It's not a whole lot beyond the bare minimum though, so be prepared for the occasional stutter or spot of lag – not in a way that ruins the user experience particularly, but just in a way that lets you know you're not using the Samsung Galaxy S21 or the iPhone 12. There's also HDR (high dynamic range) and AI (artificial intelligence) options to auto-adjust exposure peaks and troughs and to boost a given image based on what the camera believes the subject is, which can go some way to enhancing the result (or sometimes go a bit haywire, but that's all part of the fun).

Whether you're scrolling through your Twitter feed or playing visually-demanding games, the phone manages to keep up without any issues. The M3 Pro is a totally different beast, thankfully, with a different design and far more functional internals to make for a device that, while not as far-reaching as the 'Pro' name may suggest by any means, is a solid entry at the affordable end of the market. It will likely run all of the apps and games you want it to, but brace yourself for longer loading times and an extra few milliseconds when switching between apps. The 'Pro' part of the M3 Pro is largely related to the processor difference over the standard model. Shots taken in daylight conditions come out with plenty of detail and are great for sharing on social platforms, but things start to fall apart in artificial or low-light scenarios.

The device is also bundled with a transparent case and also comes with a pre-installed screen protector out of the box. You can get some decent photos from this phone, if the light is good and you've got a steady hand, but some of the ones we took tended to be a bit dim in places – at times the HDR seemed to be a bit erratic, but you can always turn it fully on or fully off instead of having it set to auto. However, the colours look good and saturated while the focusing speeds are not the best, it is fairly good. The brand's latest launches in the X series — the POCO X3 and X3 Pro— are picking up momentum in India and the EU, and the POCO F3 is giving mid-range devices like the OnePlus Nord a run for their money. It's worth mentioning the 5G connectivity that's on board here – it's right there in the name of the phone – which adds an extra level of future-proofing to your purchase.

It's also worth noting that apart from a few design flourishes, this is exactly the same phone as the Redmi Note 10 5G, also from Xiaomi. The MIUI 12 skin based on Android 10 runs out of the box here while the Android 11 update is expected to arrive in the coming months.The M3 Pro, as you can tell from the capitalised and over-size Poco logo on its rear is, indeed, a Poco phone. When it does come to recharging the 18W charging speed isn't nearly as speedy as some, but it does the job. Product Partnerships Limited’s FCA registration number is 626349 and its address is Suite D2 Joseph’s Well, Hanover Walk, Leeds LS3 1AB.

The additional RAM handles the MIUI 12 software also slightly better, but it is not the smooth experience you’d hope for. In terms of audio, the device houses dual speakers with Hi-Res audio certification - the audio from the stereo speakers is enjoyable and makes watching media content more immersive.

The battery life isn't quite as great as the standard M3, but you'll still get well over a day's worth of use. POCO India became an independent company on 17 January 2020, [1] [2] [3] followed by its global counterpart on 24 November 2020.

The phone will be going up for sale in European markets starting May 20, and will be debuting in India sometime in early June. You don't get any wireless charging though, and the wired charging rate tops out at 18W – if you want super-speedy charging then you're going to have to invest in a more expensive phone. It's a shame that POCO didn't do more on the camera side of things, considering the hardware and screen got a noticeable upgrade over the M3. The glossy texture is prone to dust and fingerprint smudges like no other phone I've used; it is a Herculean task to keep this device looking pristine. While playing South Park: Phone Destroyer a 'file not found' pop-up would appear - something we've never seen in years of playing the game.

That's the core hardware aspect of the device, but the software - which is MIUI 12, as provided by Xiaomi - does have the ocassional irritation. The M3 came with a bright yellow finish that made it feel fresh, and POCO is offering the same color options for the M3 Pro: POCO Yellow, Power Black, and Cool Blue.