Poco C65/Redmi 13C 4G review

Market competitors

The Poco C65 is a really budget device; there is no doubt about it. However, pinpointing its exact retail price seems to be a bit hard at the moment since there are also a lot of sales going on. It seems to retail for just $129 and $149 for the 6/128GB and 8/256GB models. Early bird prices appear to be $109/$129.

Let's look at the rest of Xiaomi's lineup first. We already mentioned that the Redmi 13C is practically identical twin to the Poco C65. But notably, the Redmi currently costs a bit more than the Poco for some reason.

Next up is the Xiaomi Redmi 12. It has a big display like the C65 and an LCD, but one with a FullHD+ resolution instead of HD+. The Redmi 12 also has an official IP53 ingress protection rating, notably an 8MP ultrawide camera. The Redmi also has an IR blaster and is running a marginally better MediaTek Helio G88 chipset. Pricing is quite similar between the two, which arguably makes the Redmi 12 the better deal, in our opinion.

Redmi 12 • Redmi Note 12 5G • Redmi Note 12 4G • Samsung Galaxy A14 5G

Next, we recommend considering the ever-popular Redmi Note 12. It is also a bit more expensive than the Poco C65, but it does offer an IP53 rating, 120Hz AMOLED display and 33W charging. It also comes with an ultrawide camera, and it has an arguably better Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 chipset.

Over in camp Samsung, the Poco C65 seems to be competing with the likes of the Galaxy A14. Be advised that the A14 has a 4G and a 5G version. The difference in price between the two is slim, and which one to get will kind of depend on your priorities. The 5G variant clearly has superior network connectivity as well as a 90Hz refresh rate on its PLS LCD. The 4G version, besides being a bit cheaper, also has an ultrawide camera, which the 5G model lacks. It is just a 5MP snapper, though. We personally think the A14 5G is the better deal out of the pair.

If the Galaxy A14 is a bit out of your budget, then perhaps consider the new Galaxy A05s. While most of its specs are very similar to those of the Poco C65. You are getting slightly faster 25W charging with the Galaxy, though.

Last but not least, Transsion Holdings has at least a couple of good alternatives under its umbrella. If you can swing it, the Tecno Spark 10 Pro offers a similar large 6.8-inch 90Hz FullHD+ LCD, a 50MP main camera, and a 5,000 mAh battery with 18W charging. Quite similar to the Poco C65. In terms of benefits, the Tecno offers 1440p video capture instead of 1080p on both the back and the front with a large 32MP selfie cam.

If the Tecno is a bit out of budget, then there is the Infinix Smart 8. You will have to settle for a 13MP main camera, 10W charging and an Unisoc T606 chipset.

Our verdict

Let's keep things simple here. The Xiaomi Poco C65 is a very budget device. So much so, in fact, that it was a struggle to find good alternatives and competitors for it with the same value proposition. As such, its main draw is inevitably going to be price. The overall phone experience itself merely needs to be decent enough to satisfy buyer expectations at this low price.

The Poco C65 is riddled with ups and downs, as one can expect. It is a solid and well-made phone with Gorilla Glass on the front and practically no flex or hollowness, but it also lacks any formal ingress protection, not even a basic one, and its design is a bit plain.

The display offers a smooth 90Hz refresh rate, which works well enough and gets decently bright for an LCD. However, pixel response times are not perfect, leading to ghosting and smearing, and high refresh rate gaming is a no-go. Battery life on the C65 is rather good, but charging is quite slow. MIUI 14 looks great and is feature-rich, but it stutters and slows down on the C65 due to the meager Helio G85 chipset. The latter is also responsible for the 1080p video capture resolution on the camera, which is otherwise surprisingly decent for a budget device.

We could go on, but you kind of get the point. Honestly, we didn't hate our time with the Poco C65. It is a decent enough device. Its biggest weakness, in our opinion, is the poor performance afforded by the Helio G85 chipset. Other than that, it has almost no glaring flaws, and even the performance is pretty hard to complain about at this price point.

If we were shopping in this price range, we would probably try to get something that runs just a bit smoother than the Poco C65. If adjusting the budget is not an option, it should do just fine.

Pros

• Nice design with solid build quality.
• Decently-bright LCD with 90Hz refresh rate.
• Good battery life.
• Good daylight camera performance.
• Expandable storage with dedicated microSD slot; a 3.5mm audio jack.
• Charger included in the retail box.

Cons

• Virtual proximity sensor.
• Below average speaker loudness.
• The Helio G85 chipset has poor performance with UI stutters.
• Video recording is limited to 1080p, and there is no stabilization.