Poco has finally entered the Nepalese market with the launch of two budget segment smartphones i.e., Poco C3 and Poco M2. Poco M2 which is claimed to be a rebranded version of Redmi 9 is the only phone right now in Nepal to come with a 6GB RAM and 128GB storage variant under 20k. So, let us quickly get started with today’s long term full review of the Poco M2 after more than a month of its usage.
Specifications
| Dimensions & Weight | 163.3 x 77 x 9.1 mm 198g |
| Display | 6.53″ FHD+ IPS LCD 1080 x 2340 pixels 19.5:9 aspect ratio 60Hz refresh rate Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| SoC | Mediatek Helio G80 |
| Chipset | Octa-core (2×2.0 GHz Cortex-A75 & 6×1.8 GHz Cortex-A55) 12 nm Mali-G52 MC2 |
| RAM | 6GB |
| Storage | 64GB/128GB |
| Battery & Charging | 5000 mAh 18W power adapter USB-C |
| Rear Camera | 13 MP, f/2.2, PDAF 8MP, f/2.2, Ultra-wide 5 MP, f/2.4, Macro 2MP, f/2.4, Depth 1080p@30fps |
| Front Camera | 8 MP, f/2.0 |
| Operating System | Android 10, MIUI 12 |
| Sensors | Fingerprint (rear-mounted) Accelerometer Proximity Compass |
| Other Features | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS 3.5mm Headphone Jack |
Poco M2 Price in Nepal
| Variant | Price in Nepal (MRP) |
| 6GB+64GB | NPR. 18,999 |
| 6GB+128GB | NPR. 19,999 |
Poco M2 Review:
Build and Design
Flat-screen, rounded corners, dual-textured plastic back framing that blends in with each other is what summaries the exterior of the device at first glance. In fact, there is nothing flashy and the design is appreciable thanks to the sleek rear camera module and a Poco branding on the bottom. Due to the bigger battery, it weighs slightly heavy at 198g but the thickness isn’t that much. The camera bump is almost non-existent as well and the phone provides a good grip on hand. One-handed use is subjective here. I used it without a case during my month-long usage and I can already see some scratches on the back so, I recommend you to use a case even though the back part isn’t a huge fingerprint magnet. There is a P2i coating to repel minor splashes of water.
Display
6.53-inch Full HD+ IPS LCD display with a dewdrop notch on top and thin bezels except for the chin has good color reproduction and decent brightness level for normal media consumption. Due to the traditional 60Hz refresh rate, you won’t be able to go beyond 60fps in gaming but it is to be expected at this pricing. 1080p resolution at this price is also a great thing when you look at the HD+ display of the Realme 7i that we recently reviewed. The display is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 which is not the latest but is strong enough for minor falls.
Hardware and Software
This is where Poco M2 is a beast for its price. In PUBG Mobile, I was impressed to see that it was able to run the game in the same settings that Realme 7 had. So, we can easily say that MediaTek Helio G80; a gaming-focused chipset is indeed capable of all kinds of multitasking and heavy gaming at high graphics. The 6GB RAM and 128GB storage eMMC 5.1 storage compliments this processor.
Many people have asked us this. So, to be quick UFS 2.1 storage standard is 4 times faster than the eMMC 5.1 standard whereas eMMC is much cheaper and thus used in budget phones.
The phone runs on Poco Launcher which is just an MIUI 11 skin based on Android 10. I didn’t see any bloatware apps or ads during my usage resulting in an enjoyable user experience. There are a number of pre-installed apps that can’t be removed but they are not useless and have their own proper functions.
Poco M2 Review: Camera
There is two cameras elongated camera module on the back. Three sensors are present on one module whereas the smaller module consists of the remaining one sensor and LED flash. The rear-camera setup comprises of 13MP f/2.2 main with PDAF, 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide, 5MP f/2.4 macro, and 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor whereas there’s an 8MP f/2.0 selfie shooter in the front notch.
Daylight pictures from the main and ultra-wide are quite good for its price. The dynamic range isn’t that good and there are lesser details on the ultra-wide as compared to the main. Color reproduction is also good if you don’t turn on AI or Pro color mode which produces unnatural oversaturated colors. HDR is kind of a software gimmick and doesn’t make that much of a difference in picture quality. Some noise can be seen in the darker areas even in daylight. Macro shots are only good if the lighting is enough and you have proper distance from the subject as it has fixed focus, so it is mostly hard to nail the shot.
Selfies also come out great in ample lighting with natural skin color and enough details.
Portraits from both the rear and front have natural colors with a good number of details but skin softening can be seen even without beauty mode. The main problem of blown-out background or sky persists in both the rear and selfie sensor. There is GCAM support on this phone. I didn’t try it myself but I have heard that it improves the dynamic range in the background.
Sadly, night mode isn’t available on the default camera app of this phone, and normally taken night time pictures have a lot of noise and softening of details. You will need to make use of the long exposure available in Pro mode to capture much better night time pictures. Don’t panic and keep practicing with it to nail the shot. The Pro mode knowledge will come in handy for you while using professional cameras as well.
Video capability from all three sensors i.e., main, ultra-wide, and selfie is up to 1080p@30fps. The quality from the main and selfie sensor is obviously better as compared to the ultra-wide. There is no stabilization on any sensor and the video will be shaky even if you slowly walk and shoot a video. A gimbal or tripod is highly recommended here.
Slo-mo video of 720p@120fps from the rear sensor is only supported and you will need ample lighting to pull off a good slow-motion capture. Night mode videos from any sensor of this phone are not worthy of capture.
Overall, for this price, the camera versatility and quality are quite commendable. I doubt you will find any other smartphone with a better camera than this in this price range.
Security and Other Features
The latest dual-band Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, dual-4G Sim support, micro-SD card up to 256GB, and IR blaster are some of the features of this phone. There are also all necessary sensors normally required on a phone along with a gyro-sensor for your gaming usage.
For security, there is a circular physical fingerprint scanner in the back which is very fast. Since it lies in the camera module, you can sometimes confuse it with a camera sensor but you will soon get used to it. Face Unlock works quick as well.
Battery
The big 5000mAh battery has a great battery backup for more than a day of normal usage. In our mixed usage with a little bit of everything, it lasted around 8 hours and 45 minutes. Sadly, the 10W charger provided in the box takes nearly 4 hours to fully replenish the battery. The phone actually supports up to 18W fast charging and when I used that it, was able to go from 0 to 100 in around 2 hours and 30 minutes.
I faced no heating issues during charging or long hours of heavy gaming. The phone only gets a little warm which isn’t something to be worried about.
Conclusion
This device which is almost identical to the Redmi 9 has no other competitor in the Nepalese market right now. At this price, it is a steal whether it be for media consumption, gaming, multitasking, or normal mobile camera usage.
