Poco M5 review

Introduction and specs

The Poco M5, just like the Poco M4 5G announced in August, is one of Xiaomi's most affordable handsets in the portfolio. Both handsets are quite similar, but the M5 lacks 5G connectivity and it's available in more markets worldwide. There's also an Indian variant of the M5, which is mostly identical to its global counterpart, so it's safe to use this review as a reference if you are located in India and you are deciding on whether you should buy the Poco M5.

Even though the Poco M4 5G offers a Dimensity chipset while the more recent M5 relies on a supposedly less powerful Helio G99 (going by MediaTek's naming scheme), there shouldn't be any substantial difference in performance. The Dimensity 700 on the M4 5G has a 5G modem and it's based on a 7nm manufacturing process, while the Helio G99 employs the same octa-core CPU, the same Mali-G57 MC2 GPU but omits the 5G part. So in a way, these two are 4G and 5G variants of the same handset.

Xiaomi Poco M5 • Xiaomi Poco M5 (India)

Having said that, we already know what to expect from the Poco M5, but there might be some marginal, if any, differences in battery life and perhaps photography. Even though the G99 is positioned lower than the Dimenisty 700 in MediaTek's hierarchy, it has the more capable ISP of both and supports higher refresh rate displays. And, of course, the Poco M5 (even the one in India) has a more potent 50MP main sensor.

Xiaomi Poco M5 specs at a glance:

• Body: 164.0x76.1x8.9mm, 201g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass 3), plastic frame, plastic back.
• Display: 6.58" IPS LCD, 90Hz, 500 nits (HBM), 1080x2408px resolution, 20.07:9 aspect ratio, 401ppi.
• Chipset: MediaTek MT8781 Helio G99 (6nm): Octa-core (2x2.2 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G57 MC2.
• Memory: 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM; UFS 2.2; microSDXC (dedicated slot).
• OS/Software: Android 12, MIUI 13.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.8, PDAF; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.
• Front camera: 5 MP, f/2.2, (wide), 1/5.0", 1.12µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 1080p@30fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 5000mAh; 18W wired.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); NFC; FM radio; Infrared port; 3.5mm jack.

Either way, just like the Poco M4 5G, the M5 proposes a good value for the asking price running on a big battery, mature and dependable MIUI 13 Android skin and adequate photography skills in the context of a low-end device. Let's take a deeper dive beyond the specs in the following pages.

Unboxing the Xiaomi Poco M5

The Poco M5's box is quite generous. Aside from the standard user manuals and the wall charger with USB-A to USB-C connector, the box also gives you a transparent silicone protective case.

There's also a film screen protector for you to apply. It's not pre-installed, which is kind of interesting.