POCO X4 Pro 5G - A heated soup?
Il POCO X4 Pro 5G arrives on the market accompanied by strong enthusiasm for its launch from fans and more, but in reality this smartphone is a dejavù, in fact it is nothing more than a Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G with slightly different "clothes". So does it make sense to direct the purchase towards him? Let's find out together in this full review.
Black sales box with contrasting yellow lettering, which gives elegance, making it seem that you are dealing with a premium product. Inside the equipment does not disappoint, offering:
- POCO X4Pro 5G
- SIM tray removal tool;
- Manuals;
- Plastic film to protect the display (pre-applied by the company);
- Transparent silicone protective case with USB input cover;
- USB Type-C charging and data transfer cable;
- Power supply with European socket and max output 20V-3.25A / 67W.
SAR-Value: Head: 0,596 W / Kg, Body: 0.956 W / Kg (distance 5 mm).
Therefore, nothing new on the unboxing front and nothing new comes from the design, even if there are differences from the aforementioned Redmi terminal. In fact, the rear is characterized by an impressive bumper camera module which in part recalls the one seen on Mi 11 Ultra, but without anything to do with it. No secondary display but only a conspicuous writing bearing the name of the brand, while the optics contained are three accompanied by an LED flash.
I am not sure that the material used is glass, on the contrary it seems more plastic, of the shiny type that holds a lot of dirt and fingerprints and that will force you to clean it every time it is used. We start badly, also in consideration of the rather generous dimensions that do not help in daily use. Fortunately, the frame, made of plastic, has square shapes that help in the grip and where we can find on the right the volume rocker and the power button which also incorporates the fingerprint sensor for unlocking the phone. Once again, this is a solution that I prefer for reliability and speed but which in reality compared to what experienced with Redmi's Note 11 Pro 5G, the sensor of the POCO he proved to be partly late in recognizing the fingerprint.
There is also the headphone jack, positioned on the upper profile of the smartphone, where we also find the second microphone for the reduction of hiss in call, IR transmitter and the first of the two stereo speakers independent from the ear capsule. The second speaker is in fact relegated to the lower profile together with the main microphone, USB Type-C port for charging with OTG support and SIM tray. Just like the model already mentioned, too POCO X4 Pro 5G reports the same asymmetrical position of the stereo speakers, so when held in landscape mode at least one of the two will be covered by our hands. The sound, however, is well balanced and with a strong volume, without distortions, but with a particular accent on medium-high tones at the expense of low ones, while the stereo sound can also be enjoyed in hands-free mode.
The bezels that surround the display are not particularly pronounced, but the chin is proportionately rather pronounced. The display is one of the strengths of the terminal, with a 6,67-inch AMOLED panel with Full HD + resolution and refresh rate at 120 Hz, but not of the dynamic type, so either you will set fixed 60 or 120 Hz for greater sharpness and fluidity. The HDR support is missing but the Widevine L1 DRM is also recognized on Amazon Prime Video, while it should be noted that the Always On Display is not always fixed, with a visibility limit of a few seconds (no longer controllable via developer settings), the which does not do justice to the absence of the notification LED. The proximity and brightness sensors work well, even if for the first there are some uncertainties while for the second the reactivity is not always immediate.
Returning to the display, its performance goes beyond expectations, returning bright colors and accurate details even with the default color profile, as some calibrations can be made through software. Software based on MIUI 13 customized by POCO POCO Launcher and which runs on Android 11 system with January 2021 patch. I have not found any bugs but at the same time I do not feel particularly euphoric about the new Xiaomi graphic interface, which adds nothing and takes nothing away from what has already been experienced with the many, too many, phones launched in 2021.
Under the hood of POCO X4 Pro 5G we find the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 processor, octacore solution with 6nm production process, which is flanked by the Adreno 619 GPU and 6/8 GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128/256 GB of UFS 2.2 storage. Here, this is the only difference compared to the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G, or the capacity of the internal memory, starting from a base of 128 GB (the maximum for RN11PRO5G) to finish at 256 GB maximum. For the rest, the performances are similar, identical to what I have already told you with the other model.
Fluidity in every area, an all-rounder without particular efforts even in gaming sessions, not at all subject to overheating and loss of power. An ideal companion to accompany your working, leisure and multimedia days. We can then count on excellent connectivity that on a mobile level allows you to travel on the 5G signal on both slots, but if you want to expand the memory via micro SD, you will have to give up one of the two SIMs. For the rest there is no lack of NFC for mobile payments, WiFi Dual, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS with support for Galileo but the FM radio is absent.
5000 mAh battery with support for fast charging at 67W, which in just 15 minutes takes you to 51% while in just 42 minutes it reaches 100% of full energy. Autonomy, even with a fixed 120 Hz, is always a hallmark of the terminals POCO, Xiaomi and Redmi and even in this case I was not disappointed, managing to take home a good 25/30% of remaining charge even on busy days.
We end as always with the photographic sector, which boasts a 108 MP main lens with Samsung HM2 sensor which is accompanied by an 8 MP ultrawide camera with Sony IMX353 sensor and a 2 MP macro camera while the selfie, positioned in the display punch hole, is a 16MP unit with Omnivision sensor.
Also in this case, joys and sorrows already seen on Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G, as at the video level we can only shoot at a resolution of 1080p at 30fps, even if the hardware allows to overcome these limits. Overall the photos are very good, with richness of detail and general sharpness, even if at night or in low light conditions, I would not trust the shots of life to the phone. For the rest, the point and shoot is definitely valid, with nothing to add to the considerations I have already made for the other terminal.
CONCUSIONS
POCO X4 Pro 5G is a decidedly valid terminal, also by virtue of the launch price, but buying it is like buying the aforementioned Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G. Same specifications, same performance, indeed in some ways we have some shortcomings, such as the FM radio and the less reactive fingerprint sensor but we also have the memory cut starting from 128 GB. In short, whether you bet on him or on the other device, you will not be wrong, but personally I would have preferred a branded smartphone POCO, different from what we have already seen, something new and not a rebrand.
This is the first time you listen to FM Radio,
another with infrared proximity sensor?