If convenience, affordability, and aesthetics are the trinity that make your perfect phone, then the POCO M4 Pro 5G checks all the boxes.
Aesthetically pleasing
The device is available in three vibrant colourways: Cool Blue, Power Black, and POCO Yellow. The slim, tall design makes it much easier to appreciate the exterior design aesthetic of the phone, with its two-tone back, curved edges and the classic POCO rear camera.
Smooth to the touch, with an elegant matte finish and just the right amount of gloss and metallic edges, vibrance is an understatement.
The phone runs at a resolution of 2400×1080 FHD+ and has a refresh rate of 90Hz, touch sampling rate of up to 240Hz, a DCI-P3 wide colour gamut and sunlight display, making the touch experience more smooth and easy to use in just about any type of lighting.
The back of the phone is definitely what sets it apart from the rest, with multiple cameras placed at the top left corner on a black contrast surface covering the top part of the phone, next to the large POCO logo and camera specifications. A bold statement indeed.
Being a gym fanatic, I often take some videos when I attend group classes and the dual-lens 50MP+8MP rear passed the test. Although it is not flagship quality, the quality of the camera is pretty decent.
The 16MP front camera produces some decent snaps, and the 8MP ultra-wide angle camera makes landscape photography a bliss, though without an optical zoom.
With a 5000mAh battery, you can go for days without having to juice up your device — if you limit certain functions, of course. The large battery will make you forget about having to charge multiple times a day even if you use your phone for games, streaming, responding to those work emails, or snapping selfies.
But, when you do run out of power, what else says convenience like being able to fully charge your phone in just 59 minutes? The 33W Pro fast charging makes it possible to get a full battery life from zero. So, no more being stuck in the house for hours because of a flat battery.
This was the most convenient for me because I hadn’t charged the phone for a couple of days, and I needed to get to an after work event. I could juice up just an hour before leaving the office, was able to navigate to the event, catch up on some social media, and I didn’t have to charge again for the next two days.
Most smartphones come in a small box with just a charging cable, a simcard eject tool and the manual these days, and you have to buy everything else separately – but not with POCO — unboxing was an unexpected treat for me.
In the box, along with the phone, there is a power adapter, a USB Type-C Cable, a SIM Eject Tool, protective case, a Quick Start Guide pamphlet, a warranty card, and some fun logo stickers. Not to mention that the phone also comes equipped with a pre-applied factory screen protector to protect the 6.6-inch FHD+ Dot Display screen.
I personally always get a screen protector and protective case immediately after getting the phone to avoid any unnecessary mishaps and getting scratches on my new phone, so this was a big win for me.
With up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and 5G support, the POCO M4 Pro 5G does not take much of a leap in terms of performance compared to the older POCO M3 Pro 5G.
The M4 system operates with MIUI 12.5 for POCO, based on Android 11 and the M3 operates with the MIUI 12 for POCO based on Android 11. The MediaTek Dimensity 810 processing chip is also not too different from its predecessor, but the upgrade is worth it.
The switch between apps and scrolling is not always smooth, but it gets the job done, and it makes for a good gaming experience.
It also comes equipped with the latest security features including a side fingerprint sensor and AI Face Unlock. The dual-sim phone also has dual-speakers and a 3.5mm headphone jack, which is rare in most smartphones today, but very useful if you don’t have bluetooth headsets.Â
The Xiaomi POCO M4 Pro 5G is now available in South Africa at selected stores including Takealot, HiFi Corp, Foschini, Cellucity, 4U, Makro, Mr Price, MTN, Chatz, Hi Online, Game, PEP, and Ackermans. The selling price in South Africa starts at about R5 000.
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