So I had gotten myself a POCO phone to start writing more. The intention was truly meant for me to have a productivity beast on my hands, something I could write with anywhere on the go.
And now after the past three hours of messing around with it, I’ve come to the conclusion of the type of users that poco have targeted, and in that vein, the Xiaomi user group, and in that extended vein, the budget Android user.
To begin with, I’m using a C81 pro, and this is almost the lowest rung of cheap phones. Maybe it’s a step up from the lowest. It’s not a bad phone and I don’t have any issue with the technical abilities of the phone at all.
Actually the display is large, and it’s smooth, really sharp and has beautiful colors. Compares with my iPhone 13 mini or SE2020, it’s massive and an improvement in many ways.
The phone’s battery is nuts too, it’s supposed to last 31 hours from the full charge, and of course I’m going to try to make it last that long.
But as much as the hardware is a great thing, the software is truly my biggest pinpoint. It’s not whether the OS is familiar or not. It’s pretty standard and I can search for the functions I need to adjust, and sure I can learn a few new tricks. What gets to me are the ads.
There are ads appearing as I change my theme colors. There are pro level adjustments that seem basic, but comes at a premium unlock level. Why does this happen on my phone in a stock build? It feels incredulous and shouldn’t be part of a default experience.
Then there are the apps. The phone ships with games and social media. Do you want TikTok? Its in. Do you want Instagram? Also in. What about something mindless to play? Sure there’s mahjong and other tile games. Just say the word and the update continues.
So I think, I’m not the typical budget Android user. After all, I’ve just made the entire phone black and white, removed all the apps and games, and even removing Gemini too. The phone is silent, black and white, and all I have on my home screen are the writing apps I want to use.
I am just annoyed that it took me 3 hours to work out how to delete apps and have my own baseline apps in. I’m also annoyed about some of the time was spent navigating ads and paywalls. It was truly not a fun experience.
But maybe you want a cool ass phone that’s huge, that has great color, and all the social media apps are preloaded, then honestly, this C81 pro is a perfect phone for the price. I paid SGD135, and I’m complaining a lot but I honestly can’t complain. It’s a great phone, just not meant for me.
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