POCO M4 Pro, analysis: the multimedia experience that we would expect from a mobile 200 euros more expensive

0
15
1646312469 840 560.jpg
1646312469 840 560.jpg

Looping the loop talking about window shopping is the national sport in the country of POCO. The mid-range (in its part closest to the entry level) is juicy terrain to compete in value for money, and if cheap can be made cheaper, why not do it? The way: take the POCO M4 Pro 5G and do without the 5G, and in the review of the POCO M4 Pro Let’s see how the experiment turns out.

This mobile, twin in aesthetics and design, comes with the Helio G96 processor and other differences in camera or RAM configuration, but maintaining the essence of a bargain and competitive mobile in this sector with attractions such as a 90Hz AMOLED panel. Let’s see if the experience is good and if it’s worth paying a little less and giving up the latest mobile network.

Technical sheet of the POCO M4 Pro

POCO M4 Pro

Screen

AMOLED 6.43″
FullHD+
90Hz
Touch response 180Hz
Corning Gorilla Glass 3

Dimensions and weight

159.87 x 73.87 x 8.09mm
179.5 grams

Processor

Helium G96

RAM

6/8GB

Storage

128/256GB
MicroSD up to 1TB

Frontal camera

16MP f/2.4

Rear camera

64MP f/1.8
8MP f/2.2 UGA 118°
2MP f/2.4 macro

Battery

5,000mAh
Fast charge 33W

OS

Android 11
MIUI 13

connectivity

4G
wifi ac
Bluetooth 5.0
NFC
jack
infrared
usb type c

Others

stereo speakers
Fingerprint reader on one side

Price

From 199.99 euros

A striking mobile and two claims: the screen and the audio

Little M4 Pro 01 Rear 01

The POCO M4 Pro is slightly bulkier than its 5G twin and, therefore, is part of what we consider a large mobile, although within the trend that we have been seeing for a while. The good thing is that it is comfortableIt weighs less than expected for its size (195 grams) and it is not thick, so if we are used to a mobile with a 6.5-inch screen, we will surely be comfortable with it from the first moment.

Mind you, the gloss black finish is extremely dirty, a magnet for fingerprints and dust (especially the corner of the very wide camera module). It has an audio minijack at the top, leaving room for the main speaker at the bottom, it has a fingerprint reader on one edge and the front camera is inserted into a hole in the middle of the panel.

Little M4 Pro 01 Rear 02

Poco M4 Pro 01 Profile

Bit M4 Pro 01 Usb

This camera makes it easy a basic and classic facial recognition, which works well (without being demanding at the level of positioning the mobile in front of our face) except in dark conditions. Nothing that is a problem with the side fingerprint reader, which is efficient and fast in its reading.

SEE ALSO  Huawei surprises with the first folding clamshell phone with four cameras (and one is very special)

Speaking of the screen, we have a 6.6-inch AMOLED with up to 90 Hz refresh rate and FullHD + resolution, with which we have specifications that we see even in some ambitious mid-range like the Realme 9 Pro +. The experience is good in terms of resolution and contrast, although you cannot demand much from it in terms of viewing angle and the automatic brightness is simply not: you have to constantly correct manually (and the maximum brightness is low).

Poco M4 Pro 02 Display 02

Poco M4 Pro 02 Settings Display

The 90 Hz refresh rate implies an increase in fluidity that is not bad at all for a processor that is not very buoyant, but we will see that it is expensive in terms of autonomy. And as for the sound, bravo, POCO, for keeping the stereo. Without having an exceptional performance, the audio meets expectations and the dual output is a real incentive with respect to those who opt for mono.

Bit M4 Pro 02 Hole 01

The games are not a problem, but the refresh rate will be the dilemma

Bit M4 Pro 04 Game

We said at the beginning that one of the differences was that Helio G96, although it looks good accompanied by up to 8 GB of RAM (we have tested the 6 GB). We have been able to play ‘Genshin Impact’, ‘PUBG’ or ‘Real Racing 3’ without problems and with hardly any warm-up, but there’s a lag manifest in terms of loading menus, transitions and others, especially at 60 Hz.

We can choose to leave 90 Hz fixed, but we will see that autonomy suffers with up to 8 hours less. The average is about 24 hours of autonomy with 9 hours of screen, taking into account that at 60 Hz it takes a day and a half and that at 90 Hz it does not usually exceed 18 hours. Charging at 33 W makes those 5,000 mAh recompose in 1 hour, so on that side there is something better.

Poco M4 Pro 07 Battery 60

Autonomy test at 60 Hz.

Poco M4 Pro 07 Battery 90

Autonomy test at 90 Hz.

Speaking of performance, we leave you here as always the benchmarks of the POCO M4 Pro:

SEE ALSO  If Brave was not better than Google Chrome, it has now earned points to be better: a new AI assistant arrives on mobile

POCO M4 PRO (4G)

POCO M4 PRO 5G

XIAOMI REDMI 10

XIAOMI MI 11 LITE 5G

REALME 8 PRO

PROCESSOR

MediaTek Helio G96

MediaTek Dimension 810

MediaTek Helio G88

Snapdragon 780G

Snapdragon 720G

RAM

6GB

6GB

4GB

8GB

8GB

GEEKBENCH

525/1,843

551 / 1,602

367 / 1,220

798 / 2,883

566 / 1,709

3DMARK SLINGSHOT

3,435

3,616

1,792

7,279

3,899

PCMARK WORK

7,946

8,748

9,190

8,012

8,814

As for software, it is MIUI 13 for POCO what we see in this terminal (on Android 11). The bloatware It does not disappoint (as we saw in its 5G twin) although it can be removed. The layer is complete at the level of additions and customization (a bit aggressive with the notifications of its own services) and it is stable, functions are not lacking but it should be somewhat less heavy and fluid.

Bit M4 Pro 05 Apps pre-installed on the POCO M4 Pro as standard.

Photography: a powerful main, a wide angle in the shade

Poco M4 Pro 06 Cameras

In that huge rear module for the cameras (and the screen hole) we see:

  • 64-megapixel main sensor with f/1.8 aperture lens.
  • 8 megapixel ultra wide angle lens with f/2.2 aperture.
  • 2 megapixel macro sensor with f/2.4 aperture lens.
  • Front: 16 megapixel sensor.

The camera app is the classic Xiaomi one, with many options and the possibility of customizing modes and even aspects, but It is somewhat slow in its opening and the change of mode and lenses. The photographic performance in general is quite good considering the range of the mobile, especially with good lighting and outdoors, we see it with some examples.

Bit M4 Pro 06
Bit M4 Pro 4g Auto 01

Automatic photos (12 megapixels): without miracles of any kind, the POCO M4 Pro defends well a photo with good lighting, with adequate colors and a fair (but correct) dynamic range. The definition decreases especially on cloudy days, but even at night it is competitive.

Bit M4 Pro 4g Hdr 01

HDR: HDR manages to effectively expand the dynamic range, but it becomes very aggressive (especially in photos on cloudy days)

Bit M4 Pro 4g 64 01

Photos at 64 megapixels: shooting at maximum resolution we see that more detail is obtained, although ultraHD is paid for with less bokeh.

Bit M4 Pro 4g Auto 01

Wide angle: the day performance is correct, at night it leaves a lot to be desired.

Little M4 Pro 4g Night 01

Night mode: with this mode we manage to draw the photos a little better, with that usual forced touch of artificiality. Noise is corrected much more than at 64 megapixels.

Bit M4 Pro 11 Macro 01

Macro: the usual small sensor that will give us good results in good lighting.

Poco M4 Pro 16 Portrait 02

Portrait: Quite forced, but tends to do a good crop even at night.

Poco M4 Pro 10 Front Auto 01

Front camera: the quality is quite remarkable in the case of an undemanding mid-range. Good level of detail and colorimetry.

SEE ALSO  Why pay for a VPN on your mobile when there are free apps: these are my reasons

At video We see that (although the slowness of the app affects the preview at the time of making them) during the day it manages to take correct shots, especially with the main camera. At night the quality decreases quite a bit, although we see that in these conditions it becomes more stable in the wide angle than in the main one.

POCO M4 Pro, Xataka’s opinion

Bit M4 Pro 03 Audio

POCO usually gives us decisive options for a low price and the M4 Pro (in its 4G version) fits in there: it turns out to be a quite versatile mobile that can be an option if we are interested above all in having a good media experience for a more contained price than that of the version with 5G. Of course, the concessions will be that slight lag at 60 Hz or less autonomy at 90 Hz.

It is a comfortable smartphone despite its size and with interesting features that are not very common within its price range: 90Hz AMOLED display, stereo sound, and software aspects like a full gaming mode and with many options. With its parts to improve (some of them perhaps solvable by software), it is a mobile to take into account if the idea is to find something around 200 euros.

8.0

Design
7.5

Screen
8.5

Performance
7.25

Camera
7.25

software
8

Autonomy
8

In favor

  • The experience with the screen is very good.
  • Good for the stereo.
  • The main camera is competitive in its range.

Against

  • The software seems too heavy and/or the processor somewhat insufficient: there is occasional lag.
  • The wide angle is too fair and at night it does not become a rival to others.
  • It gets very dirty and the camera module is left unprotected even with a cover.

The device has been loaned for testing by POCO. Can inquire our policy of relationships with enterprises.