Xiaomi Poco F5 Pro review: Is the extra money worth it?

The Xiaomi Poco F5 Pro and its sibling, the Poco F5 both compete in the mid-range smartphone segment as the latest flagship models of the Poco F series, featuring a 6.67-inch display. Xiaomi has endowed the Pro version with several additional features, aiming to justify the higher price tag.

This starts with the case; the Poco F5 Pro has a glass back cover and is IP53 certified for dust and splash water protection. The Poco F5, on the other hand, has a plastic frame and no additional dust or splash water protection.

Performance advantage for the Poco F5 Pro

The Poco F5 Pro, equipped with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, features a high-end SoC that provides significantly greater performance compared to other mid-range smartphones. Nevertheless, as the test shows, the Poco F5 with its Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 comes pretty close to the performance of the Pro model. The Poco F5 Pro gains an advantage primarily in graphics-intensive benchmarks and games, thanks to its more potent Adreno 730, compared to the Adreno 725 in the Poco F5.  

Higher resolution and always-on display

The 120 Hz AMOLED panel further distinguishes the Poco F5 Pro from the Poco F5. Both support a Full HD resolution of 2,400 x 1,080 pixels, however the Poco F5 Pro can also be converted from Full HD to WQHD+. The display then shows 3,200 x 1,440 pixels, resulting in an even sharper image. Another advantage is that the Poco F5 Pro boasts a full-fledged always-on display, whereas the Poco F5's AMOLED panel can only be turned on temporarily.

8K video recording and 30 watts wireless charging

There is hardly any difference between the two smartphones when it comes to the triple camera module. The main camera is based on the Omnivision OV64B, featuring a resolution of 64 MP and optical stabilization. However, the Poco F5 can record videos with a maximum of 8K at 24 frames per second, whereas the Poco F5 can only record with a maximum of 4K at 60 FPS.

Although the Poco F5 Pro has a slightly larger 5160 mAh battery compared to the 5000 mAh battery in the Poco F5, the endurance test shows that the Poco F5 outlasts its sister model, with 16:54 hours in simulated web surfing compared to 16 hours for the Poco F5. Additionally, the Poco F5 Pro supports wireless charging with up to 30 watts, while both smartphones use a 67-watt power adapter for fast charging, completing the charging process in less than an hour.

You can read the complete Xiaomi Poco F5 Pro review here.