Weekly poll: what do you think of the Poco M3?

The Poco M3 became available in the US and Europe this Friday – and since this isn’t just any other Friday, the $150/€150 phone was discounted to $130/€130. The price just about fits in the entry-level segment, but the phone’s 1080p+ display, Snapdragon 662 chipset and 48MP camera make it more of a mid-ranger.

A great value-for-money mid-ranger with a large 6,000mAh battery. It supports forward and reverse charging at 18W and is enough to last 17 hours of nonstop video playback.

The video you will enjoy on a 6.53” IPS LCD with 1080p+ resolution, even though many phones in this price range opt for 720p+. Also, there stereo speakers to further enhance the experience, plus a 3.5mm jack if you prefer.

Two of Poco M3's best features are the 6,000mAh battery and 48MP main cam

Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 9 costs about the same and has similar specs. It gains an 8MP ultrawide camera, but battery capacity drops to 5,020mAh. There are other changes as well, notably the Helio G85 chipset is slightly faster in graphics test.

The Realme 7 upgrades to the even faster Helio G95, whose GPU will help make the best out of the 90Hz display. This one also has an 8MP ultrawide cam, plus the 48MP main cam can record 4K video (unlike the M3). The 5,000mAh battery supports 30W charging (50% in 26 min, 100% in 65 min). Here’s a specs comparison. Note that the Realme tends to cost a bit more, its base price is €180.

The Samsung Galaxy M21 is equipped with a Super AMOLED display. This one matches the M3 with a 6,000mAh battery (charging is a tad slower, 15W). The Exynos 9611 beats the Snapdragon, but it does enable 4K video recording with the main camera and there’s an 8MP ultrawide cam to boot. Here are the specs side by side. Again, the M21 is pricier.

The Poco M3 is yet to reach India, but there it will face additional competition from low-priced but capable phones.

Do you think that the phone is worth buying or are you leaning towards something else?