This looks great on paper… - Poco X5 Pro

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Mid-range phones have been looking better and better over the last few years and POCO's new X5 Pro is another great phone competing for your hard-earned dollars. With a 108MP camera sensor, 120hz AMOLED screen, and a 5000mAh battery, this phone seems like it could be perfect, but will Bell be impressed or can specs be deceiving?
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CHAPTERS
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0:00 It's all mid here
0:14 Unboxing
1:10 Design and port/button tour
4:25 Sponsor - Floatplane
5:40 Battery life, screen brightness, and fingerprint scanner
7:07 Thoughts on OS/bloatware
7:34 Screen and speaker impressions
8:32 Camera test
13:07 Gaming impressions
14:26 Pricing and overall thoughts
15:37 Outro

[@sreejithsuresh357]

Favorite phrase of video "it's a phone under 1000 $ so it got all the features you want"

[@simonrockstream]

Legendary

[@Jbrimbelibap]

except that it's does'nt have a sd card slot, and is less powerful than the X3 pro from 2years ago... with slower storage as well

[@jubuttib]

@@Jbrimbelibap Is it less powerful? At least in Geekbench the 778G and 860 results are neck and neck.

[@Jbrimbelibap]

@@jubuttib 3d mark score is significantly lower, gpu is less powerful, x3 pro has a chip from 4 years ago mind you, new one is underpowered

[@jubuttib]

@@Jbrimbelibap Thanks for the explanation. Underpowered I get, what with the time difference, but wasn't sure about the "less powerful" bit in particular.

[@Devestatix]

"on the top we got the IR blaster, the mic hole, one of our dual speakers, a headphone Jack, because again: this phone is under $1000 so it has all the features that you want" great video, you're a good host!

[@RealDavidx3D]

You Know It's a Budget Phone When It Has a Headphone Jack Pay Less For More Features

[@cia4gent128]

Headphone Jack is from the 50s...I'll pay more for BTE 5.3.

[@0AThijs]

If only it had an expansion slot 😔

[@0AThijs]

@@cia4gent128 Sure, but I want 'analog' audio, it sounds better (unless something broke or isn't grounded enough) especially on my sound setup and other devices that still need aux/jack's.

[@Sonyboj]

@@cia4gent128 weird how all good headphones are wired, right?

[@Tminus89]

The headphone Jack is why I chose this phone over the Samsung A53, I rarely make pictures anyway. So the camera doesn't bother me much

[@JOEBR0NI]

Bell's voice is like butter to my ears, keep spreading it for us all to hear.

[@ssl3546]

I'm wondering what the old team is doing now that the new team is on camera so much. Like what is Anthony doing? Is he spending two weeks to write one video or what?

[@adamhafiddin9564]

You're not the only one

[@rcoveyduc]

The Barry White of LMG.

[@jimmymyers]

Bro can't say Mario right

[@anon_y_mousse]

@@jimmymyers He's Canadian, right?

[@Alias_Anybody]

It's crazy how in late 2021, I got my Poco X3 Pro for 200€ - then Russia and inflation happened, and the X5 Pro currently costs twice as much for the same amount of RAM and flash storage and the SD 778G is STILL slightly weaker than the SD 860. I mean I know it got a better screen and stuff, but Jebus, what a disaster. High Five to everyone else who bought a phone in 2021.

[@VexxedSR]

Better screen yes, but also much more expensive to replace. Poco F3 still the goat for performance/price if you can keep it cool enough.

[@Alias_Anybody]

@@VexxedSR Well, the X3 Pro got the SD slot and headphone jack the F3 didn't.

[@3dge433]

@@Alias_Anybody I literally chose the x3 pro over the f3 because of the headphone jack

[@VexxedSR]

​@@Alias_Anybody 256GB is more than enough for my uses and I use a dedicated DAC/AMP for my power hungry headphones anyway so having a 3.5mm jack wasn't a dealbreaker for me. Having 5G on the Snapdragon 870, and WIFI 6 for my home router was more important for my uses. Performance is nice on it too, no complaints from me.

[@Narcle0]

Yes. This is true of other brands as well. I've noted Motorola doing similar. Their 2020 & 2021 models have Snapdragon chips while the new 2022 & 2023 are MediaTek chips with lower performance GPU and efficiencies. MediaTek has better chips, but Motorola is cheaping out for their newer budget phones.

[@swizzler8053]

IR blaster on a phone is so nice to have

[@leadr_]

Agreed

[@cotneit]

Love my Poco X3 Pro, best value phone of its time Macro camera is pretty useful actually

[@raineheartily4580]

I use the macro to read small marker like one in nuts and bolts

[@MozartTheGOAT]

This guy's voice is sooo smooth and comforting to listen to

[@Dudae_]

My previous phone was a Redmi 4X and it lasted me 6 years. I now bought a Poco M4 Pro 4g and couldn't be happier with the purchase and hoping it'll last for about as long

[@peterwoods8299]

It won't

[@landyramirez9977]

I also had the redmi 4x (SD435) think it was 2017-2018 it didn't last me long I broke the screen so I had to buy a cheap Le Eco phone. I went back to Xiaomi with the Mi 9T Pro, Poco X3 NFC, then now an F4. Xiaomi so far didn't disappoint me with features. And never experienced that deadboot issue that most had (I also had the Poco M3 but it still works until I gave it away). Until before the Redmi Note 8 series, Xiaomi/Poco/Redmi phones had better build quality and longevity imho.

[@blackicee8836]

@@landyramirez9977 Now i've use Redmi K40S(Poco F4)too Solid battery life 45min charged with 67W Nice Dual Stereo speaker 870 Chip(old chip but solid performance) No big OS bugs(now Updated to Android 13) Solid Audio Out with Type C DAC,Good display for Multimedia consumption, OIS on main camera helpful with manual shooting,Nice GCam import tho,Overall its worthy for the prices. BUT! If someone came from F3 not worth upgrage to F4 due to similar Spaces and does not change much except design.

[@bladdermuffin6841]

same mate, but i got the motorola g62 instead.

[@prime12602]

I’m still using it and will keep it another year. That phone is a beast.

[@martinstechplace]

Great video! to enable the macro you have to go to the options in photo and there it will be

[@jeremybaker6283]

It would be useful if you posted the network bands for the phones you inbox, maybe even a carrier compatibility chart for carriers in the States. Just a thought.

[@Souchirouu]

The lab is of course still getting in the swing of things I do think a quick screen wipe down before repacking should be party of the process.

[@jakobvanklinken]

Partyyyyyy

[@rafaelsousa5]

Nice to see the X5 out, though not sure if 50 more euro than I paid for my X4 is worth it, especially with the lack of storage expansion (not that it's probably needed considering the storage of the X4), the only thing I can complain about my X4 is that I had some weird graphical glitches on it sometimes, green screen or just completely refusing to show an image for a day or two. Performs well though.

[@AdrianDowthwaite]

That Mic-Hole joke at 2:10, needed that laugh, thank you.

[@brianfong5711]

It's the same speed as the Poco x3 pro, but I think the only upgrade is the amoled screen and 5g antennae (x3 pro has the worse LCD IPS screen)

[@sullychow4123]

Can't wait to see the Poco F5 (their high end which is still extremely cheap) none of their F models have disappointed me yet. Their x series is more for mainstream light users I feel.

[@kiyoshi_the_devil]

yeah... have my F3 for now 1,5 years and it still works like a charm. Really interested what the F5 will have and when it arrives.

[@DanielH212MC]

Had the Poco F3 for almost 2 years, no complaints. I'd still be using it if my awesome sister didn't gift me a Mi 12S Ultra.

[@Gazpolling]

Poco f4 gt a bis dissapointing tho, but not because of poco, just because the rather trashy 8 gen 1 non tsmc chip

[@pedroalbuquerquebs]

The F4 was a slight disappointment since it was too similar to the F3.

[@Funky_Brother]

​@@pedroalbuquerquebs honestly, I'm glad they didn't use the 8gen 1. The 870 is a great chipset. 888 would've been nice but that would have caused heating issues in this chassis, and probably also ruined the battery life. They didn't really bump the price either so yay

[@DarthRambo007]

Rocking my Poco f3 with Cr droid rom, more recognition is needed for poco phones and rom flashing

[@JooJSilvZ]

2 years rocking my F3 and I dont see myself getting a new phone yet. The best one I've ever had so far!

[@fayyadrahman7947]

My poco f2 pro still going strong for almost 3 years, sure the camera a bit lacking but headphone jack and Snapdragon 865 really aged very well. Still rocking highest 60 in every games that I play, and I'm not even using custom rom on it. I bought it for 400ish USD and I think I can use it until next year without batting an eye for another phone before that.

[@user-tb8zt7wg4p]

I have the same phone but what exactly do you gain by using another rom? Isn't the phone just fine stock?

[@DarthRambo007]

@@user-tb8zt7wg4p more storage and less background miui and google apps running in background . For me its the minimalism

[@user-tb8zt7wg4p]

@@DarthRambo007 what do you mean more storage? Like less storage used by the system?

[@raminatox]

I almost bought an X5 Pro but found an F4 for almost the same price went with that instead....

[@dobes.dominik]

I have X4 Pro and only thing i miss is 4K video recording.

[@amargado445]

Dude i oftenly watch Smartphones reviews and this was the most satisfactory one i've ever seen. It was really professional and but also friendly vibe (which i loved btw)

[@AlexStayReal]

Pretty sure that wasnt the macro lens btw, it does not automatically switch to it, you have to go into the settings and activate it. Good video tho.

[@anon_y_mousse]

The one feature this is lacking for me is the uSD card slot. If it had one I would absolutely get one. I love that it has a headphone jack though, huge plus.

[@BottomOfTheDumpsterFire]

Wait, did they seriously not bring it back? The dual-SIM in the X3 Pro is also a uSD slot, and it was great.

[@Shubham-hk6yf]

Poco X2 user here and I am telling you that you are not missing out on anything. The poco phones are trash and these first impressions video can't get it without using it for long time. Software experience is trash, framedrops while scrolling menus, gesture navigation not working sometimes, softkeys disappear sometimes and had to restart and so on. TLDR never use Xiaomi or poco phones

[@joshinthemoment]

as a current poco user, the macro mode is actually buried in the options. i still struggle to find it in the rare occasions i actually want to use it, and so i'm not surprised that bell didnt find it. the photo he used looks pretty much like a typical main sensor photo

[@SkaMacanan]

For Xiaomi phones, I would like to see a couple of things addressed: all phones have USB C ports but are they still using USB 2.0 protocol for data transfers? When playing videos, did they fix black or dark scenes getting crushed or showing artifacts on OLED screens?

[@DanielH212MC]

I haven't noticed the dark scenes issue you are describing on either of my MIUI phones, but you are right, even the Mi 12S Ultra I have and the newer Mi 13 series that released recently is still using USB 2... Doesn't really make a difference to me since I don't care much for file transfer speeds but that's definitely a weird place to cut corners.

[@Natsukashii1111]

I agree testing if the USB c port got display output is really important

[@hans-petermaier9000]

the reason xiaomi still uses usb 2.0 is because their fast charging only works with usb 2.0 for now

[@nanoalt8127]

The Floatplane sponsor spot made me feel like I was dreaming, one of those "My dad's underwater house is on fire" type dreams

[@loukmor]

!!! Actually the global max brightness is 900 nits but it only activates when you have auto brightness on and it detects a bright environment like a sunny day !!!

[@ExperiencersInternational]

9:16 I'm not sure you used the macro mode. To activate it, you don't use the zoom buttons, and it doesn't automatically switch (at least on my X3 Pro), but you have to turn it on through the menu

[@simpson6700]

i had no idea the downsampling of the rearshooter was so bad. since more megapixels mean more downsampling, would that mean that lower megapixel cameras could look better?

[@sepplschpeedruns281]

I want this man to record a audio book, great voice!

[@makenzileg]

Does anyone else think the selfies looked better than the photos from the rear cameras?

[@Garrettdx1988]

The 778G is a fine chip but I wouldn't say it's at the top of the midrange segment anymore.

[@Anankin12]

>X3 Pro: 8/128, SD860, 120 Hz OLED, 5000mAh, 300€ launch price, 320€ now >X5 Pro: 6/128, SD778, 120 Hz OLED, 5000 mAh 300€ launch price Why is the 2 yo version better than the new one? The 860 is about 20% better than the 778G. I literally can't understand how no phone with decent specs has come out in 3 years, while before we literally had so many of them it was impossible to choose

[@AntiGravityC9]

Not only is it worse than its own brand, but at this point you can probably score a samsung A52s for a similar price, but with an SD card slot and main camera OIS and IP67 rating (and better software updates) If you ever find yourself competing with Samsung at price/performance you're just not budget friendly anymore

[@idk-sy3iu]

X3 pro wasn't OLED, it was an LCD, camera was worse; also had hardware issues

[@3dge433]

@@idk-sy3iu x3 pro has stereo bro,

[@Anankin12]

And yet it's got a better chip and similar battery. They could have chosen a modern midranger, which would STILL beat most comparable to 860, if they wanted to do something else better for the same cost. It's a worse phone for the money, 2 years later.

[@mk71]

Why do you show screen recordings of videos/photos instead of the actual photos rendered in your video editor?

[@tau93]

Bell could be reading a USB datasheet and I would still listen

[@kermitonweed8340]

You didn't open the actual macro camera option

[@antoniojackson5710]

3:27 What is his watch doing on his wrist?

[@scrawnykidd2674]

12:44 yes, Bilibili is being advertized as a KZbin alternative in China. But in most parts in the world, the app is known to have similar services like from Crunchyroll, ie: streaming licenced Anime shows

[@Harklein]

Coming from someone who experienced the first Pocophone F1 and is now using the Poco X3 GT 5G I can definitely say the "Pro" versions of the X4 and the X5 series are a disappointment. I believe they switched the meaning of "Pro" to having the one with a "better" camera on series and the "GT" being the one with the actual better specs under the hood unlike the X3 where the X3 Pro is actually a better phone than the X3 NFC and the X3 GT is a tier up compared to the X3 Pro in terms of performance hence the GT moniker on it's name.

[@Chris-qk2ft]

I have POCO X3 GT too, and nice to have 5G and NFC on it, and it wont lag for me to play genshin on high settings 60fps with gameboost.

[@Bastispark]

why didn't you show the sim tray? it has the dual sim tray(w/ optional sd card slot for the 2nd sim), right?

[@Donniedangerously]

He showed the tray at the 2:37 mark. No expandable memory.

[@CoreyAlexanderWissig]

Side question, what watch are you wearing? Saw it do a little dance when you got a notification, very cool.

[@CaesarIII]

Are you guys reviewing the fossil collider hybrid hr gen6 you are rocking? That would be ace

[@_d_a_r_k_3394]

9:06 u need to select super macro from quick setings , that was just wide camera

[@EdvardLaub]

What is going with his wristwatch at 3:27?

[@ashelliot8895]

Bell's voice is so soothing, I'd listen to him tell me a story before bed even if it was about an underwhelming mid-range phone.

[@chromacobble]

So far we got Unofficial support of Orange Fox Recovery, is there any progress on the custom ROM side of things?

[@jordanwalters9458]

Was anyone else thrown off by the hands on his watch moving at 3:25? 😂😂 wacky my guy

[@YuProducciones]

oh shit, u right!!! that is tripyyyy

[@DeophobicMind]

2:13 best part of the video for me haha

[@joelconolly5574]

Wasn't this video already uploaded?

[@bryantfloyd7471]

I checked to see what network it supports in the United States. It has limited network support with T-Mobile only. It only supports 2,4,41,66 on T-Mobiles LTE with no support for LTE B12 and doesn't even support B71 on both LTE or 5G. The only T-Mobile 5G it supports Is B41 only. Millimeter wave is also not supported.

[@ansjehartenhof8327]

Does anyone know how the cellular reception is with the poco?

[@legion1791]

Again this guy and his voice; I am just going to put the video on loop to sleep in that smooooothness

[@Meerak83Games]

Can these phones be used on T-Mobile network in the USA

[@NasserShakaa]

Someone explain what his watch did there @3:27

[@jetplane833]

What watch does he have on? It's neat.

[@MyVidChannel]

The rock spider popping up in the corner for the mic hole cracked me up :D

[@rahulv6297]

Nice watch, what's the model?

[@SRC267]

Need that SC wallpaper in the back, bell.

[@gustavovanegas9602]

i have the realme 9 pro + and it has been wonderful, a lot of phone for 300$ with a lot of features with no bloatware whatsoever.

[@ford1546]

To me it looked like the video was a bit syrupy and not as fast as I'm used to.

[@ToxNano]

Good to see more companies are making decent plastic phones. Way better than fragile glass.

[@ExperiencersInternational]

I have an X3 Pro and it's been incredibly reliable, although the specifications for processing for the sequels don't seem as good, plus I think the price is higher.

[@strooci]

I do have X3 pro Too.... And for now.... X series from Poco.... Cant beat this X3 Pro series when it comes for Processor

[@zodiacfml]

The X5 Pro a lot weaker in graphics, slightly faster in CPU than the X3 Pro, which is sad considering the X3 Pro is two years older

[@xard4s124]

Are you guys' X3 Pro still functioning like normal? Cuz here in Indonesia, there's a lotta X3 Pro owners trynna root their phones and overclock it so the phone bricked. After that they claim the warranty, and because the X3 Pro's production already stopped so the Xiaomi Service Centers are changing the X3 Pro to Poco F4 for free to X3 Pro owners

[@BottomOfTheDumpsterFire]

@@xard4s124 Been using mine for about two years now, works just like when I bought it.

[@sry4head]

I Had an X3 Pro and was so happy with it. Unfortunately I cracked the whole screen after the phone fell 3 meters into a metal pole. not the phones fault. Now Im on X4 Pro. But I dont really notice any improvements. Camera sucks, thats the only drawback in my opinion.

[@sturdybutter]

Great review. Thanks Jake.

[@jkaw963]

What watch is that? Looks nice

[@steel5897]

I've been daily driving a Poco F3 for over a year now. Amazing performance, great screen, feels good in the hand... but my god the camera sucks.

[@Dan-Simms]

I think I'd rather have a macro over a telephoto lens at least.

[@ohnoitsalec]

Just started binging Malcom in the middle for the first time since watching it live as a kid. That comment kinda scared me because I hadn’t thought about that show in forever lol

[@TrioLOLGamers]

Why tf do they keep adding everywhere a 2mpx macro lens?

[@dimitriosgkirgkiris9486]

399 EUR in amazon Germany. That's not mid-range pricing :S

[@davidpower3102]

Oh wow, what a voice! What does this man sound like when the Mike is close to his mouth?! Great video, love your humour.

[@flowerfloc]

i have the X4 pro and it also has 5g?

[@ford1546]

the charger is 100% the same as huawei sold when honor 8 phones were new. You got it in two sizes. same except that one had a bigger box.

[@thebreatho]

again, same as the Xiaomi unboxing... the apps with the blue dots are not installed, they're "ads", you can disable "suggested apps" and not see those anymore

[@HShango]

Dude is spot on about the frosted yellow description

[@Gary.6.10.19]

Boy I miss having the ir blaster

[@ThePaintitwhite]

I really wanted to get an X3 or the X5 Pro, but I just can't stand MIUI, and there seems to be no phone around the same price with stock android + expandable storage and headphone jack... Anyone got any recommendations?

[@MarkoVuckovic32]

Maybe Motorola G72. You get OLED 120Hz, expandable storage, headphone jack, stereo speakers, near stock android experience. The only downside is a bit lower performance because it has Helio G99 procesor which should be slower than 778G. But on the other hand it's also supposed to be cheaper.

[@Yantonio7]

waow, great job making this phone look terrible, the only thing I agree its the price, should a bit less. but oh lord, the screen and charge speed its AMAZING at this price! and the photo test, in a studio like that, and how you take the photos, not the greatest example honestly... nah, this poco is fire, i was about to fall sleep on negativity on this video

[@YuProducciones]

facts

[@yosandryyossay9692]

"Too red?" I'll set it to my messages ringtone.

[@superfishman3243]

Why does it have dual sim when in only works with two carriers and one of them is Mint Mobile which got bought out by the only other carrier they offer. It's not like you get better carrier range by having different carriers you can only get two numbers with basically the same carrier, kinda worthless

[@osa320]

900 nit is not peak brightness its HBM brightness. Peak brightness is probably about 1300 nits

[@Thimeri0n]

1:10 Did someone forget a high pass filter?

[@tatzecom]

you love talking about midrange phones, i love that hearing you talking, its a win-win situation all around

[@anwarrabbaanee9201]

At 3:26 did anyone notice his watch just changed time.

[@faroukalkhateeb]

We need one for the f6 when it releases

[@intiblade]

Thank you! I was about to buy it to play genshin! You people have save me!

[@grantm4400]

2:24 😆 Mike hole, pops up Mike miyers 😆

[@Ddofik]

the real bummer is that android 12 for me. Mobile phones at that price range tend to have around 2 android updates and one of them will already be used for android 13, which should have been there out of the box

[@mambasvg]

i think xiaomi is doing 3 updates now but yeah its still bad

[@simbarashezuva582]

Can you make a review of this phone but with lineage os and a pixel camera app

[@simbarashezuva582]

Like the one Linus did with the poco f1

[@Sakosaga]

He does the you love jazz meme well, gotta love it haha

[@obamalastname34]

Im disappointed that they didnt put dimensity 8200 on poco f5 or if they release poco x5 gt pro

[@krisztiannkiss]

Malcolm in the Middle reference and ShortCircuit in one video. Dream come true

[@kingzach74]

They got rid of headphone expansion? Lol

[@micas290]

between this and nothing phone, what do you guys recommend? thinking of buying this model to replace my redmi note 8 pro

[@RipperDoc97]

nothing

[@JollyOldCanuck]

Nothing has a better update and support policy.

[@johnqsak]

5:30 Ish, "We're not using it so we'll never know"

[@omarreid7222]

I loves this guys commentary . A+

[@berosta7337]

This phone has everything same as Xiaomi 11T in terms of specs. EVERY SINGLE SPEC!

[@Qimchiy]

It really doesn't help that you're checking t's performance while screen recording.

[@stanleywatson2559]

A generous review of the camera capabilities. Very interested to know what kind of information is sent to whatever remote server with that 'related videos' feature.

[@orangutan9045]

woah, the first time I've gotten a notification for a video less than 10 minutes after it posted

[@r.Ry4N.05]

2:40 It's sad that more and more phones are ditching microSD, even mid-end phones. I don't care how large the internal storage of a phone is, microSD is still a necessity for me.

[@MarkoVuckovic32]

Phones like this are the reason why I'll never buy a flagship. I just don't want to pay more for less features.