TechRadar Verdict
The Poco M2 Pro is an easy phone to recommend due to what it offers for the price. Essentials such as reliable battery life, a big display and adequate cameras leave it with very little to complain about.
Pros
- +
Insane battery life
- +
Reliable performance
- +
Built and design
- +
Fast charging
Cons
- -
60Hz display
- -
Bulky
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The Poco M2 Pro is a textbook budget smartphone from the house of Xiaomi that takes care of most of the essentials in an adequate manner. It marks Poco’s entry into the budget segment as it continues to try and become a household brand in the Indian smartphone market.
The Poco M2 Pro is is pretty similar to the Redmi Note 9 Pro from earlier this year, save for some cosmetic changes and faster charging. In this review, we will focus on what's different. For a detailed rundown, check out out Redmi Note 9 Pro review.
The specs are no surprise either, with excellent battery life, a big display, serviceable performance and fair cameras for the price. The surprising bit is how close it is to the Redmi Note 9 Pro, pretty much rendering it redundant in the family. Regardless, it only means better offerings for the consumer, which is what we’re all after.
The Redmi Note series can be credited with defining the budget smartphone segment of India. By sharing key aspects of the product, Poco can have a headstart in the game while having stronger backend and aftersales support. The key changes include a slightly different finish on the back and faster charging. Expectedly, most of the other specs translate to a similar experience as its Redmi cousin. To get a detailed idea of what life with it was like, check out our Redmi Note 9 Pro review. For everything else, read on.
Price and Availability in India
The Poco M2 Pro is available in India exclusive on Flipkart via the flash sale model. It starts at Rs 13,999 for the 4+64GB variant, the 6+64GB variant is priced at Rs 14,999, and the top of the line 6+128GB model costs Rs 16,999.
Interestingly, though unsurprisingly, the price of Poco M2 Pro is the same as the Redmi Note 9 Pro.
Check out the Poco M2 Pro on Flipkart
Design
- Glass back
- Weight: 210 grams
- Dual-tone finish
The Poco M2 Pro follows the same Aura Balance design language that we saw on recent Xiaomi products. It’s a hefty glass sandwich built with a big, flat display on the front and a curved back with minimal obtrusions. The only exceptions include the subtle Poco branding on the bottom and the cameras which are housed in a square island in a 2x2 configuration. It protrudes a bit, but using a case takes care of that for the most part.
Thankfully, there is one included in the box. It’s a simple jelly case with a dark translucent finish. It adds a lot of grip, which this heavy and slippery phone definitely lacks. Reducing our woes, the back is also protected by Gorilla Glass for a fair amount of drop and scratch protection.
To add character to the phone’s design, the bottom two-thirds of the back has diagonal lines running across for a cool two-tone finish. However, the etchings are under the glass so it doesn’t help with the grip.
It tips the scale at 210 grams but that weight seems to be better distributed than the Redmi Note 9 Pro family. That also adds to the phone’s premium in-hand feel. Overall, there’s not much to complain about the Poco M2 Pro’s design. It’s minimal and looks nice. The weight is also forgivable considering the battery size within.
Display
- 6.67-inch LCD panel
- Punch-hole notch
Displays over 6.5-inch have been the norm in 2020 and the Poco M2 Pro follows it with a 6.67-inch Full HD+ LCD screen with a resolution of 2,400 x 1,080 pixels. The aspect ratio of the screen is 20:9 with 84% NTSC colour gamut coverage. The brightness peaks out at 480 nits, which is just adequate for outdoor use. Viewing the content and playing games on the big screen was enjoyable and immersive.
Since it’s an LCD screen, the blacks and contrast levels are far from perfect, and you’ll probably mistake the blacks for greys. The colour rendition otherwise is pretty spot-on, at least when viewed from head-on. It comes with a punch-hole notch at the centre, but was small enough to ignore. Also, it is worth mentioning, it is placed a bit below than the usual placement, creating an uncomfortably thick status bar.
The Gorilla Glass 5 does a good job by protecting the display from getting scratched and dinged. The same also applies to the back of the device. While the display is above average and performs good, we’d have liked to see a high refresh rate panel. The Poco X2, which is currently priced Rs 17,499, offers a 120Hz refresh rate and the Realme 6 also offers a 90Hz display under Rs 15,000.
We understand that it is incorrect to expect a high refresh rate at this price, but it’s worth mentioning as that can have a significant impact on how smooth the phone feels.
