The Poco M3 has just arrived in India as a budget smartphone packed with features like triple cameras, large capacity battery, fast charging support and a distinct design. The Poco M3 has launched at a price that puts it in a tight spot as multiple options from Realme, Motorola and more are already on sale in India.
That being said, the Poco M3 tries to make its case with a textured back panel that Poco says is anti-fingerprint and comes in three colours: Power black, Cool Blue and Poco Yellow. We compare the Poco M3 with the Realme 7i to see which one comes out on top.
The Poco M3 is priced starting at Rs 10,999 for the base variant with 6GB RAM + 64GB storage and Rs 11,999 for the 128GB storage option. Meanwhile, the Realme 7i has a starting price of Rs 11,999 for the base variant with 4GB RAM + 64GB storage and Rs 12,999 for the 128GB storage variant.
The Poco M3 and Realme 7i, both have a plastic build, but the former is more eye-catching due to the extended camera module on the back. The Poco M3 also has a textured finish on the back that the company says is resistant to fingerprint and smudges. As for the Realme 7i, it has a dual-tone gradient finish on the back and is available in two colours: Fusion Blue and Green.
The Poco M3 measures 9.6 millimetres in thickness and weighs 198 grams while the Realme 7i is thinner at 8.9 millimetres in thickness and lightweight at 188 grams. The screens on both the phones are topped with a layer of Gorilla Glass 3 for added protection against regular wear and tear.
Poco M3 features a 6.53-inch Full HD+ (2340 x 1080 pixels) resolution display with a waterdrop notch for the selfie camera. Meanwhile, the Realme 7i also features a 6.5-inch display but at an HD+ (1600 x 720 pixels) resolution with 90Hz refresh rate and a punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera.
Both the Poco M3 and Realme 7i are powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 processor with an octa-core CPU and Adreno 610 GPU. The Poco M3 has 6GB of LPDDR4x RAM at its disposal with upto 128GB storage while the Realme 7i makes do with 4GB RAM and upto 128GB storage.
The Poco M3 is powered by MIUI 12 based on Android 10 and runs Poco Launcher which the company says does not offer any advertisements. The Realme 7i runs on Realme UI out-of-the-box which is also based on Android 10.
Realme 7i has a fingerprint reader on the back while the power button on the Poco M3 doubles up as a fingerprint sensor. Unlike the 7i, the Poco M3 has stereo speakers to enhance the viewing experience on the phone.
Poco M3 is equipped with a triple camera setup that is headlined by a 48MP primary camera, a 2MP macro camera and a 2MP depth sensor. On the front, there is an 8MP selfie camera housed within the waterdrop notch. The rear cameras can record in 1080p at 30FPS.
As for the Realme 7i, it has quad cameras on the back starting with the 64MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera with 119-degree field-of-view, 2MP macro camera and a 2MP depth sensor. There’s a 16MP selfie camera on the front that is housed within the punch-hole cutout. The rear cameras can record in 1080p at 30FPS with support for EIS.
The Poco M3 is powered by a 6,000mAh battery that supports 18W fast charging and also offers reverse charging compatibility. The Realme 7i, on the other hand, offers a 5,000mAh battery that also supports 18W fast charging out-of-the-box.