Xiaomi has designed the Poco F1 keeping the trend in mind. Xiaomi Poco F1 will have a 6.18 inch display, which will have an aspect ratio of 18.7: 9. Gorilla Glass 3 has been used to protect the screen from breaking. There is also a notch on the top of the front panel of the smartphone. Compared to all the other smartphones we reviewed, the bottom part of the Poco F1 is a bit thick, which does not look attractive. There is also a small notification LED in the smartphone which will light up when the smartphone is charging.
The back panel of Poco F1 is made of polycarbonate. Poco F1 will be available in three color options – Rosso Red, Steel Blue and Graphite Black. A special variant of Poco F1, Armored Edition, has also been introduced. Xiaomi has claimed that Kelvar has been used to make the back panel. We reviewed the Armored Edition of Xiaomi Poco F1. When we touched the back panel, we felt a texture. You will see Poco written on the back panel, the part just below it is slightly raised. Xiaomi has called this part ‘Beauty Spot’. The company said that this is a part of the production process.
On the right side of the phone, you will find the power and volume up and down buttons. On the left side of the smartphone, there is a hybrid dual-SIM tray. The slot will support two SIM cards at a time or one SIM and one microSD card. On the back panel of Poco F1, you will find a dual camera setup, whose primary sensor is 12 megapixels and the secondary sensor is 5 megapixels. The rear camera will come with dual-LED flash. You will find a fingerprint sensor just below the rear camera. While holding the phone, you will be able to easily use the fingerprint sensor by using your index finger. On the front panel of Poco F1, there is a 20-megapixel selfie camera in the middle of the notch, along with an infrared camera and infrared emitter for face recognition.
Poco F1 will come with Snapdragon 845 processor along with multiple RAM/storage options. The company said that LiquidCool technology has been used to control the temperature of Poco F1. We will test this feature in our full review. Xiaomi Poco F1 will be available in three RAM and storage variants – 6GB RAM / 64GB, 6GB RAM and 128GB storage and 8GB RAM / 256GB storage. We got the Armored Edition for review, this handset is equipped with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage.
Poco F1 may feel a little heavy in hand as it is equipped with 4000 mAh. This handset will come with USB Type-C port. It will come with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3 certified charger. Both SIM slots will support 4G network. FM radio app is also provided in Poco F1. Xiaomi Poco F1 will come with MIUI 9 based on Android 8.1 Oreo. Our handset is running on MIUI 9.6 with custom theme. Xiaomi said that MIUI 10 will be given soon after the availability of Poco F1 and Android P update will be given in the fourth quarter.
The theme of Xiaomi Poco F1 seems to be a bridge between MIUI and stock Android. There is an app drawer which is different from the MIUI approach, and the notification shade has been modified to look more like stock Android. There are three buttons for navigation but you can enable gestures by freeing up some space on the display. You will get a theme app in the phone with the help of which you will be able to set the appearance of the phone as per your wish.
Software features like Dual App and Second Space in Poco F1 are similar to other Xiaomi smartphones. Apart from Microsoft apps, Xiaomi Community and Mi Store apps will be pre-installed in the phone. While setting up Poco F1, it only asked for fingerprint sensor. For face recognition, you have to go to security settings. Face recognition and fingerprint scanner of Poco F1 work very fast. We did not face any problem while using Android UI and multitasking. It took only a few seconds to set up face recognition. Because the setup process is quite simple.
Poco F1 competition OnePlus 6, Asus Zenfone 5Z and recently launched LG G7+ Think The most interesting thing about Poco F1 is its low price. The 6 GB RAM and 64 GB storage variant of Xiaomi Poco F1 will be sold for Rs 20,999. On the other hand, the 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage variant will be priced at Rs 23,999. The 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage variant of the phone will be sold for Rs 28,999. An armored edition of Poco F1 has also been introduced, which is priced at Rs 29,999. Poco F1 equipped with Snapdragon 845 processor can be easily purchased at this price. Keep reading Gadget 360, we will soon bring you the full review of Poco F1. In the full review, we will tell you about camera performance, display quality, gaming and battery life test.