Poco M5 review

MIUI 13 based on Android 12

Even though Android 13 is already out and running on some devices and most that got released in the last two months, the Poco M5 is a low-end device so Android 13 will likely arrive sometime next year. So we refrain from complaining about not running the latest version of Android. And besides, Xiaomi's MIUI often brings some features in advance, so having the latest MIUI 13 is more important than having the latest Android, at least in Xiaomi's world.

Anyway, the new MIUI 13 promises under-the-hood improvements such as better RAM management, CPU utilization and more effective storage use. Overall, looks haven't changed, and previous MIUI users will feel right at home.

The split between a notification shade and Control Center is enabled by default this time, and that's probably a good thing. We found it to be quite convenient, and it's a way to educate users about MIUI's unique approach to the UI. And in case you are not a fan, you can always revert back to the standard notification shade with quick toggles in one place.

Notification shade and Control center

The home screen, recent apps and the general settings menu are business as usual. The app drawer is also enabled by default, and we like that Xiaomi has placed the search bar at the bottom of the screen for easier reach. There are custom and preset app categories for faster navigation.

Home screen, recent apps, settings menu

Unlike the standard recent apps menu, MIUI's one lists the apps in a vertical arrangement and provides several useful shortcuts.

That's where you can open up apps in floating windows. However, you can keep only one open at a time.

Floating windows

The Sidebar shortcut menu is absent on the Poco M5. In the absence of its convenient way of spawning floating windows for apps, you have to do that through a quick toggle in the command center on the M4 5G. It's not too much of a hassle, and the floating windows themselves work in the same familiar fashion with sort of predefined zones they can go in and sizes.

Customization is, as always, a big part of MIUI. Since the Poco М5 lacks an OLED panel and an under-display fingerprint reader, the always-on display and fingerprint animation customization menus are absent. You can still theme the device, though. Aside from the themes pre-installed on the device, a theme store gives you a wide selection. The themes themselves change not only the general appearance but also the ringtones and system icons.

Themes and customization options

Moving on to privacy and security, MIUI has come with a pre-installed system Security app. Aside from the additional malware protection layer it provides, the app holds many of the app settings and privacy features in one place. It can manage your blacklist, manage or restrict your data usage, configure battery behavior, and free up some RAM. It can also manage the permissions of your installed apps, define the battery behavior of selected apps, and apply restrictions only to certain apps.

Speaking of security, we already mentioned that the side-mounted capacitive fingerprint reader on the Poco M5 is very snappy and reliable. Unfortunately, in the absence of an in-display fingerprint reader, the nifty quick shortcuts interface from the lock screen is missing too. You can still adjust the behavior of the reader and make it require pressing the button to work or not. A double press of the power button can also quickly launch the camera. And there is a dedicated lock screen pane with additional quick Mi device controls and a flashlight toggle to use. These appear when you swipe left on the phone's lock screen.

Fingerprint reader

All in all, MIUI 13 changed a little over the 12th iteration, but it's just as snappy and customizable as ever. The OS is still colorful and cheerful as ever, with plenty of attention to detail in things like animations and small design elements. Everything looks crisp and flows well, even on more modest hardware like in the Poco M5. MIUI 13 is one of the most refined custom Android experiences around these days, and even on the M4 5G, it feels responsive and snappy.

Performance

The Poco M5 isn't the first smartphone we review with the Helio G99 chipset, so we already know what to expect. It's a 6nm chip from Mediatek with a 2+6 core CPU configuration (2x2.2GHz Cortex-A76 and 2x2.0GHz Cortex-A55) and a Mali-G57 MC2 GPU, and it's quite similar to the MediaTek Dimensity 700. The latter adds a 5G modem, and that's about it. The Helio G99 and the Dimensity 700 both share the same CPU configuration and Mali-G57 MC2 GPU.

The base storage version has 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 64GB of UFS 2.2 storage. There are also 4GB/128GB, 4GB/128GB and 6GB/128GB versions.

Now, without further ado, let's dig into the benchmarks themselves.

GeekBench 5 (single-core)

Higher is better

• Poco X4 Pro 5G
  687
• Poco M4 5G
  552
• Xiaomi Poco M5
  550
• Poco M5s
  516
• Realme 9i
  384
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
  376
• Samsung Galaxy A04s
  184
• Samsung Galaxy A13
  153

GeekBench 5 (multi-core)

Higher is better

• Poco X4 Pro 5G
  2063
• Xiaomi Poco M5
  1896
• Poco M5s
  1831
• Poco M4 5G
  1730
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
  1662
• Realme 9i
  1581
• Samsung Galaxy A04s
  1100
• Samsung Galaxy A13
  588

AnTuTu 9

Higher is better

• Xiaomi Poco M5
  386311
• Poco X4 Pro 5G
  384646
• Poco M5s
  360681
• Poco M4 5G
  336380
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
  244526
• Samsung Galaxy A04s
  145123
• Samsung Galaxy A13
  136286

GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)

Higher is better

• Poco X4 Pro 5G
  34
• Poco M5s
  32
• Xiaomi Poco M5
  25
• Poco M4 5G
  25
• Realme 9i
  23
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
  15
• Samsung Galaxy A04s
  9.4
• Samsung Galaxy A13
  9.4

GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Poco X4 Pro 5G
  30
• Poco M5s
  28
• Xiaomi Poco M5
  22
• Poco M4 5G
  21
• Samsung Galaxy A04s
  19
• Realme 9i
  14
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
  12
• Samsung Galaxy A13
  8.3

GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Poco M5s
  18
• Poco X4 Pro 5G
  17
• Xiaomi Poco M5
  12
• Poco M4 5G
  12
• Samsung Galaxy A04s
  11
• Realme 9i
  7.3
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
  6.8
• Samsung Galaxy A13
  5.2

GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)

Higher is better

• Poco X4 Pro 5G
  20
• Poco M5s
  19
• Xiaomi Poco M5
  15
• Poco M4 5G
  15
• Realme 9i
  8.2
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
  8
• Samsung Galaxy A13
  6.2
• Samsung Galaxy A04s
  6

3DMark Wild Life Vulkan 1.1 (offscreen 1440p)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi Poco M5
  1321
• Poco X4 Pro 5G
  1211
• Poco M4 5G
  1186
• Samsung Galaxy A13
  510
• Realme 9i
  452
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
  439

The new Helio G99 is a good performer in the low-end segment, outpacing all budget alternatives, including the Snapdragon 600 series. As expected, the Helio G99's performance is on par with the Dimensity 700, and it's just a tad slower than the Snapdragon 695. However, the latter is often implemented in considerably more expensive smartphones. In other words, we're getting great performance for the money here.