The entry-level Poco M3 was the first phone to be released with Poco as an independent subbrand, but let's not be kidding. The company still works closely with Xiaomi, sharing both hardware and software design. That's also the case for the latest Poco phone the company has just launched today, the Poco M3 Pro 5G. It's made up of the same internal hardware as the Redmi Note 10 5G, the phone Xiaomi launched in Europe earlier this year. On the outside, a few things have changed, though, with Poco taking a lot of inspiration from the Samsung Galaxy S21.

Like the Redmi Note 10 5G, the Poco M3 Pro 5G comes with the MediaTek Dimensity 700, the chip that manages to bring 5G down in price while still supporting features that used to be exclusive to flagship phones. It also shares the rest of the hardware with its sister model: There's a 6.5-inch dot OLED display with an adaptive refresh rate of up to 90Hz, up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, a 5,000mAh battery with 18W fast charging, and a camera array consisting of 48MP primary optics and two 2MP auxiliary sensors. In contrast to many older phones from the company, the inclusion of an NFC chip is also more than appreciated for payments. There's also a headphone jack, an IR blaster, and a side-mounted fingerprint reader.

SPECS

What makes the Poco M3 Pro 5G special is its exterior, though. It's clear that Poco was a little inspired by the Samsung Galaxy S21 with its camera array curving right into the side of the phone, though the M3 Pro 5G simplifies that formula. The camera array is still tucked to on the top left corner of the back of the phone — there's just a black accent color underlying the whole top left section of the back, giving the illusion that the camera array is bigger and curving over part of the back. I personally like this look that also includes the Poco logo, especially the yellow variant, though I would've preferred if Poco would've actually increased the size of the camera array.

At the price, that seems like a minor complaint, though. The Poco M3 Pro 5G is launching at ₹13,999 for the 4GB/64GB variant and ₹15,999 for the 6GB/128GB variant. It'll be available on Flipkart from June 14 and you'll be able to snag a ₹500 discount during the first sale.

In Europe, it costs €180 for the 4GB/64GB variant whereas the 6GB/128GB version is priced at €200. You can purchase it from po.co and Amazon.

On paper, that gives Poco a budget phone that's more than competitive compared to other products in the market, especially looking at the balanced package provided.

UPDATE: 2021/06/08 4:13am PDT BY PRASHAM PARIKH

Availability in India

The article has been updated to include availability details for the Indian market.