The budget segment in the smartphone landscape is perhaps the most hypercompetitive — it makes it challenging if you’re an entry-level phone trying to stand out in the sea of similar value-first models. But, with their original releases like Poco X3 NFC, the Xiaomi-owned brand POCO has consistently raised the bar for what wallet-friendly devices can offer. The still-recent POCO M3 brings POCO’s magic to the entry-level bracket. And it’s up for pre-order in Pakistan now.
Before we get into what the POCO M3 brings, note that you can pre-register on Xiaomi’s Mi Store. With each booking, Xiaomi is throwing in free earphones worth Rs. 899. The pre-order window starts from 6 pm today, following which Xiaomi will announce the phone officially.
So what makes POCO M3 different? It checks all the boxes you’d expect it to and more. An enormous-sized battery, fast charging, a powerful new-gen Qualcomm chipset, innovative design, stereo speakers, 3.5mm headphone jack, and a full HD display — all in an entry-level price point.
Inside the M3, we’re looking at the Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 processor that came out earlier this year. It works with 4GB of memory and 64/128GB of expandable storage (up to 512GB). Unlike most Xiaomi phones, a whopping 6000 mAh battery powers the phone, promising a 25% longer life span than its competition. On a single charge, it can last you 538 hours on standby and 17 hours of video streaming. It’s backed up by 18W fast-charging support (and a 22.5W fast charger in the retail box).
Out on the front, the 6.53” LCD screen has a notch (and an 8MP camera embedded inside) bleeding into it. A slim chin and side-bezels surround it. The side-facing fingerprint scanner doubles as the power button. And the back has a unique two-tone design.
Both the camera plate (featuring a 48MP primary camera and two extra 2MP lenses) and POCO’s branding rest inside a boxy accent, stretching across the width of the phone. The Poco M3 comes in blue, yellow, and black colors. And it’s expected to start around Rs. 24,000 to 28,000 depending upon the variant launched.
