The Poco X3 – A Shocking Surprise
The Poco X3 has been a revelation in the smartphone market, offering an unprecedented level of performance and features for its price point. When the phone was announced, many were surprised to find that it was available for just 199 euros. This price point is unheard of for a phone with such impressive specs.
The Packaging
The packaging of the Poco X3 is indicative of a flagship phone. The box is weighty and comes with an insert containing manuals and a clear, transparent case. Additionally, the box includes a Poco sticker, a full sheet of stickers, the smartphone, a USB-C cable, and a hefty charger.
The Specifications
The Poco X3 is equipped with a 6.6-inch Full HD Plus HDR 10 120Hz display, a 5160 mAh battery with 33-watt charging, a 64-megapixel quad camera setup, and a 20-megapixel front-facing camera. It is powered by the Snapdragon 732G processor, which is up to 15% faster than the Snapdragon 730G. It also has 6GB of RAM and a dual-speaker setup with a bottom-firing speaker and an earpiece speaker.
Performance
The Poco X3 offers a level of performance that is simply unheard of at its price point. It is capable of running the most demanding apps and games with ease, and its battery life is excellent. The 120Hz display also makes it a great choice for gamers and media enthusiasts.
The Poco X3 – A Shady Truth
The Poco X3 is a phone that has been marketed as a budget-friendly device with impressive specs. On paper, it has a headphone jack, a status LED, and is even IP53 splash-proof. However, when it comes to actual performance, the Poco X3 falls short of expectations.
Design
The Poco X3 has a plastic back, as expected from a budget device, but it does have an aluminium alloy frame and Gorilla Glass 5 on the front. The racing stripe down the middle of the back adds a bit of flair, but the camera module does protrude quite a bit. The Poco X3 is also quite large, with a 20-20 flagship-sized phone, so it might not be suitable for those with smaller hands.
Display
The Poco X3 has an LCD display, not OLED, so viewing angles suffer. It’s also not the brightest display and there does seem to be a slight amount of ghosting. However, it’s still a decent display for the price.
Performance
The Poco X3 falls short when it comes to performance. It’s powered by a Snapdragon 732G processor, which is a mid-range processor, and it’s only available with 6GB of RAM. This means that the phone is not as fast as some of the more expensive flagships on the market.
The Poco X3 – An Overview
The Poco X3 is a mid-range smartphone from Xiaomi that has been designed to offer a great value for money. It features a 6.67-inch LCD display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G processor, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. It also has a quad-camera setup with a 64MP main camera, an 8MP ultrawide, a 2MP macro, and a 2MP depth sensor. The Poco X3 is powered by a 5,160mAh battery and runs on MIUI 12 based on Android 10.
Display Quality
The Poco X3 has a 6.67-inch LCD display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It doesn’t have that over-sharpened look of cheap LCD panels and it looks like Xiaomi has compensated for the less vibrant colors by increasing the saturation of their icons and some UI elements. Plus, the inbuilt sunlight mode does seem to keep the brightness manageable, even outdoors. This is an 8-hour to 11-hour screen-on-time device.
Camera Performance
On a surface level, even the camera system looks wildly impressive. You’re actually getting an almost identical setup to the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite – a phone that has a good camera for a 300 Euro device. Annoyingly, two of these four cameras – the 2MP macro and 2MP depth cameras – are practically space fillers. But the main camera and the ultrawide are capable. I’ve taken a fair few photos with both and I would go as far as to say that detail is good and dynamic range is very good. Even the front camera produces sharp photos in favorable lighting, but also up against harsh backlighting. There is honestly a truckload of camera features here, like potentially more than I’ve ever seen on any phone ever. Plenty of interesting filters, some great like Gold Vibes and others.
Battery Life
The Poco X3 is powered by a 5,160mAh battery and it can easily last through an entire day of heavy usage. It supports 33W fast charging and can be charged from 0 to 100% in just over an hour.
Poco have cut a few corners to get the price down.
The Camera System
The Poco X3 comes with a decent camera system, featuring a front and back mode that allows users to take video on both sides. It also has slow motion, vlog mode, long exposure and night mode. However, the night mode photos are not of flagship level due to the lack of optical image stabilization, resulting in grainy photos and hit-and-miss focusing.
Haptic Feedback
Before using the phone, many were convinced that the haptic feedback would be poor. However, Poco have put some effort into making sure the typing experience is firm and responsive. Scrolling to the bottom of the list also produces a physical impact.
Software
The Miui 12 software runs almost identically to the Mi 10 Ultra, but the Poco Launcher is lighter and less animated.
The Shady Truth
It appears that Poco have cut a few corners to get the price down on the Poco X3. This is evident in the camera system, which is not of flagship level, and the haptic feedback, which is not as good as it could be. Furthermore, the software is lighter and less animated than the Mi 10 Ultra.
The Price Tag
The Poco X3 has been marketed as a budget-friendly device, with a price tag of 199 euros. However, this is only a limited-run early bird price, and at retail it will be 30 euros higher. This raises questions about the company’s intentions, as it appears they have gone to great lengths to hit the 199 euro price point.
Ads Everywhere
The company have used every trick in the book to artificially lower the price, including baking ads right into the software. These ads appear when you install or uninstall an app, and even in the first-party apps that come pre-loaded on the phone. This adds extra steps to the user experience, and can be intrusive and off-putting.
The Amazon Comparison
It is worth noting that Amazon have also used ads to bring down the price of their Kindle devices. However, they clearly stated this on the product page, whereas Poco have not been so transparent. This lack of transparency makes it difficult to trust the company, and raises questions about their motives.
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The Poco X3 may be a budget-friendly device, but the company’s tactics to hit the 199 euro price point are questionable. Ads are baked into the software, and the company have not been transparent about this. This raises doubts about the company’s integrity, and makes it difficult to trust them.
Poco X3: The Shady Truth
The Poco X3 has been marketed as a flagship device, but the truth is far from it. With a price tag of 199 euros, it is a great value device, but there are some shady truths that need to be addressed.
Storage
The phone only has 64 gigs of internal storage, of which only 44 gigs are usable. If you want to upgrade to the 128 model, you have to pay an extra 25 euros over the base model, without any extra RAM. Thankfully, there is microSD card support, but it’s clear that the strategy is to hook people in with the 199 euro price tag and try to funnel them towards the more expensive model.
Camera
The Poco X3 has been marketed as a “flagship 64 megapixel quad camera”, but this is not true. The Sony IMX682 used in the phone is not present in any flagship device. Furthermore, the phone does not have optical image stabilization, resulting in video quality that is merely “fine” rather than great. The two bottom cameras are also far from flagship quality.
The Poco X3 – A Mixed Bag
The Poco X3 is a device that offers a lot of bang for your buck, but it is not without its flaws. The hardware is beastly for the price, but the performance is not always smooth sailing. Scrolling is generally fine, but when it comes to the Google Feed, it can be quite laggy. Additionally, the side-mounted fingerprint scanner is quick, but it takes a bit of time to process the information. Furthermore, when closing apps or multitasking, the experience is not as smooth as it should be.
Gaming Performance
The upper mid-range chipset of the Poco X3 delivers an upper mid-range gaming experience. While it is not the best gaming experience, it is still quite good for the price.
NFC Support
The Poco X3 is equipped with NFC support, which is great for things like Google Pay. However, it is strange to see it in the name of the device, as it is not a particularly rare feature.
Ads
The Poco X3 has been criticized for its ads, which can be intrusive. However, there are many people who will not care about the ads, and will still be happy with the device.
Poco X3 – The Shady Truth
The Poco X3 NFC has been touted as a revolutionary device, offering a plethora of features at an unbeatable price of 199 euros. However, upon closer inspection, it is evident that the device is not as perfect as it initially seems. In order to make the device more affordable, certain compromises have been made.
Compromises in Design
The Poco X3 NFC features a plastic back, which is a far cry from the glass backs of more expensive devices. This makes the device more prone to scratches and dents. Moreover, the device does not come with an IP rating, meaning it is not dust or water resistant.
Compromises in Performance
The Poco X3 NFC is powered by a Snapdragon 732G processor, which is a mid-range chipset. This means that the device is not as powerful as more expensive devices, and may struggle with more intensive tasks. Furthermore, the device only has 6GB of RAM, which is enough for basic tasks, but may struggle with multitasking.
Compromises in Display
The Poco X3 NFC features a 6.67-inch LCD display, which is not as sharp or vibrant as OLED displays. Furthermore, the device has a 60Hz refresh rate, which is not as smooth as devices with higher refresh rates.
Compromises in Battery Life
The Poco X3 NFC has a 5,000mAh battery, which is enough to last a full day of use. However, it is not as good as devices with larger batteries. Furthermore, the device does not support wireless charging, meaning you will have to use a wired charger.
Compromises in Software
The Poco X3 NFC runs on MIUI 12, which is based on Android 10. This is a fairly dated version of Android, and does not offer the same level of features and security as newer versions. Furthermore, the device comes with pre-installed bloatware, which can be annoying and intrusive.
The Poco X3 is an impressive phone that offers an unprecedented level of performance and features for its price point. It is a great choice for those looking for a powerful and reliable smartphone without breaking the bank.
The Poco X3 is a decent budget phone, but it falls short when it comes to performance. It has a headphone jack, a status LED, and is even IP53 splash-proof, but its display and processor are not up to par with more expensive flagships.
The Poco X3 is a great mid-range smartphone that offers a lot of value for its price. It has a great display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a good camera setup, and great battery life. It is a great choice for anyone looking for a mid-range device.
The Poco X3 is a great value device, but it is clear that the company has employed some shady tactics in its marketing. It is understandable why they have done this, but it is still not a great look. Furthermore, the camera setup is not as good as it is made out to be.
The Poco X3 NFC is a great device for the price, offering a decent set of features and good battery life. However, it is not without its flaws, and certain compromises have been made in order to keep the price low. If you can live with these compromises, then the Poco X3 NFC is a great device for the price.
