The Indian market has had the Poco M4 5G since April, with the rest of the world starved of the budget-oriented smartphone. 5 months down the line, Poco has finally decided to release the entry-level device to the rest of the world with one key downgrade, the camera set-up.
While the Indian version of the M4 5G featured a 50MP primary sensor for the rear camera with an additional 2 MP sensor for depth shots, the global variant has a measly 13MP primary sensor for the rear camera coupled with the same 2MP sensor for depth shots.
This is the same story for the selfie camera, the Indian version features a respectable 8MP sensor while the global variant gets a downgrade to a 5MP sensor.
Why Poco has decided to downgrade the camera setup is not exactly clear, but the rest of the M4 5G setup including the RAM/storage combinations and the chipsets remain exactly the same as the Indian version. This makes me think the camera downgrades might come down to the company cutting down on the costs of production.
The Poco M4 5G features an interesting design language, featuring a matte polycarbonate camera window that stretches from edge to edge. You can get the device in a range of bright colours including blue, yellow or a more subdued black.
On the front side, you get the typical flat panel featuring a water drop notch. If thick chins bother you, this might turn you away from the M4 5G, as it has one that is fairly big.
On the internals, you get the MediaTek Dimensity 700 5G processor, which from the obvious naming has the capability to support 5G connectivity, although it is on the lower end spectrum of performance as you would expect on an entry-level 5G smartphone.
You get two options when it comes to RAM offerings; 4GB and 6GB, which are then coupled with two storage configurations, 64 GB and 128 GB. If you need more space, there is a microSD slot that can handle up to 1TB of additional storage.
Its battery capacity is also fairly standard at 5,000 mAh compared to the other players in the industry. You get a 22.5 W charger bundled with the phone, although the Poco M4 5G can only support an 18 W charging speed.
Other notable specs include a 6.58-inch 90Hz LCD panel (FHD+, unspecified Gorilla Glass), 5G+5G dual-SIM support, Bluetooth 5.1, a side fingerprint scanner, camera-based face unlock, MIUI 13 for Poco atop Android 12, and Wi-Fi 5.
As always with budget-oriented devices, the price is largely the determining factor rather than pure specs. There is no word on the pricing in Kenya at the moment, however, the 4GB/64GB version is listed at 219 Euros (Kshs 26,500) for the European market while the 6 GB/ 128 GB variant is listed at 249 Euros (Kshs 30,000) which is in line with the other entry-level 5G capable smartphones in the Kenyan market.
