Poco M6 5G Review: Affordable 5G Companion that fits the Bill

Poco launched M6 Pro 5G (review) earlier this year and now as the year is coming to an end, the brand has diversified the M6 Series by adding Poco M6 5G. Poco is calling this one the disruptor in 5G segment as it promises to offer good specs with 5G connectivity. The affordable smartphone comes with a Dimensity chipset, 50MP camera setup, large battery, and LCD, but is it worth spending 10k on? Let’s find out.

Poco M6 5G Review: Design and Build

The first thing that makes an impression with any smartphone is its design. Design is something that anyone notices at first glance. Poco is calling the design ‘Premium Sky Dance’. There are 2 color variants available- Orion Blue and Galactic Black and I received the latter for review purposes. The smartphone looks impressive from the backside. It is one of the glossiest devices I have used to date. The body is made of polycarbonate but nowhere does the device feel cheap or inferior. The Orion blue shade reflects several flares as light falls on it and the frame of the smartphone has a matte finish. The best part is that it looks gorgeous in hand and hardly attracts any smudges.

Poco has given a black rectangular camera module at the back which houses 2 lenses and an LED flash. Poco branding is engraved alongside the cameras and the bottom has 5G written in very small font. The smartphone is light and comfortable to hold in hand with a thickness of 8mm and a weight of merely 195 grams. At the front is a display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3 which is impressive for a device under 10k.

Talking about functionality, the Poco M6 5G features volume rockers and a power button on the right edge while the left edge sports microSD & SIM card slots. The bottom edge houses a USB Type-C port, and speaker grille while the top edge has a 3.5mm headphone jack for those who want to use wired headphones.

Poc0 M6 5G Review: Display

Coming to display, the Poco M6 5G sports a decent-sized 6.74-inch Full HD LCD with a pixel resolution of 1600×720. The display delivers decent visuals with paunchy colors. The HD+ display lacks the sharpness of a FHD+ screen but expecting that in this package would be a too much of a ask.

The 90Hz refresh rate works fine while scrolling social media apps and websites. The display can hit 600 nits maximum brightness is okay when the phone is used indoors, but outdoors the screen is not clearly visible even at 100% level of brightness. Content consumption is decent on this display as the size is good and the colors are rich. Moreover, the Poco M6 comes with Widevine L1 certification and allows streaming HD videos as well.

The smartphone has a single down-firing speaker that is loud but not loud enough for a medium-sized room full of people. Also, there is no depth or character in the audio.

ALSO READ: itel P55 5G Review: Fulfilling 5G Expectations of every Indian

Poco M6 5G Review: Performance

Poco M6 5G is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ chipset which was last used on Redmi 13C that launched a few weeks ago. The chipset supports 5G thus enabling the brands to offer the latest technology at under 10k price. The chipset will support 5G across all major telecom providers in India. Otherwise, the performance of the SoC is snappy, using more than 3-4 heavy apps at once starts hanging up the device and sometimes even leads to crashing, thus giving a not responding message. For basic everyday tasks like calling, messaging, listening to music, watching videos, and playing light games (like Candy Crush) the device works fine.

However, the problem arises when you want to use it for video or photo editing, playing games like COD Mobile, or running various heavy-duty apps simultaneously. In this case, the chipset starts giving an underwhelming and slow performance. In conclusion, we can say that if your priority is getting 5G for an affordable price and you are a light to moderate user, the Poco M6 will work for you. But if you are a gamer the device won’t suit you.

Paired with Dimensity 6100+ chipset is 8GB RAM and 256GB storage onboard. RAM ensures everyday tasks run smoothly while 256GB storage gives ample space to store whatever you want without any hassles. Various benchmark tests were performed on Poco M6 5G, here are the results.

The Poco M6 5G runs MIUI 14 based on Android 13 OS out of the box. MIUI offers various customizations and personalization options. Poco also promises 2 years of software updates and 3 years of security patches as well. The only issue is loads of bloatware that comes pre-installed on Poco M6. Apps like Amazon, Netflix, Bubble Shooter, Crazy Juicer, Phone Pe, Snapchat, Spotify, and more come pre-installed taking up a space of almost 30GB when you load the device. The only saving grace is that these apps can be uninstalled if you don’t need them, thus freeing up precious space to store what you need.

POCO M6 5G Review: Cameras

The Poco M6 5G features a dual camera setup at the back. It includes a 50MP main and an AI camera. The main camera comes with HDR support and this leads to a good dynamic range of the images. The pictures clicked in daylight are neither too bright nor too dull. The images clicked in daylight as well as low light show good detailing on zooming in. The colors are rich and not too exposed with a good level of vibrancy even in indoor conditions. AI camera offers just about okay shots that can be used on your social media handles.

At the front is a 5MP selfie camera that offers photos with accurate skin tones and clarity. Edge detection is decent and highlights are not too blown off. The faces look natural and the subject is made the primary focus with the background being secondary.

Poco M6 5G Review: Battery Life and Charging

As is the norm, Poco M6 5G packs a 5000mAh battery under the hood. The massive battery easily lasts over a day if there is light to moderate usage. In case of heavy usage (like long gaming sessions or long hours of content streaming), the battery will need to be charged once towards the end of the day. Bundled inside the box is a 10W charging adapter. Though the device supports 18W fast charging the adapter in the box offers very slow charging speed, taking over 3 hours to charge the device from 0 to 100%. If you want to charge it faster, you will need to buy an adapter that costs Rs. 499. Otherwise, the charging time will feel way too long.

Review Verdict: Should you buy Poco M6 5G?

Poco M6 5G is a super-pocket-friendly smartphone that offers 5G connectivity, decent performance, and a stylish design for a price of under Rs. 10,000. The smartphone features a large battery, a 50MP camera, and a configuration of 8GB+256GB RAM/ROM which is very impressive for a device costing a mere 9499. However, Poco M6 5G will suit you if you require a 5G device that can do everyday tasks with ease and doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket. Otherwise, if you are a fan of gaming, video editing, and exceptional photography, then it might not fit your needs. Consider the features and pricing wisely before investing in this one.