The POCO C85 5G is a budget-friendly smartphone that combines powerful performance, modern design, and long-lasting battery life. Designed to deliver smooth multitasking and immersive visuals, it comes with a large 6.9-inch 120Hz display, a massive 6000 mAh battery, and a capable MediaTek processor. POCO has packed this phone with practical features like fast charging, AI-powered cameras, and HyperOS 2 based on Android 15. Whether you’re a casual gamer, a social media enthusiast, or someone who needs all-day reliability, the POCO C85 5G offers a strong balance of performance and affordability, making it one of the best value smartphones of 2025.
Design and Build
The POCO C85 has a slim profile that’s just 7.99mm thick and weighs around 205 grams. The back uses a quad-curved back cover, which is designed for comfort and grip, and the rear camera island is designed to look modern. The black, purple, and green color options have design cues inspired by the aurora and natural light reflections. For practical durability, the device has an IP64 rating for dust and splash protection, which is a rare feature in this price range.
Display
The display features a large 6.9-inch “dot drop” display with a resolution of 1600 × 720 pixels. While not Full HD, the display is designed to maximize screen size and keep costs down. More impressively, it supports an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz and a touch sampling rate of up to 240Hz – which results in noticeably smoother scrolling and responsiveness.
The brightness specs are solid for the price: 660 nits typical and 810 nits peak in HBM (High Brightness Mode). For eye comfort, the screen has TÜV Rheinland certifications for low blue light, flicker-free, and circadian-friendly, as well as DC dimming support. Overall, this means the POCO C85 offers a wider viewing area and smoother visual experience than many competitors in its class.
Performance and Software
The POCO C85 5G is powered by the MediaTek Helio G81 Ultra chipset – a 12nm octa-core processor (~2.0 GHz max clock) tuned for balanced efficiency and everyday performance. Paired with LPDDR4X RAM, this model comes in two main configurations: 6 GB + 128 GB or 8 GB + 256 GB. Additionally, the model supports RAM expansion (memory expansion) up to 16 GB in some variants. The storage system can be further expanded up to 1 TB via microSD in supported markets.
The device runs Android 15 with a new layer of MIUI, HyperOS 2, which brings features such as interconnectivity and a modern, clean interface to Xiaomi/POCO devices. It provides a capable everyday experience: social apps, streaming, browsing, and light gaming.
Camera System
On the rear, the POCO C85 5G uses a 50 MP main sensor with an f/1.8 aperture and a secondary auxiliary lens. The camera supports AI enhancements, HDR, night mode, portrait, and time-lapse. While it is not comparable to flagship multi-camera systems, it is more than enough for everyday photography and social media use.
There’s an 8 MP f/2.0 selfie camera on the front, which shoots 1080p video at 30fps. Video recording on the rear is limited to 1080p at 30fps, which is acceptable in this segment. Overall, the camera setup offers good value for the price, with decent flexibility for casual photography.
Battery and Charging
The POCO C85 5G packs a 6,000 mAh (typical) battery, aside from the price and screen size. POCO claims up to 82 hours of music playback in lab conditions. Despite the large battery, the phone maintains a slim 7.99 mm body.
Charging is supported at 33W fast wired charging, with the official specification stating that it takes around 31 minutes to reach 50% in lab conditions. An interesting addition is 10W reverse wired charging. Battery Health 3.0 technology promises long battery life.
Connectivity and Other Features
The POCO C85 5G has a dual-SIM slot along with a dedicated microSD slot for storage expansion. Connectivity options include WiFi (2.4GHz/5GHz), Bluetooth 5.4, NFC (depending on region), 3.5 mm audio jack, FM radio, and a USB-C port. The fingerprint sensor is side-mounted (for quick access) and AI face-unlock is supported.
POCO C85 5G Price
The expected price of the 6 GB + 128 GB variant of the POCO C85 5G in India is ₹8,999.
However, the phone has not been officially launched in India at that price, and other global sources suggest a starting price of around US $109 (~₹9,500).
