Unlocking Affordable Tech: The Poco C71 as an Entry-Level Gateway to Smartphones

In 2025, a budget of Rs. 6,499 is viewed as insufficient for obtaining a respectable smartphone. This sentiment is heightened by the fact that certain feature phones from HMD, as well as the well-known Android-based Cat S22 Flip, are priced higher. Nevertheless, some smartphone brands are confident that there are consumers with very limited budgets who wish to transition from basic feature phones to their inaugural smartphone. The Poco C71 is positioned as an ideal option for these individuals.

Poco C71 Design

Poco makes a commendable effort to elevate the entry-level market by adorning the C71 with a dual-tone design. Although it’s not as flashy or vibrant as the Poco C75, it offers a more understated approach that is still attractive.

The back panel exudes an art deco aesthetic, featuring a pattern of linear forms that interweave, covering nearly half of the rear. Additionally, a capsule-shaped camera housing with two lenses inside adds an element of sophistication, boasting a shiny gold finish on its non-textured section.

The Poco C71 showcases a charming art deco design on the back, while also achieving a basic IP52 rating for dust and moisture protection.

The Cool Blue version provided for review features a polycarbonate frame and rear. The frame has flat sides with a matte texture similar to that of the rear, making this sizeable device quite slippery.

Notably, I was intrigued by the absence of a bottom-firing speaker; instead, it’s located at the top, likely doubling as the earpiece speaker.

The Poco C71 uses its receiver speaker as the main audio output

Weighing in at 193 grams, the device feels somewhat heavy and is a bit unwieldy for single-handed operation. However, it’s reassuring to note that the design holds an IP52 rating for both dust and moisture resistance. While basic, this feature is acceptable considering the phone’s entry-level price point.

Looking at the front, you’ll find a substantial, flat 6.8-inch HD+ LCD display that boasts a 120Hz refresh rate. It has thick bezels surrounding it, especially along the bottom edge, and features a water-drop notch at the top. The screen’s smudgy characteristics reinforce that the Poco C71 is indeed an entry-level device.

Poco C71 Performance

The display refresh rate is initially set to a battery-conserving 60Hz. There are merely two settings to choose from, and I opted for the 120Hz mode to enhance visual smoothness, as the streamlined HyperOS interface based on Android 15 (Go Edition) does experience occasional stuttering and lag. For a smoother experience and more advanced software, consider spending a bit more.

Poco’s C71 operates on a pared-down version of Xiaomi’s HyperOS, powered by Android 15 Go Edition.

Though Poco’s official website states that the device has an ambient light sensor, it does not. Instead, it employs the front camera to assess ambient brightness and determine the appropriate light level. While this is an innovative workaround, the phone only measures ambient light when it’s unlocked, setting brightness based on the light level at that moment. If you transition from shaded to bright conditions, it won’t adjust until you turn off the screen and unlock it again.

The Poco C71’s display doesn’t perform well in bright outdoor settings, requiring squinting in direct sunlight. Indoors, viewing angles are acceptable but diminish when viewed off-axis.

Text and icons exhibit sharpness, which is surprising given the low resolution stretched across the large screen. The color rendition is satisfactory, with the display set to Nature (or natural tone) by default. Unfortunately, the device only supports Widevine L3 DRM, restricting video playback in streaming apps to standard definition (SD). Consequently, streaming on platforms like Netflix and YouTube will yield softer visuals compared to budget smartphones.

Among basic features, a fingerprint sensor integrated into the power button performs adequately, allowing for the registration of up to 5 fingerprints. There are two slots for nano-SIM cards and a dedicated slot for microSD cards (up to 1TB). A 3.5mm headphone jack is also included, useful for the integrated radio application.

The Poco C71’s display includes a waterdrop notch and thick bezels.

Call quality is satisfactory, yet the volume could be improved, as I often found callers to sound rather muted. The speaker volume is also lacking during phone calls and isn’t sufficiently loud for video playback. Additionally, the speaker gets easily obstructed when the phone is held horizontally for gaming or movie watching.

Powered by a Unisoc T7250 chipset, my expectations for performance were modest, considering its entry-level pricing. The processor manages app launches and general navigation adequately, but it struggles with app memory recall, resulting in frequent restarts.

Given the underwhelming CPU and GPU scores outlined in the table, I was able to run Asphalt 8: Airborne without significant issues. The game was playable on default settings, albeit with noticeable frame skips and lag spikes. Most high-demand games were not available to download from the Play Store.

The Poco C71 features a single main camera on the rear.

The device has one 32-megapixel rear camera, which Poco designates as a dual-camera system when paired with a secondary depth sensor for Portrait mode. Selfies are captured via an 8-megapixel front camera.

Capture samples from the Poco C71’s primary camera (tap images to view larger)

The main camera produces acceptable photos with limited detail in daylight conditions. Colors appear slightly oversaturated and the dynamic range is restricted, with the camera struggling to balance the exposure between the sky and foreground, even when Auto HDR is enabled. The binned samples often lack sharpness and detail, exhibiting a texture reminiscent of oil paintings. Macro shots show slightly clearer details but still lack overall sharpness when closely examined.

Photos in Portrait mode from the rear camera display over-exposed backgrounds. The same issue is evident in selfie Portraits, where facial details appear soft (tap images to view larger).

Low-light captures from the primary camera exhibit poor detail, limited dynamic range, and significant noise.

 

Video recording capabilities are capped at 1080p at 30 fps, and the resulting footage is lacking in detail and often shaky, most noticeably during movement or panning. In low-light conditions, recorded videos become practically unusable due to significant noise and subpar image quality. The focusing speed tends to lag even in well-lit environments.

Although the Poco C71 boasts a 5,200mAh battery, it struggles to last an entire day with heavy usage.

The battery life comfortably spans a full day under intense usage. However, users with lighter demands—those who make fewer calls or use fewer apps—may find that it lasts a bit beyond one day, largely attributed to the 12nm Unisoc chipset. In our HD video loop test, the battery held out for 14 hours and 32 minutes, which is relatively low for budget devices. In comparison, Xiaomi’s Redmi A4 5G recently achieved 19 hours and 32 minutes in the same test, continuously looping an HD video until full depletion. Charging the 5,200mAh battery is also slow; it takes approximately 2 hours and 21 minutes to fully charge with the included 15W charger.

Poco C71 Verdict

The entry-level smartphone market still lacks a wide array of choices, suggesting that interest in this category has only recently begun to grow. The Poco C71, priced at Rs. 6,499, includes numerous features for a basic smartphone. Yet for an additional Rs. 1,000, you could opt for a 5G-compatible model with superior specifications and more future-ready software, as the C71 operates on a rather basic variant of Android 15 Go Edition.

The Poco C75 5G (now starting from Rs. 7,699) represents a strong contender, even though it was released earlier. While we haven’t reviewed the C75, we have reviewed the Redmi A4 5G (currently starting at Rs. 7,999), which is virtually identical in specifications. Both devices require a connection to Reliance’s Jio network, as they only support the 5G bands available from this carrier.

Another viable option is Motorola’s G35 5G, which boasts superior hardware performance compared to the previously mentioned smartphones. Priced at Rs. 9,999, it exceeds the entry-level budget but offers a much more refined vegan-leather design and near-stock Android experience with Hello UI.

If extending your budget beyond Rs. 7,000 is unfeasible, consider the 6GB RAM variant of the Poco C71, which comes with 128GB of storage and is available for Rs. 6,999 instead.