Poco F1

Xiaomi has disrupted the smartphone market with its value-for-money Poco F1 (also called Pocophone F1). It comes with similar hardware features present in the current flagship designs but at an unbelievable range starting at just Rs 20,999 for 6GB RAM and 64GB storage space. If you wish to go for an upgrade that puts you in the new flagship zone of tremendous performance, low-light photography, and AI-assisted cameras, this is an excellent choice for you. Pocophone F1 does have some shortcomings, but for its range, it’s an absolute beauty. It is equipped with a recent processor paired with 6GB RAM and a fluid upgraded software making it a delight to work with.

Poco F1 Price in India

The Xiaomi Poco F1 surfaced in the Indian smartphone market in three variants, which include a 6GB RAM + 64GB internal storage, 6GB RAM + 128GB internal storage and 8GB RAM + 256GB internal storage. The base variant as per Flipkart is not available right now, however, the latest pricing is available, which is Rs. 16999. For the 128GB storage option, the Xiaomi Poco F1 price is Rs. 24999 and for the 256GB storage variant, the price is Rs. 21999. These two options are available on Flipkart right now for sale. 

The Poco F1 is a plastic build which might be disappointing, especially since many lower-priced brands are moving towards the glass design. However, it does not feel cheap. It fits well in hand and goes for a practical model with its minimalist design. However, it is quite weighty at 182kg, and not quite slim at 8.8 mm, and so it is not a very handy set. The camera is placed on the rear panel, but it is not entirely in flush with the back panel, though it is kept at a minimum. The fingerprint scanner is placed in an ergonomic position and can be reached easily. However, the Armoured Edition of Pocophone F1 feels better than the normal edition of Pocophone F1. It feels more durable and is less slippery than glass phones like OnePlus 6 or Honor 10.

The Pocophone F1 has a 6.18-inch Full HD+ screen with a 1080 x 2246 display. It is covered with Gorilla Glass 3 to prevent it from scratches. The color reproduction is a bit cool, but you can adjust the settings to get warmer tones. It has the tall 18.7:9 screen which provides an amazingly immersive experience. However, one of the problems that the display presents is the faulty touch sensitivity, as it can register touches in the wrong spots.

Drawing its power from the new Snapdragon 845 coupled with both 6GB or 8GB variants, Poco F1 is a beast of a performer. While it may lag behind the performance of OnePlus 6, it still holds its own against most other flagship phones of this range. Poco F1 doesn’t falter especially when it comes to gaming. The experience is fluid and similar to the high-end models like iPhone X and Galaxy Note 9. Only the lack of AMOLED screen dampens it a bit. Say goodbye to overheating and CPU throttling with a special technology, LiquidCool, which uses dedicated copper pipes to carry vapours and absorbs excess heat from the chipset. It’s not an innovation, but at this range, it’s an absolute marvel.

By including an amazingly fast fingerprint and face unlock, Xiaomi has come into the market with a speed that beats OnePlus’ similar feature. While registering your face takes about 10 seconds, unlocking the phone with your face is light-speed – you won’t even feel like your face is getting scanned! It’s faster than OnePlus, and even its IR sensor is much more efficient. It can easily map your face in low-light areas too! Also, the speed of the fingerprint scanner has been boosted. Place your finger on it, and it will unlock the phone at a blink of an eye!

It has the same cameras as in Mi8 – 12MP Sony IMX363 primary sensor with 1.4-micron pixel size and a 5MP secondary sensor. Pocophone F1 comes with an intelligent AI which identifies and puts images into pre-installed 206 scenes and 25 categories. The new AI scene detection is one of the best additions in the camera setting which detects 25 scenes in over 1000 scenarios. While not as efficient as P20 Pro, this is a significant improvement nonetheless.

In daylight, it captures enough light to bring in all the details of the image, but there might be a bit of an oversaturation with red and green tones.

At night, however, while the impressive low-light setting does lower shutter speed and the AI steps in to enhance details and colours, there is a loss when you zoom in.

Poco F1 comes with a good 4,000 mAh battery. The phone becomes a bit heavy as a result, but it holds enough juice for an entire day even after video streaming and social media browsing. Heavy gaming doesn’t beat it either. The Quick Charge 3.0 with an 18W fast charger makes the phone go 0-100% within 2 hours. While streaming a Video for 30 minutes, there was only a 5% drop. At this range, this is an excellent piece of power!

Poco F1 is a powerful phone at the given range and comes in four variants ranging from Rs 20,999 to Rs 29,999. The lack of AMOLED screen is a particular drawback, along with the lack of waterproofing. However, despite the shortcoming, it comes with a awesome battery which is quite unbelievable at this range. If you want to upgrade from a 20k phone to a phone that provides features similar to other top-end flagships, this power device is just for you.