Poco C61: In the ultra-budget smartphone world, the Poco C61 comes in with a simple promise: an attractive looking phone that gives good performance and battery life that will last you days without making a hole in your wallet.
It’s designed for people who just want a clean experience for calling, using social media, watching videos and some basic gaming.
It’s not loaded with high-end specs, but the Poco C61 does at least attempt to look and feel modern with its design and operable software. So is it yet another budget phone, or does it offer something different? Let’s dig deeper.
Design & Build: Low Priced, and Impressively, It Feels Like Itpend time.
At first blush, the Poco C61 does not look like a budget phone. The rear panel adopts a glass-like effect which refracts light using an elegant pattern. The frame is composed of plastic, but it doesn’t look or feel cheap.
And while it comes in three colours — Diamond Dust Black, Ethereal Blue and Mystical Green — all three of them look great at this price segment.
At 190g, the phone feels well-built without being too heavy. Rear camera module seems well applied to the body and side-mounted fingerprint scanner is sensibly located.
The IP52 splash resistance is a nice value-added cherry on top of its everyday durability.
Display: Big and Bright
Poco C61 comes equipped with a 6.71-inch HD+ LCD screen with 1650 x 720 resolution. It doesn’t come with full HD resolutions, but the screen is big and bright enough for daily activities such as watching videos, Instagramming or attending online classes.
It also gets 90Hz refresh rate support which is not common in this price segment. That, in turn, gives scrolling a smoother, more responsive feel — especially when using apps like Chrome or Twitter. Outdoor visibility is good but might struggle a bit again under strong sunlight.
Performance: Designed for Daily Use
Internally, the Poco C61 is powered by the MediaTek Helio G36 SoC along with up to 6GB of paired with up to 128GB of storage.
This is enough to handle the basics — calls, messages, YouTube, browsing, and even some light play on something like Subway Surfers or Candy Crush.
High-end gaming or heavy multitasking wouldn’t be realistic of course. The phone isn’t made for power users. But for everyday, non-intensive use, it feels plenty snappy.
The Android 13 (Go Edition) makes it as sleek as possible by removing clutter and by providing an easy user experience.
Camera: Just the Essentials
In the camera department, the Poco C61 takes it easy with an 8MP rear shooter and a 5MP selfie shooter. It’s not trying to cater to photographers, but for everyday shots in daylight, it does pretty well. Colours are pleasingly natural and there’s reasonable sharpness for social media posting.
Its weakness is low-light photography, where some grain and soft focus start to emerge. The front camera is good enough for video calls and casual selfies, but it will not blow anyone’s mind.
Battery Life: The Steady Eddy
One of the best features is the Poco C61 battery, packing a generous 5000mAh cell and capable of lasting longer than a full day per charge.
Whether you’re binge-watching, spamming, streaming, or video chatting the day away, it handles smoothly without unnecessary high drama.
The phone has 10W charging which is not fast by any means by the modern standards, but it gets the job done at this price.
Its zero to full charge time is over two hours, so you’re still better off overnighting along the charger.
Pros:
Great-looking design in a cheap phone
Huge 6.71″ screen with 90Hz refresh rate
Android 13 Go Edition is not only clean, but also smooth.
Decent battery life with 5000mAh battery capacity
Fingerprint sensor, physical kick buttons are on the side
Water and dust resistant (IP52)
Cons:
HD+ resolution, not Full HD
No ultra-wide or macro camera
Not ideal for intense gaming
Slow 10W charging
No stereo speakers or high refresh touch sampling
Poco C61 Final Word: Well Done Simplicity
The Poco C61 isn’t ambitious and that’s exactly what works for it. It knows its audience — and that’s first time smartphone users, students or seniors who want a phone to look good and perform simple tasks, without lagging.
With a clear-cut design, a smooth 90Hz screen plus a big battery and clean software, the C61 gets the basics right. If you’re looking for something uncomplicated and a phone that appears worth more than it is, this budget Poco phone is a pretty strong case all round.