A new brand has entered the Indian markets, it is called POCO and it is a Xiaomi brand. The new brand launched their first smartphone in India called the Poco F1. This is Snapdragon 845 octa core powered and price starts from Rs. 20,999.

First of all why a new brand, I guess when users look at the Xiaomi brand they are looking for quality product at cheaper price. So probably the Poco brand was created to cater to Mid Premium segment, for those looking for a better, powerful and latest hardware and are ready to spend. Also since Poco is backed by Xiaomi users will be comfortable with this new brand.

There is a market in the mid premium segment, but not as much as in the budget segment, another reason for creating the Poco brand is to have a separate sales figure not affecting the Xiaomi sales that does really good for under Rs. 20K.

Poco F1 review

Poco F1 review

Poco F1 unboxing – do check the video review where I have done the unboxing of this product. I got the Poco F1 Armored Edition. Inside the box you will get the handset, SIM ejector pin, user manual, warranty card, data cable (USB to USB Type C) and travel charger 12V/1.65A. SAR Value as mentioned on the box is 0.719 head and 0.746 body. This product is Made in India.

The unit that I got is Armored Edition made of Kevlar material, it is really tough and made so as to avoid users from using a case for protection. Build and finishing is awesome and handset feels really good to hold and operate. The other Poco F1 variant is policarbonate body.

Poco F1 is Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 octa core powered and also using Liquid Cooling Technology to enhance overall performance in the long run. You can say this is specially made for gaming users in mind.

MIUI 9 runs out of the box based on Oreo, there is Poco Launcher and some interesting stuffs like ability to use mobile data during VoLTE calls on the secondary SIM. The 845 chipset supports dual VoLTE. This F1 comes with Hybrid dual SIM slots.

Poco F1 unboxing

There is LED notification, OTG is supported and the Poco F1 is loaded with all the important sensors that you will get in a premium smartphone. The Unit that I got is special edition it comes with 8GB RAM and 256GB ROM.

Screen is 6.18 inches supporting FHD+ resolution and it does come with a notch. Screen aspect ratio is 18.7:9. Screen is Corning Gorilla protected.

The moment I opened the box and started using the handset, I just fell in love with it. The overall performance was buttery smooth. I got Antutu score of 265593. PUBG game played really well, buttery smooth and heat up was under control.

The Liquid Cooling system will help keep the performance at an optimal level, so you will hardly get any lags and also helps control the heat buildup. In simple words you can continue playing the PUGB game for a much longer period of time.

Overall the Poco F1 is power packed however there is no NFC.

Coming to the camera on the rear there is 12MP + 5MP dual cameras and on the front there is a 20MP camera. Camera quality is excellent, do check the camera samples below. Bokeh looks perfect and so is the edge detection. Camera some with AI features that help get perfect shots in any lighting conditions. F1 can shoot 4K videos. If you need Video Stabilization then shoot in 1080p resolution or below. You can also shoot Slow motion videos at 240 fps.

Poco F1 camera samples

The finger print sensor and the face unlock work almost instantly. The best part is the face unlock works in dark conditions too.

Coming to the battery the Poco F1 houses a 4000 mAh non-removable battery with fast charge QC 3.0 support. It took me about 1 hour 45 minutes for a full charge and battery life – you can expect one day of heavy usage and one and a half day of mixed usage with ease.

So should you buy the Poco F1?

If you are a gaming user you will love the F1 and if you are not a gaming user you still should buy this handset, if it fits your budget.

Poco F1 is for now the cheapest and the best Snapdragon 845 powered handset available in India.

Poco F1 price in India starts from Rs. 20,999.

Poco F1 8GB / 256GB price is Rs. 29,999 Armored edition
Poco F1 6GB / 64 GB Rs. 20,999
6GB / 128GB Rs. 23,999
8GB / 256GB Rs. 28,999.

By Rajeev Rana

Founder and Chief Editor - gogi.in