POCO M3 PRO REVIEW

Specifications:

• Body: 161.8x75.3x8.9mm, 190g; Gorilla Glass 3 front, plastic back, plastic frame.
• Display: 6.50" IPS LCD, 90Hz, 400 nits (typ), 500 nits (HBM), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 405ppi.
• Chipset: MediaTek MT6833 Dimensity 700 5G (7 nm): Octa-core (2x2.2 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G57 MC2.
• Memory: 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM; UFS 2.2; microSDXC.
• OS/Software: Android 11, MIUI 12.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 48 MP, f/1.8, 26mm, 1/2.0", 0.8µm, PDAF; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.
• Front camera: 8 MP, f/2.0, (wide).
• Video capture: Rear camera: 1080p@30fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 5000mAh; Fast charging 18W.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); FM radio; Infrared port; 3.5mm jack.

1. Design and Build:

It shouldn't be a surprise if you get confused between Poco M3 pro and Redmi note 10 5G merely by looking at the front of the devices. They are identical, but things start to change once you flip them. Unlike the matte finish plastic back of Redmi note 10 5G, the Poco M3 Pro settles with a glossy plastic finish along with a polycarbonate frame. The camera island stays same, but with a completely different accent - there is this partial black strip now that engulfs the island, plus a reasonably large POCO branding. Do remember, you are dealing with a fingerprint magnet here due to that glossy plastic.

2. Display:

The Poco M3 Pro has a 6.5" IPS LCD screen with a small punch hole around the top. Resolution is 1080p resulting in 400ppi density and 20:9 aspect ratio. Display comes protected by Gorilla Glass 3, which although being dated, does the job. The 90Hz refresh rate is an added bonus, and does help the device to feel snappy while navigating the ui. Do make a note that this display doesn't support HDR

MIUI offers two Refresh Rate options - High (90Hz) and Standard (60Hz). The High setting is supposed to be dynamic. The Poco M3 Pro has a maximum brightness of 413 nits in manual mode and can go as high as 536 nits when the outdoor mode kicks in. The black levels are impressive and make for an excellent contrast of 1475:1. The minimum brightness is just 1.3 nit - impressive! Device also has Widevine L1 certification for High Quality Streaming. Overall, this is a good display for the asking price.

3. Performance and Software:

Poco M3 Pro comes with MIUI 12 based on Android 11 out of the box. The Poco M3 Pro can do split screen, but it doesn't support Floating Window which is weird but should be solved with an update. Software is regular MIUI 12 experience and nothing new to talk about. The device comes with Dimensity 700 5G with all models sporting LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 2.2 Storage. Performance is similar to other devices with Dimensity 700 chipset. The CPU is perfect for this class, while the GPU may be a bit underpowered, but it still handles games pretty well, all things considered. Whether it's a drop in resolution or visual effects, the Poco M3 Pro behaves great most of the time and shouldn't bog down when needed.

4. Multimedia:

 The Poco M3 Pro offers a single firing loudspeaker situated at the bottom. The output is richer than most of the budget phones and stays toe to toe with other counterparts for the same price. Overall, it will not disappoint you for the price. The rear cameras are basic- a 48MP primary shooter, a 2MP macro snapper, and a 2MP depth sensor accompanied by a single LED flash. The Poco M3 Pro has a high-res main camera, a 48MP OmniVision OV48B 1/2" sensor with 0.8µm pixels, Quad-Bayer filter and PDAF. The lens is 26mm f/1.8 with Night Mode.The macro camera uses a 2MP Hynix Hi-259 sensor with large 1.75µm pixels. The lens is f/2.4, while the focus is fixed at about 4cm-5cm distance.The third shooter at the back is a 2MP GalaxyCore GC02M1B monochrome depth sensor. The photos are rich in detail and nicely sharp, the noise levels are low, the colors are mostly accurate, and the dynamic range is pretty good. The other two cameras are better left not be discussed about. The 8MP selfie camera saves magnificent photos. There is more than enough resolved detail, and the images are plenty sharp. The colors are okay, the contrast is superb, and the noise is kept nicely low. Video recording capped up to 1080@30fps with its main camera and up to 720p@30fps with the macro one. There is no 4K mode, 60fps shooting is not available either. The video bitrate is 20Mbps, while audio is recorded in stereo at high 256kbps bitrate. Optional electronic stabilization is supported, and it does a great job at the expense of minor loss of Field of View. The footage from the main camera has great colors, the contrast is good with wide dynamic range. The level of detail is okay for 1080p footage on a budget.

5. Battery and Charging:

The Poco M3 Pro comes with a large 5000mAh battery and a 22.5W charger. However, the device only supports charging speed up to 18W, which is okay and does the job. Regardless, the battery backup is excellent and can easily get you up to a full day of normal to heavy usage with some juice still remaining.

Conclusion:

Xiaomi knows how to make a good phone, and the Poco M3 Pro follows the same successful recipe - it packs the best features money can buy you for the asking price. Overall, if you are in the market for a budget 5G device, do not miss this option.

 

 

 

 Credits- GSMARENA