A lot of people are after practicality when it comes to their purchasing decisions, so having a reliable and all-around smartphone hits the spot. Recently launched is the POCO M4 Pro, featuring an AMOLED display, 64MP high-resolution camera, and 33W Pro fast charging. Should the POCO M4 Pro be on your radar to get the job done? Find out what else it can offer in this review.
Design and Build
No doubt, there is no scarcity in smartphones possessing eye-catching, vibrant designs. But sometimes in the myriad of colors, we just want to keep it plain and simple. Fortunately, POCO has provided us with just that — a sleek design in Black colorway. Simplicity has its own charm. Although an obvious drawback of the glossy rear is it’s a magnet for fingerprint marks, and for some this could be unsightly.
Weighing only 179.5g, I can carry it around effortlessly because of its lightweight body, which was compounded by its fairly slim 8.09mm design. I find it a bit counterintuitive to place the 3.5mm jack on top of the phone, but it’s tolerable. Both volume and power buttons are conveniently located on the right side, while on the left is the dual SIM tray. At the bottom, you’ll find the Type-C USB port. Lastly, featuring dual speakers, with one on top and the other at the bottom.
The POCO M4 Pro features a 6.43” FHD+ AMOLED display with an 90Hz refresh rate. An M-series first, the AMOLED display is the noteworthy feature that kept things interesting. I’m sure users will enjoy the vivid colors and superb contrast ratio, which ensures an immersive and smooth viewing experience.
The phone comes with a 33W Pro fast charger, Type-C USB cable, protective case, Quick Start Guide, Safety Information, and Warranty Card.
Camera
A triple camera setup is what’ll greet you at the rear. Shots produced by the 64MP main camera were above par — details were sharp and colors were accurate in good lighting. I wish I could say the same about dim lighting situations, but the photo lacked sharpness and the contrast was a bit in excess. Nonetheless, image quality was still decent and acceptable. The last two sensors are the 8MP ultra wide-angle and 2MP macro cameras.
Performance
For such a lightweight phone, I’m thrilled it’s packed with a large battery size of 5000mAh. We all know how the purpose of phones has gone beyond entertainment and is now a form of necessity. Hence, we can’t have our phones dying on us in crucial times. On a different note, charging with the 33W Pro fast charger took me way beyond an hour, which varied from what POCO claims is supposed to be 100% in an hour.
The MediaTek Helio G96 processor, as well as the 6GB RAM, granted me a smooth experience — no frame drops while playing Asphalt 9 even at the highest visual setting. Worth mentioning is its Dynamic RAM Expansion Technology, which may come in handy when you engage in heavier tasks or RAM-intensive games. Unfortunately, to my surprise, there were rare instances where I experienced some lags while just switching apps. Finally, I find the 128GB ROM and 1TB expandable storage highly advantageous, giving me the luxury to download as many apps and keep as many photos as I want without worrying about “storage is full” notifications.
Here are the results after running the device through 3D Mark and Geekbench:
- Slingshot: 3396
- Slingshot Extreme- OpenGL ES 3.1: 2299
- Wild Life: 1101
- Wild Life Stress Test: 1101
- Geekbench Score: 512 (Single-Core Score), 1859 (Multi-Core Score)
Verdict
Overall, the POCO M4 Pro was able to keep up in all facets. At the most, its camera and display are what emerged on top for me — both adding pop to the visual experience. The capable processor and expandable storage were also appealing. Lags occur doing minor tasks or activities; I’m not sure about you, but this is a non-negotiable for me. Nothing too flashy nor extraordinary, but at least it’s highly dependable for your day-to-day activities. And with feature-rich smartphones climbing up the necessity ladder, this smartphone is a great pick to help you do your job and more for only P12,990.
