POCO X4 Pro 5G Review – The new king of the mid-range smartphones?!

Review: POCO X4 Pro 5G

 The king is dead, long live the king! I keep thinking about this sentence whenever I take a look at today's smartphone market. No matter what price range we are in, some manufacturer brings the BEST smartphone onto the market almost every week.

It is quite difficult to keep an overview and the differences between the models are in the details. This also applies to the POCO X4 Pro 5G, which offers the equipment of the recently introduced  Redmi Notes 11 Pro 5G  just put it in a different case.

POCO X4 Pro 5G: design and finish

The design of the POCO X4 Pro 5G is exceptional. Everyone has to decide for themselves whether it is exceptionally good or bad, but the smartphone definitely attracts attention. The main reason for this is the huge "camera bump" with POCO print, which takes up almost the entire upper part of the back. Not everyone necessarily likes that, because not only does the bump (1,5 mm) protrude far from the housing, but the 108 MP main camera on the bump also has its own bezel that also protrudes a few millimeters from the bump. Dust and dirt have an easy time of it here. 

The dimensions of the smartphone are also massive. With a size of 164 x 76 x 8,3 mm and a weight of 205g, the POCO X4 Pro 5G is a real banger. Nevertheless, the comparatively angular smartphone feels quite good in the hand. The weight distribution is not top-heavy and the control buttons on the right are easily accessible, which is not a matter of course for a 6,67-inch smartphone. There is a little protection against spray water according to protection class IP53.

The reflective glass back creates an interesting look. Depending on how you turn the smartphone in the light, an effect is created that is somewhat reminiscent of headlights or a laser beam. By the way, each of the models has this effect. It doesn’t matter whether you choose “Laser Black”, “Laser Blue” or “POCO Yellow”. POCO does not have a simple color in its range! The matt plastic frame provides an attractive contrast.

There is nothing wrong with the processing quality. The scope of delivery includes the POCO X4 Pro 5G, a transparent protective cover, a 67W fast charger, a USB-C cable, a SIM needle to open the SIM slot and a quick start guide. A screen protector is already on the display.

POCO X4 Pro 5G: Screen

The screen of the POCO X4 Pro 5G has a diagonal of 6,67 inches. It is an AMOLED DotDisplay with a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels and a maximum brightness of 1200 nit. In addition, there is a high refresh rate of 120 Hz and a sampling rate of 360 Hz. The display is protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass 5.

At least since the cheap Redmi Note 11 Xiaomi has shown that you can also install excellent AMOLED displays in the lower price categories. The POCO X4 Pro 5G follows suit, because the display does not have to hide from much more expensive competition. Typically AMOLED, the screen convinces with rich colors, high contrast and perfect viewing angle stability.

The brightness of the screen is decent. Even in sunshine you can still read the display well. The color temperature is set relatively neutral. If you don't like that, you can adjust the color temperature individually in the display settings. The same applies to the color saturation, which can be switched between “Vivid”, “Saturated” and “Standard” modes.

In terms of refresh rate, the POCO X4 Pro 5G keeps up with the times. Thanks to the 120 Hz refresh rate, animations and fast swiping movements look really smooth. The 120 Hz are slowed down a bit by the Snapdragon 695, which performs well in itself, but doesn't offer particularly high performance reserves.

But there is still one really annoying thing. Namely regarding the always-on display. “Always-On” means “always on” to me. Xiaomi or POCO sees it a little differently. There is an always-on function, but it switches off after 10 seconds. Only a tap of the finger on the display shows the “Always-On” interface again. Unfortunately, changing the whole thing in the settings doesn't work. There is only this 10 second function. A pity!

POCO X4 Pro 5G: performance

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 continues. This 6nm chip is the heart of the POCO X4 Pro 5G. It is divided into an 8-core CPU (2x Cortex-A77 @2.2 GHz | 6x Cortex-A55 @1.7 GHz) and an Adreno 619 GPU. In addition, the Snapdragon 695 supports fast 5G mobile communications, dual-AC WiFi and Bluetooth 5.1.

When it comes to storage, you can choose between 6GB or 8GB RAM (LPDDR4X) and 128GB or 256GB data storage (UFS2.2). Expanding the data storage with a microSD memory card works. Here are some benchmark results: 

The results are a good indication that the Snapdragon 695 is far from one of the strongest mobile platforms on the market. However, the performance in everyday use is much more relevant than a benchmark result, and there is actually little to complain about. Ordinary tasks are carried out quickly and without serious waiting or loading times. Fast changes through apps or image changes in the image gallery are largely seamless.

The POCO X4 Pro 5G, on the other hand, cannot assert itself as a smartphone for gamers. The 120 Hz refresh rate is not reached in most mobile games. You should also expect performance losses in particularly demanding games such as PUGB Mobile or Call of Duty Mobile. Here it is advisable to set the graphic to the lowest level of detail. Then these games can also be played without stuttering. Temperature-related bottlenecks do not occur. The smartphone only develops a small amount of heat under full load.

POCO X4 Pro 5G: user interface

Because POCO is a Xiaomi brand, the user interface is also Xiaomi's own MIUI operating system. This is preinstalled here as “MIUI 13 (For POCO)”. The difference to the Xiaomi or Redmi smartphone is the so-called “launcher”, which adapts the appearance of the POCO interface. Of course, you can also download any theme from the integrated theme store.

The MIUI 13 installed here is still based on Android 11. In all likelihood, an update to Android 12 will arrive in the first half of the year. Otherwise, the update policy of Xiaomi and POCO is one of the better ones. On average, the devices are supplied with updates for 3 years.

Now to the functions that MIUI 13 has to offer. In addition to the theme launcher already mentioned, which allows you to customize the look of the user interface, there are also some “special functions”. A practical sidebar with quick access to apps can be displayed as an overlay. Then there are floating windows in which you can hide apps. This makes multitasking easier because you can work with two apps at the same time in the split screen.

Creating two independent user profiles is also possible with MIUI 13. This makes it even easier to separate business from private life. One thing that's a bit annoying are the many pre-installed third-party apps that you don't really need. In addition to various shopping apps, social media apps are also pre-installed. Of course, you can simply throw down the unwanted apps.

POCO X4 Pro 5G: Camera

The camera unit on the back shouldn't have been that huge, because there are only 3 lenses in total, even if the first glance gives the impression of 5 lenses. But one after anonther.

The POCO Aperture f/4). The two other circles in the quartet contain an LED flash and the other circle contains the word "AI". Pure decoration! The 5 MP front camera is located at the front.

main camera

The 108 MP main camera is on a good mid-range level. The photos taken during the day convince with an appropriate amount of detail and a pleasantly natural color scheme. This is shown, for example, by the sky on the test shots, which shines in a beautiful blue when there is a lot of sunshine. There is also nothing wrong with the image dynamics. The dynamic range knows its limits, but severely drowned lows and burned out highlights are a rarity.

Conspicuous image errors due to chromatic aberration do not occur. Image sharpness and level of detail decrease slightly towards the edges, but this in no way affects the overall impression too much. The autofocus reacts quickly and the release time is low.

The recording quality is well preserved in low light conditions. The large sensor and the pixel binning show what they can do here. The sensor has image noise under control. The level of detail is not reduced too much and colors are well preserved. The POCO X4 Pro 5G does not suffer from sluggish autofocus and long shutter release times at night.

When the ambient light is low, it is advisable to switch on the night mode. In many cases, the night mode provides a higher light output with more details and a higher dynamic range.

Ultra wide angle

One could easily assume that the 8 MP Sony IMX355 has become Xiaomi's standard sensor in the mid-range segment. After all, the sensor is not that susceptible to criticism. Of course, the UWK of the POCO X4 Pro 5G cannot keep up with high-end devices, but the recording quality is still completely sufficient. There is hardly any distortion, details and image sharpness are reasonably okay and the image dynamics are also right.

Other sensors and recording functions

You should not have any expectations of the macro camera. The 2 MP sensor is a gap filler that beautifies the spec sheet. Not more! The camera app is easy to use. There is a photo, video and portrait mode, a pro mode for experienced users and many other gimmicks. As an alternative to the MIUI camera app, it's worth taking a look at the various GCam offers and experimenting. Google's GCam app can often also improve the recording quality, because in addition to the sensors, the software also plays a decisive role.

The video function of the smartphone is disappointing. A higher resolution than 1080p at 30 frames per second cannot be set. This is not due to the MIUI camera app, but to the Snapdragon 695, which does not support 4K. Electronic image stabilization is available, but it reacts very jerkily and the motion sequence looks unrealistic.

The recording quality of the 16 MP front camera doesn't necessarily make you an Instagram model, but you can still take a good-looking selfie or two. The video resolution of the front camera is also limited to 1080p at 30 frames per second due to the processor.

POCO X4 Pro 5G: connectivity and sensors

Mobile

The Snapdragon X51 modem of the POCO X4 Pro 5G masters 5G SA and NSA. It is therefore prepared for the present and the future. When tested in the 5G network, the smartphone impressed with its solid speed and stability. You don't have to worry about the mobile phone frequencies. The usual frequencies in Europe are all supported.

The VoLTE and VoWiFi methods for voice telephony are supported. Dual SIM is possible with two Nano SIM cards. However, slot 2 shares the space with the memory expansion option, which is lost when using dual SIM.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

Unfortunately, fast WiFi 6 did not make it into the POCO smartphone. Here you can be satisfied with Dual-AC WiFi, which performs quite well in terms of data throughput and connection strength. The Bluetooth 5.1 did not cause any problems either. The automatic connection in the car worked without any problems.

GPS and sensors

In the test, the POCO X4 Pro 5G navigated reliably from A to B. To do this, it uses GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and Beidou. Except for the IR blaster, the sensors are standard. The IR blaster is a feature that Xiaomi in particular likes to install. This can be used to control televisions, media players and other devices, provided they can be addressed via infrared. The smartphone already has the Mi remote control app required for control.

 NFC is on board the European POCO X4 Pro 5G. However, you should make sure that not every country version has NFC installed.

Fingerprint scanner

The fingerprint scanner didn't make it under the display on this smartphone. Instead, it has been integrated into the side power button. Unlocking worked reliably and quickly in the test.

Stereo speakers

The sound of the stereo speaker is powerful and loud without distorting. Sound effects are provided in the form of Dolby Atmos. Headphones or external speakers can be connected via a 3.5 mm jack, Bluetooth or USB-C. High-resolution audio codecs such as aptX are supported for Bluetooth connections. It is even possible to receive FM radio with wired headphones.

POCO X4 Pro 5G: Battery

Finally, a few words about the battery. It has a capacity of 5000 mAh and lasts quite a long time thanks to the efficient Snapdragon 695. In the test, the smartphone only had to be plugged in every two days. The standby consumption is extremely low, so that only 2-3 percent of the battery was lost at night.

The 67 watt quick charge function charges the smartphone to 15 percent in just 55 minutes. A full charge takes 41 minutes. Wireless charging is not supported.