Read our detailed comparison between these sub-30k contenders
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.
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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
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
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
Winner: POCO F5
Winner: Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus
Winner: POCO F5
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
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
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
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!