POCO has launched POCO M4 Pro 5G in India featuring a 90 Hz display, Dimensity 810 5G SoC, 33W fast charging, 50 MP primary camera, stereo speakers, and more. The POCO M4 Pro is the successor to the last year’s POCO M3 Pro and comes in the classic POCO design. Here’s our POCO M4 Pro review.
POCO M4 Pro 5G Specifications
- Display: 6.6-inch Dot display, Full HD+ resolution, 90 Hz refresh rate, 240 Hz touch sampling rate, DCI-P3 wide color gamut, Sunlight display
- Software: Android 11, MIUI 12.5.4
- CPU: 6nm MediaTek Dimensity 810 5G octa-core SoC clocked at up to 2.4 GHz
- GPU: ARM Mali-G57 MC2 Graphics
- Memory: 4 GB or 6 GB or 8 GB RAM
- Storage: 64 GB or 128 GB internal storage, microSD slot up to 1 TB
- Main Camera: Dual cameras (50 MP f/1.8 primary + 8 MP f/2.2 ultra-wide), LED flash
- Selfie Camera: 16 MP f/2.45
- Others: Side fingerprint sensor, AI Face Unlock
- Cellular: 5G network, dual SIM, dual standby support
- Battery: 5,000 mAh battery
- Charging: 33W Pro fast charging
- Weight: 195 grams
- Price: ₹14,999 (4 GB + 64 GB), ₹16,999 (6 GB + 128 GB), ₹18,999 (8 GB + 128 GB)
Design, Display, & Build
The POCO M4 Pro uses a classic POCO design and it looks absolutely stunning, we got the POCO Yellow color variant while two other variants – Cool Black and Power Black are also available. The design, even though plastic, appears to be premium and flagship-grade. You will see a large camera placeholder in Black with POCO branding inside.
It has a curved back and comes with Matte finish plastic which also sparkles when light falls on it. The back feels very sleek and gives you a pleasant touch. The side frames have golden lines more like chamfered edges that look metallic. Don’t be fooled by its rear camera setup, it’s a dual setup, but it looks like a quad.
On the front side, you will find a 6.6-inch Dot display with Full HD+ resolution (2,400 x 1,080 pixels), 90 Hz refresh rate, and 240 Hz touch sampling rate. The display isn’t AMOLED, rather uses an IPS panel and supports a DCI-P3 wide color gamut.
The fingerprint scanner is mounted on the power key on the right, you can unlock the phone and apps using the side-mounted fingerprint scanner. The POCO M4 Pro offers an IP53 rating for dust and splash resistance, it can survive light rains, however, you can’t take it underwater due to its limited protection.
Moving to the sides, the right side has volume control and a power key that doubles as a fingerprint scanner. The left side has a triple-slot 5G SIM tray with two SIM slots (dual standby) and one microSD card slot.
The bottom side has a USB Type-C port for charging, a microphone, a 3.5 mm jack for earphones/headphones, and a stereo loudspeaker with the second one at the top alongside an IR Blaster and a second microphone.
Software & User Interface
The POCO M4 Pro 5G runs on Android 11 which is based on the MIUI 12.5.4. The phone has Android 11 out-of-the-box whereas smartphones with the latest Android 12 operating system are already available in the market. In addition to that, MIUI 13 is announced with new features and it’s better than the current MIUI 12 on the POCO M4 Pro. The security patch it offers is dated 2022/01/01.
About the interface, there’s a bunch of pre-installed apps you can see, but you can remove them if not needed. The user interface is clean and feels fast due to the 90 Hz, the UI has smooth operations, and is responsive. The MIUI 12.5 is optimized for performance and battery and you will find several additions that make the MIUI 12.5 more featured-pack.
You get a few apps from Xiaomi as well as apps such as apps like Netflix, Prime Video, Amazon, Facebook, LinkedIn, Moj, Spotify, and Zili are installed and can be seen on the homescreen. It’s easy to remove them, you have the option to remove most pre-installed apps if not required.
Hardware, Performance, & Gaming
The POCO M4 Pro is equipped with MediaTek’s Dimensity 810 5G octa-core CPU which is a 5G-supported midrange CPU paired with ARM Mali-G57 MC2 GPU for gaming and graphics applications. About the CPU, the MediaTek Dimensity 810 5G is a midrange SoC manufactured in a 6nm process consisting of 2+6 core configurations, two high-performance ARM Cortex-A76 cores clocked at 2.4 GHz, and six power-efficient ARM Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 2.0 GHz.
Speaking of the RAM and storage options, the POCO M4 Pro comes in three variants, starting with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage considered as the base variant, 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage as the second variant, and 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage as the third and topmost variant. The storage can be expanded via a microSD card up to 1 TB.
Similar to the OPPO and realme’s RAM expansion technology, the POCO M4 Pro comes with Turbo RAM capability extending the smartphone’s internal RAM up to 11 GB (for 8 GB variant). About the pricing of these variants, the price for the POCO M4 Pro at ₹14,999 for its base variant 4 GB RAM + 64 GB variant, ₹16,999 for 6 GB RAM + 128 GB variant, and ₹18,999 for its top variant 8 GB RAM + 128 GB variant. As far as the pricing goes, the smartphone is value for money for the specs it offers.
Moving to the performance of the processor, the Dimensity 810 5G is quite similar to the Helio G96 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G, in fact, it comes in between the Snapdragon 730G and Snapdragon 750G in terms of overall performance and is slightly better in processing when compared to the Helio G96. The gaming performance of the smartphone is good and can handle many games smoothly on the default graphics settings (ARM Mali-G57 MC2 GPU)
Cameras
What’s surprising is its camera, the backside has a dual-camera setup which looks like a quad setup, you will rather find two major cameras, one with 50 MP f/1.8 (Samsung JN1) as the primary camera and the second with 8 MP f/2.2 as the ultra-wide-angle camera. No Macro camera or depth camera, or B/W lens is found on the phone, you end up with an age-old dual camera setup no wonder the primary camera is 50 MP.
What’s with the 50 MP camera? It uses a Samsung ISOCELL S5KJN1 sensor with a Tetracell filter with an f/1.8 aperture and PDAF support. The other camera is just a wide-angle camera using the Sony IMX355 sensor with an f/2.2 aperture. The selfie camera is a 16 MP f/2.45 OmniVision OV16A1 sensor with a Quad-Bayer filter.
Camera features include Night mode, 50 MP mode, Panorama, Slow Motion, Time-Lapse, Portrait, Pro Color, Movie Frame, and more. These are the regular features you see in many MIUI based smartphones. Some extra features that you don’t see here are Long Exposure, Super Slow Motion, Movie Effects, VLOG mode, dual video, and Magic Clone.
Speaking of the video recording capabilities, the smartphone can record up to 1080p at 60 fps, no 4K. You can also record wide-angle videos using the 0.6x switch mode while shooting. Looking at the performance of the camera, the images seem to be good in the daylight, though it lacks details and sharpness, the daylight photography is quite fair in its segment.
POCO M4 Pro 5G Camera Samples
Battery Runtime & Charging
The battery on the POCO M4 Pro is 5,000 mAh which is typically standard in mid-range smartphones, its predecessor has the same 5,000 mAh battery. The POCO M4 Pro can last up to 2 days on a single charge on moderate use, and depending on the usage, you can extend it on the third day, the overall battery performance is very good.
For charging, it has a 33W fast charging with MMT technology, an upgrade from its 18W charging in the previous generation model. The 33W charger can charge the battery from 0% to 100% in about an hour, not bad for a budget smartphone with this price.
Verdict
For the price of ₹14,999, the Poco M4 Pro 5G offers a 90 Hz display for smoother touch operations, a fast Dimensity 810 processor that aids for better gaming, 33W fast charging, and supports 5G. Aside from these, the phone itself looks great, its 50 MP camera takes good daylight shots, it has stereo speakers for a better overall sound, has NFC, IR Blaster, and a bunch of MIUI 12.5 features.
What’s not so great is its dual-camera setup which falls back in the competition where smartphones are competent in holding a quad setup. You don’t get the macro camera, 4K video recording, and no Android 12 out-of-the-box. After all these, the POCO M4 Pro is still great for its design and features, and for overall value for money.
Strength
- Premium Looks | Matte Design
- 90 Hz Display
- Fast 6nm Dimensity 810 SoC
- 33W Fast Charging Support
- Featured-Pack MIUI 12.5 Interface
- Stereo Speakers
- IP53 Rating
- 5G Support
- Dedicated microSD card slot
- Value For Money
Weakness
- Dual Cameras may sound outdated in the competition
- No Macro Camera, No 4K Video Recording
- No Android 12 out-of-the-box
