Xiaomi isn’t the best at coming up with product names. And the POCO M3 that I have with me is a prime example. Depending on the region, this phone has 4 different identities. It first debuted in China under the Redmi Note 9 4G branding which was repurposed as Redmi 9 Power for the Indian market. A couple of weeks later, Xiaomi decides to launch the same phone in Europe and few other Asian markets as Redmi 9T. Whew, that’s a lot! Anyway, leaving the naming scheme aside, how good is the POCO M3, and more importantly—was this a deserving successor to the M2? Let’s find out in this review of the POCO M3.

POCO M3 Specifications:

• Body: 6.39 x 3.04 x 0.38 inches, 198 gm
• Display: 6.53-inches “Dot Drop” IPS LCD, 395PPI, Corning Gorilla Glass 3, TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light certification, NTSC 70%
• Resolution: FHD+ (2340 x 1080 pixels), 19.5:9 aspect ratio
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 (11nm Mobile Platform)
• CPU: Octa-core (4×2.0 GHz Kryo 260 Gold & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 260 Silver)
• Memory: 4/6GB RAM, 64GB UFS 2.1/128GB UFS 2.2 storage (expandable)
• Software & UI: MIUI 12 for POCO on top of Android 10
• Rear Camera: Triple-camera;
  – 48MP, f/1.79 primary lens
  – 2MP, f/2.4 depth sensor
  – 2MP, f/2.4 macro sensor
  – LED flash
• Front Camera: 8MP, f/2.05 lens (notch)
• Audio: 3.5mm headphone jack, stereo speaker, Hi-Res audio
• Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Nano), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (Dual-band), Bluetooth 5.0, GPS / Glonass / Galileo / Beidou, USB Type-C, 4G LTE
• Sensors: Accelerometer, Ambient Light, Proximity, Vibration Motor, IR Blaster, Proximity
• Battery: 6000mAh with 18W charging (22.5W brick inside the box)
• Color options: POCO Yellow, Cool Blue, Power Black
• Price in Nepal: N/A (around 25,000)

The Gionee Max Pro features a 6.52-inch HD+ (720×1560 pixels) full-view Dewdrop display with 2.5D curved glass screen protection. It is powered by the octa-core Unisoc 9863A SoC, paired with 3GB of RAM. The phone features the dual rear camera setup that houses a 13-megapixel primary sensor and a 2-megapixel secondary sensor with ‘Bokeh Lens’. On the front is an 8-megapixel sensor housed inside the notch.

The Gionee Max Pro has 32GB of onboard storage that is expandable via a microSD card (up to 256GB). It features a dedicated microSD slot and supports reverse charging. It comes with a dedicated Google Assistant button and Faces Unlock. It runs on Android 10 and comes with a 6,000mAh battery.

Gionee Max Pro Full Specifications

General

Display

Hardware

Camera

Software

Connectivity

Sensors

The OnePlus “Moonshot” webpage doesn’t give away much. On a stark black background, it shows a photo of the Earth, with the message, “Something new is on the horizon. Stay tuned, March 8.” You can enter your email address and subscribe for notifications. Once you enter an email ID and subscribe, however, OnePlus doesn’t send any mail with information or teasers on the upcoming smartphone series – Gadgets 360 could verify independently. A fine-print disclaimer at the bottom of the page reads, “Subscribe to receive news, promotions, and recommendations about OnePlus products and services from OnePlus, its agencies and partners.”

Apart from these, there’s no mention of the upcoming OnePlus 9 series or OnePlus Watch that is expected to launch alongside later this month. So, it can be speculated that on March 8, the company will announce the launch date for the upcoming lineup of smartphones. On the other hand, previous leaks suggested that the OnePlus 9 series could launch on March 23, or mid-March at the earliest. Hence, it could also be assumed that the company could announce the actual launch date on March 8. The company has remained tight-lipped on its social media channels as well.