POCO C81x

No, the POCO C81x is a 4G smartphone and does not support 5G networks. It works perfectly with all major Indian telecom operators providing 4G VoLTE, like Jio, Airtel, and Vi. If you specifically want future-proof 5G connectivity, you might need to look at slightly higher-priced alternatives.

You get a 5200 mAh battery that easily lasts well over a full day of heavy calling, texting, and social media browsing. When it comes to fueling up, it supports 15W fast charging via a Type-C port, which is decent for the price but will take a couple of hours to fully top up. An interesting bonus is its 7.5W reverse wired charging feature, allowing you to use the phone as a mini power bank to juice up your earbuds in a pinch.

You can play casual games comfortably, but it is not built for heavy gaming. The phone is powered by an Unisoc T7250 processor paired with 3GB of RAM, which handles everyday tasks smoothly but struggles with graphic-intensive games. For titles like BGMI, you will have to dial down the graphics settings to the lowest levels to avoid lag and heating issues.

Surprisingly for a budget phone, it comes with a smooth 120Hz adaptive refresh rate on its large 6.88-inch display. This means scrolling through your social media feeds or navigating the user interface feels incredibly fluid. However, keep in mind that the screen resolution is limited to HD+ (720x1640 pixels), so text and videos won't look as sharp as they would on a Full HD panel.

The phone comes with 64GB of built-in internal storage, which can fill up pretty fast with photos, videos, and heavy apps. The good news is that it features a dedicated microSD card slot, allowing you to expand the storage by up to 2TB. You won't have to sacrifice your secondary SIM card just to get more space for your media.

It sports a basic 13MP rear primary camera and an 8MP front camera for selfies. It takes acceptable, clear shots during bright daylight hours with decent color reproduction, making it fine for quick social media uploads. However, image quality drops significantly in low-light environments, where photos tend to lose sharpness and show noticeable grain.

It is not fully waterproof, but it does carry an IP52 rating for basic dust and splash resistance. This means it can safely survive accidental liquid spills, light rain, or sweaty workouts, but you should definitely avoid submerging it in water. It also features Wet Touch Technology, which helps the screen stay highly responsive even if your fingers are damp or oily.

The device ships with Android 15 out of the box layered with Xiaomi's custom HyperOS 2 skin. It also comes with a commitment for two major OS upgrades and four years of security updates, ensuring it stays relevant for a couple of years.