POCO M5: A Budget-Friendly Hero or Zero?

The latest smartphone from POCO, the M5, is the entry-level model in the company’s M-series. It is powered by the recently released Helio SoC, the MediaTek G99, and is equipped with a 90Hz screen refresh rate. The phone also features a sleek design, a fifty-megapixel primary camera, and a battery capacity of 5000 mAh. The M5 is also available in three distinct colour options, including Icy Blue, Power Black, and Yellow, which is the company’s signature colour. POCO provided us with a review unit of the M5 with the same colour finish. Let’s dive into the article to know more about the POCO M5. Is it a Hero or Zero?

Specifications of POCO M5

Design and Display of POCO M5

The POCO M5 is equipped with an IPS LCD screen measuring 6.58 inches in height. It features a Full HD+ resolution, a refresh rate of 90Hz, and a peak brightness of 500 nits. This makes it an ideal choice for viewing and consuming multimedia content, such as films and television programmes. The display is bright enough to be readable even in direct sunlight, while the colours appear vibrant and lively. Additionally, the POCO are powered by the newly released Mediatek Helio G90 SoC, which provides consistent performance during everyday smartphone usage, such as checking emails, sending messages, browsing the web, and viewing videos.

Cameras of POCO M5

When it comes to the cameras, we’re looking at the 50MP primary sensor, which is paired with 2MP depth and 3MP macro sensors. The details and dynamic range of the 50MP primary are impressive, and the colour accuracy could be a bit better, but otherwise the pictures look great. The sensor is fast to focus and process, and portrait mode works pretty well – mostly on people, but lacks to be  natural. Unfortunately, the 2MP macro won’t give you crisp shots of close-ups in the day, and it has a low resolution. The 8MP front camera turns out decent selfies, and the skin tones would have been sharper, but the sensor would have smoothed out the details.

Software of POCO M5

In terms of software, the Poco M5 comes with MIUI 13, which is based on Android 12. The overall experience is the same as any other Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone. The MIUI 13 skin is the most user-friendly custom Android skin out there. There are many customisation options available, wallpapers, smooth animations, call & screen recording features, etc. However, that doesn’t mean that the device is free of bloatware, as it comes with a lot of pre-installed apps, some of which can be uninstalled after the setup process. The Poco M5 is also affected by annoying notifications, which affect the overall user experience.

Battery Life of POCO M5

POCO M5 is equipped with a battery capacity of 5,000mAh, providing users with a minimum of one day of battery life from a single charge. The PC Mark battery test indicates that the M5 has a battery life of 18 hours and three minutes. The handset is equipped with an 18W fast charging adapter, despite the fact that it comes with an 18W charger included in the box. This charging solution can take approximately two hours and a half to restore a dead battery to its full capacity.