Yesterday, POCO India launched the POCO C61, its latest C Series budget smartphone in the entry-level segment priced at ₹6,999 as a part of an introductory offer. At this price, the POCO C61 has a bunch of things to offer such as a premium glass-finish back design, 90 Hz display, a 12nm MediaTek Helio G36 octa-core SoC with up to 12 GB total RAM (6 GB + 6 GB RAM), up to 128 GB storage, dual cameras, a 5,000 mAh battery, and more. Here’s what we have to say about the smartphone in our POCO C61 review.
POCO C61 Specifications & Features
- Display & Design: 6.71-inch IPS LCD display, HD+ resolution (1650 x 720 pixels), 90 Hz refresh rate, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
- Software: Android 14
- CPU: 12nm MediaTek Helio G36 octa-core SoC clocked up to 2.2 GHz
- GPU: PowerVR GE8320 Graphics
- Memory: 4 GB OR 6 GB LPDDR4x RAM, up to +6 GB extended RAM
- Storage: 64 GB OR 128 GB eMMC 5.1 internal storage, expandable up to 1 TB via microSD card
- Main Camera: Dual cameras (8 MP f/2.0 + Secondary camera), LED flash
- Selfie Camera: 5 MP
- Others: Side-mounted fingerprint scanner, USB Type-C
- Cellular: 4G LTE, dual-SIM, dual VoLTE
- Battery & Charging: 5,000 mAh, 10W charging
- Colors: Mystical Green, Ethereal Blue, Diamond Dust Black
- Price: ₹7,499 (4 GB RAM and 64 GB Storage), ₹8,499 (6 GB RAM and 128 GB Storage)
- Availability: 28th March 2024 on Flipkart
- Offers: ₹500 coupon discount for 1st day
Design, Display, & Build Quality
Among the major highlights of the smartphone is its design, the back is covered in glass. You get a premium glass-finish design on the rear side which is one of the rare things you will find in the segment. The POCO C61 flaunts its Radiant Ring Design as you can see alongwith dual rear cameras. The overall design of POCO C61 is highly premium and solid for this segment. It comes in three color variants – Mystical Green, Ethereal Blue, and Diamond Dust Black, we got the Ethereal Blue.
The front side sports a 6.71-inch IPS LCD display with HD+ resolution (1650 x 720 pixels) and a 90 Hz refresh rate. The screen uses a smoother refresh rate i.e. 90 Hz, higher than the standard 60 Hz which is typical for this category. Due to its higher refresh rate, it gives a smoother interaction and UI experience. Both sides of the phone are covered with glass, the display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top.
Moving to the sides, the bottom has a USB Type-C port and a microphone while the top comes with a loudspeaker and a 3.5mm audio jack for earphones/headphones. The right side has a power key and volume control whereas the left side comes with a triple-slot SIM tray with dual SIM connectivity and a dedicated microSD card slot. The fingerprint scanner is embedded in the power button on the right side to unlock the phone.
Software, User Interface, & Features
Unlike the POCO smartphones that come equipped with the MIUI-based Android operating system, the POCO C61 uses a clean Android with minimal apps, you get a near-stock Android experience and most of those Android 14’s native elements on the phone. The device currently ships with the 1st January 2024 security patch.
The Android 14 introduces several improvements over its predecessors including refined design elements, enhanced background efficiency, faster processing speeds, and optimized battery performance. The interface is smooth in our initial usage due to its 90 Hz refresh rate.
Additionally, the POCO C61 comes pre-installed with a selection of popular apps such as Facebook Lite, Spotify, Netflix, PhonePe, LinkedIn, and some Xiaomi apps. You can remove unwanted apps to keep the interface clutter-free.
Hardware, Performance, & Battery
The POCO C61 is an entry-level budget smartphone powered by a 12nm MediaTek Helio G36 octa-core SoC clocked up to 2.2 GHz paired with PowerVR GE8320 Graphics up to 6 GB LPDDR4x RAM with +6 GB extended RAM (making a total 12 GB RAM physically and virtually), and 128 GB eMMC 5.1 internal storage that expands up to 1 TB via microSD card. It also packs a 5,000 mAh battery with 10W charging support.
The MediaTek Helio G36 is a 12nm midrange SoC with eight cores (Cortex CPUs – 8 x ARM Cortex-A53 processors). The four ARM Cortex-A53 cores are clocked at higher 2.2 GHz for performance and the other four ARM Cortex-A53 cores are clocked at 1.8 GHz for power-efficiency.
You get two RAM and storage models to choose from, it comes in 4 GB LPDDR4x RAM with 64 GB eMMC 5.1 storage or 6 GB LPDDR4x RAM with 128 GB eMMC 5.1 storage. It supports the RAM Boost feature with up to +6 GB extended RAM making a total of 12 GB RAM (physical + virtual) while the storage expands via a microSD card up to 1 TB.
For gamers, the GPU provides a decent gaming experience for this budget, expect to run games in medium graphics settings. The 90 Hz refresh rate offers a smoother and more responsive user interface while gaming at this price point.
Cameras
Moving to its cameras, the POCO C61 packs a dual camera setup, the rear side has an 8 MP f/2.0 primary camera paired with a secondary camera while the front side has a 5 MP f/2.2 camera for selfie and video calling needs.
For this budget, you can’t expect additional cameras, the smartphone mainly relies on the 8 MP camera for photography which has fairly good results. You get a very basic pair of cameras on the smartphone, so don’t expect much from it.
The camera app offers Photo mode, Video mode, Portrait mode, Time-lapse, HDR, Tilt-shift, Watermark, Voice shutter, Timer, Timed burst, and up to 1080p video recording at 30 fps. We took some samples from its camera, here are the POCO C61 camera results.
POCO C61 Camera Samples
Battery Runtime & Charging
The POCO C61 packs a 5,000 mAh battery with support for standard 10W fast charging (5V, 2A). The 5,000 mAh battery combined with its HD+ display and light user interface consumes less power eventually extending the battery runtimes, you can expect a life of up to 2 days, depending on your usage patterns. The charging speed is slow, it’s not even 15W or 18W, the 10W standard charging will take time to charge the phone fully compared to the ones with 18W.
Verdict – POCO C61 Review
The POCO C61 packs a decent set of features with great value for money. With its premium glass back, it offers a great design in its class, the smartphone even beats several midrangers above ₹10K (or ₹15K) in terms of design. Overall, the POCO C61 is a good choice if you are looking for a budget smartphone with a premium design and decent features. It is launched at an introductory price of ₹6,999 (4 GB + 64 GB) for a limited time.
POCO C61 Price In India – Where To Buy
The POCO C61 starts at a price of ₹7,499 for its 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage variant and ₹8,499 for its 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage variant. The smartphone will be available from 28th March 2024 on Flipkart. The launch offers include ₹500 coupon instant discount for 1st day on both models.
