Poco's latest budget 4G smartphone goes up against brands like Redmi and Realme in the market.

Poco is back in the budget arena with its new 4G version of the Poco M5 in the market. Yes, even today, a 4G phone has a better chance to give you value than a 5G phone, and buyers shouldn’t mind that. Poco M5 uses the new MediaTek chip to give you the required performance, and the company has done its best to push the price bracket. 

But even in this segment, Poco M5 faces competition, which comes in the form of the newly launched Redmi Note 11 SE and even an older model like the Realme C35. So, how do these phones compare with each other when it comes to price, specifications and features? We did the hard work for you and here’s what we found. 

Also Read: POCO M5 Review: Proves That 5G Isn’t Everything

Poco M5 has launched in two versions for buyers, the 4GB+64GB available for Rs 12,499 and the 6GB+128GB model priced at Rs 14,499.

The Redmi Note 11SE has launched in India with a single RAM and storage option. The 6GB+64GB variant is priced at Rs 13,499. 

Realme C35 comes with 4GB RAM but the storage options are 64GB and 128GB, priced at Rs 11,999 and Rs 12,999 respectively. 

Poco M5 gets the classic faux leather touch with its mild texture giving it a different appeal to the other budget phones in this segment. The dual-tone element has been added with the black glossy finish covering the top part along with the rear camera module. The frame on the side is made of plastic which is normal for phones in this range.

The fingerprint sensor is built into the power button on the side, you have the headphone jack at the top, and the USB C port at the bottom. Poco M5 weighs 204 grams, making it the heaviest compared to the Redmi Note 11 SE and even the Realme C35. 

Redmi Note 11 SE looks similar to the Redmi Note 11 phones in the past year. The camera module at the back looks well occupied in one direction, carrying the sensors and the LED flash. The build quality is premium, the plastic body gets a textured finish which prevents it from becoming a fingerprint magnet. The punch-hole cutout is at the top-centre.

Realme C35 has a dew-type notch on the front, a vertical camera module at the back, and a thick chin on the display. The phone comes with a thickness of 8.1mm and weighs 189 grams. 

Poco M5 4G sports a 6.58-inch display that offers Full HD+ resolution and 90Hz refresh rate. The display comes with a LCD panel that gets 240Hz touch sampling rate and support for Widevine L1 that lets you stream content in Full HD quality. 

Redmi Note 11SE gets a 6.43-inch Super AMOLED display panel that offers Full HD+ resolution at a standard 60Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1100 nits. 

Realme C35 features a 6.6-inch LCD display that also gives you Full HD+ resolution at a pixel density of 401 PPI. The screen-to-body ratio of this phone is 84 per cent, and the phone’s screen gets added protection via Panda Glass.

Poco is using the new MediaTek Helio G99 chipset to power this device. It comes paired with up to 6GB RAM and 128GB of UFS 2.2 internal storage, which means you can expand the space further. But that’s not all, the device supports the Turbo RAM feature which lets you expand the RAM virtually. As for the software, the Poco phone runs on MIUI 13 based on the Android 12 operating system. 

Redmi Note 11 SE is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio G95 processor, which comes paired with up to 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 64GB of UFS 2.2 storage, which means the space is expandable. Redmi Note 11SE still comes with the MIUI 12.5 version which is based on Android 11 operating system.

Realme C35 is powered by the Unisoc T616 SoC which is probably the less impressive of the three phones given here. You only have a 4GB RAM variant, while the storage options of 64GB and 128GB mean you can expand it further. Realme UI 2.0 version is the base of the UI on this device, which is also built over the Android 11 operating system. 

Poco M5 comes with a triple rear camera setup led by a 50MP main camera, a 2MP macro, and a 2MP depth sensor. There is an 8MP selfie camera on the front.

Redmi Note 11SE features a quad-rear camera setup that consists of 64MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle sensor, a 2MP macro sensor, and a 2MP depth sensor. There is a 13MP selfie shooter on the front. 

Realme C35 also has a 50MP triple rear camera module but along with that you get a 2MP macro sensor and a 0.3MP depth sensor. Realme has added an 8MP camera on the front for selfies.  

Poco M5 comes loaded with a 5,000mAh battery unit that supports 18W fast charging. 

Redmi Note 11 SE packs a 5000mAh battery unit and it supports 33W fast charging over a Type-C port. Redmi is not giving you the charger in the box with this device. 

Realme C35 also gets a 5000mAh battery but with support for only 18W charging speed out of the box. 

Poco M5 makes a good fist for its position in the segment. The device has a unique design, which might appeal to many of you, and the display is acceptable, especially with the Widevine L1 support in play. The new MediaTek chip is expected to get the better of the other two mentioned here, and even in the camera department, the Poco M5 should be fine. 

Battery life is unlikely to be an issue with this device, but you can’t deny that Redmi Note 11 SE has the better display and the camera unit between these three phones. However, Poco gives you the latest MIUI version with Android 12 on board, which the other two still don’t have for some reason. If you are in the market for a budget phone, the Poco M5 and the Redmi Note 11 SE will prove to be good options. 

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