POCO F5 5G Review with Pros and Cons
We all know that POCO had lots of issues with the motherboard and over the years, they have tried fixing it but still, they’re offering 2 years of extended warranty with POCO F5 5G.
For now, let’s forget about the motherboard issues and focus on POCO F5 5G because the phone looks and feels fantastic at the Rs 29,999 price tag.
POCO F5 5G Price
The POCO F5 5G price in India starts from Rs 29,999 for 8GB of Ram and 256GB storage while the 12GB of Ram and 256GB storage variant is available at Rs 33,999.
The device is sold via Flipkart IN and it comes in Snowstorm White, Carbon Black, and Electric Blue color options.
Contents
POCO F5 5G Review
The POCO F5 5G is made for power-hungry users while it doesn’t have the best cameras whereas a Dolby Vision-enabled display will provide the best viewing experience. The story is, it’s a powerpack smartphone that targets gamers.
So yes, the POCO F5 5G is worth buying but if you’re looking for a smartphone that also takes good images then you should take a look at Nothing Phone 1 however if you’re into mobile gaming then as of now, you won’t find a better option then the POCO F5 5G under Rs 30,000.
Display Quality
The POCO F5 5G has a 6.67-inches 120Hz AMOLED display with a peak brightness of 1000 nits, supporting Dolby Vision and HDR10+.
It doesn’t have the in-display fingerprint sensor but it does have a side-mounted fingerprint sensor which again works well. You also have the option to use face unlock.
POCO has used plastic on the back side, now, the plastic doesn’t look that great but still, ist not the worst at the same time while you will use the case, so it won’t make a huge difference.
Now, of course, if you want the best-looking smartphone that also comes with a premium build then POCO F5 5G is not made for you, kindly consider the Nothing Phone 1.
The front is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 5, so yes, this is where POCO has played a smart game, they have spent money where needed the most.
Also, the phone supports Dolby Vision and the good news is, you will be able to watch Dolby Vision content on Netflix as well. So it’s not like the Dolby Vision is not paper, it actually works in almost all the OTT platforms.
Overall, for the price of Rs 29999, one should not complain about the display quality while the build is not up to the mark but still, it’s not the worst for the price it comes.
Performance
POCO F5 5G is the first smartphone to come with Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 which is the latest processor from Qualcomm.
Now, don’t get confused by the naming, the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 is almost similar to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus. In short, you will get the best performance.
As I have said, if you’re looking for a gaming phone under Rs 30,000 then you can consider the POCO F5 5G as it provides flagship-level performance.
POCO has also added 11 5G Bands in POCO F5 5G which means, you will be able to take advantage of the 5G network whenever it comes to your city.
POCO F5 5G Bands
- 5G (SA): n1, n3, n5, n7, n8, n20, n28, n38, n40, n41, n77, and n78.
- 5G(NSA): n1, n3, n5, n7, n8, n20, n28, n38, n40, n41, n77, and n78.
The base variant starts at 8GB Ram + 256GB storage which again is the killer deal. It also has UFS 3.1 storage and LPDDR 5.0 RAM support for a smooth experience.
You’re getting all the premium features in a mid-range smartphone but the only problem you might have with POCO F5 5G is MIUI.
The phone runs on MIUI 14 based on Android 13 while it will get 2 years of OS updates and 3 years of Security updates.
This is all promised by POCO, also, POCO doesn’t have a good record when it comes to the update cycle.
The good news is, the phone doesn’t have as many ads as Redmi Phones, however, when you’re setting up the POCO F5 5G, you will get an ad pop-up which you have to disable otherwise, You will see ads here and there.
Related: Best Smartphones Under Rs 25,000
Now, you can also disable the ads by going to the settings but it’s good to disable them when you set up the phone for the first time. Otherwise, you will have to find a setting that is just a waste of time.
The moral of the story is, POCO F5 5G is a beast when it comes to performance while MIUI 14 has improved compared to MIUI 13, so you won’t face any problems.
Now, I can’t comment on the motherboard issues, I mean, no one can comment on it. So let’s wait and see what happens with POCO F5 5G after a year.
Still, buy the POCO F5 5G at your risk because lots of users have reported motherboard issues with even POCO F4 5G.
As of now, I didn’t have noticed any heating issues and the phone is working fine but in the long run, we have to wait and see.
Cameras
POCO F5 5G comes with 64MP primary sensor, 8MP ultra-wide lens, and 2MP macro sensor while there is a 16MP selfie shooter on the front. The rear cameras can shoot videos at [email protected] and [email protected]/60fps while the front can shoot at [email protected]/60fps.
The 64MP primary camera has OIS but for some reason, it’s not working well in videos whether it’s 1080p or even 4k. I mean, it works but not the best, it more feels like the EIS is doing its job rather than OIS.
What I’m saying is, POCO needs to fix this issue because the OIS is present in the device, it’s just that the camera needs a bit of optimization.
In short, don’t expect much more videos.
Now, the images do look great because it’s more on the saturated side while for some reason, the phone is producing yellowing colors.
This feels like POCO didn’t bother to work on the camera’s sides at all. They just added the OIS and all the other numbers.
The ultra-wide lens is just there, don’t expect much from it. Again, as I have said if you’re taking images under good lights or under sunlight then you will get good images with an ultra-wide lens but under low lights, it feels more like a 10k smartphone rather than 30k.
The 16MP front camera is just like any other budget smartphone, it produces soft and whiter images which are liked by most Indian users and this is the reason why POCO has used this kind of image processing.
Related: 5 Best Smartphones Under Rs 20,000
So if you’re hoping that POCO F5 5G will provide natural images then don’t because it will give you saturated and softer images all the time.
Again, the camera can be fixed with updates but POCO is not good with updates, so I can’t comment on whether the cameras will get better or worse.
The moral of the story is POCO F5 5G is a gaming phone, so don’t expect much more than the cameras.
I have said many times that to get some things, you will have to lose a few features while in the case of POCO F5 5G, it’s the CAMERAS.
Check out the camera samples of POCO F5 5G
Audio
The good news is, the POCO F5 5G has a 3.5mm audio jack along with a stereo speaker which is as good as other flagship smartphones.
The carrier aggregation support does help when the phone is not getting good singles.
Overall, if you will be more than happy with the audio quality, and as this is a gaming phone, you can also take advantage of the 3.5mm audio jack.
Battery
The 5,000mAh battery will easily last for the day as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 will take care of everything.
Also, if you’re a normal user who doesn’t play games for 3 to 4 hours every day then the phone can also last for 2 days.
POCO has also added a 67W wired charger in the box which will take about 46 minutes to charge from 0% to 100%. There is no wireless charging support.
Overall, you will be happy with the battery life and even with the charging speed. Again, if you want wireless charting then do take a look at Nothing phone 1 which is also priced at ts 29,999.
POCO F5 5G Pros and Cons
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| 120Hz Dolby Vision AMOLED Panel | Plastic Back |
| Faster Ram and Storage Support | Missing NFC |
| Stereo Speaker with 3.5mm Audio Jack | Rear and Front camera needs Optimizations |
| Flagship Performance with Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2 | OIS doesn’t work Well |
| 11 5G Bands | No SD Card |
| Longer Battery Life | Filled with Bloatware |
| 67W Wired Charging Support | |
| Lightweight Build | |
| Available at Good Price |
Verdict
POCO F5 5G
Still, if you’re confused then feel free to comment, see you there.
POCO F5 5G Full Specifications
| Price | 8GB Ram + 128GB storage: Rs 29,999 12GB Ram + 256GB storage: Rs 33,999 |
| Display | 6.67-inches FHD+ AMOLED Display 1000 nits Pick Brightness Dolby Vision 12-bit Panel 120Hz Screen Refresh Rate 88.99% Screen-to-Body Ratio IP53, dust and splash resistant |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels resolution. |
| Dimensions | 161.1 x 75 x 7.9 mm. Weight: 181g (6.38 oz). |
| Build | Glass front, (Corning Gorilla Glass 5). Plastic Back. |
| OS | Android 13 – MIUI 14. 2 Years of OS Updates. 3 Years of Security Updates. |
| RAM and Storage Speed | LPDDR5 Ram. UFS 3.1 Storage. |
| Chipset | Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 (4 nm). CPU: Octa-core (1×2.91 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3×2.49 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A510). GPU: Adreno 725. 3725 mm2 Vapour Chamber. |
| 5G Bands | 11 5G Bands. 5G (SA): n1, n3, n5, n7, n8, n20, n28, n38, n40, n41, n77, and n78. 5G(NSA): n1, n3, n5, n7, n8, n20, n28, n38, n40, n41, n77, and n78. |
| SD-Card Slot | No |
| Rear Cameras | 64MP Primary Sensor (OIS), 8MP Ultra-Wide, 2MP (Macro). Video [email protected]/60fps, [email protected] |
| Front Camera | 16MP Selfie Shooter. Video [email protected]/60fps. |
| 3.5mm Jack | Yes. |
| Speakers | Stereo Speakers. |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 Version. |
| FM Radio | No. |
| NFC | Available in Global Variant, Not Available in the Indian Variant. |
| Wifi | Wifi 6.0/6E |
| GPS Type | GPS, AGPS, GLONASS, BEIDOU, GALILEO, and QZSS |
| Sensors | Ambient Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Accelerometer, Electronic compass, Gyroscope, Side Fingerprint Sensor, IR Blaster. |
| Fingerprint Sensor | Yes, Side Mounted. |
| Battery | 5.000mAh (non-removable) 67W Wired Charging 0% to 100% in 46 Minutes |
| Weight | 181 Grams. |
| Colors | Snowstorm White, Carbon Black, and Electric Blue |
| Model Number | MZB0E7KIN. |
| SAR Value | SAR Limit: 1.6W/kg, Head: 0.857 W/kg, Body: 0.860 W/kg |
| Warranty | Available in Global Variants, Not Available in the Indian Variant. |
| In the Box | POCO F5 5G, 67W Charger, USB Type-C Cable, Sim Eject Tool, Protective Case, Quick Start Guide, Warranty Card. |
*Links on MobileDrop may earn us a commission (Learn More)
Images Credit: AndroWide
To get up to date with tech, do follow us on Google News. Whether you want to buy Smartwatch or any other Wearables, do check out WearablesDrop. By the way, want to save money, and get live deals, follow us on telegram. Here is the Telegram discussion Group, see you there
Related
- 5 Best Smartphones Under Rs 15000
- 5 Best Smartphones Under Rs 20000
- 5 Best Smartphones Under Rs 25000
- 5 Best Smartphones Under Rs 30000
- 10 Best Smartphones Under Rs 50000
