Poco is the by-product of the Chinese smartphone company Xiaomi. They recently launched the Poco M2 in the country. In India Poco M2 Pro has three variants of 4GB of RAM with 64GB of storage at Rs 13,999, 6GB RAM with 64GB storage at Rs 14,999 whereas the 6GB RAM with 128GB storage variant price has been set at Rs 16,999. For the review, we have received 6GB RAM with 64GB storage option. So, without further ado, let’s begin the review of Poco M2 Pro to know how it is different from other smartphones in the same segment.
Poco M2 Pro Design and Display
On opening the box, the first thing that came to our mind is that we have already seen a device with a similar design. The Poco M2 Pro looks have been inspired by the Redmi Note 9 Series. Only the branding is different, else everything is very similar. Here we are not only talking about the design aspects but (to an extent) the specifications are also the same. You can check out here how both phones share similarities.
You get a large hole-punch design display although there is a 5,020mAh battery it is bulkier and a bit slimmer with curved edges. The display comes with a layer of triple Corning Gorilla glass 5 for safety. The selfie camera is positioned inside the hole punch at the top centre of the phone. While on the right side the volume rocker and a power button integrated with a fingerprint scanner are given. At the bottom, users can find a 3.5mm audio jack with the USB Type-C port for charging, a mic and a speaker grille.
The rear panel of the smartphone comes with a glossy finish, we have the Greener than Green version for testing, nonetheless, it is available in two more shades (Out of the Blue and Two Shades of Black). The bottom two-thirds part of the back panel has an angular striped pattern which has a Poco logo. Over that, the device comes with P2i water-repellent coating. Also, a camera bump with quad sensors has been placed right at the top centre of the phone. We must say, the overall design of the Poco M2 Pro is quite attractive.
Moving on the display, the phone features a 6.67-inch full-HD+ display with a 20:9 aspect ratio offering 1,080×2,400 pixels of resolution. It lacks a higher refresh rate, which could be disappointing for gamers. If you are a Poco fan and looking for a device with a high refresh rate then this phone is not for you as here you get a standard 60Hz display, however, a 120Hz panel is available on the Poco X2. The mobile phone performed smoothly when playing games like Subway Surfer and Asphalt 9. Slight lag was seen at times, but nothing that will put you off.
The display is bright and produces punchy colours and is visible in direct sunlight. As the display is Widevine L1 certified streaming Netflix and Amazon Prime Video is a treat. Not to forget, for the readers the device comes with a night mode and reading mode so that your eyes don’t stress. For the price, we think the company is offering a really good display.
Poco M2 Pro Performance and Camera
Poco M2 Pro is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G processor paired with up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The internal memory is expandable by up to 512GB using a microSD card. The device is pretty good at managing day to day tasks, but on some occasions (especially when multitasking) the handset slows down. So remember to keep the memory free by shutting down the not used apps running in the background. We also tested playing heavier games on its such as PUBG Mobile and it did well even on high graphics settings. However, the phone heats up when you play games for long hours or when the camera app is running in the background.
The Poco M2 Pro runs on MIUI 11 skinned on top of Android 10. Instead of running MIUI launcher, it runs its own Poco Launcher as default. It comes with a lot of unnecessary apps which we hardly used. The saving grace is that you can also get rid of all the junk by uninstalling or disabling or not providing app permissions. There are lots of third-party apps, which have already been banned in India such as Helo and some others. But we are sure, with the next update these would be driven out of the phone. Since there is a single speaker on Poco M2 Pro, we found the sound to be on the lower side. We would have appreciated a little more volume coming front the audio driver.
Next, let’s talk about camera performance. First, let’s take a look at what the smartphone brings. On the rear panel, you get a quad rear camera set up that includes a 48-megapixel primary sensor, a secondary 8-megapixel Ultra-Wide-angle lens and a 5-megapixel macro lens as well as a 2-megapixel depth sensor. Upfront there is a 16-megapixel selfie camera sitting inside the hole-punch display.
We have to mention, the Poco M2 Pro’s camera specs are also similar to Redmi Note 9 Pro. We were quite satisfied how well the camera performed in both bright as well as low light conditions, which we were missing during the Note 9 Pro Max review (read here). The outcome is fantastic. The pictures are very detailed and punchy that you just can’t stop at one. We even took a few pictures in a moving vehicle and still got appealing images. And yes, to add glory to your pictures the pro mode on the camera app go us splendid beautiful aspects of the subject.
On the less bright side, the 48-megapixel mode does not have support for HDR. If you are just like us who is inclined towards extreme close-up photography then this phone is not for you, we would recommend Redmi Note 9 Pro Max. The macro shots lack a bit of detail, however, the colours look vibrant which made the overall picture look good. The device also had some issues in focusing the subject which simply puts our mood off.
The portrait mode is perfect and the shots clicked looked pretty good. Same was the case with ultra-wide mode, but we would have appreciated a little more edge clarity.
The video mode on the Poco M2 Pro is outstanding; it can capture 4K video at 30FPS. Also, one can record macro and ultrawide videos at 1080p, 30FPS. You also get an option to shoot cinematic videos in a 21:9 aspect ratio. All of them came out vibrant and very close to life.
As for the battery, the Poco M2 pro is backed by a 5,000mAh battery that is pretty good for an average user like us. The battery lasted for more than a day of nominal use. The device is bundled with a 33W ultra-fast charging that charges the device fully in about 1 hour 30 minutes. This was missing in Redmi Note 9 Pro.
Verdict
The overall performance of Poco M2 Pro is satisfactory. For a price tag of Rs 14,999, the device performs well while offering a great battery life. It takes stunning pictures and yes, the low light images are also pretty good. The smartphone is well designed giving a premium feel. The price also makes sense as it is an all-rounder.
Pros
33W fast charging
Longer Battery Life
Looks premium
Cons
Higher refresh rate panel missing
Camera performance could have been better
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