% from zero.
The phone’s rear-facing camera is not the best. The phone is very attractive and will likely win no best-in-class awards. However, it is not a terrible camera. In fact, the primary photographer can capture some beautiful images with excellent color reproduction in broad daylight. The camera does a great job of balancing brightness. The output was however a bit too soft for me.
POCO has made some compromises in order to lower M5’s cost.
The edges are noticeably soft and the dynamic range fails in bringing out details as well as they should.
Worse still, the phone is missing an ultra-wide sensor in favor of two sensors (depth/macro), which I was unable to appreciate. The 2MP depth sensor is not able to detect edges and the macro sensor produces low-resolution photos. You shouldn’t expect a breakthrough image quality at this price.
In low light situations, things don’t get much better. The POCO M5 has a noisy camera that can lose details and blur the images. Budget phones are notorious for this problem. These drawbacks are fixed by the dedicated night mode. It takes a while to focus on and capture the subject in this mode.
The 4K video recording is another missing feature. At 30fps you only get 1080p, which is pretty low. Smartphone cameras with higher prices can do better jobs.
For a phone that is so cheap, you can take great selfies. I managed to get a few photos that were color-accurate and with little detail loss. Selfie photos can also be used on social media, such as Instagram.
If you have used a Xiaomi phone before, the camera interface should be easy to use. The camera interface is easy to use, and there are toggles for HDR, flash, Google Lens and beauty filters. AI-assisted scene recognition isn’t available.
POCO M5 camera samples
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The phone’s RAM management also caused problems for me. POCO states that the M5 comes with a virtual RAM upgrade feature. But, I found that apps would sometimes reload even when there were only a handful of apps running. Isn’t this a waste of time?
Software support is another problem. Software support is another issue. The company has not planned to add more than two year’s OS updates to its M5 as it did with previous models in the POCO M series. This is where Chinese OEMs fall behind Samsung and other budget handsets that offer four years of security updates and three years of OS upgrades.
POCO M5 Competition
The POCO M5 is up against stiff competition in its price bracket. There are many budget phones that offer the same or better value than this phone.
Realme’s 9i5G is an excellent alternative. It offers the same 5,000mAh lithium battery and 18W fast charging speed. There are also reliable hardware such as a MediaTek Dimensity810 and 5G connectivity. Although it costs less than the POCO 5G at $15,999 (approximately £197), the base variant has 4GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage.
Then, there’s the Samsung Galaxy A32 5GIf you are looking for an ultrawide angle lens at your back, the, which is still a great choice in 2022. You get even more value for $225 with a better camera experience, and the ability record 4K video. It runs on the Dimensity 720 chipet from MediaTek. It is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5, despite the limited resolution of 720 x 1600.
Redmi Note 11S also challenges the POCO M5, which is available at $245 and also comes from Xiaomi. The price includes 33W fast charging speeds and an AMOLED screen that has a peak brightness at 1000 nits. There is also a main sensor with 108MP, which is augmented by an 8MP ultrawide camera.
POCO M5: Should You Buy It?
It is a good idea to buy it if…
- A phone that is affordable and has a unique design is what you want
- Performance is a primary consideration
- You don’t want to spend too much time with a charger
- A screen with enough brightness is required to allow direct sunlight to reach it.
If it is…
- Budgets require 5G
- You want the best looking images
- You are looking for faster charging speeds
Many people consider price when buying a smartphone. The POCOM5 is affordable. You get a bright display and a processor capable of handling any task. The price is just over $200. Because of the phone’s incredible battery life, you will have plenty of time between charges.
If you dig deeper, you will find some areas in which Xiaomi made a mistake. For example, the camera setup is not something to be proud of. There are also some other niceties, such as 5G, wireless charging and Wi-Fi 6. The final decision is down to your priorities, and how much money you are willing to spend.
The POCO M5 is a great budget phone with great value. Although there are some compromises, the main selling points of this phone are its low price and long battery life.
The POCO 5 has a unique design, reliable performance and an amazing screen refresh rate. This is the phone for you if 5G is not required.
