Poco X5 Pro, Realme 10 Pro Plus, or Redmi Note 12 Pro: Which is the best smartphone under Rs 25,000?

The Poco X5 series was unveiled in India and globally earlier this week, but the vanilla Poco X5 model didn’t debut in India; instead, we got the Poco X5 Pro 5G.

The Poco X5 Pro 5G falls in a highly competitive smartphone market, the sub-25K segment, with competition coming from the Realme 10 Pro Plus and the Redmi Note 12 Pro. So let’s take a look at how the Poco X5 Pro 5G fares against its recent competition in the sub-Rs 25,000 smartphone market.

For our comparison, we will only consider the base models of all three phones.

Poco X5 Pro vs Redmi Note 12 Pro vs Realme 10 Pro Plus

While the design is subjective, the Realme 10 Pro Plus features a unique curved screen and is the first phone in the segment to feature a curved display. The Redmi Note 12 Pro and Poco X5 Pro feature a more standard design, although the sides are less rounded. On the other hand, the Redmi Note 12 Pro features a glass back as compared to plastic frames and back panels on the Poco and Realme devices.

All three smartphones feature an AMOLED display, although the big difference here is the curved screen as opposed to flat displays on the Redmi Note 12 Pro and Poco X5 Pro 5G. The displays on the Redmi and Poco support Dolby Vision and are slightly brighter than the screen on the Realme 10 Pro Plus.

There’s nothing separating the Realme 10 Pro+ and Redmi Note 12 Pro on the performance front as their specifications are the same. However, Realme does offer virtual RAM support to squeeze that extra bit of performance out. On the other hand, the Poco X5 Pro’s Snapdragon 778G SoC is one of the best-performing chips in the segment and has a clear advantage over the MediaTek 1080 chipset.

We haven’t tested out the Poco X5 Pro and Redmi Note 12 Pro yet, so we’ll talk about camera specifications alone here. First, let’s look at the common factors on all three phones, which is the 8 MP ultrawide unit and a 2 MP macro lens. The Poco X5 Pro opts for a 108 MP Samsung ISOCELL HM2 primary sensor, while the Realme 10 Pro Plus gets a 108 MP Samsung ISOCELL HM6 sensor. The Redmi Note 12 Pro, on the other hand, opts for a 50 MP Sony IMX766 primary sensor with OIS. All three phones also get a 16 MP selfie camera on the front. All three phones can also capture 4K video at 30fps and 1080p video at 60fps.

The Poco X5 Pro, Redmi Note 12 Pro, and Realme 10 Pro Plus all feature 5,000 mAh batteries with 67W fast charging support.

Going by software, Realme UI does have the advantage of being cleaner and neater, although MIUI has always been more customizable. However, Realme has a clear advantage here as the 10 Pro Plus runs on Android 13 out of the box.

Verdict: 

Should you buy the Poco X5 Pro? The Poco X5 Pro delivers an excellent balance of features and shines on the performance front. Of the three, the X5 Pro is the best for gaming and boasts a decent overall package. The Poco X5 Pro also boasts solid camera performance.

Should you buy the Redmi Note 12 Pro? The Redmi Note 12 Pro has a slightly between build as compared to its competitor, although the main camera offers better stability, thanks to OIS support. We wouldn’t recommend this phone for gamers, but it is still good on balance.

Should you buy the Realme 10 Pro Plus? The Realme 10 Pro+ can go toe to toe with both of its competitors across all areas. However, it has the distinct advantage of being the only smartphone under Rs 25,000 to feature a curved AMOLED display. But it does fall short against the Poco X5 pro in terms of gaming performance.