Poco F2 is coming to India, the company hinted earlier this year but then fans were left disappointed, yet again. The Poco phone that arrives in the Indian market isn’t the Poco F2 but the Poco M3, which released in the global market last year. The budget smartphone was launched earlier this week at an aggressive price point of Rs 10,999 to compete with phones like the Xiaomi Redmi 9 Power, which in my opinion is one of the best smartphones under Rs 12,000 right now.
This budget device from Poco looks extremely tempting on paper but how does it perform in real life? Well, I will share all of that in my detailed review on BGR India next week so stay tuned for that. For now, what I’m going to talk about is my two days with the so-called “budget-king”.
That yellow colour
The smartphone comes in three colour options including blue, black and yellow (yes, you heard that right). I mostly like smartphones in subtle blue or black colours, sometimes silver maybe, unless it’s an iPhone because Apple gets colours, even the bright ones like yellow, orange, red, green, just so right. For once, with the Poco M3, I wanted to risk trying that yellow colour variant.
A phone in yellow colour? Tacky, most of our reactions will be exactly that. One surely needs the courage to introduce a phone in that “unique” colour but Poco risked it. The yellow colour definitely doesn’t look as subtle as the iPhone XR yellow colour option but it isn’t all that bad either. I mean, if you like vibrant colours, you will like this one, but if you are like me, this yellow colour of the Poco M3 may not be very impressive. When I first opened the retail box (which again comes in typical Poco yellow) saw the yellow Poco M3 it looked weird to me and my colleagues, the colour is too on the face. I wish the shade was slightly light. The blue and black options look much better in my opinion.
Poco M3 design looks unique
If I keep aside the design for once, the Poco M3 looks just so different that makes the phone stand out from the crowded budget space. Kudos to the brand for that. There are way too many options available in the Indian market in the under Rs 12,000 price segment. In fact, there’s the Redmi 9 Power, which in my opinion is one of the best budget devices in the country currently.
The rear camera module looks classy and unique and that, I believe, will be one of the reasons why consumers will choose the phone over other options in the price segment. The design looks clean with a big POCO logo on the camera module, which blends well with the overall design of the phone. However, from the front, the device looks like any other Poco or Xiaomi (ummm… I know they are two different brands now) phone with a dot drop notch and slight bezels all around.
Besides making the mobile phone look unique, the brand also ensures sturdiness, which is an important aspect for Indian mobile consumers. The textured back of the phone feels good but in that yellow colour not so much. Also, I must tell you here that if you want to get the yellow Poco M3, ensure to use it with a case because it will surely get dirty. And if you are clumsy like I am, just go for the black or blue option instead.
Poco M3 performance
I really liked how sleek the phone is despite offering so much power. It’s just so easy to use the phone with just one hand. Another good thing about the phone is its weight. Despite packing a massive 6000mAh battery the phone feels just so light when compared to other phones that offer a 6000mAh battery. The icing on the cake is the fast charging support. I know including a fast charger in the box has become the new normal but a phone at this price with fast charging support is a good thing. The Poco M3 also doesn’t miss out on the basics like 3.5mm headphone, IR blaster, and stereo speakers. I’m yet to test the battery and the fast charger and will talk about the performance in detail in the full review next week.
Another thing that really impressed me is the RAM and storage version that Poco decided to bring to India. Despite that aggressive price, the Poco M3 base model comes with 6GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage. There is a 6GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage option as well. If you need more space, Poco offers microSD card slot as well so you’re sorted here.
One thing I didn’t really like about the phone is the screen. It looks way too dull, especially when I used the phone outdoors. While the “chai wale bhaiya” near my office was preparing my favorite ginger tea, I waited and clicked some pictures with the phone to test the camera performance, but I was left disappointed. Well, I wasn’t disappointed with the camera performance but with the struggle, I had to go through to click those pictures. I could barely see the object on the screen. Indoors, the 50 percent brightness level worked for me but the screen still looks dull. The viewing angles are also not too great. I will have more to talk about the screen of the Poco M3 in the detailed review. I also didn’t like the UI of the phone, it felt way too cluttered. It runs Android 10 based MIUI 12 out-of-the-box.
As for the camera performance, with the few photos I clicked with the Poco M3 I can say that the camera of the Poco M3 is decent, not too bad or great. The colours often looked washed out and details more or less looked fine to me. I’m very impressed with the portrait shots. Stay tuned to BGR India for a detailed camera review next week.
