POCO M3 Review

The budget category has and always will be the most sought after component in the Indian smartphone demand. Launched last week, the Poco M3 is going to be the smartphone to beat this year’s categories. It has nearly everything to rule the budget area in coming months – cool looks, good display, great battery and satisfactory camera setup. Let us have a look at the review of POCO M3. As the name implies, the Poco M3 is the successor of the Poco M2.

HIGHLIGHTS

• It is priced under Rs 12,000 in India.
• It is an all-rounder that offers something in most departments.

Poco M3 Key Features:

• It has a 6.53 inches display and 1080 x 2340 pixels resolution
• The triple camera setup on the rear comes with features like LED flash, HDR, panorama, and more
• The front camera is of 8 MP
• Powered by 6000 mAh battery
• Runs Android 10 OS and furnished with Octa-core Qualcomm SM6115 Snapdragon 662 (11 nm) processor
• 4GB RAM + 64GB internal storage; 6GB RAM + 64GB internal storage; 4GB RAM + 128GB internal storage; 6GB RAM + 128GB internal storage
• The Dimensions of the phone are 162.3 mm x 77.3 mm x 9.6 mm; weight is 198 grams

Colours available: Cool Blue, Poco Yellow, and Power Black

 Design

If a value for money had a name, it would be called Poco M3. This smartphone stands out in the crowded market with a refreshed body language. Poco has ditched the glossy back panel in favour of an-all plastic build which offers a far better grip and makes the body fingerprint-resistant. The textured leather cover finish is a delightful touch. It makes the smartphone look a little pricey, despite the reasonable cost attached.

What adds to the elegance are the three colour options used by Poco – Cool Blue, Poco Yellow, and Power Black.  Over the body of the phone, you get the stereo speakers, the 3.5mm audio jack, the IR blaster, triple card slot, Type-C USB charging port and a microphone. It spreads at 162.3 x 77.3 x 9.6 mm and weighs 198 grams. This is impressive given that the phone packs a big 6000 mAh battery.

The most amazing element of the phone though is the massive camera module on top of the rear panel. It has used a big piece of class to house the three lenses. The same glass also flaunts the Poco logo, virtually to achieve visual balance.

Display

On the front, you get a beautiful 6.53-inch 1080p IPS LCD with a slim bezel and impressive screen-to-body ratio. There is a water drop-like formed notch which houses the selfie shooter, and everything is covered with Gorilla Glass 3. The chin is slightly thicker than the rest of the sides but that’s the case with most budget smartphones. Just above the front camera, you can see a tiny grille that conceals the earpiece. The Full HD+ display is an upgrade on the usually found 720p panel on the budget smartphones. It isn’t very frigid but can be passed for an affordable phone. The panel gets bright which makes it easier to use even outdoors. The colours look nice but skin tones incline to get soft, even if you are watching videos or just browsing through images.

Performance

Poco grabbed the spotlight and made a mark with the performance of its smartphones. The Poco F1 was seen as a disruptor in this respect, carrying the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC to the mid-range segment. Things have changed since then. What was once his biggest selling point, can now be a dealbreaker. But, that’s just being too tough, given the expectations set by the company in the past. The Poco M3 is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 SoC which might just not be the chipset to run heavy-duty games but should be adequate for daily tasks. This is gradually becoming the go-to chipset for smartphones in this type. Both Realme 7i and Redmi 9 Power also draw power from the exact SoC. The satisfactory thing is that the Indian variant comes with 6GB of RAM rather of the 4GB model selling in other markets. That necessarily helps to squeeze more performance. Poco M3 price in India has been set at Rs 10,999 for the 6GB + 64GB storage variant, while the 6GB + 128GB storage model is priced at Rs 11,999. Both the variants can be grabbed for Rs 1000 less using the bank offer which makes this smartphone certainly a good deal. Having said that, you need to set the objectives right. It struggles to run powerful gaming titles without lags but is more than capable of handling daily tasks like browsing through the internet, streaming content and exchanging texts or media files. A good upswing here is also the dual stereo speaker which is loud and clear.

 Software and UI

This smartphone boots MIUI 12 established on Android 10. And, this is amazing. Not just in case of Poco M3, but in common. The Android 12 is close to its launch and several leaks have suggested what to expect but most budget smartphones are still launching with Android 10, let aside Android 11. This needs to change.

Anyway, coming back to the Poco M3, the MIUI 12 is similar to the MIUI 11 but comes with a refreshing look and few new features. The interface has cool animations, new privacy options, and a new app drawer, among other features. The fingerprint scanner is mounted on the side unlock button and is fast. The home screen is full of shortcuts, folders, and widgets. You get several pre-loaded apps and games, most of which can be lived without.

The MIUI 12 adds a very interesting feature somewhat inspired by iPhones called Notification shade split. It allows you to swipe at either end of the screen to access Notifications or the Quick Toggles. This needs to be enabled from the Control Center. MIUI also offers a Security app. It can scan your phone for malware, manage your blacklist, manage or restrict your data usage.

Camera

Coming to the part, most of you are likely to be most curious, the Poco M3 guarantees a lot in the camera department. The triple rear camera setup includes a 48-megapixel primary sensor with an f/1.79 lens, a 2-megapixel secondary sensor with an f/2.4 macro lens and a 2-megapixel midst sensor with an f/2.4 lens.

It is necessarily a great all-rounder, priced very aggressively by the company. Yes, there are other options in the portion you can look at but the Poco M3 is going to be a phone to beat under Rs 12,000 over the next 12 months.

 

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