The Poco C61 is a recent entrant in the budget smartphone market, aiming to deliver a smooth user experience at an affordable price point. Launched in March 2024, this phone prioritizes a large display with a high refresh rate for everyday tasks and entertainment. Let’s delve deeper into the Poco C61’s specifications, performance, camera capabilities, and whether it stands out in the competitive budget segment.
Display: Big and Smooth
The Poco C61 boasts a sizeable 6.71-inch IPS LCD display. The highlight here is the 90Hz refresh rate, offering a smoother scrolling and visual experience compared to the standard 60Hz displays found in most budget phones. This can be beneficial for everyday use, especially when browsing social media, playing games, or watching videos. The display resolution is HD+ (720 x 1650 pixels), which is decent for the price range. While not the sharpest, it offers a good balance between clarity and battery efficiency. Additionally, Poco claims the display has a peak brightness of 500 nits, making it usable outdoors under sunlight.
Performance: Capable for Everyday Use
The Poco C61 is powered by the MediaTek Helio G36 processor, a common choice for budget smartphones. This octa-core chipset is clocked at 2.2 GHz and is paired with 4GB of RAM. This combination should be sufficient for handling everyday tasks like browsing the web, using social media apps, and running light games. However, users who enjoy heavy multitasking or graphically demanding games might find the performance limiting.
Storage and Software
The Poco C61 comes with 64GB of internal storage, which is adequate for basic users. However, if you plan to store a lot of photos, videos, or music, you might need to consider using a microSD card for additional storage (expandable up to 1TB). The phone runs on Android 13, offering a clean and up-to-date software experience.
Camera: Basic Setup
The camera department of the Poco C61 is rather basic. It features a dual rear camera system with an 8MP primary sensor and a secondary 0.08MP sensor (likely for depth information). Don’t expect flagship-level image quality here. The camera might be suitable for capturing casual photos in good lighting conditions, but low-light performance is likely to be underwhelming. The front-facing camera for selfies is 5MP.
Battery: Long-Lasting
The Poco C61 packs a decent 5000mAh battery, which is a common capacity in this price range. This should provide good battery life for a full day of moderate usage on a single charge. However, the actual battery life will depend on your usage patterns. While Poco advertises 18W fast charging, some sources suggest it might be limited to 10W, which is a slower charging speed compared to some competitors.
Design and Build
The Poco C61 follows the current trend of bezel-less displays with a waterdrop notch for the front camera. The phone is expected to be available in multiple color options, but the build materials are likely plastic for the back and frame. While it might not feel as premium as some glass-back phones, plastic keeps the weight down and reduces the risk of shattering in case of accidental drops.
Price and Availability
The Poco C61 is an India-centric phone as of March 26, 2024. The expected price starts at ₹8,990 (approximately $108) for the base variant with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. It is expected to be available online through platforms like Flipkart.
