With the Poco F5 and the Poco F5 Pro, Xiaomi has launched two relatively cheap smartphones that focus on performance. Both feature Snapdragon SoCs that rival the current Android flagships, and all at a more affordable price point achieved by concessions on photo quality, among other things. In this comparison we explain the differences between the Poco F5 and the Poco F5 Pro and tell you which Xiaomi model you should choose.
This comparison is initially only based on the technical data sheets. You can already find our full Poco F5 review and Poco F5 Pro review. This comparison will be updated with test material soon.
Xiaomi Poco F5 and Poco F5 Pro in comparison: technical data
| Product | Poco F5 | Poco F5 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Look |  |  |
| Screen | 6,67 2.400 × 1.080 px 120Hz refresh rate | 6,67 3.200 × 1.440 px 120Hz refresh rate |
| (SoC) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 |
| Screen | 8/ 12 GB LPDDR5 RAM 256 GB UFS 3.1 ROM | 8/ 12 GB LPDDR5X RAM 256/ 512 GB UFS 3.1 ROM |
| RAM | 6 / 8 GB RAM | 8 GB RAM |
| Main cameras | Main camera: 64 MP, aperture f/1.8 Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2 aperture Macro camera: 2 MP, aperture f/2.4 | Main camera: 64 MP, aperture f/1.8, OIS Ultra wide angle: 12 MP, f/2.2 aperture Macro camera: 2 MP, aperture f/2.4 |
Design and screen
The Poco F5 and Poco F5 Pro have a significantly sleeker design than the rest of the manufacturer’s catalogue. There are no bright colors and no bulky camera modules. The two smartphones are simply kept in black and white.
Both Poco smartphones also have a flat 6.67-inch display with no curved edges. The Poco F5 has an AMOLED panel with a Full HD+ resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels, while the Poco F5 Pro has an AMOLED display with a QHD resolution of 3200 x 1440 pixels. Both smartphones offer a refresh rate of 120 Hz.
In terms of screen quality, the Poco F5 and F5 Pro are more or less equal on paper.The Pro model has the advantage of being IP certified in terms of design. But both smartphones make concessions when it comes to the material: the plastic doesn’t really feel premium.
One last small detail: the base model Poco F5 has a 3.5mm jack, which the Poco F5 Pro lacks.
In terms of screen quality, the Poco F5 and F5 Pro are more or less equal on paper.
The Pro model’s design boasts the advantage of having IP certification. But both smartphones make concessions when it comes to the material: the plastic doesn’t really feel premium.
Performance and Connectivity
Both the Poco F5 and the Poco F5 Pro are equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC. The base model packs the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2, while the Pro variant packs the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1.
Both chips, especially the second one, are absolutely worthy of what is usually found in an Android flagship. Undoubtedly, the main selling point of these two Poco smartphones is their top-notch performance offered at a low price.
The base model offers up to 12 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and up to 256 GB of UFS 3.1 storage. The Pro version also offers 12 GB of RAM, but LPDDR5X and up to 512 GB of storage, also UFS 3.1. Unfortunately, both models do not offer expandable storage via microSD.
The Poco F5 and Poco F5 Pro are quite similar in terms of raw performance. The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 in the Poco F5 is a very competitive chip that is in no way inferior to its premium counterparts. This SoC has also proven to be very reliable in terms of stability.
In short, with the Poco F5 and the Poco F5 Pro you will be able to play smoothly and without FPS drops without any problems. The slightly stronger chip in the Pro version should allow slight advantages in graphics display – but the difference won’t be huge.
Camera
Even if the design is different, the Poco F5 and Poco F5 Pro have exactly the same triple camera on the back and the same selfie camera on the front
On the back is the 64MP main camera, paired with an 8MP ultra-wide lens and – Zoooonk – a 2MP macro sensor. Yes, unfortunately with this range you cannot avoid low-resolution macro lenses, which only serve to inflate the data sheet.
The selfie camera on both models has a resolution of 16 MP.
Below you will find the two photo galleries from our respective tests of the Poco F5 and the Poco F5 Pro – we will publish the two test reports in the coming hours and link them here. Here you can get an impression of the image quality – since the cameras are identical, there shouldn’t be any surprises here.
Operating System
Both the Poco F5 and Poco F5 Pro operate on MIUI 14, which is Xiaomi’s custom skin based on Android 13.You can find more information about this in our in-depth review of MIUI 14 and our list of the best features of MIUI 14.
If you’ve owned a Xiaomi or Redmi smartphone in the past, you’re in for no surprises here – good or bad. The best thing is that MIUI runs really wonderfully fluid and smooth and pleases with beautiful animations. The worst thing is the huge number of pre-installed apps.
As is frequently observed with Xiaomi’s mid-range smartphones, there is a lack of clear information regarding the update policy for the Poco F5 and Poco F5 Pro. As soon as we know more here, we will update the article.
Battery life and charging
The Poco F5 and Poco F5 Pro have large batteries that promise solid battery life on paper. The battery of the Poco F5 has a capacity of 5,000 mAh, while the battery of the Poco F5 Pro even reaches 5,160 mAh.
Both smartphones can be charged with a cable with 67 watts. But only the Poco F5 Pro can also be charged wirelessly (with 30 watts). Neither model offers reverse wireless charging.
In the PC Mark benchmark, which is used for battery life, the Poco F5 lasted 15:33 hours before the remaining battery power dropped below 20%. With the Poco F5 Pro we achieved 12:49 hours in the test. Those are two excellent results, with the Poco F5 ranking among the best devices on the Android market.When charging via cable, the Poco F5 took 48 minutes and the Poco F5 Pro 53 minutes to go from 0 to 100%.
Conclusion
The Poco F5 and Poco F5 Pro are two really good, more affordable alternatives to the current high-end smartphones that are becoming unaffordable. If performance and battery life are your main considerations in your purchasing criteria, the Poco F5 and Poco F5 Pro are both a much more reasonable budget choice. And you lose almost nothing when it comes to performance and usability.