After launching in India in April, the POCO M4 5G has finally made its global debut bearing most of the same specs as the Indian variant. Visually, the international model remains untouched, which is a good thing since the POCO M4 5G is one of the better-looking budget phones to launch in 2022.

(Update, September 29: Here are the pricing and availability details of the POCO M4 5G for the Philippine market!)

The POCO M4 5G will start at €219 (about $222 or P12,480 converted) across European markets for the 4GB/64GB storage variant, while the 6GB/128GB spec is priced at €249 ($253 or P14,190). It will be offered in three colors — Power Black, Cool Blue, and, our favorite, POCO Yellow. Take note that the higher-specced POCO M4 Pro 5G helmed by a Dimensity 810 5G chip has a suggested retail price of P11,990 ($214) in the Philippines, so expect local prices to be much cheaper than the ones listed in Europe. That is, if the model arrives in the country.

Online event launching the POCO M4 5G, in case you missed it

In terms of the camera hardware, though, the global edition downgrades its primary sensor to 13 megapixels, instead of the 50-megapixel unit found on the back of the Indian M4 5G, while its selfie cam that sits in a waterdrop notch now pairs a 5-megapixel sensor with an f/2.2 aperture lens. The non-global version features an 8-megapixel camera up front for selfies. You still get a 2-megapixel auxiliary shooter for portrait shots on the rear of the POCO M4 5G.

That said, the most notable downgrade is on the rear-facing side, but if you don’t care much about the cameras on your smartphone, or if you are only eyeing this POCO as a 5G-capable backup to your daily driver, then the changes shouldn’t really bother you.

This Xiaomi subsidiary’s international release still uses a 7nm MediaTek Dimensity 700 5G chipset accompanied by Mali-G57 graphics, up to 6GB LPDDR4X RAM, and 64GB or 128GB of expandable storage. It boasts a 6.58-inch FHD+ LCD display with a 90Hz refresh rate as well as 240Hz touch sampling for smoother visuals and better responsiveness. The screen is also protected by Corning Gorilla Glass, bringing in increased scratch and drop resistance.

The 5,000mAh battery, on the other hand, is said to offer up to 22 hours of video playback or 189 hours of music and supports 18-watt USB-C fast charging.

POCO M4 5G specs

• 6.58-inch FHD+ LCD display, 90Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling, Corning Gorilla Glass
• 7nm MediaTek Dimensity 700 processor with 5G
• Mali-G57 MC2 GPU
• 4GB/6GB LPDDR4X RAM
• 64GB/128GB UFS 2.2 storage
• Dual 13-megapixel main and 2-megapixel portrait rear cameras
• 5-megapixel front camera
• Side fingerprint reader
• 5,000mAh battery with 18-watt USB-C fast charging
• MIUI 13 based on Android 12
• Colors: POCO Yellow, Power Black, Cool Blue

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