The POCO C55 is a budget-friendly smartphone offering a large display, a decent camera system, and a long-lasting battery. Launched in March 2024, it caters to users looking for a reliable phone for everyday tasks without breaking the bank. Let’s delve deeper into the specifications, performance, strengths, and weaknesses of the POCO C55.
Display and Design
The POCO C55 boasts a large 6.71-inch display with a resolution of 720 x 1650 pixels. While not the sharpest, it provides ample screen real estate for watching videos, browsing the web, and gaming. The phone adopts a waterdrop notch design to house the front-facing camera, keeping bezels minimal for a more immersive viewing experience.
The back panel comes in three color options: Cool Blue, Power Black, and Forest Green. It features a stylish leather-like texture that adds a touch of sophistication and improves grip compared to glossy plastic backs. However, some users might find it prone to smudges.
Performance and Hardware
At the heart of the POCO C55 lies the MediaTek Helio G85 processor, a common choice in budget smartphones. This octa-core chip is clocked at 2GHz and is paired with either 4GB or 6GB of RAM. It can handle day-to-day tasks like browsing, social media, and light gaming reasonably well. However, don’t expect it to handle graphically demanding games or heavy multitasking without occasional stutters.
The phone comes in two storage configurations: 64GB and 128GB. If you plan on storing a lot of photos, videos, or games, opting for the 128GB variant might be wiser. Thankfully, the storage is expandable via a microSD card slot, allowing you to add more space if needed.
Camera
The POCO C55 features a dual rear camera system with a 50MP main sensor and a secondary sensor for depth effects. The 50MP main sensor can capture decent photos in good lighting conditions. However, image quality suffers in low-light environments, as is typical with budget phones. The 5MP front-facing camera is sufficient for video calls and basic selfies.
Battery Life
The POCO C55 packs a massive 5000mAh battery, a significant selling point for this phone. This ensures you can easily get through a full day of use on a single charge, with moderate usage potentially lasting two days. However, the downside is that it supports only 10W wired charging, which feels slow compared to some competitors offering fast charging options.
Software and Connectivity
The POCO C55 runs on Android with a custom MIUI skin on top. While MIUI offers a feature-rich experience, it can also come with bloatware and require some customization to achieve a near-stock Android feel.
In terms of connectivity, the phone supports 4G LTE networks, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, catering to essential connection needs. However, it lacks NFC for contactless payments, which might be a drawback for some users.
Price and Availability
The POCO C55 is a budget-friendly smartphone, with the 4GB RAM + 64GB storage variant starting at around ₹5,999 (approximately $73) in India. The 6GB RAM + 128GB storage variant costs slightly more. It’s readily available for purchase online through retailers like Flipkart and Amazon.in, and might also be available in Poco’s official stores depending on the region.
