POCO M3 Review with Pros and Cons

Redmi 9 Power and POCO M3 are the same phones but under a different brand. This is the same thing as what happened with Redmi 9 Prime and POCO M2. Xiaomi is launching the same phone again and again but with the different brand name.

Recently Xiaomi has launched all-new POCO M3, that OnePlus 8T Cyberpunk look-like. So let’s review this phone and find out whether you should spend Rs 9,999 on POCO M3 or not?

POCO M3 Price in India

POCO M3 price in India starts from Rs 9,999 for 6GB of Ram and 64GB storage while 6GB + 128GB variant is priced at Rs 10,999. The phone is available in Cool Blue, POCO Yellow, Power Black colour option and it will go for sale on 9th February 2021 at noon via Flipkart.

Key Specs:

Display Quality

Like many other budget smartphone, POCO M3 also comes with waterdrop notch which is not the big problem for most of the people. The display is also good, it has 400 nits of brightness which means, the phone should be visible under the sunlight but that’s not the case with this phone.

The screen does look good but sometime, I feel, it’s not visible enough too see, movies or playing games outdoors. On paper, the display is great but when it comes with real life test, it doesn’t justify the data which you see on paper.

Like I said, the display is good and specs also says the same thing. Now, this problem could be because of UI or may be POCO can fix this problem with OTA update but the question is? is it software or hardware issue?

By the way, it’s not like, you won’t able to use POCO M3. You will but it’s not the best display to get at 10k. By the way, POCO M3 does have Wide vide L1 support that means you can stream FHD+ content on Netflix and Prime video.

Now, if I get update and that problem got fix then I will let you know but for now, the screen brightness is not very high.

Build Quality and Design

Build - Glass front (Gorilla Glass 3), plastic frame, plastic back

Most of the phone comes with plastic back these days and POCO M3 also has the plastic body but that’s not big problem. Of course, whether the phone has plastic or glass or even metal body, almost everyone uses cover case and also, this is 10k phone, so can’t expect everything.

Talking about design, this is where I feel, POCO has done good job. The phone looks different or you call call it refreshing. By the way, this is the same design as OnePlus 8T Cyberpunk.

I know, some people will hate that huge rear camera cut-out but I loved it. It look batter then all the other budget centric smartphone. In short, you will use something new.

Performance

Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 is good processor and it can handle almost all the games without any problem, so there won’t be any problem while playing games. You will able to play games like COD Mobile at Medium Graphics.

Like I said, chipset is good enough to handle games but when it’s game to closing and opening apps, you will see frame drop here and there and it’s all because of the MIUI 12. This is heavy UI with tons of customization and I feel, POCO needs to optimize the UI.

By the way, it’s not big problem but for those who have used 20k phone, they will see what’s the problem with the UI. Processor can handle everything without any problem but MIUI is not well optimized like Mi 10i 5G.

Also, this is 10k phone, so don’t expect much from performance but considering the price tag, POCO M3 is performing well. I just hope, POCO fixes the UI problem very soon with OTA update and once the do, I will let you know, right here.

Cameras

The POCO M3 has triple rear camera setup featuring 48MP primary sensor, 2MP depth and 2MP macro lens from which 48MP sensor will be useable, other two cameras are just here to make-up numbers.

The phone does have 48MP sensor but that’s it, this is what phone gonna use most of the time. That’s not the big problem as 48MP sensor takes good quality images and also, that 2MP sensors will give good images but that’s just numbers. So don’t expect much from those two sensors.

I don’t know why, brands needs to add those 2-2MP sensors, if they give one good sensor but now, they want to say, we have triple & Quad camera setup on our smartphone. They can’t just say, our phone has single or dual rear camera setup. It’s all for marketing that’s it.

Still, I feel considering the price tag, POCO M3 has good camera setup.

Talking about image quality, sometime, the images do come out overexposed and it also has dynamic range issue but like I said, this is 10k phone and you can’t expect everything in budget segment. To get something, you have to let go somethings.

In short, if you want that 6,000 mAh battery and new design then you have to compromise in cameras because POCO M3 doesn’t have ultra-wide lens like Redmi 9 Power or Redmi 9 Prime. Also, if you want, you can also use GCam once, developer release GCam apk for POCO M3 that means, it has support for Camera2api.

So if you want that ultra-wide lens and if yo live with smaller battery then just go with Redmi 9 Prime or POCO M2 is still good option.

Battery Life

POCO M3 has massive 6,000 mAh battery with 18W fast charging support. This time, 18W charger is included in the box unlike, Redmi 9 Prime, where you have to buy 18W charger separately.

The phone has massive battery which will last for two day but if you’re heavy user then it could last for day.

Audio Quality

The phone has stereo speakers that said, this is one of those budget phone who has best speakers. So yes, if you don’t use earphone much and just love to use mobile speakers then this would great option for you.

Even at outdoors, you will able to watch YouTube videos without any problems.

The POCO M3 also has a second noise-cancelling microphone which is a big feature these days as most of the budget smartphone doesn’t have the second microphone.

The call quality is also great and here, that second microphone comes in place. It will give the best possible audio quality even if you’re in a crowded place, another person on call will able to hear your voice without any problem.

Conclusion: POCO M3 Review

Xiaomi POCO M3 offers everything from best camera to best performance at a budget price range. It has massive 6,000 mAh battery, an FHD+ display, fast charging support, good cameras and it’s priced at Rs 9,999 which is a perfect price for this device. Overall, if you’re looking for smartphone under 10k then POCO M3 is the best option to look at.

POCO M3 Pros and Cons

POCO M3 Full Specifications