Poco C65/Redmi 13C review

Poco C65/Redmi 13C review
By: GSMArena Posted On: November 22, 2023 View: 98

Introduction

If you are after a Xiaomi experience on a budget, Poco is the way to go, and if you feel like pinching pennies within the Poco line, there is the "C" family of devices to consider.

The Redmi 13C is a very similar device to the Poco C65, they are almost identical in terms of hardware. We are quite sure the review findings in this review would apply to the Redmi 13C as well.

Xiaomi Redmi 13C
Xiaomi Redmi 13C

The C series Pocos have been coming out frequently lately, and it's hard to decode the naming convention. It seems that the first number in the model number denotes the generation of the device while the second is somewhat loosely related to its relative position within the lineup, perhaps the size of its display as well.

If we assume that that is indeed the case, then the new Poco C65 is the first from a new generation of Poco devices, and it comes in to "replace" the Poco C55 even though the latter came out in February of this year. There are plenty of similarities between the C55 and the new C65. Both devices are roughly the same size and rock a MediaTek Helio G85 chipset, 5000 mAh battery and a 50MP main camera.

Xiaomi Poco C65 review

There are still some generational improvements to note, though. The display on the C65, for one, has grown slightly and now measures 6.74 inches diagonally. More importantly, however, it can now refresh at 90Hz, which is a first for the Poco "C" line of phones. The Poco C65 now supports 18W PD charging, which might not sound like much in absolute terms but is still a marked improvement over the 10W of the Poco C55.

Xiaomi Poco C65 review

The Poco C65 sweetens the deal further with a new 2MP dedicated macro camera on the back, replacing the depth sensor of the C55. The selfie camera has also been upgraded to an 8MP module. And when we say that the Poco C65 is a budget device, we mean budget. It retails for just $129 and $149 for the 6/128GB and 8/256GB models (early bird prices are $109/$129).

Let's see what that modest sum of money gets you, starting with the retail package.

Unboxing

The Poco C65 ships in a nice and sturdy two-piece box in the typical Poco yellow and black color scheme. Though the manufacturer isn't bragging about being extra eco-friendly in any way, the packaging seems to be made entirely of cardboard, which is great to see in that respect. There is no plastic inner cradle for the phone to sit in, but it is still quite secure in its place.

Xiaomi Poco C65 review

The Poco C65 has a moderately rich retail package relative to its price. That will be an ongoing motif with the C65 since it's good to keep its low price in mind when analyzing different aspects of the experience. The retail box contains a USB Type-A to Type-C cable and a wall charger. It is just a simple 10W (5V@2A) unit rather than one that can saturate the full 18W of Power Delivery the phone can accept. Even so, keep in mind the budget price point. There is no case inside the box, but that wasn't really expected at this price.

Design

The Poco C65 has what we would call a very "traditional" design. In other words, its looks are really non-offensive and unobtrusive. Nothing is out of the ordinary here, just your regular old phone that blends seamlessly with its surroundings.

Xiaomi Poco C65 review

The design team still tried to incorporate a few distinctive details around the rear cameras with an accented area and some perpendicular lines. It all ties together nicely and looks classy. The only thing we don't particularly like about the back of the C65 is the manufacturer's markings. We wish there was a better place for those.

The C65 is available in a total of three colors - Black, Blue and Purple. Unfortunately, our review unit is of the arguably most boring Black variety. The other two colors look more interesting while still remaining subtle and unobtrusive.

Xiaomi Poco C65 review

The C65 has an almost entirely flat back side that sits flush with the middle frame. Both of these are made of plastic. The phone's sides are also quite flat, with nice rounded corners for extra comfort.

Xiaomi Poco C65 review

The front glass of the C65 is sort of "floating" on top of the middle frame. It is well attached, of course, but it is protruding rather than sitting flush with the middle frame like the back panel is.

Xiaomi Poco C65 review

The C65 has pretty thick display bezels, which is expected for its price point. The bottom chin is thicker than the top bezel. Still, there is plenty of room up there for a tucked-away earpiece grill, a few sensors and the selfie camera, which still requires a display notch but a rather shallow one.

Xiaomi Poco C65 review

The Poco C65 is a pretty hefty device. It measures 168 x 78 x 8.1 mm and tips the scale at 192 grams. We wouldn't say it is unwieldy or anything, but you are still getting a large device with a 6.74-inch display and a 5,000 mAh battery to boot.

Build quality

The Poco C65 feels perfectly solid and well-made. There is no flex in the frame or hollowness to the back side.

Xiaomi Poco C65 review

Regarding materials, it is no surprise that the C65 is mostly made of plastic. The back side and middle frame are both plastic. Both still look like brushed metal from a distance, so there is that. The front of the C65 is thankfully covered with glass. In particular, Corning Gorilla Glass. Though the manufacturer does not specify exactly what kind, it is still great to hear that some protection is going on.

And speaking of peace of mind, while again there is no official manufacturer info on the matter and the C65 lacks any formal ingress protection rating, we noticed a nice, thick rubber gasket on the SIM tray. That hints at least some level of elemental protection. Though, we wouldn't exactly advise testing it for yourself.

Controls

The Poco C65 has a standard set of controls. Well, perhaps, except for the 3.5mm audio jack, which is harder and harder to come by. It is alive and well, resting on the top side of the C65. There isn't much of anything else on the top frame of the phone.

Xiaomi Poco C65 review

The left side frame is pretty empty, too. It just houses the SIM tray. The C65 has a total of two Nano-SIM slots on said tray, alongside a dedicated microSD storage expansion slot.

Xiaomi Poco C65 review

The opposite right side houses the volume rocker and power button. The latter doubles as a capacitive fingerprint reader. The reader is snappy and accurate. We have no complaints about it.

Xiaomi Poco C65 review

Both of these controls are well-positioned height-wise and comfortable to click. They do feel a bit "mushy" and soft to the touch, though and lack satisfying tactile feedback. Though, that's a really small gripe to have.

Xiaomi Poco C65 review

The bottom of the C65 is a bit busier. This is where the main microphone is, alongside a USB 2.0 Type-C port. The C65 has a single bottom-firing loudspeaker. No stereo speaker setup here, not even a hybrid one.

Xiaomi Poco C65 review

Rounding off the controls tour, we have an earpiece tucked away near the top of the phone in the space above the display. This is also where the proximity and light sensors are.

Connectivity

The Poco C65 does pretty well in the connectivity department. Though, straight off the bat, we should note that it is not a 5G device. Both Nano-SIM slots on the phone support simultaneous 4G LTE connectivity.

The C65 also has Dual-band Wi-Fi ac and Bluetooth 5. It is a bit murky whether that is 5.3 or 5.1. It does offer LE support, though. The C65 also has NFC in some markets. You should check with your local retailer for info on that. A receiver with GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO and BDS support handles positioning.

Xiaomi Poco C65 review

A USB Type-C port on the bottom can accept USB Power Delivery up to 18W and also supports USB Host/OTG. There is nothing really fancy beyond that, though, like video output. The Type-C port is backed up by a USB 2.0 connection, which means theoretical data transfer speeds of up to 480 Mbps.

The C65 has a bma253 accelerometer but no gyroscope. The two are usually a combo. There is an ltr311 light sensor, but it is also not paired with a hardware proximity sensor. Instead, the C65 has a virtual proximity sensor, which works decently well for turning off the screen but is still far less preferable. Also on board is an mmc5603 magnetometer and compass combo. There is expectedly no barometer inside the Poco C65.

Large 6.74-inch LCD, now with 90Hz

The Poco C65 is equipped with a pretty large LCD panel. It measures 6.74 inches in diagonal. As already mentioned, the C65 brings a high refresh rate to the Poco C family. It is just your "basic" 90Hz variety, but the difference between it and the standard 60Hz is still very noticeable, which makes it an appreciated addition.

Xiaomi Poco C65 review

Let's start with some performance numbers first. The LCD panel on the C65 is actually decently bright for an LCD. We measured around 480 nits of maximum brightness on the slider and 607 nits in max auto mode. Having that max auto overburn mode available is great for bright environments, though the C65 is still kind of difficult to use in direct sunlight.

It is also worth noting that the display on the C65 is only HD (720 x 1600 pixels) in resolution. That is spread a bit thin on the 6.74-inch, 20:9 panel, which results in slightly blurry visuals. It's nothing too drastic, but it's not perfectly sharp either.

On to colors. The Poco C65 has a total of three color modes available, plus a color temperature correction wheel. The modes include Vivid, which is the default, Saturated and Standard.

Color modes - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Color modes - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Color modes

All three modes aim for the sRGB color space and cover it nicely. The vivid and saturated modes have slightly saturated blues, making the color palette cold. This is particularly true for the saturated mode. You can still get pretty accurate colors by using the standard mode. It gets deltaE 2000 values low enough to be considered color-accurate.

The C65 understandably has no hardware HDR capabilities. Still, it has decoder support for Dolby Vision. No HDR, HDR10+ or HLG, though.

HDR modes - Xiaomi Poco C65 review DRM info - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Netflix playback capabilities - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
HDR modes • DRM info • Netflix playback capabilities

On a more positive note, we are happy to report that the Poco C65 supports the highest possible Widevine L1 DRM certification, allowing services like Netflix to offer up FullHD streams. That is frankly odd since it is technically more than the on-screen resolution of the phone itself, but we'll take it anyway.

High refresh rate handling

90Hz refresh rate is an exciting new addition that is making its way onto the budget Poco C line with the C65. As we said, while 90Hz is more or less the most "basic" and "entry-level" high refresh rate you can get, it still makes a huge difference in the perceived smoothness of scrolling and animations.

Xiaomi Poco C65 review

To further sweeten the deal, the Poco C65 even has some adaptive refresh rate switching logic in place. The phone has a total of three refresh rate modes - default, which promises automatic switching between 90Hz and 60Hz, and then 90Hz and 60Hz modes. The 60Hz mode is the most straight-forward. It just offers a locked 60Hz experience. The 90Hz mode is not fixed at 90Hz, though. It is dynamic and has some logic to drop down to 60Hz.

Apps in 90Hz mode - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Apps in 90Hz mode - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Apps in 90Hz mode - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Apps in 90Hz mode - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Apps in 90Hz mode - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Apps in 90Hz mode - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
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Apps in 90Hz mode

From what we can tell, the phone favors 90Hz for most of the UI as long as you are interacting with the phone or there is some motion on the screen. Once neither is true, it drops down to 60Hz to save power. Some apps, like most Google apps and certain other third-party ones like Facebook, also work at a fixed 60Hz all of the time. The phone is a bit more clever when it comes to video playback. Most multimedia apps like the gallery operate at 90Hz within the UI, but once the video playback starts, the phone is smart enough to recognize the scenario and drop to 60Hz.

Overall, we observed pretty much the exact same behavior by using the Poco C65 in its Default refresh rate mode as well. So, effectively, the phone only has two refresh rate modes.

Apps in Default mode - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Apps in Default mode - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Apps in Default mode - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Apps in Default mode - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Apps in Default mode - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Apps in Default mode - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Apps in Default mode - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Apps in Default mode - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Apps in Default mode - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Apps in Default mode - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Apps in Default mode - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Apps in Default mode - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Apps in Default mode

High refresh rate gaming seems to be a no-go on the Poco C65. We tried a few games that we know can push past 60fps, and none of them managed to trigger a 90Hz refresh rate, regardless of the display refresh mode settings. The included Game Center does not offer refresh rate settings either.

High refresh rate gaming is a no-go - Xiaomi Poco C65 review High refresh rate gaming is a no-go - Xiaomi Poco C65 review High refresh rate gaming is a no-go - Xiaomi Poco C65 review High refresh rate gaming is a no-go - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
High refresh rate gaming is a no-go

All things considered, we like how the Poco C65 handles its automatic refresh rate switching. The behavior is smart and multi-faceted and caters well to saving battery power. High refresh rate gaming is a no-go on the phone. The chipset is a bit strapped for power anyway. We frankly couldn't ask for more, especially from such a budget device.

The switching rate on the actual pixels could have been a bit better. The C65 has plenty of ghosting and smearing while scrolling, especially on smaller text.

Battery life

The Poco C65 has a pretty large 5,000 mAh battery. That being said, the MediaTek Helio G85 chipset is not exactly known to be the most energy-efficient part out there. As you might know, we recently debuted our new GSMArena battery test 2.0 and the new Active Use Score metric. You can read all about it here.

The Poco C65 did pretty well in our battery testing. Nothing spectacular, but still a solid showing. It managed excellent call endurance numbers, and its video streaming and web endurance are not half bad either. The gaming component leaves a bit to be desired. That's pretty odd, considering that the phone can't consistently game at 90Hz, which would put extra strain on the GPU. Plus, it only has an HD+ resolution. Still, we tested and retested our numbers, and we have yet another reason why the Poco C65 is not a great gaming phone.

Charging speed

One of the upgrades in the Poco C65 coming from the C55 is the support for 18W PD charging (up from a simple 10W charging rate). Admittedly, that still doesn't make the C65 a particularly fast-charging device.

Xiaomi Poco C65 review

Fifteen minutes on a compatible PD charger with enough wattage got our review unit from dead to just 14% battery power. Thirty minutes of charging resulted in 28% battery, and a full charge took a whopping 2:09 hours. To be fair, we've seen slower-charging budget devices, but the C65 isn't fast by any stretch of the imagination.

Things look worse still if you stick to using the 10W (5V@2A) charger included in the phone’s retail box. With it, fifteen minutes get you 11% charge, 22% for thirty minutes, and a full top-off requires around 2:35 hours.

Speaker

The Poco C65 only has a single bottom-firing speaker. There is no stereo setup, not even a hybrid one. The single speaker is not particularly impressive either. It only managed a BELOW AVERAGE loudness score in our test. Its frequency response is decent, but there is nothing to phone home about. The mids and voices, in particular, come through enough, arguably the important bit. Plus, we need to remember how inexpensive this Poco C65 is and adjust our expectations accordingly.

In terms of additional audio features, the C65 has something called Sound assistant. Its noteworthy feature is adjusting volumes per app while multiple apps are playing audio.

Sound options and features - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Sound options and features - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Sound options and features - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Sound options and features - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Sound options and features

The C65 also has a menu called Sound effects. There seems to be only a single automatic optimization option available, but on a more positive note, there is a full-featured equalizer.

Use the Playback controls to listen to the phone sample recordings (best use headphones). We measure the average loudness of the speakers in LUFS. A lower absolute value means a louder sound. A look at the frequency response chart will tell you how far off the ideal "0db" flat line is the reproduction of the bass, treble, and mid frequencies. You can add more phones to compare how they differ. The scores and ratings are not comparable with our older loudspeaker test. Learn more about how we test here.

MIUI 14 for Poco on top of Android 13

When writing this review, our Poco C65 unit runs Android 13 with MIUI for Poco 14.0.3. This is definitely a very current software combo. Though, we aren't sure what the future holds for Poco devices in relation to Xiaomi's new HyperOS. There's not a lot of difference between the standard MIUI and the iteration for Poco, so we suggest taking a closer look at our MIUI 14 walkthrough. You will find all the information needed there.

Xiaomi Poco C65 review

The only immediate difference between the standard MIUI and the Poco variety is in the default icon style. It looks as if it's more in line with the stock circular Android icons.

MIUI for Poco also allows you to lock the screen with a double tap on a blank space on the Home screen, while the regular MIUI doesn't. It also lacks the "large icons" feature for what it's worth. We are still unsure how Xiaomi decides which features go in the global MIUI ROM, which ones remain exclusive to the Chinese version and what Poco gets in the end. It's all really convoluted.

Xiaomi Poco C65 review

Supposedly, MIUI 14 is built almost from scratch as engineers have reworked the core architecture of the MIUI ROM down to Android's Kernel level. That includes new CPU, GPU, and memory scheduling, smaller firmware size, and decreased memory usage overall. As a result, Xiaomi claims a 60% smoother experience and considerably optimized processes. Automatic compression for not actively used apps is also on the menu. Unfortunately, though, those are features that we can reliably test.

The split between the notification shade and Control Center wasn't enabled by default on our review unit, which is odd. We got the standard mixed notification shade and quick toggles menu by default.

Notification shade and quick toggles - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Notification shade and quick toggles - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Notification shade and quick toggles

The home screen, recent apps and general settings remain unchanged. The app drawer is also enabled by default and cannot be disabled on Poco phones. We like the search bar at the bottom of the screen for easier reach. There are custom and preset app categories for faster navigation.

Home screen, recent apps, settings menu, app drawer - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Home screen, recent apps, settings menu, app drawer - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Home screen, recent apps, settings menu, app drawer - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Home screen, recent apps, settings menu, app drawer - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Home screen, recent apps, settings menu, app drawer - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Home screen, recent apps, settings menu, app drawer - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Home screen, recent apps, settings menu, app drawer - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Home screen, recent apps, settings menu, app drawer - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Home screen, recent apps, settings menu, app drawer

MIUI's recent apps list comes with some useful shortcuts. You can also choose whether you want a vertical or horizontal list of apps. Interestingly enough, bot the Sidebar and the Floating windows functionality as a whole appear to be absent from the Poco C65.

Themes have always been a huge part of MIUI, and they are available on MIUI 14, too. You can download new ones from the Themes store, and they can change wallpapers, ringtones, system icons, and even fonts.

Themes and other customization options - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Themes and other customization options - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Themes and other customization options - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Themes and other customization options - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Themes and other customization options - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Themes and other customization options - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Themes and other customization options

Moving on to privacy and security, MIUI has come with a pre-installed system Security app. Aside from the additional malware protection layer it provides, the app holds many of the app settings and privacy features in one place. It can manage your blacklist, manage or restrict your data usage, configure battery behavior, and free up some RAM. It can also manage the permissions of your installed apps, define the battery behavior of selected apps, and apply restrictions only to certain apps.

Security app - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Security app - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Security app

All in all, MIUI 14 has changed little over the 13th iteration in terms of overall user experience, and that's not bad. It's just as colorful and customizable as ever.

Performance and benchmarks

Like the Poco C55, the new Poco C65 is based on the MediaTek Helio G85 chipset. It is a pretty old 12nm chip from 2020 that was not particularly well performing back when it came out, and today, it is starting to show its age. There is no point beating about the bush. The performance it offers is disappointing all around.

Xiaomi Poco C65 review

In the CPU department, the Helio G85 has two big Cortex-A75 cores working at up to 2.0 GHz and another six small Cortex-A55 cores clocked at up to 1.8 GHz. In terms of GPU, the Helio G85 only has a two-core Mali-G52 MC2 to work with. Really, there's not a lot of power to go around. The Helio G85 is paired with LPDDR4X RAM clocked at 1800 MHz.

The Poco C65, in particular, comes in either 128GB/6GB trim or 256GB/8GB, which is the unit we have for review.

Compared to the C55, which starts at 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM, this is a nice little upgrade, so we can't complain too much.

Let's kick things off with GeekBench and some CPU runs. It's easy to see that the Helio G85 is not a particularly powerful chip. Granted, once again, we have to remind ourselves of the incredible budget price point of the Poco C65. Even so, however, the amount of available performance is kind of disappointing.

Even the Snapdragon 685 inside the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G seems to offer a bit more performance than the Helio G85 inside the Poco C65. It is also worth noting that the older Redmi Note 8 2021 seems to score a bit better in GeekBench with the same Helio G85 chipset. Not by a lot, mind you, but it is still worth pointing out.

AnTuTu is a bit more favorable to the Poco C65 in this comparison against the older Redmi Note 8 2021. Even so, the overall AnTuTu score is not impressive in any way.

Our Poco C65 review unit stubbornly refused to connect to GFXBench servers and run the benchmark. It did, at least, run 3Dmark after some fiddling. As expected, the Mali-G52 MC2 GPU is pretty underpowered. At least it doesn't have to work too hard pushing pixels to the HD+ resolution display of the C65.

Unfortunately, the Poco C65 doesn't merely look bad in performance benchmarks. Even in practical terms, the phone is pretty slow and laggy. There are noticeable stutters all throughout the UI, even while simply scrolling. The lack of smooth performance is one of the biggest letdowns with the Poco C65.

On a more positive note, at least the C65 does not heat up excessively. Its surface never gets uncomfortable to the touch, even with prolonged stress testing. And the Helio G85 chipset does not get too toasty on the inside, either. It loses some performance with torture testing, but quite a reasonable amount.

Thermal-throttling - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Thermal-throttling - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Thermal-throttling - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Thermal-throttling

50MP main cam and now a dedicated macro cam

The Poco C65 is equipped with a 50MP primary camera, just like the Poco C55. It could be the exact same camera. We just can't tell for sure since the Poco C65 reports supporting two 50MP sensors - the OmniVision ov50d40, which has a 1/2.88" sensor size and 0.612 µm individual pixels and the Samsung s5kjns, which we assume is the JN1 with an 1/2.76" optical format and 0.64 µm individual pixels. Either way, the camera is 28mm wide, has phase detection autofocus and sits behind an f/1.8 lens.

Xiaomi Poco C65 review

The other camera on the back of the C65 is a 2MP dedicated macro snapper. It is based on the SmartSens sc202cs sensor with a 1/5" sensor size and 1.75 µm individual pixels. It sits behind an f/2.4 lens.

Finally, we have the 8MP selfie camera. It is based on the OmniVision ov8856 sensor with a 1/4" sensor size and 1.12 µm pixels. It sits behind an f/2.0 fixed focus lens.

Camera app

The camera app is a straightforward implementation, though it has its quirks. First, the basic operation for changing modes works with sideswipes (on the black bezel!), and you can also tap on the modes you can see to switch to those directly.

Up and down swipes don't work for switching between the front and rear cameras; only the toggle next to the shutter release does that.

There is no More tab for modes on the C65. All of the available modes fit inside the main rolodex.

Camera app UI - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Camera app UI - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Camera app UI - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Camera app UI - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Camera app UI

There is a pull-out menu from the top of the camera UI where you'll find additional options, including the Macro mode, which still hasn't been added to the main carousel with modes. Next to that, you have a flash mode switch, an HDR switch and a shortcut to Google Lens. Oddly enough - there is no Ai toggle like on other Xiaomi devices.

Camera app settings - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Camera app settings - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Camera app settings

Also absent from the Poco C65 is a Pro mode of any kind. Night mode is available on the main camera.

Daylight photo quality

The main camera on the Poco C65 captures in 12.5MP resolution by default. These photos look nice enough, especially for such a budget device. The frame has plenty of detail, and the colors are mostly natural and true to life.

Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera samples - f/1.8, ISO 107, 1/1534s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera samples - f/1.8, ISO 109, 1/1022s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera samples - f/1.8, ISO 106, 1/508s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
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Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera samples

There are, however, clearly visible amounts of sharpening applied liberally and quite a bit of noise, especially on uniform surfaces. Contrast is a bit of a problem, and so is dynamic range. But again, keep in mind that this is an extremely budget-friendly device.

You can force the main camera to capture in its full 50MP resolution. These photos don't really look too different compared to their 12.5MP counterparts. The amount of detail is about the same and so are the colors, contrast and dynamic range. That being said, there does seem to be less artificial sharpening applied to the frame in 50MP mode, resulting in slightly softer but much more natural-looking shots.

Poco C65: 50MP main camera samples - f/1.8, ISO 107, 1/1534s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 50MP main camera samples - f/1.8, ISO 109, 1/1357s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 50MP main camera samples - f/1.8, ISO 106, 1/508s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
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Poco C65: 50MP main camera samples

Here is how the main camera of the Poco C65 compares to the competition in our vast camera comparison database. Pixel-peep away.

Photo Compare Tool Photo Compare Tool
Poco C65 against the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G and the Xiaomi Poco M4 Pro 5G in our Photo compare tool

Photo Compare Tool Photo Compare Tool
50MP: Poco C65 against the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G and the Xiaomi Poco M4 Pro 5G in our Photo compare tool

The main camera also captures pretty decent portrait shots. Subject detection and separation are spot on almost every time. We also like the quality of the background blur effect. Skin tones look convincing and quite natural.

Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera samples - f/1.8, ISO 850, 1/50s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera samples - f/1.8, ISO 1031, 1/33s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera samples - f/1.8, ISO 110, 1/888s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera samples - f/1.8, ISO 109, 1/180s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera samples

Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera portrait samples - f/1.8, ISO 793, 1/50s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera portrait samples - f/1.8, ISO 1031, 1/33s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
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Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera portrait samples

Unfortunately, there isn't much skin texture in these portraits, even without any filters applied. Still, that's a relatively small gripe to have.

Non-human subjects work surprisingly well, too. The C65 has very little issue picking up these subjects and focusing on them properly, which is something much more expensive phones often struggle with.

Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera portrait samples - f/1.8, ISO 1298, 1/33s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera portrait samples - f/1.8, ISO 1395, 1/33s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera portrait samples - f/1.8, ISO 356, 1/50s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera portrait samples - f/1.8, ISO 533, 1/100s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera portrait samples

The Poco C65 lacks a dedicated ultrawide camera or a telephoto one. Two snappers are all that fits within its shoestring budget. Still, the main camera has plenty of resolution to pull off zoom shots. The camera app even features a 2x zoom toggle, indicating that Xiaomi is confident enough in the phone's zooming capabilities.

And indeed, these 2x zoom shots look pretty decent and quite similar to the 1x ones. Detail is plenty, and colors are nice.

Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera 2x zoom samples - f/1.8, ISO 107, 1/1534s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera 2x zoom samples - f/1.8, ISO 109, 1/1357s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera 2x zoom samples - f/1.8, ISO 106, 1/508s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera 2x zoom samples - f/1.8, ISO 107, 1/1174s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera 2x zoom samples - f/1.8, ISO 110, 1/951s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera 2x zoom samples - f/1.8, ISO 108, 1/826s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera 2x zoom samples

There is some liberal sharpening applied, bordering on oversharpening and contrast, and the dynamic range is far from perfect. Still, these are perfectly acceptable stills.

Finally, we have the 2MP macro shots from the dedicated macro cam. These also look surprisingly good for what they are. Even with their low resolution, there is plenty of detail in the frame. Colors also look nice and well-matched to the main camera, contrast is good, and the focal plane is pretty wide and forgiving.

Poco C65: 2MP macro camera samples - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 2MP macro camera samples - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 2MP macro camera samples - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Poco C65: 2MP macro camera samples - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 2MP macro camera samples - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 2MP macro camera samples - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Poco C65: 2MP macro camera samples

The selfie camera on the Poco C65 captures excellent 8MP shots. Detail is great, and skin texture comes through nicely. Skin tones and colors, in general, look nice and natural. Even contrast and dynamic range are both good.

Poco C65: 8MP selfie camera samples - f/2.0, ISO 55, 1/314s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 8MP selfie camera samples - f/2.0, ISO 55, 1/364s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 8MP selfie camera samples - f/2.0, ISO 55, 1/510s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Poco C65: 8MP selfie camera samples - f/2.0, ISO 55, 1/1656s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 8MP selfie camera samples - f/2.0, ISO 55, 1/587s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 8MP selfie camera samples - f/2.0, ISO 56, 1/2841s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Poco C65: 8MP selfie camera samples

The only real gripe we managed to find with these photos is, once again, the liberal sharpening. Nothing too dramatic, though, and overall, these are some great selfies. Color us surprised.

Selfie portraits look equally great with excellent subject detection, separation, and convincing background bokeh effect.

Poco C65: 8MP selfie camera portrait samples - f/2.0, ISO 55, 1/256s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 8MP selfie camera portrait samples - f/2.0, ISO 55, 1/364s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 8MP selfie camera portrait samples - f/2.0, ISO 55, 1/510s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Poco C65: 8MP selfie camera portrait samples - f/2.0, ISO 56, 1/1585s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 8MP selfie camera portrait samples - f/2.0, ISO 55, 1/510s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 8MP selfie camera portrait samples - f/2.0, ISO 56, 1/2257s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Poco C65: 8MP selfie camera portrait samples

Video capture quality

As we already said, the MediaTek Helio G85 is not a particularly impressive chipset in any way. This goes for its video capture capabilities, too. As expected, video capture on the Poco C65 is limited to 1080p resolution. This is, however, the norm at its budget price point, so we can't complain too much.

Xiaomi Poco C65 review

By default, the phone saves videos in a standard AVC (h.264) video stream at around 20Mpbs with AAC audio inside an MP4 container. Unfortunately, the C65 only captures mono audio for its videos. On a more positive note, despite its budget nature, the Poco C65 still offers optional HEVC (h.265) video encoding. There is also an interesting option in settings to automatically lower the frame rate of videos in low-light and high-temperature environments. That's a pretty exotic option that you don't see too often.

The main camera on the Poco C65 captures decent, if largely unimpressive, 1080p videos. The level of detail is okay, given the resolution, colors are nice and mostly natural, too.

Dynamic range is a bit narrow for our taste. Contrast is cranked a bit high, which results in an overprocessed look. Overall, once again, we can't complain, considering the phone's price point.

Here is how the C65 compares to other devices in our video compare database.

Video Compare Tool Video Compare Tool
Poco C65 against the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G and the Xiaomi Poco M4 Pro 5G in our Video compare tool

The C65 offers a quick toggle to capture 2x zoom videos. These look largely identical to the 1x ones, which is impressive in its own right. Again, we can't realistically ask for much better from such a budget device.

The Poco C65 doesn't seem to offer any form of EIS or other stabilization for its video. At least we didn't manage to find any such options. Here is a sample of video from the main camera in motion. It is quite shaky, as expected.

The selfie camera on the C65 is also limited to 1080p video capture. And, expectedly, just like the main camera, it also captures only mono audio, which is a bit of a bummer. Quality-wise, we can't complain, though. Detail is good, and so are colors.

Contrast is cranked a bit too high, and dynamic range could be better, but these are relatively small gripes.

Low-light camera quality

The main camera on the Poco C65 tends to struggle quite noticeably in low-light conditions. Photos come out looking quite soft and noisy with blown-out highlights and light sources.

Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera low-light samples - f/1.8, ISO 13193, 1/14s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera low-light samples - f/1.8, ISO 7043, 1/14s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera low-light samples - f/1.8, ISO 4750, 1/20s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera low-light samples - f/1.8, ISO 6237, 1/17s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera low-light samples

There is, thankfully, a dedicated Night mode, which is a bit slow to capture and process, as expected, but does introduce a noticeable all-around improvement to low-light quality.

Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera Night mode samples - f/1.8, ISO 7093, 1/8s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera Night mode samples - f/1.8, ISO 6350, 1/14s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera Night mode samples - f/1.8, ISO 3953, 1/17s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera Night mode samples - f/1.8, ISO 4804, 1/17s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera Night mode samples

The Night mode greatly reduces noise. Sharpness is improved along with the detail. Darker areas are handled much better. However, the biggest improvement must be to highlights and light sources. Night mode is the difference between a blown-out mess and actually usable shots.

2x zoom shots from the main camera at night expectedly look softer and noisier still than their 1x counterparts.

Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera 2x low-light samples - f/1.8, ISO 13193, 1/14s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera 2x low-light samples - f/1.8, ISO 5480, 1/20s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera 2x low-light samples - f/1.8, ISO 4750, 1/20s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera 2x low-light samples - f/1.8, ISO 6237, 1/17s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera 2x low-light samples

You can improve their overall quality quite noticeably through the use of Night mode, though, which does feature a 2x zoom toggle.

Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera 2x Night mode samples - f/1.8, ISO 7093, 1/8s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera 2x Night mode samples - f/1.8, ISO 5226, 1/17s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera 2x Night mode samples - f/1.8, ISO 3953, 1/17s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera 2x Night mode samples - f/1.8, ISO 4804, 1/17s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Poco C65: 12.5MP main camera 2x Night mode samples

Low-light selfies are nothing to phone home about. These are very soft and noisy. Most skin texture and finer facial features are totally lost. At least skin tones look quite realistic.

Poco C65: 8MP selfie camera low-light samples - f/2.0, ISO 2385, 1/20s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 8MP selfie camera low-light samples - f/2.0, ISO 2773, 1/20s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Poco C65: 8MP selfie camera low-light samples - f/2.0, ISO 2567, 1/14s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review Poco C65: 8MP selfie camera low-light samples - f/2.0, ISO 3650, 1/14s - Xiaomi Poco C65 review
Poco C65: 8MP selfie camera low-light samples

Unfortunately, Night mode is not available for the selfie camera on the Poco C65.

Low-light video from the main camera is usable but mostly unimpressive. The amount of captured detail actually isn't bad for a 1080p video.

These videos are noisy and aggressively sharpened with saturation cranked way too high. The Poco C65 also struggles with light sources quite badly.

Expectedly things only get worse with 2x low-light videos. These are almost unusable due to their softness and noisiness.

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.

Xiaomi Poco C65 review

Let's look at the rest of Xiaomi's lineup first. We already mentioned that the Redmi 13C is almost identical twin to the Poco C65. The Redmi 13C just has an extra depth sensor on the back, which won't do much in practice. 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.

Xiaomi Redmi 12 Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Samsung Galaxy A14 5G Tecno Spark 10 Pro
Xiaomi Redmi 12 • Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 • Samsung Galaxy A14 5G • Tecno Spark 10 Pro

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, just like the Redmi 13. However, it also comes with an ultrawide camera, which the 13 lacks, and it has an arguably better Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 chipset.

Xiaomi Poco C65 review

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.

Xiaomi Poco C65 review

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.

Xiaomi Poco C65 review

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.

Xiaomi Poco C65 review

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

  • Slick classical design with solid build quality and great weight distribution.
  • Decently-bright 90Hz display with good high refresh rate handling.
  • Good battery life.
  • MIUI 14 is very feature-rich.
  • Good daylight camera performance all-around.
  • Expandable storage with dedicated microSD slot; a 3.5mm audio jack.
  • Charger included in the retail box.

Cons

  • Virtual proximity sensor.
  • Unimpressive sounding bottom-firing speaker.
  • The Helio G85 offers poor overall performance with stutters and slowdowns in the UI and limits video capture to 1080p.
  • No video stabilization.
  • Low-light camera performance is only average.

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