XIOMI POCOPHONE REVIEW

                    XIAOMI  POCOPHONE REVIEW

Xiaomi pocophone is the world first phone powered by Snapdragon 845 inside at under $300.

The Xiaomi Pocophone F1's unusual name may be rising some eyebrows — and rightfully so because the device is actually a collaboration between two companies: Xiaomi and its new and lesser-known sub-brand, Pocophone. Pocophone follow their own design and promotional techniques while enjoying the benefits of Xiaomi's manufacturing facilities and software development experience. The phone was first released in India on August 22nd and is expected to soon be available in all of Xiaomi reseller locations in the country.

It might seem like Xiaomi is following in the footsteps of Honor which is sub-brand of Huawei, but a Jai Mani, Head of Product at Pocophone, tells us that’s not the case here. The phone doesn’t have a Mi version it’s based on and the link to Xiaomi is no secret. Mani says it’s like being a startup but without all the big issues new tech companies face.

Product name	Xiaomi Pocophone F1
Display	6.18-inch 2246 x 1080 FHD+ 18.7:9 screen
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 up to 2.8GHz, LiquidCool Technology
GPU	Adreno 630 GPU, up to 710MHz
OS	MIUI 9.6 (based on the Android 8.1)
Memory	8GB+256GB / 6GB+128GB / 6GB+64GB
Camera	12MP + 5MP AI dual rear cameras; 20MP front camera
Unlock	IR face unlock, rear fingerprint sensor unlock
Battery	4000mAh (typ) / 3900mAh (min); Support quick charge 3.0;
Ports	USB type-C charging port; 3.5mm audio port
Optional Colors	Graphite black, steel blue, rosso red, armoured editi

For Xiaomi to take on the brand in its own backyard, it had to come to up with something disruptive. Behold! The Poco F1. It’s the cheapest Snapdragon 845-powered smartphone out there right now, starting just Rs 20,999. The new sub-brand was launched to allow Xiaomi the leeway to experiment. Yes, the F1 does come across as an experiment considering the set of features its offers (and ones it doesn’t), but more importantly, creating a new sub-brand now allows the company to shed its baggage of being the number 1 in the Indian smartphone market and start from scratch.

     

POCOPHONE DESIGN AND BUILD

With the notch at the top of the screen, the Pocophone F1 looks like many other devices on the market in 2018. There are a few things that make it stand out, though.

You can’t see it but the device has a liquid cooling system similar to the Galaxy Note 9. “As the CPU heats, fluid inside the cooling module evaporates to vapour, moving to the cooler end, where it re-condenses as liquid.” This is much like a gaming laptop, but without fans.

We like the rounded rear cover and although the phone is 9mm, the way the screen sort of sticks out the front means you only really feel the rear section when holding it so it feels a lot thinner than it is. It just look a little odd - perhaps a bit old school - from the side.

You can see the ‘Armoured Edition’ in our photos - reminiscent of old Motorola phones that used Kevlar on the back - but the regular F1 comes with a polycarbonate rear cover instead. They come in various colours, look like metal and have a matt finish.

SCREEN

The notch is here to stay it seems, although we’re sort of hoping it’s a passing fad, and the F1’s is quite sizable. There’s only room for three icons on one side like the iPhone X.

At 6.18in, the screen in question is very large but small bezels (apart from at the bottom) make it seem smaller. It’s got a Full HD+ resolution (1080x2246) which is nice and crisp at 416ppi.

It’s bright, colourful and with good contrast too. The aspect ratio is an odd 18.7:9 but basically means it’s really tall like so many phones this year.

There are on-screen navigation buttons but you can switch them off and go full gesture-based if you like, meaning a bit more real estate for other things.

         

Xiaomi Pocophone F1: speed, cameras and AI

Here's where the phone works the Xiaomi magic. You get the high-end Snapdragon 845 CPU (offering more power than any processor in the Redmi line) paired with the generous 6GB of RAM.

 the Snapdragon 845 processor on Xiaomi Pocophone F1 

There is a  nice 6.18-inch display sporting a  2,246 x 1,080 resolution and an 18.7:9 aspect ratio for all your media needs and comfy web browsing. Plus, the Qualcomm Adreno 630 GPU will have the back of all the mobile gamers out there.

the Xiaomi Pocophone F1 display

You may not be expecting a phone aiming to conquer the budget smartphone market to come with a set of good cameras — but the Pocophone F1 is all about surprises. The phone comes with a 20MP front cam (very impressive for a budget smartphone considering even the iPhone X comes with a 7MP selfie shooter) featuring 2μm large pixel technology and AI Beautify 4.0 for studio-quality portraits. On the back, you get a more standard setup of 12MP + 5MP dual cameras with AI scene detection and other smart photo optimizations.

The Pocophone F1 runs on Android 8.1 with an MIUI 9.6 skin — but an upgrade to MIUI 10 is to be expected over the course of the next month. There is a USB Type-C charging port, the support of USB 2.0, Bluetooth 5.0 for efficient wireless connectivity and the classic headphone jack, which is often missed on modern flagships.

the connectivity of Xiaomi Pocophone F1

         

For security, you have the choice of the pin, a fingerprint sensor or face unlock and there is a 4,000 mAh battery to make sure the device lasts through a day of prolific use.

Should you buy the Pocophone F1 at this price-:

It's difficult to summarise the Pocophone F1 without a European price, but we do know it's going to be amazingly cheap - starting at ₹20,999 which is around £220.

For a lot less than similar spec phones, you get a Snapdragon 845 and loads of other top-notch features including up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Furthermore, you get decent cameras, a large battery and a crisp screen.

The design might not be the most svelte but clever tricks make it seem slimmer than it is and the extra weight is worth it for the battery.