The entry of smartphone brands into accessories is nothing new, with many such as Xiaomi, Oppo, OnePlus, Samsung, and Apple already having established product lines in the true wireless audio space. The latest company to try is Poco, which operates in India as a sub-brand of Xiaomi and has been a noteworthy player in the mid-range smartphone market. The company’s first audio product is definitely entry-level.
priced at rupee. 1,199 In India, Poco Pods true wireless earphones are not too complicated and feature-rich, but the price is not very high. This headset is pretty basic, but maybe that’s what some people might need. Find out if Poco Pods are really worth the money, and if they’re the best affordable true wireless earbuds you can buy right now.
Poco Pods have a good ear canal fit, good sound isolation, and a good-sized charging case
Poco Pods design, features and specifications
The look and feel of the Poco Pods earphones is pretty generic (it looks a lot like the Redmi Buds 4 Active), but that’s not a bad thing. The earphones are lightweight and reasonably durable, with proper ear canal fit and stem design. The earphones are available in a single color of black and yellow — Poco’s signature color scheme. And if that wasn’t enough, the big Poco logo on the front of the all-black charging case is enough to say it all.
The earphones have touch-sensitive areas for controls, but the lack of app support on Poco Pods means the controls are fixed and not customizable. A double-tap gesture lets you answer a call or play and pause music, while triple-tapping on either side cancels a call or skips to the next track. You can’t skip to the previous track from the headphones; you need a paired smartphone to do this.
A long press on both earbuds at the same time will activate or deactivate Low Latency Mode. There are a few other gestures to put the earphones into forced pairing mode or factory reset Poco Pods, but you can simply disconnect all other connected and paired devices to put the earphones into pairing mode. Overall, system functionality is fairly simple and uncomplicated, as you’d expect from true wireless earbuds that don’t support apps.
There’s a small indicator light on the bottom of the charging case, next to the USB Type-C charging port. The fit of the earphones is decent, and the Poco Pods also feature ambient noise cancellation, which promises better call performance. The sales package contains three pairs of silicone earplugs of different sizes, but the charging cable is not included in the box.
As mentioned earlier, there’s no app support on the Poco Pods, but I wouldn’t say that’s a downside for headphones in this price range. Fortunately, you do get the basics like USB Type-C charging, plus the benefit of features like ambient noise cancellation and low 60ms latency for gaming.
Poco Pods are currently only available in a single color; black and yellow
The Poco Pods earphones feature 12mm dynamic drivers and use Bluetooth 5.3 for connectivity, which only supports the SBC Bluetooth codec — a disappointing spec even at this price. Helpfully, either earbud can be used on its own if you prefer, while the other is safely stored in the charging case, without compromising a stable connection while the earbuds are running.
Poco Pods performance and battery life
When it comes to affordable true wireless earbuds, I tend to keep my expectations low; you’re almost entirely paying for the form factor, and saving you paying for the “fluff,” so to speak. The Poco Pods largely offer a straightforward true wireless experience, but even considering the affordability, the sound quality may not be as good as expected.
Detailed tweaks can be overwhelming, but the key to Poco Pods’ shortcomings can be blamed on the limitations of their codecs. The SBC codec doesn’t provide enough bandwidth for headphones, which can be seen in the sound quality. It sounds unrefined at times, though not to the point of being unpleasant even at top volumes. For the price, it’s a solid listen, and it’s useful if you just need headphones to help you adjust to your surroundings.
Poco Pods are lightweight, comfortable earphones with non-customizable touch controls
Starting with David Guetta’s Stay (Don’t Go Away), the sound initially sounded fine when the track itself wasn’t pushed too hard, but as the attack ramped up, the Poco Pods started to sound a bit muffled. I wouldn’t say it’s muddy or harsh, and the sound might even appeal to those who like to hear more bass frequencies.
There’s no denying that certain genres and types of tracks are better suited to this tuning and sound, and many of Croatia Squad’s distinctly beat-driven tracks sound quite pleasing on the Poco Pods. Croatia Squad’s gradual and fairly straightforward attack on Make Your Move is perhaps the best example of how to find a niche (or genre in this case) to get the most out of affordable wireless headphones. The lack of detail in tracks is noticeable, but with certain tracks and genres, for example, this is less of an issue.
Call quality is acceptable and adequate for indoor and outdoor use; microphone performance is fine in a quiet room, but performance suffers outdoors despite the ENC. Low Latency Mode doesn’t seem to have much of an impact on audio latency in basic mobile games.
The battery life of the Poco Pods is pretty good, with the earphones running for about 5 hours on a single charge and the charging case providing over 3 full additional charges, for a total runtime of about 22-23 hours per charge cycle, which is better than the claimed 30 Hours are shorter. This is somewhat expected given the lack of features and codec support, but users will obviously find this adequate for practical all-day listening.
judgment
The Poco Pods true wireless earbuds basically do what you’d expect from an earphone in this price range — and nothing more. The headphones are basic, but set up reasonably well for the kind of music most budget buyers are likely to want to listen to. Don’t expect too much detail, and it’s fine to use them for casual listening, especially when you’re out and about, thanks to the good passive noise isolation. Battery life is also good.
There’s a lot of competition in this price segment, but Poco’s first foray into true wireless audio is laudable. Perhaps the only real downside is the lack of support for the AAC Bluetooth codec, but all things considered, this is a headphone worth buying if you’re on a really tight budget.
Svlook
