At first glance, the POCO C71 could easily be mistaken for a much more expensive device. With its clean, minimalistic design and surprisingly solid in-hand feel, it defies expectations for a sub-Rs 8,000 smartphone. In fact, it’s the most affordable phone I’ve reviewed in the past five years. While I’ve covered devices like the Redmi 12 5G and Redmi 13C 5G in previous years, entry-level phones rarely spark much excitement among reviewers. That’s what makes the POCO C71 intriguing. In this review, I’ll break down what impressed me, what fell short, and whether this budget contender deserves your money.
POCO C71
Rs 6,499
What Is Good?
- Elegant design, looks premium
- Gets the basics right
- Superb battery life
- Comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack
What Is Bad?
- Sluggish performance
- Slow charging
- Average camera performance
Design and Build
The POCO C71’s design is quite the looker and exudes a sense of premiumness despite falling in the sub-Rs 10,000 price segment. The back panel opts for a dual-tone gradient pattern, which separates it from a sea of smartphones. The Cool Blue colourway features a solid blue hue on the right side,
while the left side of the panel is reserved for a few patterns. Even the camera module looks proportionate, with an oval shape and super-thin golden rims. Further adding to the premium look and feel.
From the front, however, you can easily make out that this is a budget smartphone. There are thick bezels and a very dull-ish overall feel to the front of the phone, which is a stark contrast to how premium the back panel of this smartphone looks. The POCO C71 also has a water drop notch as compared to a hole-punch display that we have become more accustomed to in recent times.
Display and Audio
The POCO C71 features a large 6.88-inch FHD+ IPS LCD display with a 120Hz refresh rate—an impressive specification for a phone in this price bracket. While it doesn’t offer the deep blacks and vivid colours of an AMOLED panel, the display performs admirably for everyday use. Watching YouTube videos, bingeing TV shows, and even casual gaming felt comfortable and enjoyable on this screen.
Though HDR support is absent (understandably so at this price), it’s not a drawback by any means. The panel claims a peak brightness of 600 nits, and in our tests, it reached XX nits, which ensures decent sunlight legibility in most outdoor conditions.
The real highlight here is the 120Hz refresh rate, which makes scrolling and animations feel much smoother than expected. It’s great to see high refresh rates making their way to the entry-level segment, and POCO has implemented it well on the C71.
As for audio, the phone packs a mono speaker that gets reasonably loud for casual media consumption. However, it lacks depth and clarity, especially with music or dialogue-heavy content, but that’s par for the course at this price point.
Cameras
For younger buyers, the camera can be a key selling point, even on a budget phone. While expecting creator-level performance from a sub-₹8,000 device would be a stretch, the POCO C71 manages to deliver decent results for its price.
The primary rear camera captures good photos in well-lit conditions, with respectable detail retention and natural-looking colours. Low-light performance, however, is where the limitations become apparent—images tend to be soft, noisy, and lacking in clarity. That said, POCO has included useful features to enhance the experience, even with limited hardware. Portrait mode, for instance, offers surprisingly accurate edge detection, and the device supports Full HD video recording at 30fps. There’s also a time-lapse mode, adding a creative touch for users who enjoy experimenting with content creation.
On the front, the selfie camera performs well in good lighting. Selfies look clear, and portrait shots again benefit from solid edge detection. For an entry-level phone, the overall camera experience is commendable.
Performance and Software
Performance is where the POCO C71 clearly shows its budget roots. Powered by the Unisoc T7250 SoC—a fairly common chipset in entry-level smartphones—the overall experience feels sluggish. Whether it’s general usage, multitasking, or gaming, the device often feels choppy and unresponsive. App and game loading times are noticeably longer than what you’d expect from even modestly priced phones.
To put things in perspective, the POCO C71 scored 262,020 on the AnTuTu benchmark, one of the lowest scores I’ve seen in recent years. On Geekbench 6, it posted 439 in the single-core test and 1493 in the multi-core test—numbers that reflect the device’s entry-level positioning. But, these numbers were still respectable.
In real-world usage, basic app performance is manageable, but the moment you start switching between apps rapidly, the lag becomes evident. Gaming is possible in short bursts, but once the phone begins to warm up, frame drops and stutters start to surface, affecting overall playability.
On the software front, the POCO C71 runs on Xiaomi’s HyperOS based on Android 15. While HyperOS has evolved nicely in Xiaomi’s higher-end models, its implementation here feels stripped down and unintuitive. Simple actions—like opening the app drawer—are unnecessarily complicated. For example, the app drawer is hidden behind a search tool that opens by default, and while this feature can be turned off, many users may not know how to do so.
The setup process also feels unnecessarily layered, especially considering the lack of advanced features. However, credit where it’s due: the POCO C71 comes clean, with no bloatware apps pre-installed—a rare and refreshing choice in this segment.
Battery and Software
Battery performance is one of the stronger aspects of the POCO C71. With modest hardware demands and a sizable 5,200mAh battery, the phone delivers solid endurance. In our testing, which included gaming, benchmarking, and camera use, the device consistently offered around six hours of screen-on time—even under heavy usage. That’s impressive for any smartphone, especially in this ultra-budget segment.
Charging, however, is a different story. The POCO C71 supports 15W charging, which is quite basic by modern standards. A full charge from 0 to 100% took over 2 hours in our tests, which may feel sluggish for users used to faster charging speeds. Still, the battery life itself is reliable, making it a good trade-off for users who prioritise longevity over quick top-ups.
Verdict
That wraps up my take on the POCO C71. For a smartphone priced under Rs 8,000, it offers good value, especially in terms of design and battery life. While some definite limitations and areas could use improvement, the essentials are handled well.
For buyers in this segment, battery life is often the top priority, and that’s where the POCO C71 truly delivers. Its clean, minimal design also gives it an edge over other phones in this price range. Beyond that, however, the experience is fairly standard. The display, performance, camera quality, and charging speeds are in line with what you’d typically expect from an entry-level device.
If you’re looking for a basic smartphone that looks good and lasts long on a single charge, the POCO C71 makes a solid case for itself.
