POCO is a Xiaomi-based company that entered the Nepali market with its first phone – POCO F1. POCO launched two new smartphones in Nepal on November 8, 2020 – POCO C3 and POCO M2. POCO C3 is an entry-level smartphone offering optimal performance at a reasonable price.
POCO C3’s official price in Nepal is NPR 14,999 for the 4GB/64GB variant. The phone is basically the rebranded version of the Redmi 9C launched in Nepal as they are a lot similar to each other. Regardless of this, the specifications and features the device is offering at this price range give POCO C3 an edge to be one of the best smartphones under Rs. 15,000 in Nepal.
POCO C3 Overview
The Poco C3 arrives with a triple camera setup, an HD+ immersive display, MediaTek’s gaming-focused chipset, an AD-free UI experience, a good battery life, upright memory configurations, and a reasonable price tag.
Design and Display
POCO C3 has adopted a dual-tone pattern design and does not have a fingerprint scanner in the back compared with the Redmi 9C. The polycarbonate rear panel has a triple camera setup and a LED flash placed inside the square-shaped camera module. The phone has P2i nano-coating for splash-proof.
The phone showcases a 6.53-inch HD+ immersive display with a waterdrop notch that houses a selfie camera in the front. The IPS LCD panel has a 20:9 aspect ratio, a 1600 x 720 pixels resolution, and Panda Glass protection against minor scratches and drops. Furthermore, the display has TUV Rheinland Reading Mode Certification.
Camera
POCO C3 flaunts a triple camera setup with a LED flash placed inside the squarish camera module. The design structure includes a 13MP primary sensor with f/2.2 aperture, a 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor for portraits, and another 2MP f/2.4 macro sensor for closeup shots. For a selfie shooter, you get a 5MP lens with an f/2.2 aperture size enclosed inside the waterdrop notch.
The rear camera setup of POCO C3 supports features such as HDR, AI Scene Detection, Phase Detection AF, Face Recognition, etc. Video Recordings maxes out at 1080p@30fps from both the front and rear cameras.
Performance
The phone performance power comes from the MediaTek Helio G35 SoC (12nm process) Octa-core CPU. The MediaTek’s gaming-focused chipset is boosted with HyperEngine Game Technology to ensure a lag-free gaming experience in the budget. The processor of C3 is coupled with 3GB/4GB of LPDDR4X RAM and internal storage of 32GB/64GB.
Poco C3 runs on MIUI 12 based Android 10 OS out of the box. The main highlight is the POCO clean UI for a user-friendly experience with the optimized launcher and responsive animations.
Battery
The device boasts a massive battery prowess of 5000mAh with a Better Battery 2.0 feature and the support for 10W charging via a micro USB 2.0. Besides, POCO has included a 380V surge protection charger and used Corrosion Proof ports.
Comparing the POCO C3 with the Redmi 9C, POCO C3 misses out on the rear-mounted fingerprint scanner present in the Redmi 9C. Instead, you get an extra gigabyte of RAM, an ad-free UI experience, and a Better Battery 2.0 feature.
POCO C3 Specifications
| Display | 6.53 inches IPS LCD panel 720 x 1600 pixels; 20:9 Panda Glass Screen Protection |
| Rear Camera | 13MP f/2.2 primary sensor + 2MP f/2.4 macro sensor +2MP f/2.4 depth sensor; LED flash 1080p@30fps Video recordings |
| Front Camera | 5MP f/2.0 selfie shooter AI Face Unlock, 1080p@30fps Video recordings |
| Memory | 3GB/4GB RAM 32GB/64GB internal storage dedicated microSD card slot |
| OS | Android 10, MIUI 12 |
| Chipset | MediaTek Helio G35 (12nm) |
| CPU | Octa-core (4×2.3 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A53) |
| GPU | PowerVR GE8320 |
| Battery | 5000 mAh, non-removable 10W micro-USB-2.0 |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Proximity |
| Colors | Lime Green, Arctic Blue, Matte Black |
POCO C3 Price in Nepal and Availability
POCO C3 price in Nepal is NPR 14,999 for the 4/64GB variant. The smartphone is available in three color finishes – Lime Green, Arctic Blue, Matte Black. It is available for purchase across Nepal via both online and offline stores.
| POCO C3 variant | Price in Nepal |
| POCO C3 (4GB+64GB) | Rs. 14,999 |
Priced just under NPR 15,000, POCO C3 competes with Samsung Galaxy M01 and the latest Samsung Galaxy M02s, Infinix Hot 9 play, and Realme C11.
