POCO C50 Review

Poco is one of the affordable smartphone brands that has created a name for itself in the low to mid-range category over the last three years or so. The company does not provide as many devices at various price points as some of its competitors, with the c50 being the company's most recent budget offering. The phone is available with 2GB or 3GB RAM, and I tested the latter. Let's see if the smartphone provides enough for Rs. 7,299 (launch price of Rs. 6,999).

Design

The Poco C50 has a 6.52-inch LCD display with a drop-notch for the selfie camera. The bezels around the display are slightly thick, but the bottom bar is noticeably larger than the other sides. The ear-speaker grille is located near the front camera and can collect dust, necessitating you to blow it off or clean it on a regular basis. The phone is entirely composed of plastic, including the back, however the back has a more intriguing leather-like textured look and feel to it, setting it distinct from many other phones at this price point. The speakers is located on top, while the bottom has the primary mic, microUSB 2.0 connector, and 3.5mm audio jack. The left side only has the Sim card tray, and the right side has the volume buttons and Power/lock key; this may be nitpicking, but the keys don't feel very good to press, and this may be one of the ways the firm sought to save money (however small). Throughout my use, the phone did not creek or show any signs of loose ends or easily damaged body parts. It weighs slightly more than 190 grammes, is not easily smudged or fingerprinted, and is not at all slippery.

Display

The display is 6.52-inch IPS LCD HD+ (1600x720). The display becomes sufficiently bright to the point where you'd have to turn it all the way up to maximum brightness to use it outside in direct sunshine. The display performs an adequate job at handling HD films, whether from YouTube or elsewhere. One thing to note is that hues can appear washed out at times. The display may have a yellowish tint to it, which can make information appear less accurate in both images and videos. But this is fine for reading text and Web pages.

Performance

The phone runs Android 12 Go edition and is equipped with a Mediatek A22 chipset (up to 2GHz four-core processor, IMG PowerVR GPU), 3GB LPDDR4X RAM, and 32GB of eMMC storage (with around 23GB free out of the box), which is extendable up to 512GB via microSD card. The phone runs Android Go, which is designed for low-end smartphones with limited resources, although some functionality, such as dual apps, split-screen apps, and numerous app icon choice shortcuts, are missing. The phone can easily accomplish simple functions like calling, video calling, watching YouTube videos, listening to music, and navigating between different apps. However, it may reach its performance limit if you open multiple Webpages (maybe a few hefty ones) in the background while also using messaging apps. If you have more than 4-5 tasks open, the phone may struggle to handle switching between apps and scrolling smoothly, but if you have 2-3 tabs open in Chrome, messaging on WhatsApp every now and then, and browsing YouTube or Instagram during the day while checking email, you should be fine most of the time. Also, if you are used to carrying a lot of stuff on your device (whether via chatting, streaming, or downloading), you may want to consider purchasing a lovely microSD card to use with this phone. Oh, and there's a call recording feature here, but the person on the other end isn't told.

Camera

On the back, there are two cameras: an 8MP (f/2.0) main camera and a 0.8MP (QVGA) auxiliary camera. The camera app may take some time to load before you can use it. Portrait and time-lapse options are provided. The photographs captured with the primary camera are adequate. It can shoot usable images for social media posting when utilised in favorable lighting and while remaining still. In a more challenging location, especially when the subject is moving, you may need help to obtain a good-quality photo. The camera can also record 1080p films at 30 frames per second. It's not an excellent camera, but it's okay for the price. It has to be faster to open and capture pictures.

Battery and Life

The phone has a 5,000 mAh battery that allows charging speeds of up to 10 watts. In the box, you'll find a 10watt charger, a microUSB to type A connection, and a SIM card tray removal tool (no case or earbuds are included). The phone lasts a day with 10%-15% of the battery remaining. Using the included charger, it charges from 1% to 100% in roughly two hours. There is no ambient light sensor (adaptive brightness works through the front camera), barometer, or gyroscope among the hardware sensors installed. WiFi and Bluetooth function normally, with no issues to report. GPS also functions properly, albeit position lock-in may take a few seconds longer than planned. Nothing to complain about with the fingerprint scanner on the back; it works reliably and frequently enough to unlock the phone.

Verdict

Poco's C50 appears to be a good enough device to consider if you basically want to conduct messaging, calling, 4G networking, and email, along with some YouTube viewing. There are certain trade-offs, such as missing sensors, USB type C connectivity, and possibly raw performance, but that's not what it appears to be designed for.