Xiaomi’s sub-brand dedicated to gamers on a budget, POCO, has been popular since the rise to fame of their first hit, the Pocophone F1 but as time passed, POCO’s allure faded. Will this signal POCO’s rekindled passion? Or maybe it won’t be enough?
Now, on its fifth iteration, the beefed-up Poco F5 takes center stage with an unmistakable flagship killer resume – but with the current price hike of smartphones last year, we are hopeful that the current trend of delivering good phones for less should continue.
But for now, we won’t talk about its performance or what makes the Poco F5 the premiere flagship killer, as this is only an unboxing/first impression article, so you’ll have to wait quite a bit for that.
With those out of the question, let’s take an exclusive peek at the most anticipated POCO smartphone this year.
Box design
As with all POCO boxes, this one gets the same standard treatment as everyone else POCO has made. The color change from a predominantly yellow background to a black one separates the flagship from the mid-range herd and entry-level collective.
On its side is a small reminder that this phone is equipped with a Global ROM and installed with your favorite Google apps. Yay!
Just a simple logo. Well, most people will not even know of its existence anyway.
Well, with the external features of the box out of the way, we can now move on.
Opening the box
Again, it’s the same POCO/Xiaomi/Redmi packaging set. There’s nothing to rave about here, but there’s nothing to dislike about it, either. There goes the POCO inner box containing the sim ejector pin, some critical documentation, and a standard clear jelly case with decent flex and much heavier than usual.
The 67W charger is also here to stay from last year’s models, together with the Type-C cable. Overall, a reasonably generic packaging experience.
It is really a rebranded Redmi Note 12 Turbo!
This isn’t a bad thing either because the Redmi Note 12 Turbo has been sitting comfortably in its home country and people are raving for a global version of the Redmi Note 12 Turbo for some time now; and we got a near 1:1 reproduction of the Redmi Note 12 Turbo, now with Global ROM and features.
What we notice firsthand is the camera island; it is now much simpler compared to the POCO F4 from last year. POCO now also prefers a slimmer design compared to a boxy type from last year. There is also no camera bump, which is always a plus for us. The entire body is made up of a glass back, plastic frame, and Gorilla Glass 5 protection for its main display– that doesn’t sound very premium, but to give it an alluring price point, they need to make some compromises.
The back is lined with numerous diagonal lines but is not textured upon closer scrutiny. Even after you touch it, it remains flat. There is also information about the phone’s disposal guidelines.
The speaker grilles are located on the top and bottom of the device, giving it a stereo speaker experience. The SIM tray (which has no microSD expandability) and Type-C port can be located below. Another microphone and what seems to be an IR blaster are located atop; alongside the 3.5mm headphone jack.
The frame is also a bit textured, enabling users to have an easier grip when using the phone one-handed. The volume rockers and power buttons can be found on the right side of the device.
The dual SIM tray (which has no microSD expandability) and Type-C port can be located below.
Display galore
The display for the POCO F5 Pro is something else; it is a 6.67-inch 1080p screen made from what they call “Flow AMOLED” technology, with a fast 120Hz refresh rate. It’s vibrant, vivid, and immersive for general media consumption. And the equally thin bezels also help to sell the full immersive effects. The AMOLED display also allows it to show a wider range of colors compared to an LCD display.
Conclusion
Overall, the POCO F5 is off to a wonderful start. We expected premier flagship killer specs, and we got them. The packaging can use more variety, like grooves, textures, or a tiny splash of color to add more character. But we get our design language and props for being this consistent from the first Pocophone F1. Now gamers, rejoice!
If you are curious about the full specs of the smartphone, click below:
