Poco X4 Pro 5G and Poco M4 Pro announced, both with AMOLED displays

2022-03-06

Xiaomi added two AMOLED-packing models to its Poco line today, an X-series mid-ranger with an improved camera and a 4G version of the Poco M4 Pro 5G (there’s a bigger difference than just the modem, though).

Poco X4 Pro 5G

For this generation the top X-series mid-ranger switches over to an AMOLED display – the Poco X4 Pro 5G has a 6.67” panel with 1,080 x 2,400 px resolution (20:9). Like last year’s X3 Pro, this one has a refresh rate of 120 Hz, however, the touch sampling rate has been improved to 360 Hz (up from 240 Hz). It’s brighter to boot, up to 700 nits (up from 450 nits) typical brightness and 1,200 nits peak. One thing that isn’t a straight upgrade is the protection, the new phone uses Gorilla Glass 5 (instead of GG6).

In fact, this phone isn’t a direct upgrade from the X3 Pro. This one focuses on screen, camera and battery, while other components like the chipset are deprioritized – the X4 Pro is powered by the Snapdragon 695.

This 6 nm chip is a sequel to the SD 690 with 15% higher CPU performance (thanks to two Cortex-A76 cores at 2.2 GHz + 6x A55 at 1.8 GHz) and 30% higher GPU performance (Adreno 619). It’s an efficient chip, but it is no match for the Snapdragon 860 that powered the X3 Pro, especially the GPU.

Anyway, there are two configurations available – 6/128 GB and 8/256 GB. This is a dual-SIM phone with a hybrid slot, meaning you can add a microSD card if you don’t need a second phone line. Virtual RAM is available on MIUI 13, giving 2 GB more to the 6 GB model and 3 GB more to the 8 GB one. There is sub-6 5G connectivity, along with a 3.5 mm headphone jack (with Hi-Res Audio certification), Bluetooth 5.1, an IR blaster and NFC.

The camera on the new model makes a notable improvement with a large 108 MP 1/1.56” sensor in the main. That’s quite a change from the 48 MP 1/2.0” sensor on last year’s model. It is better-suited for low light shooting with 9-in-1 binning it that gives it an effective pixels 2.1 µm in size (lens aperture is f/1.9).

The remaining cameras include an 8 MP ultra wide (118° FoV, f/2.2, seemingly unchanged) and a 2 MP macro cam (no depth sensor this time around). The punch holed selfie camera has a 16 MP sensor (f/2.4), a bit of a downgrade from the 20 MP cam (f/2.2) on the X3 Pro.

The battery is different too. It is still fairly large at 5,000 mAh (though that’s 160 mAh less) and now charges at double the power – 67W (up from 33W) with the included adapter. A fully charged battery is enough for 15 hours of video playback. Once depleted, the charger can get it back up to 70% in around 20 minutes, full 100% charge is reached in 41 minutes (the X3 Pro needed 59 minutes).

The phone dimensions have been trimmed down and it measures 8.12 mm thick (down from 9.4 mm) and weighs 205g (down from 215g). It still has IP53 for basic dust and water resistance, as well as dual speakers and a Z-axis linear motor.

The phone will come in three colors: Laser Black, Laser Blue and the trademark Poco Yellow.

The Poco X4 Pro 5G will become available on March 2 with several discounts. The MSRP of a 6/128 GB unit is €300, but there is a €30 "early bird" discount for the first sale. Also, on March 2 there is an additional, one day only discount of €20, bringing the price down to €250. The 8/256 GB model has an MSRP of €350, but is getting the same €30+€20 discount (note that the second discount will be available only on March 2).

Here are the highlights for the X4 Pro 5G:

Poco M4 Pro

A 5G version was announced last year, now comes the Poco M4 Pro (4G). It uses a different chipset, of course, but there are other changes as well – including the first AMOLED display in the M-series.

The 4G model has a 6.43” AMOLED panel, replacing the 6.6” IPS LCD. It still offers 1,080 x 2,400 px resolution (20:9) and a 90 Hz refresh rate (plus 180 Hz touch sampling), along with the classic Gorilla Glass 3. This display is brighter with 700 nits typical brightness (vs. 450 nits) and 1,000 nits peak.

We mentioned the chipset – it’s a Helio G96, replacing the Dimensity 810 5G. The octa-core CPU features the same big cores – a pair of Cortex-A76 – though running at 2.05 GHz (vs. 2.4 GHz). The GPU is still a Mali G57 MC2. Note that the G96 is fabbed on an older 12 nm node (vs. 6 nm), so it won’t be as efficient, even if it offers nearly the same performance.

The M4 Pro (4G) skips the base 4/64 GB memory configuration and offers 6/128 GB as base and 8/256 GB as upgrade. This is LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 2.2 storage, plus you can add a microSD slot for more. Virtual RAM is available here too as the phone runs MIUI 13, adding 3 GB to the 8/256 GB configuration.

The camera changed as well, the main camera did, anyway. The 50 MP sensor gives way to a 64 MP sensor (0.7 µm pixels, 1.4 µm with binning, f/1.8). This is the highest resolution sensor on a Poco M phone yet, but the company is mum on its size. The 8 MP ultra wide camera (118°) is the same and there’s a new addition, a 2 MP macro cam. The front-facing camera has a 16 MP sensor.

The battery stays at 5,000 mAh capacity and thanks to the bundled 33W charger, it can go from zero to 100% in 1 hour or so and last 2 days of typical usage before it needs to be charged again.

Like its predecessor, the M4 Pro offers a 3.5 mm headphone jack (with a Hi-Res Audio certification), dual speakers, a Z-axis linear motor, an IR blaster and NFC. The fingerprint reader remains on the side, despite the switch to AMOLED.

The phone is overall thinner and lighter, measuring 8.09 mm (down from 8.8 mm) and 179.5g (down from 195g). It still has splash protection with an IP53 rating.

The phone will be available in Power Black, Cool Blue and (of course) Poco Yellow.

The Poco M4 Pro starts at €220 for the 6/128 GB model. However, there is a €20 early bird discount, plus another another €20 for March 2. The 8/256 GB model starts at €270.

Here's a sheet with M4 Pro's best features at a glance:

The Poco X4 Pro 5G is related to the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G with nearly identical specs, the Poco M4 Pro takes after the Redmi Note 11 instead (though with a different camera). The M4 Pro 5G itself was not a unique devices, it was based on the Redmi Note 11T 5G.