After teasing over the last couple of weeks, POCO has launched the all-new POCO C3 smartphone in India. It’s the company’s most affordable to date. As seen with other recently launched POCO smartphones, the new POCO C3 also shares similar specifications with the Redmi-branded counterparts.
If you didn’t know, POCO, the former subsidiary of Xiaomi, was spun off as an independent brand at the beginning of this year. The POCO C3 will be available in Arctic Blue, Lime Green, and Matte Black color options. It also comes with the two-tone finish on the rear, similar to the previously launched POCO M2 and POCO M2 Pro smartphones.
POCO C3 specifications
On the front, it sports a 6.53-inch IPS LCD display with HD+ (1600 x 720 pixels) resolution and a 20:9 aspect ratio. It packs a 12nm MediaTek Helio G35 octa-core processor clocked at 2.3GHz and comes coupled with IMG PowerVR GE8320 GPU. The POCO C3 will be available in two storage options — 3GB + 32GB and 4GB + 64GB.
There is also a dedicated MicroSD card slot for storage expansion up to 512GB. It runs on Android 10 with MIUI 12 skin on the top. Unlike Xiaomi smartphones, the company promises to offer a minimal UI with no ads. In terms of cameras, both the POCO C3 and Redmi 9C shares the same set of sensors.
The triple camera setup on the rear features a 13-megapixel primary camera, a 2-megapixel macro camera, and a 2-megapixel depth camera. For selfies, there is a 5-megapixel front camera with an f/2.2 aperture. Both the power button and volume rocker are placed on the right edge.
There is no fingerprint scanner on this device
Unlike the Redmi 9C, there is no rear-facing fingerprint scanner on this device. On the other hand, the Indian version of the Redmi includes the fingerprint scanner but gives up on the 2-megapixel macro sensor. Apart from these changes, these three smartphones come with the same hardware.
While there is no fingerprint scanner, the users can enable face unlock for secure authentication. The POCO C3 packs a 5,000mAh battery and supports 10W fast charging. Connectivity options include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5, GPS, 3.5mm audio jack, and a MicroUSB 2.0 port.
Instead of a MicroUSB port, the company could have opted for the more modern USB Type-C port for charging. Moreover, the device also comes with P2i nano-coating for making it splash-proof. It measures 164.9 x 77.07 x 9.0 mm and weighs 196 grams.
Coming to the pricing, the POCO C3 with 3GB and 4GB of RAM is priced at INR 7,499 (approx. $102) and INR 8,999 (approx. $122) respectively. It will be available starting October 16 via Flipkart in India.
