POCO F5 Review – A Versatile Mid-Range Smartphone

POCO’s two newest smartphones were just launched last May 10, 2023. They made a solid position in the mid-range market by introducing its POCO F5 and F5 PRO. But let’s find out if it’s worth it as we have here the POCO F5, a smartphone that is under 20k pesos.

POCO F5 Specifications

OS:MIUI 14 FOR POCO, Android 13
Processor:Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2
Display: 6.67 inch 120Hz AMOLED (1080 x 2400 pixels resolution)
Wireless Connections:5G, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS
Memory:8GB+256GB
12GB+256GB
Connectors:USB Type-C, OTG
Cameras:Rear Camera:
Main – 64MP f/1.8
Ultrawide – 8MP f/2.2
Depth – 2MP f/2.4

Front Camera:
16MP f/2.5
SIM Card Slots:Dual SIM (Nano-Sim)
Battery:5,000 mAh with 67W wired charging
SRP:8GB+256GB: Php 20,999
12GB+256GB: Php 22,999

The Unboxing

POCO F5 UNBOXING

The POCO F5 comes with a minimalistic black box with a yellow accent. Inside the box, we have the device itself, a silicon clear case, SIM Card ejector, Type-C to Type-A charging cable, 67W Charging brick, and some documents.

The Design

POCO F5 display

The POCO F5 has an interesting design as it is simple even with its rear camera. The triple rear camera didn’t protrude with its plastic back panel, also to mention the frame is plastic. On the flip side, the front is a punch-hole camera in the middle.

Our unit comes in a blue color that has a matte back panel. But it also comes with black and white that has a frosty design. The POCO F5 is rated IP53 dust and splash resistance which is good to know.

You can find the volume rocker and its power button that also has a fingerprint scanner on the right side. Surprisingly, it has an audio jack on top which is not common nowadays. Also you can see its speaker, microphone hole, and IR blaster on top. At the bottom, there is another speaker making a stereo setup, USB type-C port, microphone hole, and SIM card slot that only accommodates two nano SIM cards. 

The Display and Speakers

Img 20230527 162703

The POCO F5 has a 6.67-inch 120Hz AMOLED HDR10+ and has Dolby Vision. Its screen resolution is 1080×2400 pixels and it has a 395 ppi density. It can have a typical brightness level of 500 nits and can have a peak brightness of 1000 nits. Additionally, it is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5.

As expected with an AMOLED display, you will experience excellent color accuracy and an inky black display. Its 120Hz display is smooth and fluid but its default configuration was dynamic based on scenarios. You can change it to custom mode and make it fix to refresh rate of 60Hz or 120Hz.

It is great to know that it has stereo speakers which makes watching or playing much more engaging. The stereo speakers are decent for its price range and it is quite loud. But, to fully immerse yourself there is an audio jack port.

The Performance

POCO F5 performance

Under the hood of the POCO F5 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 processor which is super new as it just launched this year. It is paired with 12GB RAM and has an internal storage of 256GB. But, there is also an 8GB RAM with 256GB.

Here are the benchmark scores of the POCO F5.

The POCO F5 comes with MIUI 14 for POCO which is based on Android 13. It is quite annoying that once you booted your device it you will see tons of bloatware that pre-installed. Fortunately, it is easy to uninstall but it is still annoying to make you uninstall many apps.

Performance-wise, it makes a great smartphone for people that love multitasking or gaming as it breezes through all the scenarios we throw at it. So far, it didn’t show any problems or issues except in gaming which is just minor. We are able to play Genshin Impact at medium graphic settings with minimal stuttering. Surely, you can expect that you may be able to play any game but for some heavy graphic game, expect that you can play it on medium or low.

The Camera

POCO F5 camera

POCO is boasting that it has a powerful camera with next-level sharpness. It has a triple rear camera setup which consists of a 64-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel ultrawide, and a 2-megapixel depth camera. As for the front camera, it has 16 megapixels.

Checking the photos that we got from the main camera, we are satisfied. Taking pictures at daytime is pleasing to look at because it doesn’t over-crank its processing. It has natural colors with sharp details. At night, it can take pictures that are bright, has decent sharpness, and it still has adequate color.

Moving to its other two rear cameras, the ultrawide is capable to compete to its main camera as it still have decent sharpness on its detail and the colors are still vibrant enough as long as the lighting is bright, even at night, it still capable to have a nice bright picture thanks to the night mode can be used.

The front camera captures passable images as long as you are taking pictures in a lit area. Yet even at night the images are still fine but you will see the downgrade of quality.

The Battery

The POCO F5 battery has a 5000mAh capacity which a bump from the previous generation of its F4 that only has a 4500mAh. It can last for a day or so, but if you needed to charge, you can charge with the included 67W charging brick. It can charges from 0% to 100% around 45 minutes.

POCO F5 Verdict

POCO F5 verdict

The POCO F5 is really a versatile smartphone for around 20k pesos. From its processor, the display, camera, and battery are all excellent specs. Unfortunately, the MIUI for POCO have some quirks like tons of bloatware that is pre-installed. Possibly some people may find the design quite simple, but you can buy a case to improve its looks. So, if you are looking for a smartphone that can be your all-rounded smartphone, this is one of the best option in the market.

The POCO F5 is priced at Php 20,999 for 8GB + 256GB and Php 22,999 for 12GB + 256GB. It is avaible at Shopee, and Lazada.

8.5 Total Score
POCO F5

The POCO F5 is really a versatile smartphone for around 20k pesos. From its processor, the display, camera, and battery are all excellent specs. Unfortunately, the MIUI for POCO have some quirks like tons of bloatware that is pre-installed. Possibly some people may find the design quite simple, but you can buy a case to improve its looks. So, if you are looking for a smartphone that can be your all-rounded smartphone, this is one of the best option in the market.

Design
8
Display
9.5
Camera
8
Software
8
Performance
9
Battery Life
8.5
Price
8.5
PROS
  • Great performance
  • Vibrant display
  • Long-lasting battery
CONS
  • Bloatware
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