Xiaomi’s Poco series is considered one of the best in their line-up of mid-range smartphones. It served as an unspoken inspiration for many brands to make phones similar to Poco’s identity. Poco has been touted as “flagship killer” by many. It has spawned many iterations, and Poco M3 Pro 5G is one of them.
In this review, we are going to take a look at the Poco M3 Pro 5G by Xiaomi, and tell you our thoughts on whether it’s a good buy or not. In case you missed our previous articles about this, you can check it out in the links below.
What’s inside the box?
Xiaomi is known for giving more than what you’ve paid in their products. M3 Pro 5G is not an exemption. Apart from the device, you’ll get a free silicon case, 20W charger, sticker, SIM ejector tool, paperwork, and a Type C to Type A cable. The missing earphones is forgivable given the assumption that users may already have one at their disposal. Still, I will not argue that some consumers would feel bad about not having one inside the box.
Build and Design
Poco M3 Pro 5G’s overall build and design do not totally deviate from a typical smartphone. The part that makes it look different is its back panel, which has a two-toned design with the intention of making the camera stand out. A POCO logo can be seen beside the camera, and a 5G icon along with some brand inscriptions can be seen on the lower of the device.
The device still sports a 3.5mm headphone jack, which is located on top of the device. The phone has two microphones – one at the top and another one at the bottom. It only has one speaker grill, which can be found just beside the Type-C port.
The POCO M3 Pro 5G is fitted with a 6.5″ FHD+ Dot Display with a 90Hz refresh rate. Images and videos appear sharp and colors pop on this smartphone’s display. The faster refresh rate will relatively help gamers, but its overall benefit can be felt when using applications and exploring its UI.
Hardware and Performance
Poco M3 Pro 5G is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 700. Our review unit has 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB internal storage. Occupied internal storage is only 27GB at boot, which leaves users more space for additional applications and files.
In terms of overall performance, it’s theoretically comparable to the MediaTek Helio G95 and Snapdragon 732G. Check out the result of the artificial benchmark below:
On this device, I also tried out a few games. Ragkarok X is a high-quality, high-performance game. Everything is set to a high quality setting with a frame rate of 60 frames per second. I never had any troubles and never had any frame rate issues.
On this smartphone, games like The Witcher Monster Slayer and Wild Rift work great. Meanwhile, games like PUBG and Call of Duty Mobile are playable, albeit with variable results, but still maintaining a frame rate of 56 to 58 frames per second.
I am quite impressed with its performance as a mid-range chipset. This smartphone isn’t the most powerful of the new smartphones released this quarter, but it does a great job of delivering value for the money you’ll spend.
Camera
The camera of the Poco M3 Pro 5G is as follows: it sports a 48MP wide camera with an f/1.8 aperture. It also comes with two additional lenses: a 2MP macro camera and a 2MP depth camera, both of which have an f/2.4 aperture. You also get an 8-megapixel wide-angle selfie lens with an f/2.0 aperture. Based on its specifications, this clearly matches perfectly with the realme 8 5G that we previously reviewed on our YouTube channel.
I love Poco M3 Pro 5G’s camera! It’s one of its best features! Color reproduction is excellent, especially when AI is enabled. It just works wonders on this smartphone, and you won’t find it overworking itself especially when shooting portrait shots.
The level of saturation is enough and the default contrast is correctly set. The camera UI is very responsive, and there are plenty of camera options to choose from including Pro Mode, which works on both photo and camera modes.
Poco M3 Pro 5G ‘s camera UI, like other Xiaomi smartphones, makes changing settings on the fly a breeze. You can also record videos up to 720 or 1080p at 30 frames per second. There is no 4K fps available in the camera application. Macro Mode can be set on both Video and Photo modes.
Software
Running alongside Android 11 is MUIU 12.0.9. It packs all the good things users love about MIUI, including performance enhancements and optimization. I personally find the home screen clean from the get-go, but I am not a fan of its app drawer It’s cluttered and confusing to navigate.
Apart from the usual software features, Poco M3 Pro 5G also has improved Game Turbo, Video toolbox, floating windows, and second space. There are some pre-installed applications that are not necessarily essential for users. It has pre-installed mini-games, Cleaner, Booking.com, Iqiyi, Lazada, etc., which are part of their long-term brand partnership that ultimately help Xiaomi offset the cost of smartphones. Regardless of this, you can free uninstall these applications and reinstall them again should you think they will come in handy in the future.
Connectivity and Battery Performance
The Poco M3 Pro 5G is currently one of the most cheapest 5G smartphones available in the Philippines. This is the ideal opportunity for Filipinos to have a taste of 5G.
In terms of battery life, using an artificial battery benchmark test, it managed to stay awake for 13 hours and 47 minutes with 20 percent battery remaining. While mileage will vary, the 5000mAh battery should be sufficient for a day of moderate use. As I also expected, the included 18W charger managed to charge the device in less than two hours.
Verdict
Poco M3 Pro 5G has everything it takes to be the best choice for consumers who are looking for an affordable 5G smartphone. 5G capability and price aren’t just its best assets. It takes great photos and videos, plus the overall performance it offers clearly makes it one of the best budget smartphones around. PhP11,990 may be steep for some budget-finders, but what impresses me more is how Xiaomi made 5G more accessible to more consumers by introducing a cheaper variant, a 4GB+64GB version that only costs PhP8,990.
Specifications
| Display | 6.5″ FHD+ Dot Display, 90Hz |
| Processor | MediaTek Dimensity 700 |
| RAM | 6GB LPDDR4X |
| Storage | 64GB, 128GB UFS 2.2 |
| Rear Camera | 48MP Main |
| 2MP Macro | |
| 2MP Depth | |
| Front Camera | 8MP |
| OS | Android 11 + MIUI 12 |
| Battery | 5,000mAh + 18W Fast-Charging |
Pricing and Availability
POCO M3 Pro 5G is priced at PhP8,990 for the 4GB+64GB version and PhP11,990 for the 6GB+128GB variant.
Giancarlo Viterbo is a Filipino Technology Journalist, blogger and Editor of gadgetpilipinas.net, He is also a Geek, Dad and a Husband. He knows a lot about washing the dishes, doing some errands and following instructions from his boss on his day job. Follow him on twitter: @gianviterbo and @gadgetpilipinas.
