It has been a long time since POCO has not added any new phone to its M series of phones, and now the company has decided to launch two new budget phones from this series, the POCO M5 and POCO M5s that should perfectly meet your needs, These phones come with huge differences in terms of specifications, however, it’s powered by Mediatek Helio G-series chipsets and big 5,000 mAh batterie with fast charging and varies from phone to phone, Plus a wide range of features that offer value for money. However, the POCO M5 seems to be focused on performance for gaming, while the POCO M5s are more geared towards entertainment. So Let’s Take a look at what we know about these upcoming devices.
POCO M5 & M5s Features
| POCO M5 | POCO M5s |
| MediaTek Helio G99 Octa Core 6nm | MediaTek Helio G95 Octa Core |
| Up to 6 RAM + Up to 128GB ROM | Up to 6 RAM + Up to 128GB ROM |
| 6.58″ FHD+ DotDrop display, 90Hz Refresh rate | 6.43″ FHD+ AMOLED Dot display |
| 5000mAh battery, 18W fast charging | 5000mAh battery, 33W fast charging |
| Triple Rear Camera 50MP+2MP+2MP, 5MP Front Camera | AI Quad Camera 64MP+8MP+2MP+2MP, 13MP Front Came |
| MIUI 13 based on Android 12 | MIUI 13 based on Android 12 |
| NFC, Bluetooth 5.3, Dual SIM 4G | NFC, Bluetooth 5.0, Dual SIM 4G, IP53 |
Design And Build Quality
POCO M5
In terms of design, the POCO M5 looks similar to the POCO M4 5G, however, it has a unique style at this price point compared to other budget phones. It comes in an all-polycarbonate design, there is an edge-to-edge camera module in glossy black and the POCO logo on the top of the back panel. In fact, the plastic faux leather designs on the smartphones give another luster to the M5, especially the completely matte finish, except for the plastic surrounding the cameras.
On the sides are the volume rocker and the power button, which also serves as a fingerprint reader. You also have a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB-C charging port, a single speaker network, and a SIM card slot. The phone is not completely waterproof, but its thick build allows it to receive a few clicks as well as the protection of Gorilla Glass on the screen.
POCO M5s
As POCO likes to be distinguished in all price categories, it tries to put the best building materials in its phones to be better than all competitors, so POCO M5s come with a significant improvement in terms of appearance. Where the cameras came in place in the rectangular space but with rounded corners bearing the same aesthetic design as the POCO M4 Pro 5G camera. And the silver-plated ring around the 64MP sensor adds more flair and beauty.
The back of the phone is made of glass that captures fingerprints, protected by a layer of Gorilla Glass 3 as the front, and the phone frame is plastic with an IP53 waterproof certificate. As for the ports, they are the same as those in the POCO M5. The thickness of the phone is 8.3 mm, with a good weight of 178.8 g, and is available in multiple options of white, blue, and gray colors.
POCO M5 & M5s – Overall Performance
The POCO M5 will be powered by the new MediaTek Helio G99 processor, the latest 4G chipset released by MediaTek with great performance, making it one of the best chipsets in the market in 2022 and also very cost-effective. This chip is based on a 6nm TSMC manufacturing process for power efficiency and contains an Octa-core processor with two powerful cores at a frequency of 2.2 GHz and six cores of the type Cortex-A55 with a maximum frequency of 2 GHz.
The POCO M5 also supports the MediaTek HyperEngine 2.0 Lite and Game Turbo 5.0 technology which can make the CPU run at full speed with just one click, without worrying about freezing and falling frames while playing for a long time! So this device will come as a solution for those who are looking for a phone that is ideal for daily use of various applications and regarding gaming performance, stating that it can run on “medium to high” graphics even for big games like FreeFire and PUBG.
On the other hand, POCO M5s are powered by a MediaTek Helio G95 octa-core processor with 2.05 GHz dual-core (Cortex-A76) + Hexa-core 2.0 GHz (Cortex-A55). The manufacturing accuracy is 12 nanometers. The phone has a quad-core Mali-G76 MC4 graphics processor. What makes it achieve on the Antutu Benchmark performance test platform is 400,000 points, so the processor is expected to give an excellent, fast, and smooth performance in various daily tasks, whether simple or hard.
Both phones paired with 4GB or 6GB LPDDR4X RAM and 64GB or 128GB UFS 2.2 internal storage, might not have the best setup, but for an entry-level device, we can see that this is an area POCO hasn’t compromised on. There is also a MicroSD slot for storage expansion.
Display Quality – POCO M5 & M5s
Other than that, the POCO M5 is expected to have a 6.58-inch LDC display with FHD+ resolution. However, it supports a refresh rate of 90Hz, with the support that uses a touch sampling rate of up to 240Hz, which is extremely rare in the same class of phones. The actual effect is that you will be faster than the others while playing.
With the refresh rate raised to 90Hz, the user will feel the smoothness of using the phone, and don’t worry, DynamicSwitch technology which can change the refresh rate in real-time for different content. Simply put, when you use an app like Twitter and Facebook, it will use 90Hz to provide a smoother browsing experience; When watching TV series, movies, and other scenes that don’t require high frame rates, it will use regular 60Hz refresh rates to save power.
From the front, we see the true beauty and the great screen that POCO brings to this price category. The POCO M5s features a 6.43-inch Full HD+ AMOLED DotDisplay, with a resolution of 2400 x 1080, with relatively thin bezels. With a density of 409PPI, dimensions of 20:9, and 83.5% acquisition, the maximum brightness of the screen is 1100 nits and DCI-P3 color gamut.
The screen is beautiful in terms of colors, brightness, and viewing angles – and is considered one of the best in its class – and POCO used it because I knew that users prefer AMOLED screens with a 60Hz screen refresh over IPS screens with a high frame rate. Besides being a clear and bright display, the POCO M5s also take eye care seriously with premium features to protect your eyes, like DC Dimming to reduce the flickering of the screen and a 360° ambient light sensor to accurately and smoothly adjust the screen brightness. Reading Mode brings warm and paper texture, while the Sunlight Display gives you bright visuals, even on a sunny day in the park or at the beach.
Charging & Battery Life
In terms of autonomy, you will not be disappointed either, because POCO M5 has a 5000 mAh battery which is pretty much the norm for most entry-level and mid-range handsets nowadays. Another aspect to highlight apart from its capacity is that you can charge it in less than 2 hours to go from 0 to 100% of the battery, with fast charging It is 18W. This charging speed may not be the craziest in charging technology, but among entry-level smartphones, it is one of the fastest available. So the battery in normal use lasts all day without the need for an external battery or electrical outlet.
For POCO M5s, The battery capacity might be the same but the M5s ups the fast charging speed to 33W which you can charge in less than 45min, giving you close to 12 hours of gaming fun, one and a half days of voice calls, and about a month in standby mode.
Camera Quality
In terms of optics, POCO M5 has a triple-back mounted on an island spanning from end to end at the back. The triple camera setup comprises a 50MP main camera, a 2MP depth sensor for real-time depth detection, and a 2MP macro camera for incredible close-ups. This setup gives you amazing versatility, so you can take a perfect shot of a tiny insect or capture the excitement of a busy music festival or a night out with friends with clarity and precision.
Other than having a great main sensor, The POCO M5s gets a more capable camera setup than the M5 with the 64MP f/1.8 main unit joined by an 8MP f/2.2 ultrawide shooter with 118-degree FoV. A couple of 2MP shooters for macro and depth are still present.
On the front is a 13MP camera for beautified selfies and sharp videos. With the help of AI computational photography, it is easy to make the most of the premium tech to help everyone express themselves. You can capture a portrait with stylish natural bokeh effect, shoot landscape with ultra-wide mode, take great photos in the dim light with night mode, and produce professional time-lapse and slow-motion videos.
Software
As for the system, As with all other POCO phones, the two phones run on a heavily-customized version of Android 12 with MIUI 13. Simply put, MIUI allows POCO to put its own spin on Android as a whole, adding a ton of settings tweaks, customization, and personalization options, as well as pre-installed apps, to name a few. as the launcher software offers a ton of visual customization options, from themes to wallpapers, and icons as well.
Final Verdict
POCO M5 has a better performance chip, higher screen refresh rate and touch rate, and lower price. while maintaining the price advantage, M5 is fully ahead in a core configuration such as chip, RAM and ROM, screen resolution, refresh rate, touch sampling rate, and so on. For POCO M5s have significant advantages in weight, chip, screen, camera, and charging on the basis of the same price. So, M5s not only have a much lower price but also has a more powerful chip; better weight, chip, screen material, and camera performance.
Price And Where To Buy
The POCO M5 and POCO M5s smartphones are available for sale on AliExpress Store for an affordable price from Sept. 6th at 0:00 to Sept. 9th at 23:59 PST Time, So, don’t miss out on this great deal. The following table shows the options and prices.
| Early-Bird Price （All countries except Europe） | Coupon | ||
| POCO M5 | 4+64 | $149 | $10 |
| 4+128 | $169 | $10 | |
| 6+128 | $189 | $10 | |
| POCO M5s | 4+64 | $169 | $10 |
| 4+128 | $189 | $10 | |
| 6+128 | $$209 | $10 |
Packaging Accessories
- POCO M5 or POCO M5s Smartphone
- Power Adapter
- Type-C Cable
- Quick Start Guide
POCO M5 & M5s Specifications
| POCO M5 | POCO M5s | |
| Performance | MediaTek Helio G99 TSMC6nm manufacturing process CPU: octa-core CPU, up to 2.2GHz GPU: Arm Mail-G57 MC2 LPDDR4X RAM + UFS 2.2 ROM 4GB + 64GB, 4GB + 128GB, 6GB + 128GB Supports expandable storage up to 1 TB | MediaTek Helio G95 CPU: octa-core CPU, up to 2.05GHz GPU: Mail-G76 MC4 LPDDR4X RAM + UFS 2.2 ROM 4GB + 64GB, 4GB + 128GB, 6GB + 128GB Supports expandable storage up to 1TB |
| Display | 6.58″ FHD+ DotDrop display Resolution: 2408 x 1080 FHD+ Aspect ratio: 20:9 Refresh rate: 30/60/90Hz Touch sampling rate: 240Hz Brightness: 500 nits (HBM) Contrast ratio: 1500:1 Corning® Gorilla® Glass | 6.43″ AMOLED DotDisplay Resolution: 2400 x 1080 FHD+ Aspect ratio: 20:9 Peak brightness: 1100 nits Contrast ratio: 4500000:1 Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 |
| Battery & Charging | 5000mAh battery 18W fast charging 22.5W in-box charger USB Type-C cable | 5000mAh battery Supports 33W fast charging USB Type-C cable |
| Camera | ||
| Rear camera | 50MP main camera Aperture: f/1.8 AF mode: PDAF 2MP marco camera Aperture: f/2.4 2MP depth camera Aperture: $/2.4 | 64MP main camera Aperture: ƒ/1.8 AF mode: PDAF 8MP ultra-wide angle camera Aperture: ƒ/2.2 118° FOV 2MP macro camera Aperture: ƒ/2.4 2MP depth camera Aperture: ƒ/2.4 |
| Front Camera | 5MP front camera Aperture: f/2.2 | 13MP front camera Aperture: ƒ/2.4 |
| Design | Dimensions: 163.99mm x76.09mmx 8.9mm Weight: 201g Colors available: Black, Green, and Yellow Unibody flat edge design | Dimensions: 160.46mm x 74.5mm x 8.29mm Weight: 178.8g Colors available: Grey, White, and Blue |
| Connectivity | Dual SIM, dual standby: 4G + 4G Supports 4G/3G/2G | Dual SIM, dual standby: 4G + 4G Supports 4G/3G/2G |
| Network bands | 4G: LTE FDD: Band 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/20/28 4G: LTE TDD: Band 38/40/41 3G: WCDMA: Band 1/2/4/5/8 2G: GSM: Band 2/3/5/8 | 4G: LTE FDD: Band 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/20/28 4G: LTE TDD: Band 38/40/41 (2535-2655MHz) 3G: WCDMA: Band 1/2/4/5/8 2G: GSM: Band 2/3/5/8 |
| Wireless Networks | Bluetooth 5.3 | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Wi-Fi Protocol: | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4G + 5GHz | Wi-Fi Protocol: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4G + 5GHz |
| Others | Multi-functional NFC Side fingerprint sensor IR Blaster 3.5mm headphone jack | Dual speakers IR Blaster Z-axis linear motor Face unlock Multi-functional NFC Side fingerprint sensor 3.5mm headphone jack IP53 |
