This first half of 2021 is proving to be particularly
"greedy" for the world of Android smartphones. In fact, despite the
shortage in terms of chips , which is having its impact on the sector, the main
manufacturers have certainly not stopped with the launches of new models. For
example, POCO is a brand that hasn't pulled back at all. We have in fact
tested, one after the other, two devices of the brand. The review of the
inexpensive POCO X3 Pro has already been online for several weeks, but now it's
time to aim higher with its "big brother", the POCO F3.
349.90 euros is the price set for the 6 / 128GB model, while
the 8 / 256GB variant that we have had the opportunity to try costs 399.90
euros (probably the latter is worthwhile, given the relatively small difference
in price).
A handy device
POCO F3 has a front screen with a small hole for the camera
positioned at the top center, while on the back the impressive camera module
peeks out at the top left, flanked by the Dual LED flash. As for the materials,
the profile is in plastic , even if it returns a sensation similar to aluminum,
while the backcover is in glass: we are in any case on good levels. However,
there is no IP certification whatsoever. For the rest, weight and dimensions
are not exaggerated: 163.7 x 76.4 x 7.8 mm, for 196 grams.
Don't get us wrong: it is certainly not a compact
smartphone, but the market has now gone far beyond these numbers and therefore
the device guarantees a handling that is not seen so often anymore. The
protrusion of the cameras is not that high and in fact POCO F3
"dances" little if placed on a flat surface.
On the right side are the volume rocker and the power
button, which doubles as a fingerprint sensor. The unlock speed offered by the
latter is average, as is facial recognition. At the top we find instead double
microphone, speaker and infrared port . Finally, at the bottom there is a
trolley for the SIM (dual SIM, no memory expansion), USB Type-C port,
microphone and speaker.
The color we have had the opportunity to try is the Night
Black one, which as often happens with dark colors perhaps does not do too much
justice to the back of the smartphone. In any case, the Arctic White and Deep
Ocean Blue colors are also on sale on the market.
As for the sales package, inside we find a comfortable
transparent cover, the adapter from USB Type-C to 3.5 mm audio jack for
headphones, the pin for extracting the SIM compartment, POCO stickers of
different sizes, various manuals, a USB Type-C / USB Type-A cable and a 33W
charger . In short, essentially nothing is missing, if not headphones (even if
these are, on some occasions, included in the package by Amazon sellers).
POCO F3 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 processors , flanked
in our model by 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM, 256GB of UFS 3.1 internal memory (not
expandable) and an Adreno 650 GPU. For the uninitiated, the SoC is somewhat
reminiscent of the Snapdragon 865, mounted by the top of the range of 2020,
trying to bring similar performance in a lower price range. On the other hand,
the benchmarks leave no room for too many doubts: 590831 points on AnTuTu 8, as
well as 991 points in single-core and 3328 points in multi-core on GeekBench.
To be clear, Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, a particularly popular
device around 500 euros, on AnTuTu 8 it "stops" at around 520,000
points. In short, the "brute force" is not lacking in POCO F3. To
support the performance, we find a 4520 mAh battery, which allows you to
essentially always arrive in the evening. This is not a battery phone: you will
probably not reach two days of use, but the classic working day can be taken
home easily. The presence of 33W fast charging is also not bad, while the
wireless one is absent.
Moving on to the multimedia sector, the screen is a
6.67-inch AMOLED with Full HD + resolution (2400 x 1080 pixels), hole for the
camera placed in the top center, aspect ratio 20: 9, Corning Gorilla Glass 5
protection, support all 'HDR10 +, 120 Hz refresh rate and 360 Hz touch sampling
rate. This is a good panel for the price range: the brightness peaks are 1300
nits and the color balance is not bad. There is also support for Widevine L1
DRMs, which allow playback in Full HD of the content offered by platforms such
as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
Watching movies and TV series on this panel is pleasant, also
thanks to a small hole for the camera, which is not particularly
"annoying". In addition, the stereo audio sector is not bad and there
is no lack of support for Dolby Atmos. In short, a good solution for
multimedia. It must be said that in approximately cases we have found contrasts
that are not exactly the most pleasant, especially in low light contexts, but
after using the device for the right time we must say that in reality this is
not a big problem.
For the rest, contrary to what one might think, POCO F3 is
not a smartphone that disdains the photographic department, indeed. In fact, on
the back we find a triple camera from 48MP (f / 1.79) + 8MP (f / 2.2,
ultra-wide, 119 degrees) + 5MP (f / 2.4, telemacro), while on the front there
is a 20MP sensor (f /2.45). The videos arrive at 4K / 30fps resolution from the
rear, while the front camera reaches 1080p / 60fps. For good stabilization, we
recommend sticking to 30 fps. A limit of the photographic department is the
maximum digital zoom: 10x, a bit limited compared to other solutions. However,
thanks also to a good use of artificial intelligence, POCO F3 manages to
convince for its price range as regards the shots.
During the day the photos come out well - most users will
appreciate the result. At night, as usual, the biggest limitations are noticed,
but in this case the Night mode works well and there is nothing to complain
about. Macro and wide-angle photos are average, while the photos of the front
camera are decent. If you want to get a more precise idea, you can consult our
Drive folder dedicated to POCO F3 , where there are some uncompressed
shots.
In any case, the brand's proposal does not compromise in
terms of connectivity, if not for the aforementioned absence of the headphone
jack: 5G, NFC, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1 and Dual SIM are in their place.
Software and gaming
MIUI 12 based on Android 11 with April 2021 security patch
(at the time of writing). This is probably enough to make many of you
understand what POCO F3 offers in terms of software. On the other hand, the
customization of Xiaomi and other "associated" brands is now
particularly well known. Recall that in this case there is the POCO Launcher,
which makes some changes to the interface compared to the classic MIUI, for
example the app drawer (which some users appreciate, others less).
In any case, it necessity be said that there are some
pre-installed applications (but they are few and can be removed), as well as
the classic advertising that is not "invasive". In short, there is
actually not much to say on the software side.There are not too many surprises
even in terms of gaming, since there is no shortage of the classic features
offered by Turbo videogames, which acts as a hub for the installed games and
allows you to optimize performance.
The performance of POCO F3 with games is excellent: Call of
Duty Mobile runs as it should with details on "Very High" and FPS on
"Max". Otherwise, no problem with less resource-intensive titles such
as Crash Bandicoot On the Run and Pokémon GO, as well as ARK: Survival Evolved
works well with the "High" presets. In short, POCO F3 does not
disappoint in gaming.
Why buy it
In a market teeming with smartphones, why should you buy the
POCO F3? The smartphone winks at those who want a "handyman" device .
In fact, we are sure that users who know how to use an Android device properly
will appreciate the high performance, as well as the increased refresh rate of
the panel. Of course, if you are a particularly demanding person, aspects such
as some not exactly pleasant display contrasts and some imperfections of the
proximity sensor during calls could make you turn up your nose. However, in our
minds such a device is perfect, for example, for a student. On the other hand,
POCO is a brand that is particularly aimed at the younger audience.
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