POCO M5 review: A well-rounded budget phone if you don’t need 5G

The POCO M2 Pro was launched in July of 2020, doubling down on the budget phone segment. This series expands the company's budget offerings, even though some of them were rebranded as Redmi phones.

POCO has seen the most success in recent years in Asian and European markets. Some of the most affordable phones are produced by the POCO M series. The POCO M3 and M4 series demonstrated that the Chinese phone manufacturer could deliver unique designs.

The POCO M5 was released on September 5 and will be covered in a separate review. The latest member of the POCO M line has a design that makes you feel good without hurting your wallet.

POCO M5: Price and availability

The POCO M5 is available in a few countries. POCO doesn't have a physical store in the US, but the entry-level phone can be purchased on Amazon for $210. Black, yellow, and green are the colors of the phone.

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You can buy the device through Amazon Netherlands for 258, which includes 6 gigabytes of ram and 128 gigabytes of internal storage. The phone costs 190 in Germany for the 4GB/64GB configuration and 180 for the 128GB storage variant. For the Indian market, POCO sells it for between 15 and 18 thousand dollars.

The best POCO M5 deals are available today.

The design of the POCO M5 makes it attractive. The design style book of the POCO M3 and M4 Pro has a few enhancements added to it. There is a large camera island over the top of the back panel. The phone has a unique design that makes it stand out from the rest.

The design flair on the back is aided by the faux leather finish at the end of the frame. The elements make holding the phone easier. It's lightweight and can be used to watch movies while lying in bed. It will not weigh down your pocket.

It's rare to see a 3.5mm headphone jack squeezed into a phone. The port handles data transfer and charging, but it's a bit disappointing. The phone's side-mounted fingerprint scanner is fast and accurate.

The first image of two.

MIUI 13 on the POCO M5 is one of my favorites. This generation has gotten rid of a lot of bloat. Special mention should be made of the control options. The phone's software gives an impressive level of personalization. You can choose between a button press and a touch when using the fingerprints method. The power button can be changed to respond to a double tap. On a per-app basis, volume controls are available.

Performance is one of the most important factors for the price, and the 6nm-based MediaTek Helio G99 delivered solid performance for typical tasks like multitasking, browsing the web, and taking photos. The phone can be expanded with the virtual ram feature. Several Chinese brands have shared this feature.

In games such as Genshin Impact, the Chipset performed well. The latter showed how taxing the game was. It wasn't a big deal that it hurt the experience. Thanks to the 90Hz screen refresh rate, the gaming experience was smooth.

The POCO M5 has a 6.58-inch screen that is capable of displaying 2408 1080 resolution. The scrolling experience and motion are pleasingly fluid. You don't have to squint to read messages on the bright screen.

It's a good screen for the price, even though it doesn't match the deep contrast and vividness of anOLED screen. It's easy to change the color temperature on the POCO M5's screen, but I like the sharp details on it.

The bottom chin is the only part of the screen that's larger than the screen as a whole. This shouldn't be a problem since it's a common sight among low-cost phones.

The battery life of the POCO M5 is attractive. The phone's battery life is very good. The phone's battery can last two days on a single charge if you don't play games or watch shows.

After a full charge in the morning, the phone's battery level has stayed above 45% for the last two weeks. One of the benefits of a budget phone is the longer battery life.

This isn't the case if you have a lot of heavy tasks on your day. The phone can travel for more than a day away from a charging point. Right there, that's some amazing strength.

POCO M5: What's not good

The software on the model I tested frequently displayed in-UI ads, and I was able to see them when I woke the phone. Every time you install an app from the Play Store, there are ads popping up. I was told a few years ago that ads are one of the reasons that their phones are cheaper than the competition.

The phone that ships with a 22.5W power brick takes a while to charge. It's not ideal if you're in a hurry. The charging capability of the POCO M3 has not changed since it was launched in 2020. The M3 does not support reverse charging. The 18W charging speed makes it hard to fully charge the phone. It takes about an hour and 45 minutes to get to 100%.

The phone's camera is not strong. The shooter is not likely to win any awards. The cameras aren't terrible and the primary shooter can click some nice detailed images with good color reproduction. The camera is able to balance brightness. The output was too soft for my liking.

The edges are soft and the dynamic range doesn't bring out details as much as I would like.

The phone misses out on an ultra-wide camera in favor of two sensors, which I didn't like. The 2MP depth sensor doesn't do a good job of detecting edges and the macro sensor doesn't give a good photo. You shouldn't expect high image quality for this price.

Things don't improve in low light situations. The POCO M5 is no exception, it is an area where budget phones tend to fail most of the time, and the shots are noisy. These drawbacks are fixed by the dedicated night mode. This mode takes a few seconds to focus on and take a picture.

There is a missing feature. You only get 30 frames per second, which is about the same as it gets. A better camera can be found in a higher price range.

It's good that selfies are good for a phone. There are a couple of photos that are color accurate. Social media users can use selfies for their posts.

If you've used a Xiaomi phone before, you'll know the camera interface. You can easily access all the shooting modes, and you can also use the beauty filters. There isn't an artificial intelligence assisted scene recognition.

There are samples of the POCO M5.

The image is the first of nine.

There were issues with the phone's management. When only a few apps were running in the background, the M5's virtual RAM expansion feature wouldn't work as advertised. Doesn't that make sense?

Software support is another problem. Adding more than two years of OS updates to the M5 won't be happening. It's in this area where many Chinese manufacturers don't offer the same level of security and OS upgrade as their South Korean competitors.

POCO M5: Competition

Competition for the POCO M5 is tough. A lot of budget phones deliver the same or even better value than this one.

The Realme's 9i 5G is an excellent alternative, offering the same 5,000mAh battery and 18W charging speed, as well as dependable hardware in the form of a MediaTek Dimensity 810 and 5G connection. It is less expensive than the POCO M5 due to the fact that the base variant only has 4 gigabytes of memory and 64 gigabytes of storage.

If you're looking for an ultrawide angle lens at the back, the A32 5G is a great option. It has a better camera experience and is able to record 4K video. It is powered by a piece of technology. The display's resolution is limited to 720 x 1600, but it is protected by a glass that is resistant to scratches.

The POCO M5 is facing a challenge from the Redmi Note 11S, which starts at $245. 33W fast charging speeds, an AMOLED screen with a peak brightness of 1000 nits, and a108MP main sensor are included in that price.

POCO M5: Should you buy it?

If it's something you should buy it.

• You want a budget phone with a striking design
• Performance is a primary consideration
• You want plenty of time away from a charger
• You require a bright enough screen under direct sunlight

If you want to buy it, you should not.

• You need 5G on a budget
• You want the best-looking images
• You're looking for faster charging speeds

When it comes to buying a phone, price is the most important factor. Affordability is delivered by the POCO M5 You can get a bright screen and a processor that's capable of doing any task for less than $200. Thanks to the phone's battery life, you have plenty of time to charge.

However, digging a little deeper reveals some areas where the company didn't spend a lot of money. The camera setup isn't something that should be written about. You are missing out on things like 5G, wireless charging, and wi-fi. Choosing a phone is dependent on your priorities and how much you want to spend.

The POCO M5 is a budget phone that can deliver great value. Its low price and battery life are the main selling points.