I recently reviewed the GameSir X3 Pro, a chonky mobile controller with some good features, albeit with a slightly hefty price tag. If shelling out $80 for a mobile controller is too much for you, the GameSir X5 Lite might be a more interesting and affordable solution. Here is my hands-on review.
Disclaimer: GameSir provided the review sample without any editorial input or pre-approvals.
Right off the bat, the GameSir X5 Lite costs just $34.99. For this money, you get the following in the box:
- The X5 Lite controller
- A few rubber pads
- A user manual
Yes, pretty minimalistic. While I do not care that much about the missing USB-C cable, the lack of a carrying case is a bit disappointing. While it might sound a bit like nitpicking at this price tag, it is a mobile controller that you are supposed to carry around. Some protection is needed 100%.
Look and feel
Two things strike the moment you take the X5 Lite out of the box: size and weight. This controller is petite and very light (137 grams or 0.304 lbs), given that there are no vibration motors, batteries, or cooling. However, I find the small weight a plus since I can play for longer without getting my hands tired of holding a heavy phone in a heavy controller.
As you might have already guessed, the X5 Lite is fully plastic. It has no rubberized areas, and to provide a better grip, the controller has a hexagonal texture on the back. I cannot say it helps a lot, but at least it gives a nicer look and feel.
Grips are not as big as on your standard gamepad (like on the GameSir Super Nova that I recently reviewed). However, despite their small size, the grips are well-designed, and my fingers slide comfortably into their shape. With that said, I find it impossible to hold the gamepad with index fingers on the bumpers and middle fingers on the triggers. The X5 Lite is just too small for such a grip and my big hands.
Despite its size and weight, the X5 Lite does not feel cheap in the slightest. It is not the most premium plastic, but it is still nice to hold, it's sturdy, and has zero rattle. And the Wasabi color is just so pretty, I absolutely love how this thing looks (there is a black option if you prefer a muted look). Probably the only thing I do not like about the design is the USB-C port placement. The X5 Lite supports passthrough charging, an important feature for a mobile controller, but it is located in the left grip. With a cable connected, it gets in your way, which is a bit irritating.
The GameSir X5 Lite supports a wide range of smartphone and tablet sizes. It extends to 21 cm or 8.2 inches in length, which is enough to accommodate any modern smartphone or tablet with a screen size up to 11 inches. The mechanism's spring is stiff, and the Type-C connector has a wide angle of movement for more convenient and safe device insertion. Both sides of the gamepad that hold your phone have rubber pads. Also, there is enough room for big camera bumps.
Control elements
The X5 Lite has Hall Effect sticks, which are great for longevity and a no-drift experience. Despite their small size (they are seriously tiny), the sticks have a proper weight and tension, not too loose and not overly stiff.
Every other button on the gamepad, including triggers, has a plastic feel with slightly soft presses. They have this strange sensation that you press something hollow. It is not a very premium experience, but not to the point of feeling too cheap. Another thing worth noting is that triggers are not analog, and they work like standard buttons.
I like that GameSir has slightly offset the D-pad and the right stick from the ABXY buttons and the left stick. Thanks to this, I experienced no accidental button presses like I did with the X3 Pro. I would still love the X5 Lite to be a bit bigger and with controls separated more, though. Another thing worth commending is that the Pause and Menu buttons are located where they should be—at the top, next to the left stick and ABXY buttons. Again, another improvement over the X3 Pro.
Below the D-pad and the right stick, you can find the GameSir button, which lights red or blue depending on the controller mode (Android / iOS / Nintendo Switch), and the M button, which lets you customize various features when pressed with other buttons, take screenshots (double press), and record the screen (long press on iOS).
Like I said earlier, the X5 Lite does not have vibration motors, but I would not consider this a major issue. Your phone has a vibration motor, and you can feel all the haptics through the controller just fine.
Software and charging
The gamepad works with Android and iOS, and as an iPhone user, I was delighted to see that games properly detect X5 Lite's buttons. While it still appears as a PlayStation gamepad in iOS Settings (a non-existent battery also shows up, for some reason, but a quick restart fixes that), games do not suggest pressing the circle button instead of the B button or the square button instead of the X button.
Although the X5 Lite is pretty basic, it still has a few software features:
- Stick calibration (press and hold Menu + Pause + GameSir buttons for three seconds)
- Turbo mode (repeated input of a certain button or buttons)
- Volume adjustments (GameSir + D-pad up/down, but only on Android; this does not work on iOS)
All those features can be adjusted in the GameSir app on Android. Unfortunately, it is not available on iOS. However, in the case of the X5 Lite, I consider this a minor problem, since there are not that many features to use and everything can be mapped/adjusted with button combos, albeit not as conveniently as in the dedicated application.
When it comes to compatibility, on iPhone, the controller works with pretty much every game that supports controller input. On Android, though, your mileage will vary. When testing the GameSir Pro, I found plenty of games that did not work with the controller.
As for charging, the X5 Lite has no issues with sipping juice from any power source, be it a power bank or a standard adapter. It supports a max input of 3V 9A, so no fast charging here.
Conclusion
For those who need a simple, inexpensive gamepad for a smartphone, the GameSir X5 Lite will do the job fine. Yes, it does not offer many features, but it checks all the basic options and the most important things for a good controller. The X5 Lite is a great choice, say for your kid, or those who can tolerate small controllers.
You can buy the GameSir X5 Lite on Amazon for $34.99.
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