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POCO X4 Pro 5G Review: 2022’s Best 5G Phone So Far?

We have spoken several times over the past few years about the value to be had in the mid-range Android smartphone space.

Whether it is the result of Huawei’s struggles, technology filtering down or simply consumers wanting more bang for their buck, it has never been a better time to be in the market for a mid-range Android phone.

There are now a number of players in this space, with the likes of Oppo, Xiaomi and Vivo all vying for a sizeable market share and that coveted third vendor spot locally. There are also a few other smaller, or rather lesser known, companies looking to make their mark, which brings us to POCO.

For those unfamiliar with POCO, it falls under the Xiaomi banner and is one of the brands that the company has spun up in territories like India, and more recently in SA. Our first encounter with a POCO device came last year with the M3 Pro 5G, which surprised us in terms of its performance and showcased the fact that this brand was certainly one to keep on our radar.

The latest devices to be made available in South Africa include the POCO X4 Pro 5G.

We recently got to test out the device over the past couple of weeks to find out whether it has the power to surprise too, along with determine if it is as good value for money and how it compares to the growing list of 5G-supporting Android phones on the market at the moment.

Here is what we learned.

A beautiful blend

We start with design and in recent years Xiaomi has made a real knack for manufacturing inexpensive devices that look and feel premium. The POCO is seemingly no different if the X4 Pro 5G is anything to go by.

It is particularly sleek and stealthy in the Laser Black colour option of our review unit, with the mix of glass and metal quite handsome too as the black frame and black back fade into one monolithic looking device.

We were specifically impressed by the glass back cover, which is a bit of a magnet for finger smudges, but when clean, looks great. It is a real pity then that it needs to be covered up, with a generic clear plastic cover included in the box.

Sticking with the rear, the camera housing is quite large, stretching across most of the width of the phone, but we do prefer it to the usual housings that jut out on smartphones these days.

Switching to the front, and things are equally impressive. We are real fans of the screen-to-body ratio, as there are thin bezels on all four sides of the phone and a punch hole for the selfie camera, making things a bit more immersive while viewing content on the 6.67″ FullHD+ AMOLED display (2400×1080).

The brightness is also quite solid, even at lower settings, with the 120Hz refresh rate (up to) keeping things smooth too.

As such, the entire combination on offer here is made all the more surprising given this phone retails for R7k, yet looks like a device that should cost twice as much.

Above its weight

Shifting to performance now and the X4 Pro 5G features an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 processor that delivers the aforementioned 5G connectivity, along with keeping things chugging along nicely thanks to 8GB RAM.

To that end, apps load quickly, multitasking is handled with ease and navigating through settings is rapid. We should mention that the phone got a tad hot while benchmarking, but never seemed to strain in any way, so it is likely down to the glass back cover more than anything else.

In terms of the actual benchmarking, the POCO X4 Pro 5G performed well, getting quite close to the scores of a phone twice its price in the form of the Oppo Reno7 5G. On this front it achieved a single-core and multi-core score of 695 and 1 982 respectively on GeekBench.

We try not to put too much weight on benchmark scores, but the fact that the X4 Pro 5G is nearly matching devices far more expensive than it can serve as testament to the value for money on offer here.

Switching back to the rear of the phone and the camera performance is quite solid. As an all-around shooter the X4 Pro 5G is well equipped, with a sizeable 108MP lens on offer for when you want to capture more detailed or nuanced shots for editing after the fact.

This is not the default setting, however, and is toggled on by swiping to the Pro mode within the camera app.

When the regular 8MP wide-angle lens is in use, its images are also solid, especially while capturing outdoors. For low light photography, the Pro mode and 108MP lens might prove the better option and thankfully there is no delay when using this mode, which can sometimes be an issue on other devices with a similar feature.

Final verdict

At R6 999, you will truly struggle to find a mid-range 5G phone that packs this much punch, with the device performing on par with phones that are easily twice as expensive.

The phrase value for money gets bandied about a lot, by yours truly especially, but in this case it holds true for the latest offering from POCO. While the brand is a relative newcomer looking to build its reputation, phones like this will certainly help in that department.

If you are willing to take a chance on a lesser known brand locally and are in the market for a savvy 5G Android phone, the POCO X4 Pro 5G comes highly recommended.

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