POCO Pods Review: More bang for the buck

POCO Pods Review: The newly launched True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earpods by Poco, called the Poco Pods, are real value for money at this price point. These pods marked the entry of Poco in the TWS segment.

Launched at Rs 1,199, these pods deliver everything they promise on the package, but there is still some room for improvement. After using these pods for almost a week, I realised that Poco has indeed made a statement by introducing such a product in the TWS segment at such an affordable price.

But, on the flip side, do other pods offer more at the same price point? Let's find out in the detailed review —

Poco Pods: Built and Design

Coming out of the box, the case has a matte finish and feels sturdy to hold. The entire case is built quite well — the lid snaps open and has a solid hinge. Along the sides, there is a glossy strip that runs around the entire case, with the 'POCO' logo featuring prominently in front. At the bottom, there is a USB-C charging port.

At just 41 grams, the device is featherlight and the yellow interior of the case accentuates the whole look. The pods are lightweight as well, with yellow silicon tips on the in-ear design, which again gives us the Poco yellow vibe.

The buds and stem are designed well and they fit comfortably in the ears. It has a snug fit even when you headbang to some heavy rock music, and they don't fall off even during some light jogging. It is an ideal partner while working out, and with IPX4 sweat and splashproof rating, you don't have to worry about any mild splashes and sweat during heavy workouts.

Poco Pods: Bluetooth v5.3 and Google Fast Pair

With Google Fast Pairing on board, it's quite easy to pair the device with your Android phone. Just switch on the Bluetooth on your phone, take out the pods from the case, and you will receive the pairing notification on your phone. iPhone users have to follow the standard pairing process. With the latest Bluetooth v5.3 on the device, there was good, stable connectivity.

However, I did face some issues with the music pausing in between tracks for a second or two, and then resuming soon after. Although this happened only a few times, but I have to admit that it was quite annoying. 

Poco Pods: Sound and ENC

When you use such a device, the first thing you need to know is how it sounds. The pods are loud for their size, however, some vocal-heavy or instrumental songs that I heard on Spotify were just not loud enough. So, some users may be disappointed with this aspect.

However, the sound was quite clear, and you can listen to all the musical notes quite well. The stereo feature in these pods also provides a more natural sound, and it feels good to the ear.

I listened to 'Madari' from Coke Studio, and the sound was quite clear. I could distinguish the different instruments, but yes, it could have been a little louder.

Now coming to the bass. Although based on a small form factor, it delivered adequate bass with its 12mm Xtra Bass Drivers. The noise cancellation feature enabled by its ENC, or Environmental Noise Cancellation, works well, and you don't hear any background noise while the pods are on. 

Poco Pods: Battery and Charging

Once fully charged, I used it for a week - for almost two hours every day - and it still had 40-50 per cent juice remaining. Poco claims a 30-hour-runtime, and with a single charge, I believe it will easily achieve that mark. 

It comes with a 440mAh battery in the case and a 34mAh battery in the pod, and this helps get a long run time. And, with the C-type fast charging port on board, you can easily get a runtime of a few hours even after charging it for only a few minutes . 

Poco Pods: Microphone/call quality

The call quality of the earbuds was decent, and the person on the other side of the call could hear me clearly. However, some noise did filter in, but not enough to cause any concern.  

Poco Pods: Touch controls

According to the user manual, with two taps on either side of the pods, one can play or pause music and answer calls, and by tapping it three times, you can skip to the next track and reject or end a call. When I connected it for the first time, the touch wasn't that responsive. However, after a few hours of use, it was working without any issues.

Poco Pods: Final Verdict

At this price point and with all such features, this deal is a bargain. That is, if issues like the sound not being too loud and the touch controls being a little less responsive aren't major dealbreakers for you. With such a good build and design, and also decent sound quality at this price point, one can always go for POCO Pods as their new gear.
 

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