Billed because the true successor to the enduring Poco F1, the brand new Poco X3 Pro has some huge footwear to fill. Not everybody needs all the newest fancy options – some patrons with tight budgets like having selections in relation to telephones that prioritise the cameras, battery life, and even gaming efficiency. The Poco F1 was all about its high-end processor and made no apologies about lagging in different departments. With a brand new deal with the youth market, Poco has chosen a barely totally different strategy for the X3 Pro. Interestingly, guardian firm Xiaomi has additionally not too long ago launched the Mi 11X (Review) in India, which in different markets is known as the Poco F3 and is a more in-depth match to the F1 when it comes to value. Which of those telephones do you have to select? We’ve acquired the solutions.
Poco X3 Pro value in India
The Poco X3 Pro has been launched starting at Rs. 18,999 with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. If you need 8GB of RAM, there’s one other variant priced at Rs. 20,999, however storage stays unchanged. If you take into account your self an influence person and anticipate to make use of this cellphone closely for a number of years, you may discover the distinction between 6GB and 8GB of RAM. There are three color choices: Graphite Black, Steel Blue, and Golden Bronze.
In phrases of positioning, the Poco X3 prices lower than the Poco F1 (Review) did at launch time, though that mannequin obtained a number of value cuts and was usually discounted on sale. It will compete with the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max (Review), Realme X7 5G (Review), Moto G60 (Review), and a number of other different standard current fashions.
The Poco X3 Pro is 9.4mm thick and weighs 213g
Poco X3 Pro design
The Poco model is clearly focusing on youthful patrons who like flashy designs that can stand out wherever. We’ve seen daring colors, distinctive digicam module shapes, and attention-grabbing patterns on some not too long ago launched Poco telephones. Unsurprisingly, the X3 Pro seems to be lots just like the Poco X3 (Review), with the identical form of outsized digicam module within the centre of the rear which seems to be like a circle with the highest and backside flattened out.
Two-thirds of the rear panel has a frosted matte end, however there is a thick stripe proper down the centre which isn’t solely shiny and reflective, but in addition has a sample of diagonal traces that you will see at sure angles. This a part of the rear picks up fingerprints simply, they usually stand out much more as a result of the matte areas on both facet stay comparatively clear. There’s an enormous Poco emblem on this stripe as properly, but it surely’s outlined and never stable like on the X3, which makes it a bit much less in-your-face.
Not everybody will like how massive and heavy the Poco X3 Pro is. It weighs 213g and is 9.4mm thick, that are each above common for this phase. The physique is rated IP53 and Poco refers to this as “splash-proof”, and it is all the time welcome. The entrance is fabricated from Corning Gorilla Glass 6.
On the entrance, there is a 6.67-inch show with a digicam gap on the top-centre. There’s a notification LED hidden within the speaker grille proper on the high, however whereas this can be a standard function, it is not actually seen until you are this cellphone head-on.
Poco has gone with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor which is barely recessed. The quantity buttons are proper above it. On the left is the hybrid dual-SIM tray which suggests you may should sacrifice a second SIM if you wish to use a microSD card for extra storage, or vice versa. Xiaomi’s trademark IR emitter is on the highest, together with a gap for higher sound by the earpiece when used as a second speaker. On the underside, you may discover a 3.5mm audio socket, a USB Type-C port, and the first speaker.
The fingerprint sensor is embedded in the facility button on the precise
Poco X3 Pro specs
The most fascinating factor concerning the Poco X3 Pro is its Qualcomm Snpadragon 860 SoC. This is a comparatively unusual processor and we’re seeing it in motion for the primary time. Qualcomm not often presents a number of 800-series fashions in a yr, however now we’ve not solely the flagship Snapdragon 888, but in addition an 870 and 860 within the combine. It is a barely tweaked model of the Snapdragon 855 from a number of years in the past, however that is nonetheless fairly highly effective by immediately’s requirements. It echoes the Poco F1’s use of the Snapdragon 845 which was a bit dated however nonetheless very succesful for its time.
The Snapdragon 860 has eight CPU cores with one operating at 2.96GHz, three at 2.42GHz and 4 extra at 1.8GHz, and in addition options the Adreno 640 built-in GPU. It doesn’t have an built-in 5G modem, and whereas 5G is just not a sensible actuality in India but, Poco may appear to be a bit behind the curve since most different producers are pushing this as an enormous promoting level on the sub-Rs. 20,000 value degree.
You get a pretty big 6.67-inch full-HD+ LCD display. It does have a 120Hz most refresh fee and 240Hz most contact sampling fee, in addition to HDR10 assist. There’s a reasonably beneficiant 5,160mAh battery and 33W quick charging, with an identical charger included within the field. Poco has used UFS 128GB of three.1 storage and 6GB or 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM. In different international locations, the higher-end variant has 256GB of storage, however market segmentation was seemingly calculated in another way for India. Other specs embrace dual-band Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5, GPS, stereo audio system, and high-res audio certification.
Being an offshoot of Xiaomi, Poco’s telephones run MIUI. We’ve spoken about MIUI 12 intimately in our current evaluations of the Redmi Note 10 and Mi 11X, plus all their siblings. The UI is filled with options akin to a Game Turbo for optimisations and shortcuts, a Video Toolbox overlay, and a Second Space for privateness. You can customise the notifications shade to behave like iOS with break up sections for fast toggles and notifications, and you too can swap between on-screen buttons and gestures for navigation. There are a number of preloaded apps together with the GetApps retailer and Themes browser which do generate loads of spammy notifications, and also you additionally should disable the Glance lockscreen carousel in case you do not need to see promoted content material.
The hybrid dual-SIM tray means you may have to decide on between a second Nano-SIM and a microSD card
Poco X3 Pro efficiency
You ought to now anticipate completely clean efficiency in informal on a regular basis use once you’re paying round Rs. 20,000 for a smartphone, and that is what the Poco X3 Pro delivers. The {hardware} is greater than sufficient to run all of your social media and communication apps, plus informal video games and productiveness instruments. I did not really feel any slowdowns when switching between a number of heavy apps.
Benchmark exams present how good the Snapdragon 860 SoC is. AnTuTu 9 reported a rating of 5,43,796 which is exceptional for a cellphone at this value degree. In distinction, the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max managed 2,71,830 and the Realme X7 5G scored 3,35,698 (although scores for older variations of AnTuTu are usually not immediately comparable). In Geekbench 5’s single-core and multi-core exams, the X3 Pro managed 752 and 1,892 factors respectively. The 3DMark Wild Life graphics exams posted a rating of three,476, whereas GFXBench’s T-Rex and Car Chase scenes ran at 119fps and 39fps respectively.
The display on the X3 Pro is not one of the best that I’ve seen at this value degree, when it comes to color replica. It’s high-quality for informal use however in case you actually like your content material to pop, you may be slightly underwhelmed. The excessive refresh fee is sweet, and HDR kicks in when enjoying movies on YouTube. The digicam gap is on the bigger facet by immediately’s requirements and also you may discover it distracting in lighter scenes in movies. Stereo audio system are good to have, and whereas those on the Poco X3 Pro are loud and adequate for sound results in video games, they will not actually allow you to get one of the best out of high-quality music.
All these capabilities collectively make for a stable gaming workhorse. I fired up COD Mobile and Asphalt 9: Legends, and each of them ran with none hitches. Gameplay was fulfilling total. The higher rear of the X3 Pro did get a bit heat, and the big digicam bump on the again did typically get in the way in which when holding the cellphone horizontally. A protecting case ought to assist with each this stuff.
Usage is usually nice. The fingerprint sensor works properly and is straightforward to seek out by contact alone. Face recognition can be fast. Not everybody will discover this cellphone snug to make use of, particularly one-handed, due to its bulk. The most important irritations come within the type of advertisements on the Glance display and promotional content material in GetApps notifications, which could be disabled with slightly digging by the cellphone’s settings.
Battery life is sort of stable. You ought to simply be capable of get by a full day even with an hour or so of gaming. With reasonable use, you may even be capable of stretch to a day and a half. The Poco X3 charged to 55 p.c in 30 minutes and 93 p.c in an hour utilizing the bundled 33W charger, which isn’t unhealthy in any respect.
The main and ultra-wide-angle cameras have decrease resolutions than these of the extra inexpensive Poco X3
Poco X3 Pro cameras
In an fascinating twist, Poco has gone with decrease resolutions for the X3 Pro’s rear cameras than it did with the Poco X3. You get a 48-megapixel main digicam and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide one, in comparison with 64 and 13 megapixels respectively on what is meant to be a lower-end mannequin in the identical sequence. Of course, sensor and lens high quality are rather more essential than decision alone. It might be fascinating to see how the Poco X3 Pro delivers, and whether or not individuals are prepared to look past the standard “bigger is better” advertising message. There’s additionally a 2-megapixel macro digicam and a 2-megapixel depth sensor.
Poco X3 Pro daytime digicam samples (high: normal; backside: ultra-wide)(faucet to see full measurement)
The digicam app is identical that we have seen on current Xiaomi telephones. It’s feature-rich, however some controls are buried, for instance switching to or from the macro digicam takes a number of faucets. The most important digicam mode switcher is a carousel above the shutter button, and there is a spillover menu with much more modes such a Short Video, Vlog, Dual Video, AI Watermark, Clone, and Long Exposure.
Poco X3 Pro daytime close-up digicam pattern (faucet to see full measurement)
Poco X3 Pro daytime macro digicam pattern (faucet to see full measurement)
When it involves photograph high quality, the Poco X3 Pro is not the strongest in its phase. It will take adequate images in case you’re an off-the-cuff person, however colors do not pop as a lot as I’d have preferred, and dynamic vary is not very sturdy. There’s an inexpensive quantity of element in daylight pictures, however do not anticipate probably the most life like textures. The ultra-wide-angle digicam after all captures poorer particulars and compression does appear rougher, plus there’s some perspective warping on the edges of frames.
Close-up and portrait pictures are respectable, since cellphone cameras are normally a lot better when coping with topics within the foreground. There’s some pure depth of subject which all the time makes pictures stand out properly. It’s troublesome to focus precisely with the macro digicam since there is no option to know in case you’re standing too shut or too removed from the topic, and on the finish of the day, the standard of output would not justify spending an excessive amount of time attempting to get it proper.
Poco X3 Pro low-light digicam samples (high: normal; backside: ultra-wide)(faucet to see full measurement)
As for low-light pictures, the Poco X3 Pro did wrestle in darkish environments at evening however did an okay job when there was enough synthetic lighting. Textures are murky and element is weak. Night mode would not all the time brighten pictures a lot however can enhance distinction and make factors of sunshine towards darkish backgrounds look a lot much less blown-out. It works finest when there’s actually little or no ambient gentle, and that is particularly evident with the ultra-wide digicam which does not all the time produce usable outcomes at midnight with out Night mode.
Poco X3 Pro selfie digicam samples (high: daytime portrait; backside: low-light)(faucet to see full measurement)
The 20-megapixel entrance digicam would not ship probably the most natural-looking pores and skin tones, and the default smoothening is just too aggressive for my style. Selfies taken within the day in addition to at evening are good, however not nice. Portrait mode does properly with separating the background although focus is not all the time excellent.
Video recording goes as much as 4K 30fps with the first rear digicam. There’s no stabilisation and I did discover fairly a little bit of jitter in video recorded whereas transferring, irrespective of the decision. Just like with stills, the standard is okay for informal use however you will get higher at this value degree. Video shot at evening, underneath vibrant streetlights, is grainy and boring.
There’s a 3.5mm jack, USB Type-C port, and speaker on the underside
Verdict
Poco clearly had one aim in thoughts for the X3 Pro, and that was to ship the absolute best CPU efficiency at across the Rs. 20,000 value degree. Arguably, it has succeeded. This is a cellphone that can do very properly for gaming and can really feel snappy and responsive for the foreseeable future. If you need a machine that feels premium however do not need to spend an excessive amount of, this might be a compelling possibility. There are additionally different positives – the IP53 score and stereo audio system are each good to have, and in case you’re trying for daring design, you may get it.
On the draw back, the display is slightly underwhelming and the cameras are simply common. If 5G is one thing that might be essential to you and also you need to use all that CPU energy for the subsequent few years, the X3 Pro will not match the invoice. It’s additionally fairly cumbersome and heavy.
It’s simple to see that younger patrons will like what the X3 Pro has to supply, however this cellphone is not for everybody. Do take a look at our list of the best phones priced under Rs. 20,000 in case you’re trying for extra of an all-rounder.
