The Poco X3 has all the ingredients it takes but do they add up to a comparable experience? In our Poco X3 review, we will share our experience and give you a better view of where it stands compared to Realme 7 Pro (review) and Galaxy M31s (review). By the time we are done, you will hopefully be able to decide if this is a phone you should buy.
Poco X3 price and specifications
Poco X3 Unboxing
Poco X3 Box Contents include:
Handset with a pre-applied screen protector Transparent protective case 33W charging adaptor USB A to C cable Documentation and SIM ejector
Poco X3 Review: Design and Build
Weighing 225 grams in heft and about 10mm in thickness, the Poco X3 is unapologetically big and bulky and this should take some getting used to. The metal side-frame that lends it durability also contributes to the heft, but yes Poco manages to shave off a few grams by using a polycarbonate back (glass-like). The rear camera array still bulges out and the bundled case barely evens out the hump. The module makes the phone look distinct, and if you ask us, that’s important. Also, there is a nice gradient pattern at the back which should be appealing to young consumers. The display has a centrally-aligned notch and the bezels surrounding it are quite slim. Apart from Gorilla Glass 5, there is also a pre-applied screen protector shielding the screen. The fingerprint reader is on the side and it’s as snappy and reliable as we’d want it to be. The volume rocker above it isn’t as easily accessible, but we can still reach it out with fair ease. The microSD card slot is not dedicated, so choose your storage variant accordingly. Other than that, there are no unexpected hardware surprises here – USB Type-C port, noise cancelation microphone, IR blaster, audio jack are all there.
Poco X3 Review: Display
The IPS LCD display has 120Hz smoothness and thanks to the massive 6000mAh battery users can relish the fluidity without any self-reproach. The Poco X3 dials down refresh rate and conserves battery in situations like when you wouldn’t need those extra frames – like when watching movies. The display quality is good enough for the price. Whites are bluish by default, but MIUI has several customization options including different color profiles, an elaborate reading mode, and a color temperature wheel that you may use to tune the white point to your liking. The ‘standard’ color scheme works the best for us. Poco X3 has slightly better overall brightness than Realme 7 Pro but outdoor visibility is comparable on both of these devices. Poco X3 also supports Full HD content streaming on Netflix and Prime videos out of the box. It also supports HDR content on YouTube. The multimedia experience is however more enjoyable on AMOLED displays on Realme 7 Pro and Galaxy M31.
Poco X3 Review: Performance and Software
This is the first phone with 8nm process-based Snapdragon 732G octa-core chipset, which is an incremental upgrade to the Snapdragon 730G used on the Poco X2. It’s currently the most powerful Qualcomm chipset available under 20k and Poco bundles ample LPDDR4x RAM and UFS 2.1 storage to back it up. The benchmark scores reveal that the performance you’d get from Snapdragon 732G, 730G, and 720G isn’t very different and that kind of mellows down one of the biggest Poco X3 advantage. The high-end games we tried are playable and day-to-day usage was smooth. So, performance shouldn’t be a concern for prospective buyers. Also Check: Here’s why Auto Call recording is missing on most new phones in India The MIUI 12 software is quite feature-rich and mostly-stable interface. There are a number of pre-installed apps that also hog precious notification shade but users can uninstall these or turn off notifications for system apps. The Poco Launcher has an app drawer that feels a tad complicated. The skin is intuitive and It’s easy to get to what we are looking for. The software on the phone has a few peeve points, though. Google is now pushing OEMs to include the stock Google dialer and messaging app on its phones and the Google Dialer doesn’t have auto call recording. In fact, Poco X3 doesn’t have the option for regular call recording either but that can be added with an OTA update. Post the Android 9 Pie update, third-party apps are utterly useless in this regard. It won’t be fair to blame Poco for the omission because this is an industry-wide change that affects almost all upcoming phones.
Poco X3 Review: Camera performance
Poco X3 is equipped with 64MP Sony IMX682 sensor in the lead. This is among the better sensors available in mid-range phones today and Poco says that the only feature missing when compared to Sony IMX686 is 4K video recording@60fps. The primary camera is accompanied by a 13MP wide-angle camera, a 2MP portrait camera, and a 2MP macro camera. The selfie camera is a single 20MP sensor. In proper daylight, the Poco X3 can keep the colors natural and retains details and texture fairly well. Compared to the Realme 7 Pro, there is no clear winner. At times 7 Pro manages better details in shadows and in the backdrop and at times the Poco X3 retains better texture.
Poco does really well with portraits. The camera can intelligently detect subject edges for shots taken indoors and outdoors. We managed to take decent pictures in low light and dark situations. Once again, the performance is comparable to Realme 7 Pro and Galaxy M31.
Night mode Auto mode
There is some degradation in image quality with 13MP wide-angle camera, but that is to be expected in this price segment.
Poco X3 has a macro camera as well, but we doubt the majority would be using it very often. The selfie camera on the front performs well in proper daylight.
So, overall, the Poco X3 is comparable to Realme 7 Pro and Galaxy M31 in terms of camera performance, but not better than these alternatives. The later two have AMOLED displays and images look punchier on the phone display.
Poco X3 Review: Battery and Audio
In India, the Poco X3 comes with an extra-large 6000mAh battery. We could easily manage 1.5 days of usage while keeping the screen refresh rate at 120fps. Xiaomi bundles a 33W charger in the box that can top-up the battery to around 68% in one hour. A full charge takes around 2 hours. The stereo-speakers on the X3 can get really loud and you can feel the rumble across the back. The audio quality via speakers is better than what we have on Realme 7 Pro. Our ringtone when we receive calls, however, plays very feeble. At times we missed calls when our phone was in another room and the ringing volume wasn’t set to 100 percent.
Poco X3 Review: Should you buy it?
Poco is only starting off as a new brand and can afford to compete at razor-thin margins. The 6000mAh battery lasts long, the Snapdragon 732 chipset makes it a reliable performer, and the camera performance is comparable to the best available options in this price segment. Yes, Poco X3 is a well-put-together phone and it comes at a very convincing price, but it’s also a tad unwieldy. It’s for users to decide if that’s the price they are willing to pay for the niceties on board. Pros
Powerful performance Decent cameras 120Hz display refresh rate IR blaster Long-lasting battery
Cons
Thick and bulky
Question: Does Poco X3 have call recording option? Answer: No, it does not. Question: Does Poco X3 support HD streaming on Netflix and Prime videos? Answer: Yes it does. Question: What is the SAR value of Poco X3? Answer: Head SAR: 0.747W/kg; Body SAR: 0.615W/kg Question: Does Poco X3 has NFC in India? Answer: No, it does not. Question: Does Poco X3 have FM Radio? Answer: Yes, it does. Question: How thick and heavy is Poco X3? What are the dimensions? Answer: The Poco X3 weighs 225 grams and measures 10.08mm in thickness. Question: Does Poco X3 support dual Volte and Wi-Fi calling. Answer: Yes, it does. Question: How much storage is free on Poco X3? Answer: Out of 128GB, 104GB is free for users. Question: Does Poco X3 have LED notification light? Answer: Yes. LED indicator is present underneath the earpiece.
Poco X3 First Impressions Video in Hindi | Know it All
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