The Poco C65 from developer Poco is the latest in their increasingly impressive line of Smartphones. Sporting a MediaTek Helio G85 processor, 8GB RAM, and 256 GB of storage, the Poco C65 aims to offer users a solid phone at a budget-friendly price point. An impressive 6.74 inch, 90 Hz display, 50MP main camera and 5000mAh battery all help push the C65 ahead of the pack, with some caveats.
Looking at the design, the Poco C65 shares a few similarities with the excellent F5 we reviewed back in May 2023. The front shares the same sleek, minimalist look and feel, while the volume and power buttons are positioned to the right side like the F5 mentioned above. The Edges, though, have a slightly more distinct bevel than the F5, making it sit slightly bigger overall thickness.
However, this is where the Poco C56 starts to deviate from the design formula. Flipping the phone over you will find a new brushed aluminum finish as opposed to the F5’s hard plastic. It looks and feels great to hold, and despite my initial concern of it being slippery to keep in hand, it has been surprisingly grippy, for lack of a better word. Moving on to the camera bump, Poco has decided to spruce up its standard layout slightly. A distinct polished finish surrounds the upper third of the phone, with the Poco logo boldly stamped in silver opposite the bump. It helps draw attention to the cameras and looks sharp.
As is standard with Poco phones, the C65 comes equipped with a 3.5mm headphone jack, which turns the phone into an FM radio when used with traditional headphones. A single speaker and mic are located at the bottom of the phone, along with a USB-C charging port. With full support for 18W fast charging, the Poco C65 has no problem keeping the phone going even after a long day. With a respectable weight of 192 grams, the C65 is slightly lighter than the iPhone 15.
“While the Poco C65 can handle everyday use, it isn’t the snappy phone that the specs would lead you to think.”
Moving on to specs, the Poco C65 comes stock with the MediaTek Helio G85 processor, rated for up to 2.0GHz processing speed. This is supported by the Arm Mali G52 MC2 GPU that boasts processing speeds up to 1GHz peek performance. This is paired with 8GB of RAM, which can be expanded up to 16GB thanks to expansion technology that borrows from the 256GB of storage. The caveat here though is that there must be enough storage on the phone in order to leverage the technology.
On paper, the Poco C65 should pack quite a punch. However, after some serious testing of the C65, the overall performance is less than stellar. While the Poco C65 does function for everyday use It isn’t the snappy phone that the specs would lead you to think. While the phone can handle the latest in mobile gaming, such as Diablo Immortal, the C65 struggles to produce smooth performance unless the settings are pulled down to low and frame rates are capped at 30FPS. While it is serviceable and does function, it’s a bit of a letdown, considering the hardware packed into the phone.
As for multitasking, while the Poco C65 can handle several apps being open at once, it does struggle when using more intense apps, such as YouTube, while other apps are open and running. Even when everything else is closed down, there seem to be slight delays in response from the moment of input to the execution of said input. It’s nothing earth-shattering or phone-breaking, but it is noticeable.
Shifting to the display, the 90Hz 6.74” screen is a pretty solid piece of tech. With a brightness of 450 nits (600 nit peak), the screen doesn’t have any issues being viewed in sunlight. As for resolution and image sharpness, the C65 produces smooth and crisp video at 1080p 60FPS. Colours are bright and clear and don’t appear muted. Comprised of Corning Gorilla Glass, the display itself is quite durable and even after a week of tossing it in and out of my laptop bag, which is a punishment for any piece of tech, the screen still doesn’t show any wear or scratches on the screen.
With full DC dimming, reading mode and blue light reduction, the C65 display is beautiful to use. Once again, however, you’ll only be able to leverage 1080p video at 60 FPS max as the phone visibly struggles with any setting over that. Again, this is attributed to the CPU/GPU issues noted earlier. Despite this, if you play within these boundaries, the image quality of the C65 is crisp, clear and colourful.
One area that the Poco C65 excels, though is in its battery life. The 5000 mAh battery has absolutely no problem getting you through a day of fairly heavy use. Even with a full day of streaming content, gaming and productivity, I still found the battery to be around the 50% mark when I checked it before bed.
As for connectivity, WiFi 2.4GHz/5GHz and Bluetooth 5.3 both work exceptionally well. The aforementioned FM radio support is a fun little feature, though it seems a little unnecessary with apps such as iHeart Radio. As for network bands, this is another area I was a bit disappointed in.
2023 has been a pretty good year for 5G networks, both with its inclusion in phones as well as network support here in North America. By next year, we should see a shift to most phones being on 5G networks. So it seems like an odd choice not to include 5G support on the C65. Instead, users will be locked in at 4G as their maximum network speed. It’s unfortunate really as it reduces the longevity of the phone and might be a turn-off to potential users. However, Poco includes a dual sim tray that also supports a micro SD for storage expansion, a nice touch for a budget-friendly phone.
Speaking of future-proofing, the Poco C65 does support both AI Face and fingerprint unlock. The former leverages the 2.0MP front camera and, much like the F5, works exceptionally well. As for the fingerprint unlock, the C65 leverages the power button as the print scanner. Like AI Face unlock, the fingerprint scanner is fast and responsive. In testing it never hesitated or failed to scan and recognize my print. Poco has done a solid job with their phones in this regard.
While the Poco C65 is running Android 13, Poco runs its own MIUI OS overtop. Essentially it’s a catered version of the Android experience that leverages some of the features of the Poco eco system. For those familiar with Android you’ll have no problem diving into the MIUI UI.
The Poco C65 comes equipped with two rear cameras. A 50MP, f/1.8 lens allows for some fairly impressive image capture while the 2MP macro camera, with its f/2.4 lens, handles macro shots decently as well. In fact basic point-and-shoot works quite well on the C65. Even the 8MP front camera holds up decently for those moments you need the selfie. Autofocus is responsive and quick to adjust and lighting is handled fairly well overall.
Portrait Mode, once again, is respectable allowing for some basic adjustments to background blur with an array of filters to further add creativity to your shots. You’ll also have access to Night mode and 50MP mode. Night mode generates decent images but does begin to struggle in lower light settings in regard to focus and clarity. In the two night shot samples there is a distinct difference in clarity relative to the light source distance. As for the 50MP mode, this leverages the full power of the lens and produces some sharp, clear images. After using the camera for the last week, this has become my primary shooting mode.
While the cameras are solid in regard to spec it’s the lack of features and shot control that ultimately ends up hindering the overall shooting experience. While the Poco C65 seems to be targeting a more budget-conscious crowd, photo and video shouldn’t be the spot to save money. We live in a content-driving world and that content is produced by and large on our phones.
The Poco C65 lacks some of the standard features that many have come to expect from their phones, such as manual focus, RAW/JPG capture options, and manual colour control. Other than some rudimentary settings, there really isn’t a whole lot to manage with the camera. Even video is lacklustre, with the maximum capture settings locked to 1080p 30FPS with no built-in stabilization. Many of these features have become standard, and for a company that can produce incredible cameras and AI (proven with the F5), it seems odd to scale back in this area.
Despite these notes of criticism, the Poco C65 isn’t a terrible phone; in fact, it’s a solid entry to the budget-friendly market. With an excellent battery, dual sim support, expandable storage and a budget-friendly price point, it might just be what you’re looking for. It’s a functional, affordable phone that works and won’t break the bank. As long as you’re not looking for extensive features and are okay with 4G, the Poco C65 has something to offer users.
