Chinese device manufacturer, Xiaomi, is pushing hard into the Nigerian market with its lineup of budget smartphones. Interestingly, the major contenders in the market in this category are also Chinese brands including the likes of TECNO and Infinix.
At a time when the country’s largest network operator, MTN was on the verge of launching Nigeria’s first 5G network, the excitement of many Nigerians around getting a 5G-enabled phone made the recently launched Poco M4 Pro 5G by Xiaomi one of the considerations in the market, especially, in the midrange category of available 5G smartphones in Nigeria.
The Poco M4 Pro is a sensible upgrade over the Poco M3 Pro 5G with a larger and more colourful display, an improved rear camera setup, speedier charging, and stereo speakers. The new Poco M4 Pro is built around a 6.6-inch IPS LCD screen with 1080p resolution and adaptive 90Hz refresh rate.
The Poco M4 Pro 5G has a large 5,000mAh battery, which now supports much faster 33W charging, and it comes with this power adapter as part of the retail bundle. Xiaomi promises a full charge in 59 minutes.
The Poco M4 Pro 5G is IP53-certified for dust and splash resistance, just like many of the recent Redmi and Poco phones. This means the device will probably survive light splashes and should be fine in light rain and humid regions.
These features notwithstanding, the user experience of this device has been mixed. But before we look at the review, here are the key specifications of the phone:
Body: 163.6×75.8×8.8mm, 195g; Gorilla Glass 3 front, plastic back, plastic frame, IP53-rated for dust and splash protection
Display: 6.60″ IPS LCD, 90Hz, 450 nits (typ), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 399ppi.
Chipset: MediaTek Dimensity 810 5G (6 nm): Octa-core (2×2.4 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G57 MC2.
Memory: 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM
OS/Software: Android 11, MIUI 12.5.
Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.8, 26mm, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 119˚.
Front camera: 16 MP, f/2.5, (wide).
Video capture: Rear camera: 1080p@30/60fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
Battery: 5000mAh; Fast charging 33W, 100% in 59 min (advertised).
Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); Infrared port; 3.5mm jack.
What the users of Poco M4 Pro are saying
Nairametrics spoke with users of Poco M4 Pro and here is what they have to say:
For Success Ugwu, who has used the phone for two months, the Poco M4 Pro has all he wants in a smartphone and the experience has been smooth. He specifically enjoys the fact that the phone’s battery power lasts. “The 5,000mAh battery in the Xiaomi Poco M4 Pro 5G reaches the standard one day of use with ease, and if you’re not constantly streaming videos, playing games, and using GPS navigation then a couple of days of use is possible,” he said.
The experience was not different for Leo Ajanaku, in terms of smoothness, camera, and the strong battery of the M4 Pro. However, he expressed disappointment that the phone lacks call recording function and he has been unable to use third-party apps for the same function on the phone. “I have been using Poco M4 Pro for 3 weeks now. Yesterday I noticed that there is no call recorder pre-installed nor an option to activate it. I installed 15 call recorders but none of them recorded any calling sound,” he said.
Users’ reviews of the Poco M4 Pro online show mix of positives and negatives. For instance, one user described the phone thus: Very nice phone with all features expected from a midrange phone. Good for gaming as well.
However, another user said: “I have been using this poco M4 Pro 5G for a while now, When the phone is hot, its function is disrupted. For example, when the mobile phone is connected to the charger, it automatically shuts off hotspots and GPS. This is exactly what happens when driving and using the routing programme, and even with restarting.”
Expressing disappointment with the phone’s display, another user posted: “I have this Poco M4 Pro, it is a good phone with a decent selfie camera but its LCD screen is below average level of quality. Old LCD IPS phones that are also midrange from a couple of years ago had better displays than this. Xiaomi really tried to use the worst possible LCD display and that is a disappointment, Xiaomi had used higher quality LCD screens in the past. Don’t be misled by its 90hz refresh rate.”
“From my experience after four months of usage, the Poco M4 Pro 5G is a good smartphone. It has a large and fluid screen, stereo speakers, okay performance, capable cameras, all-around connectivity with 5G, and long-lasting battery life with fast charging,” another user said.
Bottomline
Overall, the Poco M4 Pro 5G kept to its promises of a midrange budget smartphone with quality camera and long-lasting battery. However, with its current market price in Nigeria ranging between N150,000 and N170,000, anyone not particular about brand could go for other alternatives that are cheaper and offer similar specifications. Samsung Galaxy A22 5G, for instance, currently sells for as low as N125,000 and shares similar screen, chipset, battery, and camera specifications with the Poco M4 Pro. With a smoother 120Hz display, faster graphics, and 128GB base storage, Realme 7 5G, which sells at the same price range as the Poco M4 Pro 5G also comes as a better alternative.