Poco X4 Pro 5G First Impressions: This Looks Very Familiar
The new Poco X4 Pro 5G is a sign of the times. It’s not a true successor to last year’s Poco X3 Pro, which is still available and sports a near-flagship-level SoC but is otherwise light on features. Costs are rising across the industry, and Poco has opted to introduce a new model with a more modest SoC rather than raise the price. This repositioning of the X-series means that fans looking for a modern-day Poco F1 will be disappointed once again. That might not be a bad thing, however, as the X4 Pro 5G aims to be more of an all-rounder than its predecessor. There’s just one key fact to know about this phone.
The Poco X4 Pro 5G, which starts at Rs. 18,999 in India, is a given that it’s pretty much the same device as the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G, which we just reviewed. Poco’s version has a different back panel and there are some slight variations in specs, which we’ll talk about, but the bodies of both phones have the same proportions and dimensions, all the ports and buttons are in the same places with the same design, and they both ship with the exact same charger and USB cable. Even the boxes that they come in are identical, apart from what’s printed on them.
The Poco X4 Pro 5G features a 6.67-inch full-HD+ 120Hz Super AMOLED display
The Poco X4 Pro 5G weighs 205 grams, which is 3 grams more than the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G. That can be explained by the extra-large camera bezel, which stretches across the width of the phone. However, if you look closer, the cameras themselves are all in the exact same positions, with the primary one raised slightly and even the same “AI” printed in an empty spot.
The rear panel of the Poco X4 Pro 5G has a different finish, but the idea is the same. This phone comes in the signature Poco Yellow color, but also in Laser Blue and Laser Black, all of which feature a pattern of lines that vaguely resemble laser lights, emitting from the bottom two corners and waving as you move the phone. There’s also a huge Poco logo on the camera housing. This isn’t a brand going for design subtlety, but the black unit I could make look relatively understated with a case.
All the specs are the same as you get with the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G, except for the primary camera on the back which has a resolution of 64-megapixels. We’ll have to see whether this is a downgrade in practice when we test the Poco X4 Pro 5G in our full review . You still get an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera, 2-megapixel macro camera, and 16-megapixel front-facing camera.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 SoC makes an appearance again here, along with that 5,000mAh battery and 67W fast charging support. You also get the same 6.67-inch full-HD+ 120Hz Super AMOLED display with Gorilla Glass 5, plus stereo speakers. This phone supports dual 5G, but has a hybrid dual-SIM tray. There’s Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5.1, and GPS. There’s an IR emitter at the top and a 3.5mm audio jack.
This phone runs MIUI 11 over Android 11 and once again the experience is very familiar. It appears that Poco has opted to keep an app drawer enabled by default, but otherwise everything looks and feels the same. Hopefully an Android 12 update is on the way.
The Poco X4 Pro 5G shares the same camera layout and body dimensions as the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G
Poco is offering the X4 Pro 5G with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage for Rs. 18,999. That’s less than what the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G starts at, which could work in its favor despite half the storage. The 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage variant costs Rs. 19,999 and there’s also an 8GB, 128GB option for Rs. 21,999 in India. Both of these are Rs. 1,000 cheaper than their Redmi equivalents, which makes sense. Poco is also offering discounts for some bank customers and exchange bonuses.
After the Xiaomi spin-off, Poco would become an entirely separate brand aimed at the youth market. We’ve seen this kind of situation before, and it still doesn’t really make sense. There are already multiple models and variants within the Redmi Note 11 family, many of which overlap in price. It’ll be difficult to wade through all the options to find the one that suits you best, and in the end, it might just come down to which one you prefer the look of.
It might seem unfair to focus so much on the similarities between these two phones, but these are our first impressions of the Poco X4 Pro 5G, and the facts are impossible to ignore. While we’re conducting our full review, most of the things you need to know about this phone – barring the quality of its primary camera – can be found in our full Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G review.
