Gaming smartphone brand Poco has officially launched its latest budget-friendly offering — the Poco C85 5G. This entry-level smartphone is aimed at providing a balance of performance and affordability, making it an appealing choice for students and budget-conscious users.
The Poco C85 is equipped with a large 6.9-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1600 x 720 pixels and a peak brightness of 810 nits.
While the brightness may fall short compared to flagship models, the combination of a large screen and TÜV Rheinland-certified eye safety features makes this device excellent for video viewing and gaming.
Powered by a robust 6,000 mAh battery, the smartphone also supports 33W fast charging, ensuring extended usage for gaming and other tasks.
In terms of photography, it features a 50MP AI main camera and an 8MP front camera. However, users may notice the absence of advanced AI editing tools and stabilization capabilities for the cameras.
The MediaTek Helio G81-Ultra octa-core chipset provides enough processing power for a daily smartphone use, and light gaming.
For more intensive games however, the limitations of the Helio G81-Ultra, as well as the 12GB dynamic RAM, becomes very evident.
The Poco C85 is equipped with a MediaTek Helio G81-Ultra octa-core chipset, delivering adequate performance for daily activities and light gaming.
However, for more demanding applications, the limitations of the Helio G81-Ultra and 12GB dynamic RAM become apparent.
Benchmarks reveal a Geekbench 6 single-core score of 408, and a multi-core score of 1,364 for the CPU. It has a Geekbench 6 GPU score of 976, and a Geekbench AI quantized score of 307, illustrating its entry-level capabilities.
During testing, the C85 managed to run “Mobile Legends” smoothly on high graphic settings with minimal lag, achieving an impressive in-game performance test score of 98.
Nevertheless, the device struggled with more resource-intensive games like “Diablo Immortal,” which performed at a “medium” load rating even when set to low graphics, resulting in noticeable lag and overheating.
The smartphone operates on the Android 15-based Xiaomi HyperOS 2, but comes with some pre-installed bloatware that occupies nearly 30GB of storage — an issue in light of the C85’s limited memory capacity. This poses a challenge for users who rely on storage for apps and media.
The specifications of the Poco C85 include:
- Processor: MediaTek Helio G81-UltraOcta-core
- Dimension: 171.56mm x 79.47mm x 7.99mm
- Weight: 205g
- Display: 6.9″ Dot Drop Display
- Resolution: 1600 x 720
- Camera: 50MP main camera
- Selfie Camera: 8MP front camera
- Battery: 6,000mAh with 33W fast charging
- Operating System: Xiaomi HyperOS 2 (Android 15)
- IP Rating: IP64 dust and water resistance
- Memory, Storage, and Pricing Options
- 12GB Dynamic RAM (6GB+6GB) with 128GB (P5,499)
- 16GB Dynamic RAM (8GB+8GB) with 256GB (P6,499)
- Color Options: Black, Purple, Green
Verdict
The Poco C85 5G is a practical option if you’re looking for a big screen, massive battery, and decent performance for everyday use. However, if you’re into heavier gaming or need more storage without bloat, you might want to consider alternatives in the same price range.
Pros
- Large 6.9-inch screen, good for gaming and media
- Huge 6,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging
- Affordable pricing with two memory/storage options
- Runs light games smoothly (e.g., Mobile Legends)
- TÜV Rheinland eye safety certification
- IP64-rated dust and water resistance
Cons
- Weak performance in heavy gaming and demanding apps
- 720p resolution feels low for the screen size
- Noticeable lag and overheating under stress
- Cameras lack stabilization and advanced editing tools
- Nearly 30GB of pre-installed bloatware limits storage
- Brightness isn’t enough for outdoor use
