Poco Pods review, first impressions: Best budget wireless earbuds? Price, specs, know pros and cons

These are the Poco Pods, the brand’s first audio product to launch in India. Priced at just ₹1,199, are these earbuds appealing enough to entice first time buyers?

Poco Pods Design

These buds are housed within a sleek oval case, featuring the signature Poco branding in vibrant yellow on the front, and a glossy band circumferencing the case. Opening the case reveals a pop of yellow on the inside.

Both the buds and the case are constructed from polycarbonate and feature a matt finish, which ensures that smudges don't spoil their appearance. However, this finish is surely prone to scratches.

The buds themselves feature a familiar stem design and come with yellow eartips which add a touch of flair to the overall look.

Each earbud weighs in at just 3.6 grams, and sports a tiny LED on the upper half. Wearing these buds for extended periods proved to be a comfortable experience with no discomfort. The in-ear design works well, and even after hours of use, I felt no discomfort.

An IPX4 rating also ensures that these pods can handle a splash or two.

However, if you are an eagle-eyed tech enthusiast, by now you already know that the Poco Pods look strikingly similar to the Redmi Buds 4 Active, because these both are essentially the same.

Poco Pods Connectivity and Controls

Moving on to connectivity and controls, the Poco Pods boast Bluetooth 5.3 support with an SBC audio codec. Pairing these pods with your Bluetooth devices is a breeze thanks to Google Fast Pair.

You can download the companion Xiaomi Earbuds app on your smartphone, but this app is devoid of any features. All you can do from here is enable and disable the Low Latency gaming mode. This mode worked fine in my experience.

The Poco Pods come with tap-based touch controls with average accuracy. These modes are not customisable at all.

Poco Pods Audio and Call Quality

When it comes to audio quality, the Poco Pods are equipped with a 12mm driver tailored for a heavy bass audio output. It is quite clear that these TWS earbuds cater to bass enthusiasts.

However, it is important to keep the budget price of these earbuds in mind. While the bass is good, it can feel hollow at times. The mids and highs can sound muddy at times, but this sound stage is about standard on most budget friendly earbuds.

The lack of an equaliser means that the audio output is not customisable at all. So, hip-hop and EDM fans will definitely be happy with the Poco Pods, others, not so much.

The Poco Pods feature Environmental Noise Cancellation, which effectively reduces background noise to an extent, making it feasible to attend calls in noisy or windy environments.

Poco Pods Battery Life

With a 440mAh battery in the case and a 34mAh battery in each bud, these pods promise up to 30 hours of combined playback time with the case and 5-6 hours of standalone playback time. In my usage, the battery lasted a solid 4 days combined with the case.

By the way, there is no bundled type-C cable here, so you’ll have to use your smartphone’s charger to charge them.

Poco Pods Verdict

Considering that the Poco Pods are Poco's debut TWS offering in India, they could have done more than just rebranding the Redmi Buds 4 Active.

However, the Poco Pods are still much better than hundreds of earbuds from those so-called Indian brands which resell low-quality Chinese earbuds in the market.

The Poco Pods are well built, feature bassy audio, and get a long battery life. You cannot ask for much more at just ₹1,199.

Also watch: Oppo Enco Air 3 Pro Review: Is it Value for Money? Know Pros and Cons, Price, Specs