Poco M4 Pro 5G launches with two cameras – but four lenses
Xiaomi sub-brand Poco has unveiled its latest budget phone to launch globally, including the UK and Europe: the Poco M4 Pro 5G.
If the name didn’t give it away, this is a follow-up to the M3 Pro 5G, a phone we rated pretty highly when wereviewed itearlier this year.
Lots of what we loved from that phone is back here, with strong specs for the budget price including a 5000mAh battery, 90Hz LCD display, and welcome extras including a 3.5mm headphone jack and NFC.
Fortunately, the M4 Pro boasts a few notable upgrades from its predecessor The new MediaTek Dimensity 810 chipset should be both more powerful and more efficient, and faster 33W charging will help too – and yes, the charger does come in the box.
The display is a touch larger at 6.6in, and the cameras have also had an overhaul: the 16Mp selfie camera is double the previous resolution, the new 50Mp main sensor should offer a small upgrade on the rear, and the addition of an 8Mp ultrawide will be an even bigger improvement.
There is one oddity here: look at the back of the M4 Pro and you might spot what looks like four lenses, plus the flash. But there are only two really – two of the lenses are purely cosmetic, which is at the very least a little misleading, if not downright dishonest.
In a sense it’s a welcome move to drop the unnecessary 2Mp macro and depth sensors often found on cheap phones. I’ve often complained about these lenses on similar devices, and suggested they should be stripped away, but replacing them with fakes isn’t quite what I had in mind.
If that sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve seen the same approach in a previous Xiaomi phone. Like some Poco phones before it, the M4 Pro 5G is a re-branded version of an existing device – in this case the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11.
The specs are identical, though the M4 Pro has been given a facelift by Poco. For one, it comes in punchier colours, with the routine black model joined by ‘Cool Blue’ and ‘Poco Yellow’ finishes. The top of the phone is also dominated by a big black box proudly emblazoned with the Poco logo.
The Poco M4 Pro’s launch comes just after we crowned thePoco X3 Pro our favourite budget phone of 2021, so it’s fair to say that this phone has good pedigree, and has a good shot at making it into ourbest budget phone ranking. It comes alongside a new Moonlight Silver colour option for the company’s slightly more premiumPoco F3too.
The M4 Pro is certainly affordable. It starts from just €229 for a 4GB/64GB model, or €249 for a more powerful 6GB/128GB variant. Both models launch from11 Novemberon thePocoandXiaomistores andAliExpresswith early bird pricing of just €199 and €219 respectively – other retailers includingAmazonwill follow later.
Author: Dominic Preston, Contributor
Previously Tech Advisor’s Deputy Editor, Dom covers everything that runs on electricity, from phones and laptops to wearables, audio, gaming, smart home, and streaming.
