If Redmi’s incessant launch spree is leaving you dazed and confused and its rising prices limiting your choices, lately, there is a solution—Poco. Well technically, Poco has been around for some time, as a sub-brand first spinning off into an independent brand later in 2020. And it’s no secret that most of its phones – barring a few here and there like the legendary F1—are just rebadged Redmis, but this online-only brand has never felt more relevant. Case in point, the Poco X4 Pro 5G.
This new phone is basically the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ with a tweaked design and a lower res 64MP primary camera. You can get the X4 Pro for as little as Rs 18,999 (6GB/64GB). A 6GB/128GB version costs Rs 19,999. That’s Rs 1,000 cheaper than an equivalent Redmi Note 11 Pro+. You can also get it with 8GB/128GB for Rs 21,999, which is again Rs 1,000 less than the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ alternative. HDFC Bank card users are eligible for Rs 1,000 discount on the X4 Pro bringing the price down further. There’s also the bit about Redmi’s introductory pricing. Unlike the Redmi Note 11 Pro+, the Poco X4 Pro 5G prices in India are unlikely to change anytime soon.
| Poco X4 Pro 5G first impressions: More value than Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G?
The market average selling price (ASP) has gone up and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find a no-compromise phone even from Redmi under Rs 20,000, today, a segment that it used to dominate single-handedly at one point. It’s not that these phones don’t have good hardware, just that they don’t offer as much value anymore. If you want something better, you will have to spend more. The Poco X4 Pro 5G instantly becomes a top draw for one of the most value for money phones under Rs 20,000 in such a scenario.
Poco X4 Pro 5G hardware, performance, and battery life
The X4 Pro takes a slight detour from Poco’s usual proceedings as it is not targeted squarely at gamers, like its predecessor. While the X3 Pro was about getting the most powerful chip that you could possibly muster at the lowest price possible, the X4 Pro looks beyond one aspect even as Poco tries to appeal to a wider audience (this also means that the Snapdragon 860-powered X3 Pro’s value proposition from a pure performance point of view remains unbeaten to this day).
The X4 Pro, instead, comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695, a chip we’ve seen in multiple phones already –at a similar price point—right from the Vivo T1 5G to Motorola’s G71 5G. The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ has the same exact chip, too, albeit at a higher asking price.
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The Snapdragon 695, while not as powerful as the Snapdragon 860, is more efficient (6nm versus 7nm) and also dependable for day-to-day use and some gaming. And it works on expected lines. The one area where we can see a downgrade—owing to the chipset possibly—is in video recording. The X4 Pro tops out at [email protected] (the Poco X3 Pro could go up to [email protected] using the rear camera).
Be that as it may, this phone can pull everything from basic day-to-day tasks to some occasional gaming without any issues. It scored 3,72,214 on AnTuTu. Moreover, it does not throttle visibly giving you consistently good, sustained performance as was evident in our multiple CPU throttling tests. The phone never got uncomfortably hot during our testing, too.
Battery life, to no one’s surprise, is excellent. The 5,000mAh battery inside the X4 Pro can go on and on for over a day, touching two sometimes, regardless of how you use it. Frankly, we feel that support for 67W fast charging is an overkill in this phone but hey, it’s good for bragging rights, and of course, for when you need quick top-ups.
Software still remains a sore point for these phones though. While you do get some distinction from a Redmi in that a Poco phone doesn’t show you as many ads, the X4 Pro is riddled by some of the same inadequacies— it runs MIUI 13 which is based on Android 11 with no-clear cut update information or long-term support roadmap (our review unit runs the February 2022 security patch at the time of writing). The phone could do with some more optimisation, too, as there are instances of lag or stutter here and there especially while operating the camera.
Poco X4 Pro 5G design, display, and cameras
The X4 Pro has a glass back. The frame is made of plastic. The phone is IP53 certified for dust and splash resistance. Even though it is based on the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ core design scheme with a flat frame and 2.5D glass – which is glossy but somehow doesn’t pick up many fingerprints – Poco has added enough visual elements that set it apart and even make it stand out from the competition.
The biggest differentiator is the rectangular camera module that occupies a good chunk at the top. The arrangement not only adds a distinct identity to this phone, but it also helps negate the camera bump, which is to say, the X4 Pro is one of the few phones around that doesn’t wobble on a flat surface. It comes in laser blue, laser black, and Poco’s hallmark yellow – that we have for review –that’s both eye-catching and unique looking at the same time without going overboard or anything.
That said, it’s still a big phone with quite a bit of heft. It’s not meant for one-handed use and there’s a slight learning curve to using it even if you’re coming from an older Redmi or Poco phone. To be fair, it’s significantly lighter and slimmer than the Poco X3 Pro, so that’s a little reassuring. The build quality is nice and solid with no loose ends. This is a fairly premium-looking phone that looks more expensive than it really is. It could be a great conversation starter, too.
On the front, you get a 6.67-inch 120Hz AMOLED display with 1080p resolution, up to 1200nits peak brightness and hole punch cut-out at the centre. We have absolutely no complaints with this display as far as general output is concerned. Our review unit did not come with Widevine L1 for some reason, but Poco confirmed to TheSpuzz Online that retail units will ship with the necessary certification and will be able to stream HD content. There is no HDR support like the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max.
Rounding off the package are dual speakers (these get nice and loud), headphone jack, micro-SD storage expansion, and IR blaster. Biometrics are handled by a side-mounted fingerprint reader which is fast and mostly accurate.
The X4 Pro has three cameras on the back—64MP (Samsung GW3) main, 8MP ultrawide, and another 2MP macro. On the front, it has a 16MP camera.
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Results are a mixed bag. While you can shoot good-enough photos with the main sensor with decent detail and wide dynamic range, Poco’s colour tuning, and processing could be better. The ultra-wide camera lacks colour parity with the main camera, but it does a decent job offering a wider perspective when lighting is ideal. These photos are generally softer. Macros are just about serviceable. Night mode is available only on the main sensor (in the X3 Pro, even the ultra-wide could do it). It is just about okay, nothing to write home about. Portraits come out nice and good in ideal lighting even without a dedicated depth sensor so that’s a consolation. The front camera takes decent selfies when lighting is good with occasional smoothening even when beautification is manually set to off.
Poco X4 Pro 5G | Should you buy?
As you can probably tell after reading this review, the Poco X4 Pro 5G has its fair share of compromises, too. We guess, that’s something we will all have to learn to live with. Be that as it may, it’s also a very feature-packed phone that works well for daily use without any major issues. The real kicker is the pricing. Poco has priced the phone well, relative to Redmi.
If you were eyeing the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G and its price has been a downer, the Poco X4 Pro 5G is a no-brainer. It’s got good hardware. The design is attractive. Battery life is fantastic. Quick charging is an added bonus. You get support for seven 5G bands as well bringing some futureproofing to the device. The cameras could be better and Poco could optimise the software a bit more, but overall, the X4 Pro 5G is a good bet for those looking for a jack of everything at a bargain price.
| Pros | Cons |
| Attractive glass design | No HDR support |
| IP53-rating | Software needs some optimisation |
| Good display | No Android 12 out of box |
| Good performance | Cameras could be better |
| Great battery life | |
| Quick charging | |
| Loud stereo speakers |
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