We already have a successor to what was one of the best value-for-money phones of the year. The new POCO F3 is the heir to the F2 Pro, a series that seeks to popularize the high-end by offering some of the best features in a very competitive price range.
These are the features of the POCO F3, the flagship of the Xiaomi sub-brand for the first half of 2021 and which is renewed with one of the latest Qualcomm processors, a new AMOLED screen, and a triple rear camera.
Xiaomi POCO F3 Specifications
| POCO F3 | |
|---|---|
| Screen | 6.67″ AMOLED FHD+ (2,400 x 1,080 px) 120 Hz Touch response 360 ​​Hz |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 GPU Adreno 650 |
| Memory | 6/8GB LPDDR5 |
| Storage | 128/256 GB UFS 3.1 |
| Software | MIUI 12 + POCO Launcher Android 11 |
| Battery | 4,520 mAh Fast charge 33 W |
| Rear Cameras | Main: 48 MP, f / 1.79 Wide: 8 MP, f / 2.2 Telemacro: 5 MP, f / 2.4 |
| Front Camera | 20 MP, f / 2.45 |
| Sound | Dolby Atmos stereo speakers, Hi-Res Triple microphone 360º |
| Connectivity | 5G, LTE, Dual nanoSIM, NFC, Bluetooth 5.1, WiFi 6 |
| Dimensions and Weight | 163.7 x 76.4 x 7.8 mm 196 g |
| Others | LiquidCool cooling, Gorilla Glass 5, side fingerprint reader, USB-C, infrared |
| Price | €349 (6/128GB) €399 (8/256GB) |
Snapdragon 870, 5G connectivity, and 8 GB of RAM
The performance of the POCO has traditionally been one of its most outstanding sections and in the new model, the strategy is repeated. This year the POCO F3 comes with the new Snapdragon 870, being among the first smartphones to offer it along with the Motorola Edge S.
It features a chipset manufactured in 7 nanometers and focused on those high-end that want to compete in price. In terms of features, the Snapdragon 870 is basically like a Snapdragon 865 Plus. The new mobile leaves aside the Pro surname, foreseeably for a future model with the Snapdragon 888.
This is a processor that offers 5G connectivity, WiFi 6, and eight cores up to 3.2 GHz. For gaming, there is an Adreno 650 GPU and an LPDDR5 RAM configuration that starts at 6 GB and reaches 8 GB in its top version. For storage it starts from 128 GB and goes up to 256 GB, not being possible to expand. Here POCO offers UFS 3.1, which should offer a performance bonus.
The POCO F3 is presented as the most powerful mobile of the company to date and has, as we saw with the POCO X3, with LiquidCool 1.0 Plus technology to improve cooling.
The body of the POCO F3 comes protected with Gorilla Glass 5, although its resistance to water and dust is not detailed. As for the battery, the POCO F3 arrives with 4,520 mAh and 33W fast charging via USB port C. Being the 33W charger included in the box and promising to charge the phone fully in 52 minutes. The company highlights that it is the thinnest and lightest POCO, with 196 grams and 7.8 millimeters thick.
A 120 Hz AMOLED panel and reduced hole
The POCO F3 arrives with a 6.67-inch AMOLED E4 panel and FullHD+ resolution. Last year Xiaomi offered mobiles with 120 Hz IPS panels and others, such as the Poco F2 Pro, with AMOLED panels but stayed at 60 Hz. This time, the POCO F3 brings the two technologies together to offer a 120 Hz AMOLED panel and 360 Hz touch response. A linear motor on the X-axis is added to improve the touch response.
The company explains that the new handset also has one of the smallest screen holes on the market, at just 2.76 millimeters. Unlike other models, POCO opts to incorporate the fingerprint reader on the side instead of under the screen.
The AMOLED panel chosen supports HDR10+, incorporates motion compensation, and adds Sunlight 3.0 technology to improve outdoor visibility. An addition complemented by the 360º ambient light sensor. According to the technical specifications, it reaches 900 nits of average brightness and a peak of 1,300 nits.
Stereo sound and triple camera
At the multimedia level, the sound is another aspect where an attempt has been made to offer a good result. The POCO F3 comes with dual stereo speakers, sound signed by Dolby Atmos and for the first time in the brand, a triple microphone with 360º sound to reduce ambient sound and improve voice pickup.
MIUI 12 in its modified version for POCO phones will be in charge of the software. A version based on Android 11 and with access to Google services.
For the photographic section, the POCO F3 arrives with a triple camera configuration. The main IMX582 sensor comes with 48 megapixels and a 1/2″ size with 1.6μm pixels, along with an f/1.79 aperture lens. Accompanying it is an 8-megapixel sensor for the 119-degree wide-angle and a 5-megapixel sensor for telemacro, with an AF distance of between 3 and 7 centimeters.
At the software level, the phone adds audio zoom, dual-mode for video, and night mode 2.0. On the front, a 20-megapixel sensor with an f/2.45 lens is added for selfies.
Prices and Availability of the POCO F3
The new POCO F3 will be available at the end of March in two versions, depending on memory and storage, along with three different colors: white (‘arctic’), black (‘night’), and blue (‘ocean’).
- POCO F3 (6/128 GB): €349 (€299, introductory offer)
- POCO F3 (8/256 GB): €399 (€349, introductory offer)
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