Poco C65 Review: Affordable Features with Room for Improvement

The Poco C65 is the newest economical smartphone from the brand available in India. It comes with a solid array of specifications, a spacious display, a robust battery, and triple rear cameras. According to the manufacturer, the latest C-series device from Poco showcases a few firsts within this category. This handset closely resembles the Redmi 13C 4G in both specs and aesthetics but presents some minor tweaks. I have been testing the Poco C65 for a week, and here are my impressions.

Poco C65 pricing in India

The starting price of the Poco C65 in India is Rs. 8,499 for the entry-level model with 4GB RAM and 128GB storage. Additionally, there are two other configurations available: the 6GB RAM + 128GB storage version at Rs. 9,499, and the 8GB RAM + 256GB variant priced at Rs. 10,999.

If you make your purchase using an ICICI Bank card, you can avail an instant discount of Rs. 1,000 on the Poco C65. It can be bought on Flipkart, available in Pastel Blue and Matte Black colors. In the box, you will find a 10W charger, a USB Type-A to Type-C cable, a SIM ejector tool, and the phone itself. Unfortunately, a case is not included.

Poco C65 Review: Build Quality

For a phone priced under Rs. 10,000 (including bank offers), the Poco C65 boasts an appealing look. The device features no metal or glass elements apart from the front, yet it provides a pleasing aesthetic and tactile experience. I have been using the Pastel Blue model, which has a plastic back and frame. The back panel features two design elements: it has a predominantly matte finish and also a glossy rectangular area at the top housing the triple camera configuration, along with the LED flash and Poco logo.

While the matte finish on the back makes it somewhat slippery, it does not attract fingerprints easily. The phone is large but feels light in hand, weighing only 192 grams. The front is protected by Gorilla Glass 3, which is surrounded by thick bezels, particularly the bottom one, lending the device an outdated appearance.

Poco C65 Review: Screen

Poco has equipped the new C-series phone with a substantial display. The Poco C65 features a 6.74-inch HD+ (720 x 1600 pixels) display with a refresh rate of 90Hz. The screen performance during my usage was satisfactory, remaining clear even in direct sunlight. It is set to auto-refresh by default, adjusting between 60Hz and 90Hz based on content. You can manually select either 60Hz or 90Hz, but the latter might drain the battery faster. The display can achieve a peak brightness of up to 600 nits and offers decent viewing angles. Watching videos on the Poco C65 is enjoyable, and the device boasts L1 Widevine certifications, allowing you to stream 1080p content on platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and others. Additionally, it has TUV low blue light and flicker-free certifications for a more comfortable viewing experience.

The display settings on the Poco C65 provide options for Vivid, Saturated, and Standard color modes. Overall, the screen performance is commendable.

Poco C65 Review: Software

The Poco C65 runs on MIUI 14 based on Android 13 right out of the box. In the week I’ve had the device, I received a software update that included the November Android security patch.

Poco has committed to two years of Android OS updates and three security updates, which is impressive for a budget smartphone.

MIUI 14 comes packed with features beyond stock Android, but it also includes a fair amount of bloatware. Upon first boot, the Poco C65 was loaded with numerous pre-installed games and applications. Fortunately, users have the option to uninstall these if they prefer not to have them on their device. Some ads appear occasionally, mainly in the form of app recommendations. During setup, you’ll have the option to enable the Glance lock screen feature, which cycles through wallpapers when unlocking the phone. Additionally, a keyboard pops up when the app drawer is opened for the first time, but this can be disabled as it is meant to offer app suggestions.

Poco C65 Review: Performance

The performance of the Poco C65 is adequate. It is powered by a MediaTek Helio G85 SoC, which is not the newest chipset. I did experience some lag while using the phone, especially during app scrolling, app switching, multitasking with several apps open, and while carrying out other routine tasks.

The MediaTek chip is paired with up to 8GB of RAM in the Poco C65, and you can also access an additional 4GB of virtual RAM drawn from internal storage. I did not perform benchmark tests as I felt they were unnecessary for evaluating the device’s everyday performance.

Gaming on the Poco C65

Yes, gaming is possible. However, for titles like BGMI or Asphalt 9, you might need to reduce the graphics settings to maintain a playable frame rate. For BGMI, the game defaults to HD graphics and a High frame rate. I could mostly enjoy smooth gameplay with these settings, though occasional lag popped up. The touch sensitivity while gaming is decent, aided by the 180Hz touch sampling rate. However, the device did get warm during resource-heavy gaming sessions with titles such as BGMI and Asphalt 9.

The Poco C65 is reasonable for gaming, but you should anticipate some lag and subpar graphics performance for games like BGMI. Additionally, the phone tends to heat up during intensive gaming and demanding tasks.

Poco C65 Review: Battery Performance

Equipped with a 5,000mAh battery, the Poco C65 supports fast charging of up to 18W. However, it comes with only a 10W charger in the package. Charging with this charger takes some time, with the phone reaching 22 percent after 30 minutes and 44 percent after one hour. A full charge requires about 2 hours and 32 minutes, so I recommend purchasing an 18W charger.

In my experience with the Poco C65, it easily surpassed a day’s usage with some gaming and camera use. If you’re not an avid gamer, you might even be able to stretch it to two days.

Poco C65 Review: Camera Quality

The Poco C65 features an AI-powered triple rear camera configuration that includes a primary 50-megapixel sensor, a 2-megapixel macro camera, and a depth sensor for portrait photography. The front camera also comes with an 8-megapixel sensor embedded in a waterdrop notch.

The camera interface is user-friendly and provides quick access to all primary photo and video modes, although Macro mode is tucked away in the drop-down menu. It also has an HDR option and various filters available in Photo mode. The device allows capturing images at the full 50-megapixel resolution, but HDR is not supported at this setting. Video recording capabilities include 720p and 1080p at 30fps.

The image and video quality for daylight photos taken with the primary sensor are average in terms of color and detail, even when utilizing the full 50-megapixel resolution. Given the phone’s price point of under Rs. 10,000, the image quality is acceptable. Video quality in daylight is adequate too but exhibits significant noise when zooming in 2x. While it lacks optical or electronic image stabilization, the autofocus feature does function well.

Top: 1x standard mode; Bottom: 2x zoom

In low-light conditions, the photos taken with the primary camera are noisy and lack detail, and once again, the 50-megapixel mode does not provide much improvement. The Poco C65 does come with a Night mode feature that improves performance in low-light situations. Photos taken in Night mode demonstrate reduced noise and improved light capture compared to those taken in standard mode.

Top: 1x standard lowlight; Bottom: 1x Night Mode

There is a Macro mode that produces photos with average detail levels. Only the primary 50-megapixel sensor and the 2-megapixel macro sensor are usable among the three rear cameras, while the third camera is solely for depth data in portrait captures. The device can take portrait photos at 1x and lacks a zoom function. While having a dedicated sensor for depth data aids in edge detection, its accuracy isn’t perfect. Users can, however, adjust the depth while capturing portrait shots.

Top: Portrait mode; Bottom: Macro mode

Switching to selfies, the front camera captures decent images with reasonable detail, plus it incorporates a beauty mode. The front camera supports portrait mode, can record video at up to 1080p 30fps, and offers a Time-Lapse feature. It also includes a flash that uses the display for illumination. Once again, the performance of photos and videos is average, which is expected given the phone’s price category.

Additional Features of the Poco C65

The Poco C65 has a USB Type-C port and a headphone jack. It features Bluetooth 5.3, 4G LTE, a microSD card slot, dual-SIM capability, and dual-band Wi-Fi. You will find a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, which is generally quick, although there were instances when it didn’t recognize my finger immediately, requiring multiple attempts. The phone also offers Face Unlock, though I advise against relying on it due to security concerns.

A single speaker is located at the bottom, providing adequate sound levels for indoor use but lacking bass. The ear speaker performs satisfactorily, and the haptic feedback is strong.

Poco C65 Review: Conclusion

For the price, the Poco C65 is a worthy purchase, especially with the Rs. 1,000 instant discount. It features a sizable display, good battery longevity, and decent build quality. The 50-megapixel rear camera performs moderately well in daylight but struggles in low-light scenarios. While the device does not support 5G, this feature is still rare within its price range. If you’re in search of an affordable Android phone with a large display and a solid battery, without a significant focus on performance or camera quality, the Poco C65 is definitely worth considering.