Poco M3 review

Triple-camera on the back

The Poco M3 offers a triple-camera on the back, but it's as basic as possible. There is a 48MP primary shooter accompanied by a 2MP macro snapper and a 2MP depth sensor. A single-LED flash is also around.

The Poco M3 packs a primary camera with a 48MP Quad-Bayer sensor with f/1.8 lens, 0.8µm pixels and PDAF. Night Mode is available on this camera.

The macro camera is 2MP with f/2.4 aperture, 1.75µm pixels, but lacks autofocus.

Finally, there is a 2MP depth sensor.

The selfie camera has an 8MP sensor behind an f/2.1 lens. The focus is fixed.

The default camera app is a typical MIUI affair - switching between modes is done by swiping left and right, and all available modes but Macro are on this rolodex. There are no zoom shortcuts here.

On the opposite end of the viewfinder, you have a flash mode switch, an HDR switch, an AI toggle, and a magic wand with beauty effects and filters. You'll find some more options behind a hamburger menu, including the Macro mode, plus the shortcut to the settings. What you won't find is an option to set the output resolution.

There is a Pro mode for the main camera. Manual 48MP pictures are also an option. You can use up to 30s shutter speed and ISO up to 4000.

Poco M3 camera app

Photo quality

The default 12MP photos from the main camera are superb for this class, especially when shot in such challenging weather conditions. There is more than enough resolved detail, pleasant sharpness, and the contrast is high. The dynamic range is average but not low despite the winter weather (HDR was set on Auto but did not fire even once). The colors are warmer than they should have been but other than that - quite lively.

The noise reduction is gentle, and that's one of the reasons for the high level of detail - the processing leaves some noise but also detail in areas of uniform colors such as walls or windows on residential buildings.

There is visible corner softness, but other than that - we can only praise these photos. We expected a lot worse in this class.

Poco M3 main camera, 12MP

There is an AI camera option available on the viewfinder. It tries to recognize the scene and tweak some parameters accordingly. Unfortunately, the only thing this AI offers are over the top contrast and color saturation, and the photos are somewhat ruined by those. We advise leaving the AI off.

AI ON, 12MP

High-resolution 48MP mode is available - but there is no point using it. The 48MP photos are upscaled from 12MP and don't look good.

Main camera, 48MP

There is a 2MP depth sensor on the back of the Poco M3, which is used only when shooting portraits. And it seems to be utilized properly as the Poco M3 is a capable portrait shooter with proficient subject separation and natural-looking blur. The portrait shots are as detailed as the regular ones, and we think everyone will be happy with the M3's portrait mode.

Portraits, 12MP

The 2MP macro cam sounds good on paper, but it's a nightmare to use. It has a fixed focus at around 4cm, and it usually takes 6-7 tries to get one sharp photo. When there is enough light, the macro photos present enough detail and low noise, but the contrast isn't great. Unfortunately, when the light isn't ideal, the noise levels spike, and the shots become rather unusable.

Macro camera, 2MP

Overall, the Poco M3 turned out to be an excellent shooter in broad daylight, and we are surprised by its skills. Let's look at some low-light shots now.

The low-light photos from the main camera are mediocre. There seems to be enough detail, and the pictures aren't that blurry, but they are dark and quite noisy. The colors are often washed out, and the contrast is far from great.

Standard mode, 12MP

We decided to try the HDR mode and see if it improves the photos, as was the case with some previous Xiaomi phones. Well, the HDR isn't helping much in this case.

HDR on, 12MP

The AI camera boosts the contrast and colors, and it also works as HDR, and we think leaving the AI on by default at night is the smart thing to do. The photos are brighter, and with mostly restored highlights, they exhibit better color saturation, while the detail is okay - it's on par with the standard mode.

AI ON, 12MP

The Poco M3 main camera supports Night Mode, and we recommend using it after dusk. It brightens the whole scene and restores the blown highlights. It has a stronger noise reduction than the regular photos, and it completely wipes out fine detail, but we still prefer those photos. They look great on the phone's screen and in low resolution on social media.

Night Mode, 12MP

Here's how the primary camera on the Poco M3 stacks against the rest of the competition in the controlled environment of our Photo Compare Tool.

Poco M3 against the Realme 6i and the Redmi Note 9 in our Photo compare tool

Selfies

The Poco M3 features an 8MP selfie camera with an f/2.1 lens and fixed focus. The detail in the photos is mediocre, while the contrast and colors are okay. Noise is present, and the dynamic range is average at best. Sometimes when shooting indoors, the camera struggles with the exposure, and you may end up with a ghost face.

Selfies, 8MP

Portrait mode is available for selfies, too, and it is as competent as a single fixed-focus camera can be. If your haircut is not that complex, and you don't mind a smeared ear or two, it might produce passable results.

Selfie portraits, 8MP

Video quality

The Poco M3 captures videos up to 1080@30fps with its main camera. There is no 4K mode, 60fps shooting is not available either.

The video bitrate is 20Mbps, while audio is recorded in stereo at a rather low 96Kbps bitrate. There is no support for electronic stabilization on the Poco M3.

The footage from the main camera is average in detail and with low dynamic range. The contrast is okay, and so are the colors.

Once you are done with the real-life scenes, take a look at our video compare tool to see how it competes against the other phones we've reviewed.

1080p: Poco M3 against the Realme 6i and the Redmi Note 9 in our Video compare tool