POCO F5 5G vs Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus 5G: performance beast against camera champ

They might come with different names and look different, but they come with similar price tags and are literally brothers from the same mum-Mi. When they started out, these two brands were in different price zones but both have been moving up the price ladder of late, and now have smartphones that go head to head. Each now has a mid-segment flagship of sorts, which can claim to be the best smartphone in the vicinity of Rs 30,000. So which of the two phones should you go for – the recently-released POCO F5 5G or the legendary Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus 5G? Let us try and work that out for you.

Looks and design

Both phones ultimately come from the house of Xiaomi and have their share of design similarities, but are also rather different. Both look similar from the front with tall, 6.67-inch displays with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection, and narrow bezels. They both have straight sides, with very similar button and port layouts – the volume and power/display (also fingerprint scanner) buttons on the right, 3.5mm audio jacks on top and USB Type C ports and SIM card slots on the base, and plain left sides. The backs of both phones curve outwards gently and have three cameras on them, and even come in similar shades – black, blue and white, although the POCO devices have a slight texture to them. 

But there are differences too. The back of the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus is glass, while that of the POCO F5 is carbonate (plastic), and the Redmi Note has a rectangular camera unit for its camera units while the cameras on the back of the POCO have no dedicated space of their own. The Redmi Note 12 Pro is also a little bigger – it is 162.9mm tall as compared to the POCO’s 161.1mm, 76mm wide as compared to 74.95mm of the POCO, and 8.98mm thick as compared to the POCO’s 7.98mm. The Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus is also significantly heavier than the POCO F5  – 210 grams as against 181 grams. Both phones look reasonably smart without being spectacular and come with IP53 splash resistance. It is a difficult choice between the two – the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus will appeal to those who want more premium materials and a slightly more flashy design (the back shines a little more than the POCO’s) but the POCO F5 is compact and lighter. We are calling this one a tie. 

Winner: Tie

Display 

Both phones come with a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with an FHD+ resolution and a refresh rate of 120Hz. The display of the POCO F5 seems a bit more bright than that of the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus, but the Redmi Note Pro Plus’ display seemed just a touch more vibrant. Both displays come with support for Dolby Vision, and are very good for their segment, but we are giving this one to the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus, because it seems a little more vibrant. But it is a very close finish. 

Winner: Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus

Processor, RAM and storage 

The POCO F5 wins this round very comfortably indeed. The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 chip, which delivers a performance that is close to the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, while the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus runs on the very capable but very mid-segment MediaTek Dimensity 1080 chip. In terms of RAM and Storage too, while both devices come with 8GB/ 128GB and 12GB / 256GB RAM and storage variants, the POCO F5 uses LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage, while the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus employs LDDR4X RAM and UFS 2.2 storage. The POCO F5 is almost a budget flagship, the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus is a firm mid-segment device. There is only one winner here. 

Winner: POCO F5

Gaming and multimedia 

Its significantly more powerful processor gives the POCO F5 a clear edge over the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus when it comes to gaming. While both phones are capable of handling casual titles like Alto’s Odyssey easily, the POCO F5 is on a different level when you get into Asphalt Racing and Genshin Impact territory, as it is able to run these games at much higher settings as compared to the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus. Both phones are great for viewing films, videos and shows, and have very good sound, thanks to their stereo speakers, and also come with 3.5 mm audio jacks, as well as support for Dolby Atmos. However, the POCO F5 takes this round as it has way more gaming muscle. 

Winner: POCO F5

Cameras

The Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus steamrolls the POCO F5 in the camera department. This is not to say that the POCO F5 has bad cameras. The phone comes with a 64-megapixel main sensor with OIS, an 8-megapixel ultrawide and a 2-megapixel macro camera. However, the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus boasts perhaps the best camera we have seen in the sub-Rs 40,000 segment: a 200-megapixel main sensor, although its 8-megapixel ultrawide and 2-megapixel macro sensors are broadly similar to those on the POCO F5. The POCO F5 takes some very good photographs, but it gets outgunned in terms of detail by the monster sensor on the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus. Both phones also come with good 16-megapixel selfie cameras, and we felt the POCO F5 handled colours a bit better than the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus, which seemed slightly dull in comparison. However, that main sensor wins the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus this round very comfortably. 

Winner: Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus 

Software

Both phones come from the Xiaomi family and run on MIUI 14. But there are some very significant differences. The POCO F5 runs on MIUI 14 on top of Android 13, while the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus is still stuck on Android 12. You would think that this would clinch the round in favour of the POCO device, but rather surprisingly, our POCO F5 came with a number of preinstalled third-party apps, while the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus had a relatively cleaner interface with the usual Xiaomi utilities. This makes the choice between them a difficult one – those who want a newer version of Android would prefer the POCO F5, while those wanting a cleaner UI experience would prefer the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus. The additional apps on the POCO F5 can be uninstalled but their presence could be a bit of an irritant for purists. We would still pick the latest version of Android in this round. 

Winner: POCO F5

Battery life and charging 

Both phones come with 5,000mAh batteries and both can comfortably see through a day and a half of normal usage, although we felt that the POCO F5 generally lasted an hour or two more than the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus. However, when it comes to charging speed, the Redmi device is in a different zone – the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus charges at 120W, while the POCO F5 charges at 67W. Both phones come with chargers that support the maximum charging speed. The result is that the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus gets charged in under half an hour while the POCO F5 takes about 50 minutes. This is a bit like the camera department – it is not as if the POCO F5 is bad, it is just that the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus is much better. 

Winner: Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus

General performance 

Both phones are very equally matched in terms of handling routine tasks like Web browsing, social networking, messaging and emails. However, the POCO F5 seemed to have a clear edge when running multiple apps and switching between apps, possibly because of the more powerful chip and faster RAM. The difference is, however, not a significant one and many users might not notice it. Both phones also handle calls well, although the lighter and more compact form factor of the POCO F5 makes it a little easier to handle. Both phones come with side-mounted fingerprint sensors on their home/power buttons, which work smoothly and both deliver good sound over their stereo speakers. Both phones also come with 5G support. There is not much to separate the two here, but we will hand it to the POCO F5 for being more smooth in the multiple app zone and also seeming just a trifle more snappy. 

Winner: POCO F5

Price

The Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus is available at Rs 29,999 for an 8GB/ 256GB variant and at Rs 32,999 for a 12GB/ 256GB variant. The POCO F5 comes with exactly the same price tag for its 8GB/ 256GB variant (Rs 29,999) but its 12GB/ 256GB variant is slightly more expensive at Rs 33,999. It is a very small price difference, and one that might change depending on the offers available on the two devices. We are tempted to call this a tie, but the slight price edge that the Redmi Pro Plus has in the higher RAM and storage variant wins it this round. Only just. 

Winner: Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus

Which one to go for?

While both phones are very closely matched in many departments, they differ very significantly in two crucial areas  – processor and camera. The Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus comes with a vastly superior main camera, while the POCO F5 has a much more powerful processor. While the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus does have a much better camera and charges faster, we think the POCO F5’s faster chip, memory and storage make it the better choice for those looking for a phone that does everything well. The Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus, however, runs out an easy winner if you are ready to put up with a less powerful chip as long as you get a superb camera. In sum, the POCO F5 is the phone for those who are looking for a device that is close to being a budget flagship, while the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus is perfect for those who want camera excellence (faster charging helps too) but are on a tight budget. No matter which of the two you go for, you get close to flagship performance in some departments at a starting price of below Rs 30,000!