Poco C75 5G hands-on review

Camera

The Poco C75 5G has a 50MP f1.8 camera on the back, which uses a Sony IMX852. The camera features autofocus but no optical or digital image stabilization. Video recording is limited to 1080p at 30fps. On the front is a 5MP f2.2 fixed focus camera, which can also do 1080p 30fps video.

The camera app is fairly basic. Aside from photos and videos, additional modes include time-lapse, portrait, and night mode. You also get HDR, tilt-shift, self-timer, and timed burst features. A beauty mode is present but is quite basic. It is just a simple slider and doesn't feature custom sliders like on more expensive models.

The image quality from the main rear camera is quite decent for the price. The image processing produces flatter, neutral colors with a realistic contrast instead of the more saturated, punchier images that some people might prefer. The level of detail is also good and, once again, has a fairly natural look without being over-sharpened but the trade-off there is the higher than usual amount of noise. Dynamic range is okay when the HDR kicks in, but it doesn't always do that, and there's no way to force it on. Images can also have purple fringing around high contrast edges.

Main camera

The camera also offers a 2x digital zoom toggle in the app, producing surprisingly usable images, at least for viewing or sharing online.

2x digital zoom

The issue with the camera is video recording. Although the image quality is decent, there is absolutely no image stabilization on offer, which makes videos captured with the device not manually stabilized almost unusable.

Conclusion

The Poco C75 5G is an affordable smartphone. For the price, you get a usable device that can do basic tasks such as phone calls, messaging, browsing social media, ordering takeout, and the occasional photograph just fine. The screen is big enough that you can also just use the phone for navigation in your car, and, as long as you pick the right network, you'll also get 5G connectivity.

However, the competing Redmi A4 5G has an identical feature set as the Poco C75 5G, but it also has a glass back and is bundled with a 33W charger - all for the exact same price. Xiaomi will also launch the Redmi 14C 5G soon, which is a very similar phone as well. So, the Poco C75 arrives in a very competitive landscape, and it may not be equipped well enough or priced low enough to handle the pressure.