POCO India has today launched its latest POCO C Series smartphone, the POCO C65 which is a budget smartphone starting at a price of ₹8,499 and is also the first in its segment to offer 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage option (₹10,999). As for the other highlights, it comes with a 90 Hz display, 50 MP AI triple cameras, MediaTek Helio G85 SoC, and supports 18W fast charging. There’s more to it, here’s what we have to say about the smartphone in our POCO C65 review.
POCO C65 Specifications & Features
- Display & Design: 6.74-inch IPS display, HD+ resolution (1600 x 720 pixels), 90 Hz refresh rate, 20:9 aspect ratio, Corning Gorilla Glass protection, 8.09 mm slim, 192 grams
- Software & Updates: MIUI 14, Android 13 operating system, 2 years OS upgrades, 3 years security updates
- CPU: 6nm MediaTek Helio G85 octa-core SoC up to 2.0 GHz CPU clock speed (2x ARM Cortex-A75 cores + 6x ARM Cortex-A55 cores)
- GPU: ARM Mali-G52 MC2 (2-core, 1 GHz) Graphics
- Memory: 4 GB OR 6 GB OR 8 GB LPDDR4x RAM, +8 GB Turbo RAM
- Storage: 128 GB OR 256 GB eMMC 5.1 internal storage
- Main Camera: Triple cameras (50 MP f/1.8 primary + 2 MP macro + AI lens), 1080p@30fps video recording, LED flash
- Selfie Camera: Single 8 MP, f/2.2
- Others: Side-mounted fingerprint scanner, Face Unlock
- Cellular: 4G network, dual SIMs, VoLTE support
- Battery & Charging: 5,000 mAh battery, 18W fast charging
- Colors: Pastel Blue, Matte Black
- Price: ₹8,499 (4 GB RAM + 128 GB Storage), ₹9,499 (6 GB RAM + 128 GB Storage), ₹10,999 (8 GB RAM + 256 GB Storage)
- Availability: 18th December 2023 at 12 PM on Flipkart
- Offers: ₹1,000 discount on ICICI Bank cards & EMI
- Price (With Offers): ₹7,499 (4 GB RAM + 128 GB Storage), ₹8,499 (6 GB RAM + 128 GB Storage), ₹9,999 (8 GB RAM + 256 GB Storage)
Design, Display, & Build Quality
The POCO C65 flaunts its Shimmering Paster Design with a flat-style body that looks great. It’s slim at just 8.09 mm weighing a mere 192 grams and comes in two appealing color options – Pastel Blue and Matte Black, we got the Pastel Blue color as you can see in the images below. The back has a dual-tone glossy surface at the camera while the rest of the body is matte-finished.
The rear side has two big camera modules with a triple camera setup, the top one houses the main 50 MP AI camera paired with two secondary cameras with a 2 MP macro lens and an AI lens in the second module. The front side hosts an 8 MP selfie camera in the water-drop notch.
Flipping the phone you can see a 6.74-inch IPS display with HD+ resolution (1,600 x 720 pixels) and a smooth 90 Hz refresh rate. The display is also protected by Corning Gorilla Glass while other features of the display include a 20:9 aspect ratio, a 180 Hz touch sampling rate, TÜV Low Blue Light certification, and TÜV Flicker-Free certification for an eye-friendly viewing experience.
There’s a fingerprint scanner on the power button alongside the volume keys on the right side of the phone. On the left side, you will find a dual SIM tray that supports 4G and a microSD card slot (dedicated). The bottom side hosts a USB Type-C port, a loudspeaker, and a microphone while the 3.5 mm headphone jack is on the top side.
Software, User Interface, & Features
The POCO C65 runs on MIUI 14 based on the Android 13 operating system with additional features on top of Android native features. The company says the POCO C65 offers 2 years of OS upgrades and 3 years of security updates which means you can expect at least an Android 15 update on the phone. The current security patch is dated 1st October 2023.
The MIUI 14 brings a host of enhancements, combining the best of Android 13’s native features with the unique additions of MIUI. The interface showcases notable upgrades in design, improved background efficiency, faster processing speeds, extended battery life, and more.
In our initial usage, the interface seems smooth, thanks to the 90 Hz refresh rate, it enhances the overall UI responsiveness, ensuring a seamless user experience. You can manually adjust the refresh rate in the Display Settings if required, a lower refresh rate helps in saving battery power.
The POCO C65 also packs a bunch of pre-installed apps like Amazon, Facebook, Spotify, PhonePe, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Netflix, Opera Browser, apps by Xiaomi, and Bubble Shooter Relaxing with some other games can also be seen on the phone. Most apps and games can be removed if not required to the interface clean.
Hardware, Performance & Gaming
Under the hood, the POCO C65 is powered by a 12nm MediaTek Helio G85 octa-core SoC which is clocked up to 2.0 GHz and comes equipped with up to 8 GB LPDDR4x RAM and 256 GB eMMC 5.1 internal storage. Furthermore, the SoC is laced with a Mali-G52 MP2 (2-core) GPU clocked at 1,000 MHz.
The smartphone also comes in 4 GB RAM + 128 GB storage as the base variant and 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage as the mid variant. The POCO C65 supports microSD cards up to 1 TB and includes an additional +8 GB extended RAM feature, totaling 16 GB RAM (physical + virtual).
The MediaTek Helio G85 is manufactured in a 12nm process and features 8x Cortex CPUs (2x Cortex-A75 and 6x Cortex-A55 processors). With two performance ARM Cortex-A75 cores clocked at 2.0 GHz and six power-efficient ARM Cortex-A55 cores, the POCO C65 offers good performance falling below the 6nm Snapdragon 680 but surpassing the Helio G80. There’s a slight improvement over the Helio G80, although the real-world difference may not be significant.
For gamers, the GPU is now clocked up to 1,000 MHz, providing a subtle advantage in graphics-intensive games, expect to run games in medium to mid-high graphics settings. In addition, the 90 Hz refresh adds icing to the cake promising a smooth and responsive user interface while gaming at this price point.
Cameras
Moving to its cameras, you can see a triple setup on the rear side with a 50 MP AI camera on top and two secondary cameras with a 2 MP macro + AI lens below the main camera while the camera on the front side has an 8 MP for selfie and video calling needs.
The POCO C65 relies mainly on its 50 MP AI camera with some features in the camera app to play with. The camera features include Portrait mode, Macro mode, Night mode, Front soft-light ring, Film frames, Time-lapse, Video, 50MP mode, HDR, Tilt-shift, and Timed burst.
The primary camera has an impressive offering given the price point, we got good results in daylight conditions. The camera also shoots 1080p and 720p videos at 30 fps. Here’s what we got, we took some shots from the camera to show you how it performs. Check them out below.
POCO C65 Camera Samples
Battery Runtime & Charging
On the battery and charging side, the POCO C65 packs a 5,000 mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging support, although the device is bundled with a standard 10W charger, you can hook an 18W charger for faster charging speeds. This is also the first POCO C Series smartphone to come with a USB Type-C port. For its battery life, POCO India says it can deliver as much as 23 hours of online video streaming, 114 hours of music playback, and 31 hours of calling, while lasting 25 days on standby. You can expect the battery to last up to 2 days depending on your usage.
Verdict – POCO C65 Review
Overall, the POCO C65 is not just a budget-friendly 4G smartphone, it looks stylish, offers plenty of RAM and storage (8 GB + 256 GB), offers a smooth 90 Hz screen, performs decently in the segment, and packs a bunch of MIUI 14 perks. All these make the POCO C65 a noteworthy contender in the entry-level smartphone segment. The price starts at ₹8,499 for its base variant which can be grabbed at ₹7,499 with offers while the top variant with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage is available for ₹9,999 with offers.
POCO C65 – Where To Buy?
The POCO C65 is priced at ₹8,499 for its 4 GB RAM and 128 GB storage, ₹9,499 for its 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage, ₹10,999 for its 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage. The smartphone will be available on Flipkart from 18th December 2023 at 12 PM. The launch offers include a flat ₹1,000 discount on ICICI bank cards.
