Xiaomi has unveiled its new smartphone, the Poco M6 Pro, which could potentially be the best budget smartphone of 2023 based on its impressive specifications and affordable price. The device features a Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chip and a 50-megapixel dual AI camera, all for a price of just $132/£103. Currently, the Poco M6 Pro is only available in India but is expected to be released globally, including in the US, in December.
The Poco M6 Pro runs on the latest Android 13 operating system with MIUI 14, and it supports USB Type-C charging. However, it does not have NFC connectivity. Despite this drawback, it still offers a great value for a budget mid-range Android phone.
The Poco M6 Pro is part of Xiaomi’s sub-brand lineup, which includes F, M, X, and C series Poco smartphones. This model replaces the Poco M5, released in September 2022. While Poco phones are not intended to be top-tier devices, they provide plenty of features at affordable prices, much like Xiaomi’s Redmi smartphones.
In terms of display, the Poco M6 Pro falls slightly behind its sibling, the Poco F5 Pro, which has a high-resolution 120Hz AMOLED display. The Poco F5 Pro also boasts a 64MP main camera, 8K video capabilities, and a more powerful Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip. Despite this, the M6 Pro still offers a decent LCD screen with a 90Hz refresh rate and a larger display size of 6.79 inches.
For those in need of an affordable budget camera phone, the Xiaomi Poco X5 Pro is another option with a generous 108-megapixel main camera and 4K video capabilities, priced at around £339 / $300.
While the lower resolution of the Poco M6 Pro’s display may not be a dealbreaker considering its low price, it does seem misleading for Xiaomi to advertise a 50-megapixel camera when the images can only be viewed on a lower-resolution screen. Nevertheless, smartphone camera megapixels should not be solely relied upon for image quality.
Overall, the Poco M6 Pro offers impressive specifications at an affordable price, making it a viable option for budget smartphone seekers. However, if you’re in the market for a flagship Xiaomi phone with a superior camera, the Xiaomi 13 Pro and Xiaomi 13 Lite models are worth considering.
