Poco has refreshed its entry-level phone lineup in India with two 4G models that try to sell ”cheap” without looking stingy: the Poco C81 and Poco C81x. Both lean on 120Hz displays, big batteries, and a mix of current and slightly older software versions, which is exactly the sort of spec-sheet juggling that defines the budget phone fight right now.
Poco C81 and C81x display and hardware
The two phones are close cousins, but not twins. The Poco C81 uses a 6.9-inch HD+ panel, while the C81x trims that to 6.88 inches; both still get a 120Hz refresh rate, TÜV Rheinland certification for reduced blue light and flicker, and Wet Touch Technology 2.0 for better responsiveness with damp fingers. That last feature is the kind of small practical touch budget buyers actually notice, unlike a lot of glossy marketing fluff.
Under the hood, both devices run on the Unisoc T7250 octa-core processor with LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 2.2 storage. The C81 comes with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, while the C81x drops to 3GB RAM and 64GB storage, though both support microSD expansion up to 2TB.
Poco C81 Android 16 and C81x Android 15
Software is where Poco quietly splits the pair. The Poco C81 ships with Android 16 and Xiaomi HyperOS 3, while the C81x arrives with Android 15-based HyperOS 2. In the budget segment, that difference matters more than it would on a flagship, because long software support is one of the few ways a low-cost phone can stay sensible after the honeymoon ends.
The rest of the feature set is aimed squarely at everyday use: dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, IP52 splash resistance, a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The headphone jack deserves a quiet clap; it keeps surviving long after some premium phones pretended it never existed.
Poco C81x battery, camera and India price
Poco also leans hard on battery life, but here the two models diverge again. The C81x carries a 5,200mAh battery, while the C81 gets a larger 6,300mAh pack; both support 15W fast charging and reverse charging. For cameras, each phone offers a 13-megapixel rear system and an 8-megapixel front camera, plus HDR, Night Mode, AI Sky, portrait effects, document scanning, and 1080p video recording at 30fps.
- Poco C81x: Rs 9,999 for 3GB+64GB
- Poco C81: Rs 10,999 for 4GB+64GB
- Sale starts: April 27 on Flipkart
- Colors: C81x in Crystal Black and Ice Blue; C81 in Sunset Gold, Elite Black, and Sky Blue
The pricing makes the strategy obvious: Poco is using the C81x to hit the lowest possible entry point, then nudging buyers toward the C81 if they want more RAM, a bigger battery, and the newer Android version. That kind of split is becoming a familiar move in budget phones, where brands are no longer trying to win with raw power alone but with enough battery, screen smoothness, and software polish to look less disposable.
The real question is whether buyers care more about Android 16 or the bigger battery, because Poco has conveniently made them choose. If the lineup sells well, expect more brands to copy this playbook: same processor, similar design, one model with the spec-sheet bragging rights, and one cheaper version that cuts just enough to shave the price under a psychological threshold.