Under a new brand called “Poco”, Xiaomi launches phones that compete with the flagship smartphones at mid-range prices. Xiaomi hopes to disrupt the market with Poco phones in the same way their budget Redmi phones once did.
What you need to know?
Crafted for the mid-range mobile user, this phone was launched to battle with the latest Vivo and Oppo smartphones in the market. The best part of any Xiaomi phone is its battery and performance but does this smartphone has any other USP? Let us dive in to find out.
What is good?
Hardware Support: 5/5
Leave alone the best MediaTek chipset Helio P 60, Xiaomi decided to go for the best Qualcomm chipset Snapdragon 845, making Poco F1 the cheapest smartphone with such a powerful processor. Priced between Rs. 20,999 – Rs. 29,999, the hardware alone justifies the cost of the device.
Gaming Experience: 5.5/5 (extra marks for being PUBG certified)
Large RAM + Processing speed of the device = Clutter-breaking gaming experience. There is no denying that the phone is simply powerful with no graphics lags. PUBG Mobile can be run at the highest available settings with no noticeable issues.
Battery Life: 4.8/5
4000mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 support. An absolute Oppo killer where the quick change support is sometimes missing. The phone is a perfect buy for the multi-taskers and hustlers.
Camera Quality: 4.5/5
A 12-megapixel lens with Sony IMX363 sensor and a 5-megapixel secondary lens is what the phone has to offer. The picture quality is better than the flagship Oppo, Vivo phones where the pictures are infused with beauty filters, justifying the price of the device and the choice of the processor. Moreover, the device boasts a 20-megapixel selfie camera to get those beauty snaps just right.
What is not that good?
Looks: 2.5/5
Did you just say a polycarbonate body? Yes! The phone fails to impress the target audience from the outside. Xiaomi understands it well that metal bodies are a big no no but using a pale looking plastic body is also not a good option.
Display: 3/5
The 6.18-inch Full HD+ display with a screen resolution of 2246 x 1080 pixels is a check-mate when it comes to technical specifications. But the yellowish light emitted from the 500nits brightness screen is a turn-off. However, this is a very common problem with Xiaomi devices and was sort of expected. Some of the users have also reported light bleeding from the screen.
Low Light Photography: 2/5
The overall experience with the camera is good but when it comes to low light photography, the images look grainy and blurry which makes the imaging power of the smart device a little less appealing. Also, the famous ‘portrait mode’
seems a bit off when it comes to blending the edges and capturing the focused part. I believe some of these issues could be improved with the right software updates.
VERDICT:
On the face of it, the phone has some astounding features and specifications. Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, 4000 mAh battery coupled with a decent camera makes the phone seem like a good buy but at the backdrop, there is not-so-suitable a camera, yellow light emitting display and an average looking outside. So, the Poco F1 is a great package if the buyer can ignore some of the downfalls.