Poco F5 5G Review: Redefining Mid-Range Power and Performance for Gamers

Poco made its debut with the F1 in 2018 and has since maintained a strategy of selective releases throughout the years while expanding its offerings across various budget categories. The F series is renowned for providing a robust processor at an appealingly low cost, and this approach continues with the new Poco F5 5G. At present, it reigns as the sole smartphone in India powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 SoC, which shares notable features with the flagship Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. Additionally, the F5 includes several vital features such as an optically stabilized main camera, rapid charging capabilities, and an IP rating for durability.

Is the newly launched Poco F5 5G worthy of your consideration if you have a budget close to Rs. 30,000? This review aims to provide clarity.

Poco F5 5G price in India

The Poco F5 5G is available in two configurations: 8GB and 12GB of RAM, both offering 256GB of internal storage. The prices are set at Rs. 29,999 and Rs. 33,999 for the respective models. I believe these prices are reasonable, given the impressive range of features included. A complete set of accessories is also part of the package, featuring a 67W power adapter and a protective case.

Poco F5 5G design

If you closely follow global smartphone releases, you might find the Poco F5 5G looks quite familiar, as it closely resembles the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Turbo from China. The specifications, design, and even the available colors reflect a strong similarity between the two devices. Since it seems unlikely that Xiaomi will introduce the Redmi Note 12 Turbo in India, fears of competition between the two models are minimal.

The black variant of the Poco F5 5G does not give off a premium vibe; the plastic backing tends to attract fingerprints easily. Conversely, the other color options appear more adept at concealing smudges. However, the tactile experience of the plastic back isn’t very appealing, making the F5 feel less sophisticated than it should. This is unfortunate, especially given that the Poco F4 5G (Review) had a notably more upscale design with its glass back.

On the positive side, the F5 5G is lightweight and slim, which I appreciate. The fingerprint reader is integrated into the power button, which sits almost flush with the frame. At the bottom, there’s a SIM tray for dual SIM cards, but unfortunately, there’s no microSD card slot for storage expansion. The top of the device features a headphone jack and an IR blaster. Additionally, the F5 5G holds an IP53 rating for basic dust and water resistance.

The Poco F5 5G boasts a brilliant and vibrant OLED display

 

The display on the Poco F5 5G is impressive and offers vibrant colors. Notably, the bezels surrounding the display are uniformly slim on all four sides. The screen features a 12-bit pOLED panel with full-HD+ resolution and a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, also supporting Dolby Vision and HDR10+ for video playback. Poco claims that the peak brightness reaches 1,000 nits. The device comes with a pre-installed screen protector and benefits from Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection.

Poco F5 5G specifications and software

Equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2, this power-efficient SoC is manufactured on a 4nm process. It features the same CPU clusters as the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC in a 1+3+4 configuration, albeit with slightly lower clock speeds. Some distinctions include a less powerful GPU and reduced memory bandwidth, among others. The Poco F5 5G supports a total of 12 5G bands in India, in addition to Bluetooth 5.3 and dual-band Wi-Fi ac. Poco has incorporated a vapor chamber cooling system utilizing 14 graphite sheets to effectively manage heat dissipation.

The Poco F5 5G runs on MIUI 14 (14.0.3), which is built upon Android 13. The brand has committed to providing two years of Android updates along with three years of security updates for the F5 5G. Unsurprisingly, the device comes preloaded with a plethora of apps and home screen shortcuts by default. Certain native applications that cannot be removed are notorious for cluttering the notification panel with ads and unwanted notifications. Thankfully, some apps like Music and Themes allow the disabling of ads and recommendations, but this does not eliminate all notifications.

Certain apps on the Poco F5 5G continue to send spam recommendations despite disabling toggles

 

Among the useful bundled applications is Game Turbo, which features a sleek interface and allows for adjustments in system performance specifically for gaming.

Poco F5 5G performance and battery life

This new SoC in the Poco F5 5G comes with an impressive amount of processing power. While we generally don’t rely heavily on benchmark scores, they provide a useful indication of the expected real-world performance. In the AnTuTu (v10) test, the Poco F5 5G achieved a score of 10,94,798, while scoring 13,498 in PCMark (Work 2.0). These figures are remarkably high and are quite close to Qualcomm’s top-tier Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.

The 12GB variant of the Poco F5 5G that I have been using has performed flawlessly over the past few weeks. The system operates smoothly, multitasking is efficient, and applications launch quickly. Heat management has also been commendably sufficient, as even during gaming, the device only becomes warm.

Popular games like Asphalt 9: Legends and Genshin Impact run smoothly at solid frame rates. Fast-paced shooters like Call of Duty: Mobile perform well even at the ‘High’ graphics level and ‘Max’ frame rate setting. In this latter case, the display maintained a constant 120Hz, resulting in smoother gameplay, unlike many other titles that drop to 60Hz.

The Poco F5 5G enjoys fast charging thanks to the included power adapter

 

HDR video playback appears quite appealing on platforms like Netflix, which features a variety of Dolby Vision programming. The display produces striking colors and demonstrates excellent brightness levels for daytime outdoor use. The side-mounted fingerprint reader works effectively, and facial recognition operates surprisingly quickly even in low-light conditions.

Battery performance has been quite commendable. The Poco F5 5G achieved a duration of 17 hours, 34 minutes in our HD video loop test, which is above average. In real-world usage, the phone easily lasts longer than a full day, even under heavy usage. Charging is efficient with the included adapter, enabling the F5 5G to reach 46 percent in just 30 minutes and approximately 93 percent in one hour.

Poco F5 5G cameras

The Poco F5 5G features a trio of rear cameras: a 64-megapixel main camera with optical stabilization (OIS), an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 2-megapixel macro lens. For selfies, it has a 16-megapixel front camera. Poco has introduced a 2X “lossless” zoom option, which utilizes a cropped section of the sensor to produce an enlarged image. Additionally, there are seven film camera filters available for those wishing to apply retro effects to their photos.

The rear of the Poco F5 5G is equipped with three camera sensors

 

The primary camera does a decent job capturing landscapes during daylight. HDR performance is satisfactory, with an acceptable dynamic range and pleasing colors. However, it struggles somewhat with capturing fine details in distant subjects, and certain horizontal lines might appear jagged. These shortcomings are noticeable primarily when zooming into the photos. Close-up shots, on the other hand, are sharp and have vibrant colors.

Sample from the main camera of the Poco F5 5G (click to view full size)

Sample from the ultra-wide camera on the Poco F5 5G (click to view full size)

Sample from the main camera of the Poco F5 5G (click to view full size)

 

Low-light performance from the main camera is quite good, exhibiting solid exposure and detail retention. There wasn’t much difference observed between standard and Night mode captures, which is a positive aspect. Daytime shots taken at 2X zoom retain decent details. The maximum zoom capability is 10X, and day-lit photos remain quite usable at this level.

However, the ultra-wide camera doesn’t have the same detail capture as the primary lens, even in good lighting conditions. Exposure can be inconsistent, and it tends to underexpose scenes in low light unless Night mode is activated, which shows observable improvement. Macro shots from the dedicated macro camera tend to be lacking in quality, even in bright conditions.

Low-light camera samples from the Poco F5 5G (click to view full size)

 

The selfie camera on the Poco F5 5G is mediocre, producing acceptable selfies but struggles with backlighting. The Portrait mode is less effective than anticipated, and low-light selfies exhibit grain and a lack of clarity on facial details.

Selfie samples from the Poco F5 5G: Daylight (left) and low light (right)

 

Video recording capabilities reach up to 4K at 30fps with the main camera, while the ultra-wide camera is limited to 1080p at 30fps. Daytime 4K recordings are decent, but walking while filming can introduce noticeable jiggle, especially in low-light conditions. The video quality from the ultra-wide camera tends to be average, with footage often appearing underexposed.

Verdict

The Poco F5 5G is unarguably a performance-oriented device at its price point, offering raw performance that approaches that of Qualcomm’s premium 8 Gen series SoCs. Combined with effective heat management, the F5 5G stands out as a superb choice for those seeking a capable gaming smartphone. It also excels in other aspects such as its display, extensive battery life, and sleek design. I do wish it had a slightly more premium feel compared to its predecessor. The selfie and ultra-wide camera performance, however, leaves room for improvement.

If you’re in search of a phone with a more premium look, the Nothing Phone 1 meets all the requirements in this price range and offers wireless charging. The Samsung Galaxy A34 and Motorola Edge 40 are also worth exploring if you desire comprehensive waterproofing. If camera quality is a priority for you within this budget, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G is a solid alternative, featuring familiar software, faster charging, and superior camera capabilities.

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