A 5G version was announced last year, now comes the Poco M4 Pro (4G). It uses a different chipset, of course, but there are other changes as well – including the first AMOLED display in the M-series. The 4G model has a 6.43” AMOLED panel, replacing the 6.6” IPS LCD. It still offers 1,080 x 2,400 px resolution (20:9) and a 90 Hz refresh rate (plus 180 Hz touch sampling), along with the classic Gorilla Glass 3. This display is brighter with 700 nits typical brightness (vs. 450 nits) and 1,000 nits peak.
We mentioned the chipset – it’s a Helio
G96, replacing the Dimensity 810 5G. The octa-core CPU features the same big
cores – a pair of Cortex-A76 – though running at 2.05 GHz (vs. 2.4 GHz). The
GPU is still a Mali G57 MC2. Note that the G96 is fabbed on an older 12 nm node
(vs. 6 nm), so it won’t be as efficient, even if it offers nearly the same
performance. The M4 Pro (4G) skips the base 4/64 GB memory configuration and
offers 6/128 GB as base and 8/256 GB as upgrade. This is LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 2.2
storage, plus you can add a microSD slot for more. Virtual RAM is available
here too as the phone runs MIUI 13, adding 3 GB to the 8/256 GB configuration.
The camera changed as well, the main
camera did, anyway. The 50 MP sensor gives way to a 64 MP sensor (0.7 µm
pixels, 1.4 µm with binning, f/1.8). This is the highest resolution sensor on a
Poco M phone yet, but the company is mum on its size. The 8 MP ultra wide
camera (118°) is the same and there’s a new addition, a 2 MP macro cam. The
front-facing camera has a 16 MP sensor. The battery stays at 5,000 mAh capacity
and thanks to the bundled 33W charger, it can go from zero to 100% in 1 hour or
so and last 2 days of typical usage before it needs to be charged again.
Like its predecessor, the M4 Pro offers a
3.5 mm headphone jack (with a Hi-Res Audio certification), dual speakers, a
Z-axis linear motor, an IR blaster and NFC. The fingerprint reader remains on
the side, despite the switch to AMOLED. The phone is overall thinner and
lighter, measuring 8.09 mm (down from 8.8 mm) and 179.5g (down from 195g). It
still has splash protection with an IP53 rating. The phone will be available in
Power Black, Cool Blue and (of course) Poco Yellow.
The Poco M4 Pro starts at € 220 for the
6/128 GB model. However, there is a € 20 early bird discount, plus another
another € 20 for March 2. The 8/256 GB model starts at € 270. The Poco X4 Pro 5G
is related to the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G with nearly identical specs, the Poco M4
Pro takes after the Redmi Note 11 instead (though with a different camera). The
M4 Pro 5G itself was not a unique devices, it was based on the Redmi Note 11T
5G.
