Xiaomi has launched the POCO C65 on the market as one of the most balanced and competent alternatives under 150 euros.
Xiaomi has always been one of the reference brands in terms of quality and price below 200 euros, although it is its sub-brands, Redmi and POCO, that have recently been focusing on this price range. The latter recently presented a smartphone that It has quickly become one of the best alternatives on the market: the LITTLE C65.
Making a mobile phone in this price range can be complicated, because there are times when it is difficult to know what to prioritize. In this case, the Chinese company has known how to find the key to achieve a good balance without neglecting the performance section, where it surprises with its good combination of components.
Logically, this type of mobile requires certain concessions from the user in sections such as the camera, which are not its strong point, but the truth is that, in the rest, it has given a very notable experience for the price it has. The base model, which has 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal memory, is available for 149 euros. Taking into account that it is a price that can decrease over time, it can undoubtedly aspire to be one of the best sellers in the segment in Spain.
A careful design
The aesthetic proposal offered by this POCO C65 is quite serious. The company lengthens the traditional panel on which the cameras rest so that it occupies the entire width of the back, which gives it a good appearance, since this way it also includes the company logo and the camera insignia.
The rest of its back is completely smooth, and has a matte touch that makes the device slightly slippery, but at the same time prevents it from getting stained when you put your fingers, the opposite of what happens on the camera panel, which does have a glossy finish. In the black model, which is the one we have tested, it fits very well.
The edges of the mobile phone are also completely smooth, following current market trends, just like other devices such as the iPhone 15, or the Redmi Note 12, a change that even Samsung could include in its Galaxy S24. On the right side are both the power and volume buttons. First doubles as a fingerprint reader to unlock the device.
At the top you can find a 3.5 mm Jack to connect headphones, a hallmark of the company’s mobile phones in this price range. Without a doubt, design is a section in which the brand has made good decisions, and It appears to be a slightly more expensive mobile. The only detail that gives it away is the drop-shaped notch, in which its front camera is located and the light frames that surround the screen.
fluid screen
It is certainly not a small mobile phone. Its screen is quite large, with a size of 6.74 inches, which means you can enjoy plenty of space when carrying out any task. Of course, the brand has cut a little in resolution, since this is HD+, which makes it not the best model if you are looking for a mobile focused on multimedia.
However, it is committed to offering a 90 Hz refresh rate, which makes any movement on the screen look more fluid. Surely some people would have preferred that the brand focus on resolution instead of fluidity. That is a matter of taste, but it is true that be able to enjoy a better experience in screen movement It’s not bad either.
It is IPS technology, and has a maximum brightness of 500 nits, which is not too high, but sufficient in most cases. Yes indeed, If the sun shines a lot it will be slightly difficult to see all the content from the screen. In this sense, it can be improved.
The experience when it comes to multimedia content is as expected due to the resolution, but it is sufficient for basic use. In the games section, the greater fluidity is noticeable and it could surely come in handy for many people in online games where this is more important.
Good power and battery
This is one of the sections that makes the POCO C65 stand out, not only for having a MediaTek Helio G85 processorwhich is usually present in somewhat more expensive devices, but for its good memory configuration, which is the highest that can be found in a device of this price.
It is available in a model with 128 GB of internal memory and 6 GB of RAM and in another with 256 GB of space and 8 GB of RAM. This will allow them to cope much better over the years, since there are some mobile phones that, with fewer quantities, practically fall short when you start using them. In addition, it is ideal for using the virtual RAM function.
This is a mobile phone designed for basic use, that does not change. Your processor can run basic games and some more demanding ones, but not using its maximum settings in terms of graphics quality. To surf the internet, talk on instant messaging and play games from time to time, it’s fine.
Autonomy is a section that all users value, and here it also offers a great experience. Its battery has a capacity of 5,000 mAh, and in daily use it will make no need to worry about connecting it to the charging cable throughout the day. Its fast charging is not too powerful, it is 18 W, so it is necessary to leave it charging for more than an hour.
A camera that delivers
In a device that offers great value for money, the photography section is not usually one of its strong points. After all, those looking for a device with great performance in this sense usually go for higher priced devices. The POCO C65 is not saved from this generalization. It has a 50 Mpx main sensor, a depth sensor and a 2 Mpx macro sensor.
This gives it a certain versatility, and is certainly better than having a single camera. It has night mode and time-lapse, but no slow motion mode. Daytime photos with the main sensor are enough to send by messenger or capture memories, appropriate to the price of the device.
At night, the camera quality worsens considerably, both in detail and in other aspects. Nothing that is far from what was expected. Its macro camera is capable of offering a closer point of view of objects, but at a resolution of 2 Mpx. It does not stand out from other similar models, but maintains a very correct level.
MIUI 14, but with Android 13
Being a Xiaomi brand, the company uses MIUI as the operating system of its smartphones, with some benefits such as its large number of options and its customization possibilities. Although it also has some drawbacks. The first is the excess of pre-installed applications that we find when turning on the phone for the first time.
There are some quite popular ones that can be good to have, such as AliExpress, Spotify, Amazon or LinkedIn, and the positive point is that it allows you to uninstall all of them, so they can be deleted when you start using the device. Still, there are an excessive amount of them. Just counting the games, there are more than 11 installed on the phone factory, and the same goes for applications. Some users may be subscribed to these services that are included, but this does not have to be the case.
In terms of operation, there are times when you notice the weight of all the things that the operating system has, but in general it is correct and better than devices of the same price, which generally use Unisoc processors. , which offer lower performance. It must also be said that it has Android 13, and taking into account that more than a month has passed since the presentation of Android 14, it would have been very positive in terms of its longevity if it had the new version.
I buy it?
POCO has launched what is one of the best models at the moment for a price less than 150 euros. The answer, in most cases, is a resounding yes, as long as its main virtues fit with the intentions you have when purchasing it.
It is not a mobile phone that stands out in photography, it has little screen resolution to spend hours watching movies and series without stopping, but it sacrifices these sections to offer enough in the rest, and all at a very competitive price which gives even more meaning to Xiaomi’s bet.
It has a better combination of processor, RAM and internal memory than the vast majority of devices of similar prices, which gives it the possibility of stay in good condition for longer. Although without offering an experience like that offered by high-end phones in this sense.
It has a battery capable of spending the entire day of use without any problem, which allows you to overcome long days of work without difficulty using the device. Its charging is not the fastest, so it is advisable to have it charged before leaving.
The device is highly recommended for all those people who want a low-priced device that is competent and can last for a few years. Here your 128 or 256 GB memory can be key. If you are looking for a better camera or multimedia experience, you will inevitably have to spend more money.
