More budget mobile phone options abound with POCO C40 and M4 5G

The new POCO C40 and POCO M4 5G will launch on 18 August 2022 during POCO’s Super Brand Day campaign n Shopee.

So the new POCO C40 and POCO M4 5G will be available on Shopee at exclusive prices and there will be deals for other phones including POCO F4 GT, POCO F4 and POCO X4 GT.

C40

Yellow is one of POCO’s calling cards. | Image: POCO

Priced at $169 (3GB+32GB) the POCO C40 is pretty much the entry point of the entry point, and even so, the specs sheet looks pretty OK for what it is. The C40 is powered by a JLQ octa-core JR510 SoC, built on an 11nm process with eight Cortex-A55 cores running up to 2.0GHz. That doesn’t sound too bad, and here’re two videos from Ictfix.net showing how the phone performs with games:

Understandably it can’t cope with the more demanding games, but seems surprisingly decent for what it is.

The cameras are understandably modest; there’s a dual back camera array, consisting of a 13MP main camera and 2MP depth sensor, and they’ve put a 5MP camera in front. At this price, I don’t think anyone is expecting much.

What’s more important are the things that you experience more frequently; like the display. The fact that they made this a large phone is actually pretty interesting–you have a 6.71-inch LCD Dot Drop display with a brightness of 400 nits and a large 6,000mAh battery that supports 18W fast charging. A bit of a left-field turn here, but this sounds like a decent phone for seniors who enjoy watching videos on a phone.

POCO M4 5G

The POCO M4 5G in blue. | Image credit: POCO

The POCO M4 5G uses a (now) tried and tested MediaTek Dimensity 700 processor with an integrated 5G modem. They’ve paired it with a 90Hz display that will cycle between 30Hz, 60Hz and 90Hz depending on what you are doing. The screen also supports 240Hz touch polling, making it an ideal candidate for some ‘I’m casual but I can get unnervingly competitive’ gaming. The 5,000mAh battery and 18W fast charging help contribute to a painless experience when it comes to daily usage too.

Much like the C40, the M4 5G has a 13MP main camera and a 2MP depth sensor for real-time depth detection, and a 5MP front camera. POCO says the phone has a variety of AI-enabled features that will enhance photography and videography modes.

POCO will probably hate it when I say this, but their phones are essentially Xiaomi phones with a more youthful aesthetic and a more wallet-friendly price–which is not a bad way to be thought of in my book, even if they do try their hardest to be independent. In fairness, both brands are different enough, but I think those who are looking at budget options should check out POCO also if they are keen on Xiaomi.

The prices are listed as follows: