Biased (Positive) Review of POCO F1 by Xiomi

Why any of us buy new phone? May be because of adrenaline rush of new device, the sense of pride, show off or old one is outdated or not working anymore. Whatever may be the reason buying new phone these days is a task. Gone are the days when you know what you want to buy. In India Nokia was our only savior, we know 3310, 3510 and so on...

 Buying New Phone

Recently, my year and half old phone started showing signs of age (lol) and I thought great time to buy new phone. Now, comes the dilemma of choice. The market is flooded with choices cheap to expensive, entry to premium. one should know all these terms to be specific plus there is a fear of left behind and missed out exclusive offers this festive season. Anyhow I searched the market and made up my mind to have some defined criteria like first and foremost budget, RAM, Processor, Camera, Memory, Screen Display, Sound etc. my order of priority.

The Filters

Filling in the details. I want it to be entry to mid-range (15k to 20k max), RAM 4-6 GB at least, Processor Snapdragon (more powerful the better), Camera (probably dual), Memory (64GB or expandable), Display (Full HD at least), Sound (Decent) etc.

The Phone

I searched many review sites like GSMArena, shopping sites Flipkart, Amazon and then I hit gold in my opinion. POCO F1 by Xiaomi (Rosso Red, 64 GB) (6 GB RAM).

 Deciding Factor

The phone sits comfortably at 21,999 which was above my budget but with 4% or 1000 INR discount, it comes close to my budget at 20,999 but still out. By applying exchange offer, it comes close to 17K and what more, flipkart was giving additional 2000 exchange discount with no interest EMI as well. I landed up buying phone at 15.5K INR which is huge bargain for me.

Now, this is biased review based on my experience. The reason of me being biased on positive side is the deal I struck, the budget I had, and value for money.

I have seen people comparing this phone with 1plus 6 and even iPhone which is absurd due to price point of view.

The Features

Let's look at the specs of what you can get in 20K. These are not full specifications but what I find most impressive. You can find full specs on any review sites.

·       Snapdragon845 - Flagship and most powerful processor by Qualcomm

·       6 GB RAM, which is way ahead of 3-4 GB provided by other phones

·       64 GB Memory which is expandable

·       Hybrid Slot for Dual Sim or Sim/Micro SD combination

·       Back Case included

·       Display Size - 15.7 cm (6.18 inch)

·       Resolution 2160 x 1080 pixels

·       Resolution Type FHD+

·       Display Type IPS

·       Other Display Features 18.7:9 Notch Display

·       Operating System Android Oreo 8.1

·       Processor Core Octa Core

·       Primary Clock Speed 2.8 GHz

·       Battery Capacity 4000 mAh

·       Primary Camera 12MP + 5MP

·       Secondary Camera 20MP

·       Infrared scanner face detection

POCO F1 ticks all the right boxes. It’s a matter of choice that what is your priority and use for the phone but having a phone with above specs and that too in budget is a done deal of me. However, I have seen people crib about plastic body, no wireless charging, no SAMOLED display and other issues which frankly I don’t care or people are not practical enough to understand you cannot buy every feature in single phone without spending extra bucks.

My Experience

I have been using it for quite some Time and its an amazing phone with no lag issues. I have tried Asphalt 9 and other GPU centric games and it works with ease and no heating issues, thanks to liquid cooling technology.

In my opinion, POCO F1 has better cameras than Mi A2. Dedicated Face Recognition Scanner which works well in dark and has fingerprint scanner too. It also has Notch like premium phones. I see it as Value for Money. Those who are concerned about build quality should not be worried, its high-quality finish, polycarbonate body and feels good. No cheap feeling at all even if it is poly-carbonate built. Anyhow most of us use phone cover so it doesn’t matter. You can buy any glass or metallic cover if you want from market. I have used this phone all day and battery performance is quite durable. The phone charges quite quickly with quick charge 3.0.

This is an amazing phone with amazing specs with unbelievable price.

The Not So Negatives (Not for me)

No review is complete without negatives, which I don’t find many but can be deal breaker for may be some of you.

1. No Headphones included

2. Not water resistant certified

3. IR blaster missing like Redmi Note 4 and other Xiaomi phones

4. I have heard about some screen bleed but I think it is now fixed as I didn't face it in my phone.

 But, remember there are very few phones available which can compete with POCO F1 with same spec at this price, at this point in time.

POCO F1 is truly flagship killer in the end...

Disclaimer: This review is my opinion and is not sponsored by Xiaomi.