POCO M3

The POCO M3 is a quirky smartphone with an immense battery, decent performance and with an almost unmatched price. If you want to get the most out of your money then you can hardly ignore this M3. We'd like to explain why here.

The camera seems to be the catch

You take a triple camera, an immense 6000 mAh battery and a capable Snapdragon 662 processor then you would expect a higher starting price than what this POCO M3 is retailing for. So they do that well at POCO and our interest is immediately piqued. The M3 also has a 'different' design which makes it stand out in a positive way. So what's the catch? After a long search it seems to be the camera. The 48MP AI Triple Camera sounds like a lot on paper but 2 of the 3 cameras are fairly redundant in practice. A 2MP macro camera and a 2MP depth camera. The latter will only be useful in combination with the 48MP main camera, especially for portrait photography. The resolution of the macro camera is simply too low to take useful close-ups. Finally, the 48MP main camera is fine but nothing special.

Impressive on the inside

Fortunately, there is enough to make up for that. Starting with the 6.53-inch screen. It has a high resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels, which results in a sharp image. POCO calls the screen a DotDrop Display, which suggests that there is a punch-hole for the selfie camera. But on closer inspection, we really do see an old-fashioned notch in a V-shape. Inside the M3, things get really impressive. There we find a 6000 mAh large battery; much more than average. Two days of continuous use is not uncommon. There is fast charging but that is limited to 18W. Full charging will still take several hours as a result. Also impressive is the Snapdragon 662 processor. This mid-range chipset delivers decent performance.

Main POCO M3 specifications

• 6.53-inch FHD+ Dot Drop Display with notch for selfiecam
• 48+2+2MP camera with macro and depth camera, FHD video and RAW mode
• 8MP selfie camera with f/2.05 lens and portrait mode
• Capable Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 processor with 4GB of RAM
• Choose between 64 or 128GB of storage memory, expandable up to 512GB
• 6000 mAh large battery with 18W fast charging and reverse charging
• Dual SIM support (2x nano SIM + 1 microSD)
• Stereo speakers and 3.5mm audio jack

Is hard to ignore

Furthermore, the POCO M3 has stereo speakers for high resolution audio and there is room for a dual SIM card + a memory card up to 512GB. There is 4G support for fast mobile internet on the go but the even faster 5G is something he doesn't understand. This makes it a little less future proof but considering the price you pay for the device we are willing to forgive it. Besides, the feeling that remains is one that is positive. If you are looking for a phone that can last a long time, is good at multimedia and can be seen then it is hard to ignore this M3.

Pro and cons POCO M3

• Striking appearance
• Impressive battery life
• Neat performance
• Good price/quality ratio

• No 5G, mediocre camera