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.
Design and handling
The Poco M5 has a distinguishable design, which is an easy task nowadays as most smartphones look the same, but it takes some boldness. The Poco M5 adopts a two-tone design with a slightly protruding glossy panel spanning across the device's width, which in turn houses the three cameras on the back. The build is absolutely identical to the Poco M4 5G's, except that this time around, we have three cameras instead of two.

The rest of the back is also made of plastic, but it's not your ordinary finish. This one tries to imitate a leather material by incorporating a leather-like pattern. The plastic material is just a notch softer, so the attempt at the faux leather feel is definitely a success, especially given the handset's price. The grip is also pretty nice and less slippery than your average plastic glossy smartphone.

Unfortunately, fingerprints and fine dust are an issue. The fine texture invites dirt and grease to get stuck between the grooves. We received the Black option, but we suspect the Yellow and Blue variants will have the same issue.

The sides follow a modern design trend. They are flat with sharp edges and successfully imitate anodized aluminum. They are still plastic, but Xiaomi pulled off this imitation too. Despite the sharp edges, the back transitions seamlessly into the side frame - extra bonus points for build quality. However, the same cannot be said about the front panel. It forms a deep ridge with the side frame.
The left is where the SIM card/microSD tray is, while the right houses the power key that doubles as a fingerprint reader and the volume rocker. The power key is just within the thumb's reach, but the volume rocker asks you to reach out a little bit. The 3.5mm jack is here to stay, and it's placed on the top along with the IR blaster. Of course, you will find the speaker grille and the USB-C connector at the bottom.

To our surprise, the front looks pretty good for a budget device. The side bezels are decently thin, and so are the top and bottom ones. The notch cutout for the front-facing camera isn't very obstructive, and Xiaomi was able to include proper proximity and light sensors at the top, which aren't a given in this price category.

The Poco M5 is super easy to handle and feels sturdy and grippy. It is a little hefty for a 6.58-inch device built out of plastic - 200 grams. And it's a little top-heavy. But that's just us being nit-picky. The Poco M5 has an excellent build for the price. Being splash-resistant is a noteworthy bonus.
Decent IPS display
The Poco M5 features the same 6.58-inch IPS LCD panel as the Poco M4 5G. The resolution is 1080 x 2408px, and the refresh rate is capped at 90Hz. Of course, there are no HDR capabilities, but you do get the Full HD playback on Netflix as the device supports Widevine L1.

Interestingly enough, we had a tad better experience with the Poco M5 compared to the M4 5G. We didn't have issues with automatic brightness, and the display responded well to ambient light changes. We also got better, albeit marginally, readings in terms of max brightness.
In the default Vivid mode, the display peaked at just 324 nits, while in Saturated mode, we got up to 402 nits. In automatic mode, the increase was modest but still rather higher than what we got on the Poco M4 5G - 448 nits. Still, the maximum brightness isn't enough for comfortable outdoor use on a bright sunny day.
Display test | 100% brightness | ||
Black, |
White, |
||
0.295 | 402 | 1363:1 | |
0.337 | 448 | 1329:1 | |
0 | 473 | ∞ | |
0 | 756 | ∞ | |
0.2 | 326 | 1630:1 | |
0.4 | 410 | 1025:1 | |
0.241 | 389 | 1614:1 | |
0.376 | 498 | 1324:1 | |
0.448 | 587 | 1310:1 | |
0 | 465 | ∞ | |
0 | 736 | ∞ |
It's obvious that the two handsets share the same panel, so it's possible that Poco pushed a software update in the meantime to fix the automatic brightness issues, or the M4 5G unit we received was just an odd one.
Color accuracy wasn't the best either. There are three modes to choose from - Vivid (default one), Saturated and Standard. The latter produces the best results in accuracy, but whites and grays have a magenta hue, and it's noticeable even with the naked eye. Most other colors were well below the 3.0 dE2000.
HRR control
There are just two refresh rate modes in the settings menu - 60Hz and 90Hz. Obviously, if you go for the latter, the system will prioritize 90Hz, and we found that almost all system and third-party apps run at 90Hz. Chrome is one small exception. Blur Buster's UFO test shows 60fps rendering in that browser. At least the default web browser saturates the full 90Hz refresh rate of the display, so you can use that one instead of Chrome.
Video players and streaming apps appear to prioritize 60Hz to preserve battery. However, leaving the screen idle didn't trigger the 60Hz refresh rate mode.
Battery life
As expected, battery life is solid. We got relatively the same runtimes from the Poco M4 5G since they both share the same battery capacity (5,000 mAh), the same 6.58-inch LCD panel and similar chipsets (Helio G99 vs. Dimensity 700). In fact, the overall endurance score is the same - 121 hours.

Our battery tests were automated thanks to SmartViser, using its viSerDevice app. The endurance rating denotes how long the battery charge will last you if you use the device for an hour of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. More details can be found here.
Compared to other competitors, the Poco M5 edges out by a little and posts impressive screen-on scores.
Video test carried out in 60Hz refresh rate mode. Web browsing test is done at the display's highest refresh rate whenever possible. Refer to the respective reviews for specifics. To adjust the endurance rating formula to match your own usage patterns check out our all-time battery test results chart where you can also find all phones we've tested.
Charging speed
The phone features a big battery and rather slow charging support by 2022 standard, but since this is a low-end phone we are reviewing here, it's hard to complain. The device can go up to 18W with the included 22.5W Xiaomi charger. That's because it's cheaper to produce one type of charger for multiple smartphone lineups.
In any case, charging is really slow. The handset got just 24% of its charge back in the first half an hour, while a full charge took 2 hours and 19 minutes.
When compared to other similarly priced alternatives, the Poco M5 drags behind in both scenarios.
30min charging test (from 0%)
Higher is better
- Poco M5s
53% - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
51% - Realme 9
50% - Xiaomi Poco M4 5G
31% - Samsung Galaxy A04s
28% - Samsung Galaxy A13
27% - Xiaomi Poco M5
24%
Time to full charge (from 0%)
Lower is better
- Realme 9
1:16h - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
1:18h - Poco M5s
1:24h - Xiaomi Poco M4 5G
2:02h - Samsung Galaxy A04s
2:14h - Samsung Galaxy A13
2:18h - Xiaomi Poco M5
2:19h
Speaker
Even though the Poco M5 has a single, bottom-firing speaker setup, we were really impressed with the loudness and overall sound quality. Sure, some competitors offer a stereo setup for the same price, but it rivals them in terms of loudness and quality. A -27.6 LUFS score is pretty solid for one speaker.
Vocals are clear, mids are well pronounced, and there's even some bass. More importantly, there's virtually no distortion at higher volumes. The highs are never tinny.
Use the Playback controls to listen to the phone sample recordings (best use headphones). We measure the average loudness of the speakers in LUFS. A lower absolute value means a louder sound. A look at the frequency response chart will tell you how far off the ideal "0db" flat line is the reproduction of the bass, treble, and mid frequencies. You can add more phones to compare how they differ. The scores and ratings are not comparable with our older loudspeaker test. Learn more about how we test here.
MIUI 13 based on Android 12
Even though Android 13 is already out and running on some devices and most that got released in the last two months, the Poco M5 is a low-end device so Android 13 will likely arrive sometime next year. So we refrain from complaining about not running the latest version of Android. And besides, Xiaomi's MIUI often brings some features in advance, so having the latest MIUI 13 is more important than having the latest Android, at least in Xiaomi's world.

Anyway, the new MIUI 13 promises under-the-hood improvements such as better RAM management, CPU utilization and more effective storage use. Overall, looks haven't changed, and previous MIUI users will feel right at home.
The split between a notification shade and Control Center is enabled by default this time, and that's probably a good thing. We found it to be quite convenient, and it's a way to educate users about MIUI's unique approach to the UI. And in case you are not a fan, you can always revert back to the standard notification shade with quick toggles in one place.
Notification shade and Control center
The home screen, recent apps and the general settings menu are business as usual. The app drawer is also enabled by default, and we like that Xiaomi has placed the search bar at the bottom of the screen for easier reach. There are custom and preset app categories for faster navigation.
Home screen, recent apps, settings menu
Unlike the standard recent apps menu, MIUI's one lists the apps in a vertical arrangement and provides several useful shortcuts.
That's where you can open up apps in floating windows. However, you can keep only one open at a time.
The Sidebar shortcut menu is absent on the Poco M5. In the absence of its convenient way of spawning floating windows for apps, you have to do that through a quick toggle in the command center on the M4 5G. It's not too much of a hassle, and the floating windows themselves work in the same familiar fashion with sort of predefined zones they can go in and sizes.

Customization is, as always, a big part of MIUI. Since the Poco М5 lacks an OLED panel and an under-display fingerprint reader, the always-on display and fingerprint animation customization menus are absent. You can still theme the device, though. Aside from the themes pre-installed on the device, a theme store gives you a wide selection. The themes themselves change not only the general appearance but also the ringtones and system icons.
Themes and customization options
Moving on to privacy and security, MIUI has come with a pre-installed system Security app. Aside from the additional malware protection layer it provides, the app holds many of the app settings and privacy features in one place. It can manage your blacklist, manage or restrict your data usage, configure battery behavior, and free up some RAM. It can also manage the permissions of your installed apps, define the battery behavior of selected apps, and apply restrictions only to certain apps.

Speaking of security, we already mentioned that the side-mounted capacitive fingerprint reader on the Poco M5 is very snappy and reliable. Unfortunately, in the absence of an in-display fingerprint reader, the nifty quick shortcuts interface from the lock screen is missing too. You can still adjust the behavior of the reader and make it require pressing the button to work or not. A double press of the power button can also quickly launch the camera. And there is a dedicated lock screen pane with additional quick Mi device controls and a flashlight toggle to use. These appear when you swipe left on the phone's lock screen.
All in all, MIUI 13 changed a little over the 12th iteration, but it's just as snappy and customizable as ever. The OS is still colorful and cheerful as ever, with plenty of attention to detail in things like animations and small design elements. Everything looks crisp and flows well, even on more modest hardware like in the Poco M5. MIUI 13 is one of the most refined custom Android experiences around these days, and even on the M4 5G, it feels responsive and snappy.
Performance
The Poco M5 isn't the first smartphone we review with the Helio G99 chipset, so we already know what to expect. It's a 6nm chip from Mediatek with a 2+6 core CPU configuration (2x2.2GHz Cortex-A76 and 2x2.0GHz Cortex-A55) and a Mali-G57 MC2 GPU, and it's quite similar to the MediaTek Dimensity 700. The latter adds a 5G modem, and that's about it. The Helio G99 and the Dimensity 700 both share the same CPU configuration and Mali-G57 MC2 GPU.

The base storage version has 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 64GB of UFS 2.2 storage. There are also 4GB/128GB, 4GB/128GB and 6GB/128GB versions.
Now, without further ado, let's dig into the benchmarks themselves.
GeekBench 5 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Poco X4 Pro 5G
687 - Poco M4 5G
552 - Xiaomi Poco M5
550 - Poco M5s
516 - Realme 9i
384 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
376 - Samsung Galaxy A04s
184 - Samsung Galaxy A13
153
GeekBench 5 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Poco X4 Pro 5G
2063 - Xiaomi Poco M5
1896 - Poco M5s
1831 - Poco M4 5G
1730 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
1662 - Realme 9i
1581 - Samsung Galaxy A04s
1100 - Samsung Galaxy A13
588
AnTuTu 9
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Poco M5
386311 - Poco X4 Pro 5G
384646 - Poco M5s
360681 - Poco M4 5G
336380 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
244526 - Samsung Galaxy A04s
145123 - Samsung Galaxy A13
136286
GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)
Higher is better
- Poco X4 Pro 5G
34 - Poco M5s
32 - Xiaomi Poco M5
25 - Poco M4 5G
25 - Realme 9i
23 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
15 - Samsung Galaxy A04s
9.4 - Samsung Galaxy A13
9.4
GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Poco X4 Pro 5G
30
28
22
21
19
14
12
8.3
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Poco M5s
18 - Poco X4 Pro 5G
17 - Xiaomi Poco M5
12 - Poco M4 5G
12 - Samsung Galaxy A04s
11 - Realme 9i
7.3 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
6.8 - Samsung Galaxy A13
5.2
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)
Higher is better
- Poco X4 Pro 5G
20 - Poco M5s
19 - Xiaomi Poco M5
15 - Poco M4 5G
15 - Realme 9i
8.2 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
8 - Samsung Galaxy A13
6.2 - Samsung Galaxy A04s
6
3DMark Wild Life Vulkan 1.1 (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Poco M5
1321 - Poco X4 Pro 5G
1211 - Poco M4 5G
1186 - Samsung Galaxy A13
510 - Realme 9i
452 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
439
The new Helio G99 is a good performer in the low-end segment, outpacing all budget alternatives, including the Snapdragon 600 series. As expected, the Helio G99's performance is on par with the Dimensity 700, and it's just a tad slower than the Snapdragon 695. However, the latter is often implemented in considerably more expensive smartphones. In other words, we're getting great performance for the money here.
Three cameras on the back, just the one to use
Probably the most noticeable difference between the Poco M4 5G and the Poco M5 is the camera setup. The latter swaps out the 13MP sensor for a more recent 50MP one. It's 1/2.76" big, has 0.64µm pixels, and it's paired with an f/1.8 lens. Of course, the sensor's effective resolution is 12.5MP as it takes photos in binned 4-in-1 mode.

Unlike the Poco M4 5G, the M5 also has a dedicated macro camera - 2MP with f/2.4 aperture. The other 2MP unit serves as a depth sensor.
On the front, the Poco M5 retains the 5MP, f/2.2, 1/5.0", 1.12µm selfie camera.
Camera menus
The default camera app is a typical MIUI affair, though a bit simplified to match the lighter camera setup. Switching between modes is done by swiping left and right, and all available modes are on this rolodex and rearrangeable. Notably, there is no Macro mode on the Poco M4 5G. There are no zoom toggles either. You have to pinch to zoom.
On the opposite end of the viewfinder, you have a flash mode switch, an HDR switch, an AI toggle, and a magic wand with beauty effects and filters. We found the HDR toggle to be off every time we launched the camera or when going back from certain modes, so keep an eye on the HDR. It's a crucial part of proper photo processing.
You'll find some more options behind a hamburger menu, plus the shortcut to the settings. You won't find an option to set the output resolution, just the aspect ratio. There is a Pro mode for the main camera. You can use up to 30s shutter speed and ISO up to 6400.
Daylight photos
The overall look of the photos is largely different from the Poco M4 5G, but it isn't necessarily worse. The daylight performance is pretty much what you'd expect from a budget smartphone. Sharpness is mostly good unless fine detail or foliage is in the scene, in which case you may see some soft patches here and there.
Colors are juicy, and in typical Xiaomi fashion, the contrast is high and dark shadows make the scenes a bit gritty-looking. Noise is well-controlled, and don't mind the rather warmer-than-usual color temperature. It's due to the time of day the photos were taken. Taking the phone inside, where lighting conditions are sub-optimal, will significantly increase noise and soften the photos. That's par for the course, though.
You don't stand to gain anything from the 50MP mode as the lack of HDR limits dynamic range, noise is more apparent, and photos are sensibly softer.
Macro camera
Since the macro camera doesn't support autofocus, it's kind of hard to operate and keep your subject in focus. That's why we suggest taking several shots at varying distances. The bigger issue is that the macro samples are low in contrast, have a limited level of detail and colors look washed out. After all, this is a small 2MP sensor we are dealing with. Either way, the final results strongly depend on the lighting conditions and using this camera is hard to recommend.
Low-light photos
Expectedly, the Poco M5 struggles after dusk. The main issue here is the limited dynamic range producing clipped highlights and dark shadows. Noise is also quite visible in pretty much all areas of the image. Colors are a bit pale too. On the other hand, we are surprised by the level of detail and the fact that these photos are generally sharp.
It's important to note that the weather conditions weren't ideal, and you may notice it was a bit foggy.
There's also a dedicated Night mode that balances the highlights and shadows, improving dynamic range. It also cleans up the noise but in some photos, this leads to lower detail and worse contrast - take the first image below as an example.
Portraits
Once again, the end result largely depends on the lighting conditions. If there's enough light, portraits come out with punchy, yet close-to-real-life colors, a good level of detail, decent sharpness and just some small traces of noise. More challenging lighting conditions result in pale skin and a complete loss of detail. Case in point - the second photo.
It's worth noting that the edge detection is pretty solid and the background blur is quite convincing.
Selfies
The selfies are overall decent for the Poco M5's price bracket. Colors are pretty close to the actual ones, noise is well contained, detail is okay and so is sharpness as long as the ambient light allows it. Fine textures, like the skin, are missing. The portrait mode isn't very accurate with the edge detection but produces a nice blur.
Video recording
The device supports 1080p video recording at 30fps, but it can also do 720p clips if you so wish. Since this is a budget SoC, the ISP just isn't powerful enough for 2160p processing or some fancy slow-motion video recording.
The sample video we shot is somewhat unimpressive yet par for the course. Dynamic range seems rather limited, and colors are a bit muted, but overall detail seems to fit the Full HD resolution quality standards. Xiaomi may want to tone down the artificial sharpening in videos to compensate for the lack of resolution because oversharpening halos can be seen on some objects and fine detail.
Competition
The Xiaomi Poco M5 is a pretty basic phone; there's no denying that. But it's also one of the company's most affordable smartphones in the portfolio, asking a little bit over €180. And despite the rather restricted budget, the Poco M5 has some solid selling points and fares well against the similarly priced competition.

Of course, the first alternative that comes to mind comes from the same camp - the Poco M4 5G. As we said earlier, the two phones are just 4G and 5G versions of the same smartphone. There's little to no difference in the overall user experience except that the Poco M4 5G has a 13MP primary camera instead of 50MP. At the end of the day, however, the difference is negligible. Both devices do a decent job of photography. Still, the Poco M4 5G is a tad more expensive due to the 5G modem and the supposedly higher tier Dimensity 700 SoC. However, there's no difference in performance, so unless the next-generation network isn't that big of a deal to you, we suggest that you save the extra €20-30 and get the Poco M5.
Xiaomi Poco M4 5G • Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 • Samsung Galaxy A13 • Realme 9i
A much more lucrative option from Xiaomi would be the Redmi Note 11. It undercuts the Poco M5 by about €50 while being almost as powerful (Snapdragon 680), has a brighter and much more enjoyable 90Hz OLED, Gorilla Glass 3 on the front, a slightly better camera setup and faster 33W charging. It's a no-brainer.

There's also the Realme 9i offering essentially the same hardware as the Poco M5 at a similar price. Its only advantage is the faster 33W charging, which shouldn't be overlooked. But the way we see it, it boils down to software preference. The Realme UI might not be everyone's cup of tea, or Xiaomi's MIUI for that matter. So go for whichever you prefer. Keep in mind, though, that the Realme 9i is still running Android 11, whereas the Poco M5 is on a more recent Android 12 OS.

Samsung's camp has quite a few offers in the same price bracket - Galaxy A04s, Galaxy A13 and Galaxy M13. All three are quite similar, but the latter two are probably your best bet if you are a fan of One UI. The A13 and M13 also punch a little over their class when it comes to photography. Performance is what keeps us from recommending these phones over the Poco M5. The latter has a clear advantage in day-to-day use - the Helio G99 seems to be doing pretty well under MIUI 13, whereas the Exynos 850 chipset is just too underpowered to handle even the simplified version of One UI 4.1. Not to mention the Galaxy A13 offers 3GB/32GB memory configuration as a standard which is a no-go in 2022.
Verdict
Our verdict of the Poco M5 is a tad different from the Poco M4 5G's just due to the price difference. While both devices offer largely the same user experience, the Poco M5 is definitely a more desirable alternative in the sub-€200 category. The LTE device has a decent display running at 90Hz for some smooth scrolling, an excellent loudspeaker, and adequate performance for fluent everyday operation, which isn't a given in this low-end class. It also has a proper ambient light sensor, a proximity sensor, an IR blaster and NFC. These aren't all that common among budget phones either.

The phone also offers excellent battery endurance, mature and capable MIUI 13 software and, last but not least, a design that stands out and is particularly comfortable to hold even without a case. This leaves us with just one complaint - the max screen brightness. An LCD that only goes as high as 448nits leaves a lot to be desired in outdoor use.
At the end of the day, the Poco M5 is a low-end device with a pretty basic feature set and hardware. The latter seems adequate for the asking price, but we can't help thinking of the other Xioami-branded alternatives. We strongly recommend taking a closer look at those because you may get a bit more for your money.
Pros
- Attractive splash-resistant design, cool color options.
- Pretty good speaker audio quality
- Excellent battery life.
- Dependable performance, smooth MIUI 13 experience.
- Decent daylight photo and video quality for a budget phone.
- Surprisingly, full set of sensors and I/O: 3.5mm jack, microSD slot, NFC, IR blaster, FM radio.
- Good price/performance ratio.
Cons
- The max screen brightness is inadequate for outdoor use.
- Low-light and selfie performance are unimpressive.
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