Xiaomi Review POCOPHONE F1: he is the flagship killer

Xiaomi in the last few weeks he has surprised his fans and the experts announcing a new sub-brand with a particular name and "POCO"Catchy for us Italians. We are talking, of course, about the Xiaomi POCOPHONE F1.

Il POCO F1, as defined by the company and by many users, the task is to offer technology at the right price and high performance. That said, it is very reminiscent Facchinetti at the launch of the Stonex One o OnePlus to whom Xiaomi clearly aims as a target audience.

We got to try the POCO F1 for two weeks and, considering the card and the price, we are faced with a very interesting device that has unleashed a fundamental problem in us: it is the best range medium that points to the high end or an excellent top of the range that points to convenience ? Discover our opinion by reading our review!

Xiaomi POCOPHONE F1 - Design and materials

Lo Xiaomi POCO F1 is characterized by less "noble" materials compared to other devices of the same company as the Xiaomi Mi 8 or Mi MIX 2S. On this terminal, in fact, we find a shell made of polycarbonate that is very reminiscent of the Samsung of the past in terms of quality. One thing is certain: from vivo the device renders much more than in photos, from which we had perceived a lower quality which, instead, is much better by touching the device with hand.

The dimensions are of 155.5 x 75.2 x 8.8 mm for a weight, well battery 4000 mAh included, of approximately 182 grams.

POCO India stated that the smartphone is P2i certificate with water splashes, it is very likely that this certification also applies to European models even if it is not indicated on the official website.

Xiaomi POCOPHONE F1 - Display

In addition to materials, Xiaomi has also spared on the display that compared to My 8 presents a "classic" panel IPS da 6.2 inches diagonal with resolution Full HD + and the inevitable notch, now a hallmark of all the company's new smartphones.

The display is not the strong point of the smartphone but contextualized to the price range proves quite bright with discretely calibrated colors (you can customize the calibration and color fidelity via software) and good viewing angles. The main defect of this panel is the vertical polarization which, for absurdity, totally prevents the use of the terminal with polarized glasses.

Another flaw found is a oleophobic treatment not optimal which implies excessive holding of the panel during use. To underline again that the panel is not "rounded" in the lower part and this implies that in some applications some elements on the display are cut.

Furthermore, in our unit we are sorry to underline it light bleeding of which we have talked to you in recent days. We hope that this problem is related only to the first lot and does not involve all the models recalling a case to the OnePlus One.

Xiaomi POCOPHONE F1 - Hardware and performance

The strength of this Xiaomi POCO F1 it's definitely the hardware sector that stands out thanks to the processor octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, 6 GB of RAM LPDDR4X e 64 GB of internal memory UFS 2.1 Expandable through micro SD to 128 GB. To embellish everything we find a liquid cooling system called LiquidCool which dissipates the heat generated by the device under stress avoiding thermal throttling and avoiding performance drops on the paper.

The performances offered by this device are of the highest level and considered i 329 € of price list in Italy you could not ask for a better smartphone from this range. The main problem, in my opinion, lies in software still unripe in some respects that suffers from some micro too much and sporadic as well as annoying impositions.

From this point of view Xiaomi is working on optimizing the firmware with 2 already correcting updates in less than a month and a program Global Beta ready to give developers a boost.

As stated at the beginning of the review, if we consider the POCO F1 as a medium range we are faced with the best smartphone in terms of performance and fluidity in the medium-high market. If instead we analyze the device as top of the range then smartphone like OnePlus 6 they have, thanks to one ROM leaner and more optimized, yet another gear.

Xiaomi POCOPHONE F1 - Cameras

Another aspect on which Xiaomi has spared compared to the My 8 it is the photographic sector that, although it keeps the main sensor from 12 mega-pixels of the company's flagship, the Sony IMX363 with opening f / 1.9, change the second sensor with a 5 mega-pixels made by Samsung with opening f / 2.0 for defocus.

The shots made in good light conditions are acceptable with a good level of detail and a fair white balance. Pecca a bit 'HDR mode that does not give the shots that extra touch and the lack of a OIS that, especially in the evening, returns shots not always in focus. In fact, it will happen to have to take pictures again because the first shot is moved or not in optimal conditions.

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It is present the AI ​​that through the appropriate button automatically recognizes the scene adapting to the best the shooting settings. The results obtained with this mode are particularly efficient in the evening where the noise is leveled and the photo makes it substantially better with the AI ​​enabled. The front camera, from 20 mega-pixels, makes good profile shots with support forHDR.

Videos are recorded at the highest resolution 4K a 30 fps without optical image stabilization (as already said absent theOIS). You can choose the video encoder between H.264 e H.265 while slow motion is a 1080p e 240 fps.

So let's talk about a mid-range camera that does not stand out for quality but that holds the comparison with other mid-range. Many points less than the Xiaomi Mi 8.

Xiaomi POCOPHONE F1 - Audio and Telephony

The smartphone is equipped with a stereo speaker that uses the main speaker at the bottom and the headset as a tweeter. The quality reproduced is of a good standard and does not differ too much from what is seen on Xiaomi Mi 8 e Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S.

In call the conversation is clear even in crowded places and reception, thanks to the presence of the 20 band ad 800 Mhz, it is reliable and stable.

Il POCO F1, compared to the market trend and the same Xiaomi, maintains the mini-jack from 3.5 mm for headphones offering greater versatility to users and making happy the many fans of classic cable headphones. In this sense the internal equalizer of Xiaomi it is complete and offers the best with the company's proprietary headphones.

Xiaomi POCOPHONE F1 - Connectivity and release systems

As anticipated, the smartphone is characterized by full support to the European frequency bands including the 20 band a 800 Mhz. Not missing the Bluetooth 5.0 and GPS/A-GPS/GLONASS/Beidu. Unfortunately, there is noNFC that would have delighted many in view of the arrival of Google Pay in Italy imminent. FM Radio is also present, now almost disappeared from competing smartphones.

With regard to unlocking systems, POCO F1 presents a fingerprint reader back that is very fast and fast in the unlock but has a small step that if on one hand immediately helps to detect the position of the scanner, the other may take a few days to get used.

In addition Xiaomi has also integrated the facial unlocking via infrared, already seen on My 8, which guarantees a lightning release even in the dark. Moreover, by enabling the lifting unlock function, it will be possible to instantly unlock the terminal without pressing any key: excellent work Xiaomi!

Xiaomi POCOPHONE F1 - Software

Lo Xiaomi POCOPHONE F1 It is characterized by MIUI for Poco, a variation of the classic MIUI of Xiaomi with some changes under the "hood":

• POCO Launcher presents an App Drawer (unlike the MIUI system launcher) with automatic customization and categorization of the app. Support for third-party Icon Packs present; from the August 29 will be available for everyone in the Play Store.
• Turbocharged Engine, with various optimizations to speed up the user experience. It guarantees a quick start of the app (increased speed of 28%) and an improved swipe experience through optimized animations and a greater reactivity of the touch panel.
• Quick updates, with the latest security patches, support a Project Treble e Android 9 Pie starting from Q4 2018. Also from the August 29 the Kernel Open Source will be published on Github, to allow the creation of ROM and mod for the device.

On balance this is one MIUI which has all its innumerable features like it Second Space, the duplicate app to use two Whatsapp or other similar applications on the same device, i gestures and much more with an eye on performance and with a more "western" launcher.

Considered the big notch, however, as seen on the Xiaomi Mi 8, notifications or percentage of the battery in the status bar are highlighted. Speaking of notch, the same can be "hidden" from the settings by blackening the corresponding area which, however, is not the display one AMOLED at night you might notice.

Xiaomi POCOPHONE F1 - Autonomy

Il POCO F1 integrates a battery from 4000 mAh which guarantees record autonomy for one Snapdragon 845. In my tests I also reached 9 display hours on with the remaining 15% of autonomy with intense use. With an average use, even better results could be achieved.

Complete charging takes place in approx 2 hours with the charger in a package that supports fast-charge technology Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0. Xiaomi India recently confirmed support for the Quick Charge 4.0 but, at the moment, it is not clear whether this feature is also present in the European variant of the device.

Xiaomi POCOPHONE F1 - Price

Lo Xiaomi POCOPHONE F1 is officially sold in Italy in We Store, and we hope as soon as possible in the other sales channels, at a very aggressive price list of 329 € for the variant from 64 GB e 399 € for the variant from 128 GB of internal memory.

The purchase from Chinainstead, it lowers prices on €285 is preferably used for 64 GB and 300/320€ for the 128 GB but they do not enjoy the official warranty of Xiaomi at the authorized centers in Italy.

Xiaomi POCOPHONE F1 - Conclusions

Il POCO F1 is a smartphone that represents the absolute top in the market range of media as performance and compromise quality / price tearing the competition with its technical data sheet while it represents a low-cost solution at the top end for those looking mainly for performance by renouncing other aspects such as materials, displays and cameras.

The presence of the slot micro SD, of the mini jack from 3.5 mm for headphones, a double speaker and the Snapdragon 845 coaudiuvato from memory UFS 2.1 e RAM LPDDR4X represent the main advantages of this device.

Do we recommend the purchase?

• Absolutely yes if considered a medium range;
• Yes, if you are looking for a top of the low-cost range purely aimed at performance;
• No, if you want a top of the range of livellor even from an aesthetic and multimedia point of view.

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