Poco made a comeback in India with X2 back in February after a protracted spell of inactivity. Now, just after five months of launching its first mid-ranger, Poco is back with another smartphone dubbed as Poco M2 Pro (Poco needs to stop using such nomenclatures, really!) The launch was short and at the same time informative about the product. Let’s dive in to find out more about the device.
Poco M2 Pro: Specifications
At first look, it’s clear that the Poco M2 Pro resembles the Redmi Note 9 Pro global variant. Just like its sibling, M2 Pro boasts a dual-tone rear design (just like Pixel used to be). Both the front and back (even the rear camera housing) are covered with the Gorilla Glass 5 from Corning. The device will be offered in three colourways (named them quirky just like Google does with Pixel), Out of the Blue, Green, and Greener, and Two Shades of Black.
In the front, the device has a similar 6.7-inch FHD+ display with a punch-hole cutout in the centre. The smartphone has an aspect ratio of 20:9 and misses out on the higher refresh rate bandwagon (60Hz is what we get). The side-mounted fingerprint scanner doubling up as a power button and display unlock button makes a return (from Poco X2). The back houses a square-ish quad-camera setup in the centre of the upper part. The flash resides just below the camera array.
In terms of specs, Poco M2 Pro is a slightly tweaked version of Redmi Note 9 Pro Indian variant. The device runs on the capable Snapdragon 720G chipset under the hood, coupled with up to 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM. The differentiating point is the fast charging solution used to juice up the beefy 5,000mAh battery. Poco M2 Pro will come bundled with 33W fast charger in the box (like the one on the pricier Note 9 Pro Max). It’s a step up from the Note 9 Pro and may convince some folks to opt for M2 Pro instead. The software part is different too, as the device runs on MIUI for Poco (with an app drawer) over Android 10. The smartphone also features Z-shocker vibration motor for better haptic feedback.
In terms of optics, there is a 48MP main sensor, an 8MP ultrawide, a 5MP macro and a 2MP depth sensor. There is a 16MP front snapper embedded in the punch hole. The device boasts some interesting camera features like Pro Video mode, Pro Colour mode (just like Realme’s Chroma Boost), RAW support and Front Camera Night mode.
As for connectivity, it supports dual-4G dual-VoLTE, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It has It even features an IR blaster at the top. The device comes with P2i nano-coating for dust and splash resistant.
Poco M2 Pro: Pricing and Availability
The new Poco is priced in between the budget and mid-range segment, and in the same price range as Note 9 Pro from its sister brand. Poco M2 Pro comes in three storage configurations with 4GB + 64GB priced at Rs 13,999, 6GB + 64GB priced at Rs 14,999 and 6GB + 128GB Rs 16,999 (all with UFS 2.1 storage). It will go on sale on Flipkart starting from July 14. It will go head-to-head with Realme 6 series and even with its sister brand Redmi’s popular Note series.
Poco spun-off from Xiaomi earlier this year, but the recent launches indicate that the brand isn’t so independent. Mix matching the features from Xiaomi devices seems to be the way for Poco as of now. This move may disappoint some fans who were expecting Poco to be more radically different. Nonetheless, there is a new Poco in town and seems to be a good deal at least on paper. However, the question still remains, when will the Poco F2 (Pro) launch?