Poco X5 Pro delivers strong performance, hampered by derivative design

Poco brought its X5 Pro to the Indian market in early February, positioning it as a mid-range device built around raw performance at an aggressive price. The phone starts at ₹22,999 for the base model with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, with a step up to ₹24,999 for 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 778G 5G processor, a chip the company emphasized during its briefing as the right fit for the device's performance ambitions. Sales began on Flipkart from February 13th.

The design tells a familiar story. The X5 Pro borrows heavily from the visual language of its predecessor, the X4, and even more noticeably from Xiaomi's Redmi Note 12 Pro series—a resemblance that feels less like homage and more like constraint. The phone is large at 6.7 inches but manages its weight well; the matte finish on the back resists fingerprints and sliding. The review unit came in Poco Yellow, a sparkling matte rather than a bright primary color, with subtle yellow trim on the power button. The flat edges and rounded corners make it comfortable to grip. The fingerprint sensor embedded in the power button responds quickly. What stands out positively: the phone retains a 3.5mm headphone jack, an increasingly rare feature. It also includes an IR blaster and stereo speakers. The camera module sits on a black background with prominent Poco branding—a design choice that feels heavy-handed rather than elegant. The USB Type-C port sits at the bottom alongside the speaker and dual nano-SIM slot.

The 6.7-inch pOLED display runs at up to 120Hz with adaptive refresh rate technology, a feature uncommon in this price segment. The panel handles the basics well: it supports HD content across YouTube and streaming services like Netflix, and Dolby Vision HDR kicks in where compatible. Watching content like The Last of Us revealed solid color and HDR performance, though brightness dipped in some scenes, particularly during VFX-heavy moments where luminance matters for impact. The always-on display uses a clean MiUI projection. The audio setup is where the phone genuinely shines—the stereo speakers are loud enough to replace a Bluetooth speaker, and they pair well with the display's HDR capabilities.

The software situation presents a friction point. The X5 Pro ships with Android 12 and MiUI 14, while competitors at similar prices already offer Android 13. Poco promised an Android 13 rollout this month, but the delay means a shorter remaining update cycle, despite the company's commitment to two Android OS updates and four years of security patches. The MiUI experience itself is stable and clean, with smooth animations and extensive widget customization. A dedicated Game Turbo mode activates automatically when launching games, offering user profiles, shortcuts, and real-time temperature readings—useful for performance-focused buyers. The interface remains largely indistinguishable from other Xiaomi products, a limitation that undermines differentiation.

Performance is where the X5 Pro justifies its existence. The Snapdragon 778G, paired with thoughtful hardware choices including an effective cooling chamber, handles demanding workloads smoothly. Gaming sessions in Call of Duty: Mobile ran at maxed graphics with stable frame rates over hour-long stretches. Asphalt 9 performed similarly, though the phone did warm noticeably when battery dipped below 40 percent. Geekbench scores tell the story: single-core 786, multi-core 2949—a significant jump from the Oppo Reno8 T's 691 and 2027. The 8GB RAM variant (the one tested) handles heavy tasks, though app retention isn't exceptional; backgrounded apps may lose their place after a break. The 256GB storage should satisfy most users for years.

Battery life emerges as a genuine strength. The 5000mAh cell delivered an average of five and a half hours of screen time across a mix of content consumption, social media, and gaming. The bundled 67W charger refills the battery from empty to full in roughly 45 minutes, even with background apps and active internet. The camera setup comprises a 108MP primary sensor, 8MP ultra-wide, and 2MP macro. The 108MP sensor produces detailed images with accurate color and strong HDR, handling Indian skin tones well. Regular shots are solid, though some noise appears in specific colors like reds. Portrait mode impresses despite the lack of a dedicated depth sensor; edge detection is precise and the AI blur feels proportional. Low light is where the camera stumbles—images turn grainy and noisy. The ultra-wide opens a 120-degree field of view but introduces slight color shifts. The macro sensor, increasingly common on phones, executes well with good detail and color accuracy. Video recording at 4K 30fps maintains color but loses detail in motion; the 16MP selfie camera performs well at 1080p 60fps, useful for vloggers.

The X5 Pro succeeds at its core mission: delivering performance where it matters most—gaming, daily tasks, battery endurance, and photography. The design and software, however, blur the line between Poco and Redmi so thoroughly that the phone risks feeling like a Redmi Note 12 Lite wearing a different badge. For buyers willing to overlook that identity crisis, there's a solid performer here. For those who can't, the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite sits in the same price range as an alternative.