Poco has announced a new budget smartphone in India, the Poco M6 Plus. It appears to be a rebranded Redmi 13 5G but with a new design. With a starting price of Rs 13,499, the Poco M6 Plus competes with the likes of HMD Crest, Lava Blaze X, Oppo K12x 5G, and more. Should you consider the Poco device over the competition? Let’s find out.
Design & Display
The Poco M6 Plus employs a glass back with a flat plastic frame. For the price, the M6 Plus feels quite decent in the hand paired with the premium look. The buttons reside on the right along with the fingerprint sensor which doubles as the power key. The fingerprint sensor is fast and accurate in detecting the print.
The black model we have has a dual-tone look with the bottom half having a glittery finish while the top half is plain black. Aside from feeling premium in hand, the device is also quite big to hold, which makes it inappropriate for one-handed use. Moreover, because it has a reflective look, the back panel is also a fingerprint magnet. To solve that, Poco offers a transparent TPU case inside the box.
The single speaker on the bottom is mediocre. It’s not the loudest, and it does not handle songs well, as the sound is mostly muffled. The vibration motor is also the usual one used in such devices, and you cannot expect much from it.
Aside from that, the M6 Plus still does well in the design department.
As for the display, it is a 6.79-inch IPS LCD FHD+ display that has a peak brightness of 550 nits, a 120Hz refresh rate, and 240Hz touch sampling rate. This LCD panel is responsive as well as smooth in normal use.
The colours also look vivid, and watching videos on it is a pleasant experience, too, thanks to how sharp the content looks. The viewing angles, however, are below average, and so is the brightness when you look at it outdoors under direct sunlight.
Compared to the competition, I have definitely seen better displays at this price point, such as the one in CMF Phone 1, HMD Crest, and Lava Blaze X also. Those are not only AMOLED panels but are also much brighter.
Read More: Poco F6 5G Review: An All-Rounder With A Few Quirks
Software & Performance
The Poco M6 Plus is powered by the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 Accelerated Edition, paired with up to 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 128GB of expandable UFS 2.2 storage. The device runs on HyperOS, based on Android 14.
The M6 Plus runs smoothly for day-to-day use. RAM management is decent and the overall animations across the system feel and look fluid, too. The animation speed of closing or opening apps has been sped up compared to what we see on HyperOS running on Poco X-series, F-series, and other flagship and mid-range and Xiaomi devices so they feel snappier on lower-end devices like the Poco M6 Plus 5G which surely does work.
However, it’s not meant to handle demanding tasks, such as playing titles like Call of Duty Mobile, where the device begins to show signs of struggle.
Aside from that, HyperOS offers a load of customisation options and is well-optimised for the device. There are a good amount of lock screen styles to choose from along with the ability to change icon size, fonts, and much more.
Then there’s a flash notifications feature where the flashlight on the back blinks when you receive a call or when a set alarm rings. For security and privacy, you can set App lock for various apps.
In addition, there’s a battery protection feature that allows you to limit the charging percentage up to 80% so it doesn’t go past it which helps in the longevity of battery. Furthermore, the device runs on the June 2024 security patch which is not very old and acceptable. However, if it was on the July or August patch, it would have been much better.
Finally, in terms of software, there is some bloatware included out of the box. However, you can easily uninstall all those apps.
Connectivity performance of the handset was optimal, including that of Wi-Fi, 5G, and Bluetooth. The device doesn’t have NFC which is a usual omission in smartphones that cost this much.
Battery Life
The 5,030 mAh battery on the Poco M6 Plus easily helps it last more than a day of moderate use. My usage pattern included chatting on social media, browsing the web, some calling, and scrolling through apps like Instagram. My screen-on time consistently ranged from 7 to 8 hours, which is quite impressive.
The device takes around 1h 15m to charge from 0 to 100%, which is again a decent time for a phone that costs this much. To sum up, the Poco M6 Plus surely didn’t disappoint us with its battery life.
Cameras
The Poco M6 Plus’s back features a 108-megapixel f/1.8 Samsung HM6 primary camera and a 2-megapixel f/2.4 macro sensor. On the front, it features a 13-megapixel shooter.
The photos from the main sensor are sharp and have decent colour tones. They have a cool hue, but the colours look pleasant to the eyes. The exposure levels are under control, and the dynamic range is decent, too. For the price, I’d say the Poco M6 Plus clicks quite nice photos when given enough light.
The secondary macro sensor isn’t the best and lacks some details. While it handles the colours fine, the one thing that’s absolutely the most necessary in a macro shot, which is detailing and sharpness, is on the lower side, which makes it unusable in most conditions.
Selfies from the front sensor are acceptable but not the best. While it handles the skin tones fine, the sharpness and detailing are poor. Moreover, the background often gets overexposed when it’s bright, suggesting the dynamic range is disappointing as well.
Portrait shots come out quite impressive. Not only is the EDGE detection on point but the colours and details in the shot are nice.
The main sensor also handles shots in artificial lighting with ease, with no compromise in either detailing or colours. However, in low light situations, the camera does begin to struggle as the photos start becoming blurry.
Turning on the Night mode does help with exposure management in night conditions, but the detailing remains lackluster.
