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.

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 4k@30fps and 1080p@30/60fps while the front can shoot at 1080p@30/60fps.

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

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 1080p@30/60fps, 4k@30fps.
Front Camera	16MP Selfie Shooter. Video 1080p@30/60fps.
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.

Images Credit: AndroWide