The company recently sent us the POCO Yellow variant of the device, which comes with 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage, priced at Rs 14,499. Users can also choose to buy the cheaper 4GB + 64GB storage variant of the phone, which is priced at Rs 12,499. The company is also offering Rs 1,500 off as part of its BBD Sale Discount (for ICICI and Axis Bank cardholders). We have been testing the device for a week and here is what we think about the latest budget smartphone from Poco.
Poco M5: Design
While this is a budget smartphone, there is no denying the fact that the device punches above its weight as far as the design is concerned. The Poco Yellow colour variant of the phone looks attractive and features a yellow-coloured back that is nicely complimented with black accents covering the camera island. The device will surely grab some eyeballs. During my time with the smartphone, some of my relatives complimented the attractive colour scheme and the look and feel of the Poco M5.
While the back panel is made of plastic, it has a nice leather-like finish to it which gives it a pleasantly satisfying feel. As this is a budget phone, it does have pronounced bezels and a thick chin that slightly increases the overall footprint of the device.
The Poco M5 measures 163.99 x 76.09 x 8.9 mm and weighs 201 g. While the power button and the volume rocker is present on the right-hand side of the handset, the SIM-card holder is embedded on the left side. You get a single firing speaker on the bottom of the phone.
On the front, the phone features a punch hole notch that houses the selfie shooter. The Poco M5 also comes with a headphone jack which is present at the top end of the device.
Poco M5: Display
The Poco comes with a 6.58-inch FHD+(2400 x 1080) screen with support for up to 90Hz refresh Rate and 240Hz Touch Sampling Rate. The company has equipped the smartphone with an LCD panel. While you do not get inky blacks and next-level contrast, the screen is perfectly capable of displaying sharp content. Scrolling through social media apps was a pleasant experience thanks to the 90Hz screen refresh rate support.
Additionally, the display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The device also comes with Widevine L1 certification which means users will be able to consume content in 1080p resolution on Netflix. The phone comes with a single bottom-firing speaker which is average in loudness and I found the sound to be a bit tinny.
Poco M5: Performance and software
The Poco M5 is powered by the MediaTek Helio G99 SoC and comes with up to 6GB RAM and 128 GB UFS 2.2 Storage. The device also comes with a virtual RAM feature that can add up to 2GB RAM by borrowing the same from the internal storage of the phone. There is also a microSD slot for storage expansion.
While performing basic tasks such as browsing the internet, scrolling through social media feeds and playing simple games, I did not face any issues and the phone performed well. I also played Call of Duty: Mobile on the Poco M5 at medium settings and the experience was smooth. Users will be able to set Graphic Quality up to Medium and Frame Rate up to High while playing COD Mobile on this phone.
The Poco M5 runs on MIUI 13.0.4 based on Android 12. The phone does come with support for an App Drawer. Additionally, you do get some preinstalled bloatware on this phone but you can uninstall the apps that you do not want. All in all, the phone is a decent performance for the price it finds itself in.
Poco M5: Camera
The Poco M5 packs a triple rear camera setup headlined by a 50MP sensor. Other cameras on the back of the device include a 2MP depth sensor and a 2MP macro shooter. As for selfies and video calls, the Poco M5 packs an 8MP front-facing shooter.
The handset does come with a Night Mode feature as well.
Images shot in good lighting conditions with the primary 50MP rear camera come out clean with decent amounts of detail.
The phone does struggle with its HDR performance in some scenarios. As seen in the image above, the device has preserved the highlights well as the clouds in the sky look well exposed. On the other hand, the phone has crushed the shadows, as the cars and the ground beneath the car shed appear to be shrouded in darkness. Below are some more image samples taken from the primary 50MP rear camera.
If you are shooting at night when there is very little light, the quality does degrade as expected. Users can make use of the Night Mode when capturing such scenes provided they don’t expect a miracle.
Coming to selfies, the device can shoot clean and pleasant-looking images from its front-facing camera when there is ample light albeit they can appear to be a little soft sometimes. Like the primary rear shooter, the quality degrades when there is less than ideal lighting in the scene.
The above image was captured using the 2MP rear macro camera. The performance is consistent with macro sensors on phones that are available at this price range.
Poco M5: Battery
The device is backed by a 5000mAh Battery and comes with support for 18W Fast Charging. I was easily able to get more than a day’s battery life even with heavy usage that involved playing games for a few hours, scrolling through social media sites and listening to music. It took me around 2 hours to charge the phone from 0-100 percent. The battery performance is one of the USPs of this device that may appeal to a lot of consumers.
Poco M5: Verdict
The Poco M5 features an attractive design, offers great battery life, decent cameras and good performance. Additionally, the phone also comes with a headphone jack and a MicroSD slot for storage expansion. Yes, the phone does not pack an AMOLED screen and nighttime photography with this device is not the best, but you can’t expect everything at this price range. The Poco M4 has a lot going for it and if you are in the market looking for a 4G smartphone under Rs 13,000, the Poco M5 is worth considering.
