Xiaomi Poco C40: Super budget but super slow

Xiaomi phones are cheap and give you a lot of bang for your buck most of the time. But what happens when there is simply no more wiggle room because the product has to hit an extremely low price point? Such is the case with the Poco C40, a phone that costs considerably less than 200 Euro (US$200).  

The Chinese manufacturer still managed to put a large 6,000 mAh battery into the budget phone, give the product a pretty stylish body with a leatherette finish and even offer it in bold colours such as Coral Green and Poco Yellow. The chassis even has IP certfication, although it only protects the phone from dust and water splashes – so don't go diving with the Poco C40.  

On the other hand, the SoC is made by the relatively unknown company JLQ, which, upon a closer look, turns out to be a joint venture between Qualcomm and a few Chinese companies. Despite the great expertise behind JLQ, the budget processor is only enough to offer choppy system performance with very little reserves, which certainly also has something to do with the tiny amount of RAM and the sluggish storage in the Poco C40.

The display and camera are likewise less than stellar. On the contrary, the camera produces pretty dull photos and its autofocus is unreliable. Well, at least the screen is fairly bright.  

We also found that the phone's location tracking doesn't work properly sometimes, particular in difficult situations such as a sudden change in direction. 

Overall, the Poco C40 definitely has some good things going for it. For people who love phones with long battery life, there is hardly a better alternative right now in the entry-level segment. But then you'll have to put up with the phone's many downsides, especially when looking at the other phones made by Poco.

If you are looking for a second phone with very long battery life and only want to use it for basic tasks, then we recommend that you read our in-depth review of the Poco C40 (includes many detailed results, benchmarks and comparison tables) to find out whether the phone is for you.