Or as a second title: Three years of daily usage of Xiaomi’s mid-range device, named Poco F5 (marble)
I would start this long-term review with a premise – the king will stay alive, it will not be buried, it will be reused as I have noted that most of my older devices have the legendary 3R process: reuse, repurpose, and lastly if it can’t be used – recycle, from the blog post here.
Now to the meat and potatoes, how it is to end the career of a 3-year-old device and start fresh with a new Xiaomi device (yes, I didn’t move brand even if I could, had some options in the price range of 500-600€ right now like Motorolas, Samsungs, Honors, or even Nothing Phones) which is the Xiaomi Poco F8 Pro in the 12/512GB variant in a black colorway (classic). For me it’s a bit strange as the new device is bigger than the old Poco F5, but software-wise (both on HyperOS 3.x but on Android 15 and Android 16 respectively) and migration is easy (relatively, one app is keeping the old device still not reformatted, dang it, the banking application for which I need to go to the bank to push new codes for the new phone and even enable Google Pay on the new device so I do not need to call them to enable it).
From the original review I’ll keep specifications which I didn’t change or had any issues with, and even for that price back then in 2023 (500€) it was a higher-end mid-range device with Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2, glorious AMOLED display which I now even like on the new F8 Pro even more, reliable and maybe sometimes stingy fingerprint reader on the side, but those are quirks of these specs. And yes, later found that the Poco F5 had an 8/256GB model while I owned a 12/256GB model which for me and 3 years of usage is still enough, never filled it up as I regularly back up data, especially photos, videos, and important data off-site and on other media.
Now to the meat and potatoes of this review – how it was to use the device for three years, support, did you need to contact them, did you have any issues with the software?
Firstly let’s start with support from Xiaomi: I wasn’t expecting that this device would get 3 major Android updates as my previous phone, the Redmi Note 9, got only 2 major Android updates and 3 years of security (MIUI) updates, while this phone got 3 major Android updates and 4 years of MIUI and down the line HyperOS updates until May of 2026. Yup, the latest update that it got for my EEA/EU region had a security patch from May 2026, which for me is fine at the moment of moving to the new device.
Now to support regarding contacting them because of phone issues: didn’t have to do it, except to make reports using the Feedback application as one app had crashing and turns out that crashing was from the application, not OS based, and the software developer fixed it within a few days of contacting them with logs and screen recordings/screenshots so they knew what the issue was. As I wrote previously – if you can make photos, videos, logs etc., it can help so a fix can be deployed easier.
Software-wise issues I had, and that was from my side as I had “bricked” the device with unlocking the bootloader back in earlier days to install a Xiaomi.eu based firmware and when I found, oh no, the banking app doesn’t work, reverting to stock EU/EEA from MI (Global) it went first scheisse, cable issue too, phew, it was just the cable and the phone stuck in Recovery Mode 😅 After that escapade I’m waiting until I move all apps to the new device to try again with bootloader unlock and flashing some custom ROM to give a try, didn’t do it for a long period of time.
As for cameras – as I mentioned in the original review – they are fine in daily usage, photos, videos etc. Even front-facing camera. In night mode it can be a bit more difficult to make photos without a flashlight. I used it for all kinds of photos which include nature, car photos, random videos in various resolutions, and even making scans from photos in appropriate applications. Even with GCam mod it can make great photos as mentioned in original review. Some newer examples can be found here in the Gallery link.
And to end this long-term review, let’s just get the electric guitar, prepare riffs and edits of a song created just for this review using custom lyrics, proofreading, and helping out with some things using Proton Lumo+ AI, and for final release and sharing using Suno AI 5.5 Pro and Distrokid.
Let the lyrics say it all and a salute to the Poco F5:
Three years… damn it
Seems faster than it is
Three years… oh my
Three major Android updates, officially
And unofficially… even moreGot you as replacement
For my three-year-old Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro
My POCO F5
Bought you off contract, black as night
Price was fair and the color was — chef’s kiss
After issues with a Samsung on contract
And a service center nightmare
Buying phones off contract
Like my Redmi Note 9 Pro before ya
That’s my go-to now, yeah, that’s my wayNo contract chains, no carrier game
Just me and my phone, a freedom flamePOCO F5, you mid-range beast!
Survived my daily usage for three years at least
GPS, Wi-Fi, 5G, Bluetooth too
Dark mode on and batteries pushin’ through
My daily device – ooo-ooo-ooo!Specs-wise you were mid-range specced
But in my heart, you were flagship-killed
No need for latest and greatest hype
And for the price that I bought you
Wasn’t expectin’ three years of support
But you delivered – yeah, you deliveredPOCO F5, you mid-range beast!
Survived my daily usage for three years at least
GPS, Wi-Fi, 5G, Bluetooth too
Dark mode on and batteries pushin’ through
My daily device – ooo-ooo-ooo!Cameras? Man, you rocked in my usage
Photos, videos — top notch, no excuses
4K 30 with OIS smooth
1080p 60, no problems to prove
Front-facing cam? No problemos, señor
GCam mod? 64 megapixels, ¡claro!POCO F5, you mid-range beast!
Survived my daily usage for three years at least
GPS, Wi-Fi, 5G, Bluetooth too
Dark mode on and batteries pushin’ through
My daily device – ooo-ooo-ooo!Now after three years as my daily
Time to pass the torch, it’s not easy
Got a replacement, new Xiaomi phone
Partially flagship on paper
But in my heart — it’s a fully flagship killer tooOh, new POCO F8 Pro
Battery beast – F5 gave me three and a half days
Hope F8 Pro gives me even more
From old to new, the torch is passedPOCO F5, you mid-range beast!
Survived my daily usage for three years at least
GPS, Wi-Fi, 5G, Bluetooth too
Dark mode on and batteries pushin’ through
My daily device – ooo-ooo-ooo!Three years, damn it…
Thanks for everything, F5
You earned your rest
Now it’s F8 Pro time.
Full song on all music platforms including video can be found on the link here.
Editor’s note: the text of this review is proofread for grammar and flow check using Proton Lumo+ AI models. Cover picture is my own, shot on Xiaomi Poco F8 Pro.