Friends+Design
- Flashy, colourful glass rear with a gradient tone along with Gorilla Glass 5 at the front and back make it feel as premium as it gets
- The centrepiece of the rear design is the circular patch around the camera strip, with smooth finish while the glass around it looks frosted - giving the POCO X2 a differentiating look
- The front looks slick, with all-screen, minimum bezels and punch holes for the front cameras
- Lightning-fast fingerprint sensor (though, it's side mounted & can take some time getting used to)
- The POCO X2 is a humongous phone with its 6.67-inch display, making one-handed use potentially awkward - a bit heavy too at 208g
Display
- Gorgeous, super smooth 120Hz Full HD+ IPS display - the added smoothness to transitions throughout the phone is love at first sight, every scroll and swipe will feel buttery smooth, and once you experience this, it is hard to go back to 60Hz
- Strong brightness and great sunlight legibility
- The POCO X2 has Widevine L1 from day one, allowing you to stream 1080p videos from Netflix and other streaming services
- There is a noticeable shadow around the dual punch-hole cameras when displaying brighter content and it could be annoying - it could also be distracting when watching full-screen content
Software
- Poco's UI is identified as Poco Launcher as well as MIUI in different parts of the UI - MIUI has always been one of the most refined Android UIs out there, and continues to get even better - it offers a good combination of aesthetics, useful added functionality, lots of customisability, and optimisation - not only is there now an app drawer, but it has tabs that filter various categories of apps for easy access
- There's a lot of preloaded bloatware which sends you multiple annoying notifications each day asking you to download more through the company's own GetApps store - you'll see ads and promoted content in many of the default apps (though, it seems to have been toned down a little compared to before)
Performance
- Excellent performance, backed by the scorching Snapdragon 730G - the Poco X2 breezes through apps and games - heavy games run smooth, with PUBG Mobile running at high graphics as default
- Good heat management - the phone doesn't get too hot in use, and only feels mildly warm when playing games or using the cameras for a while
Cameras
- Excellent quad cameras for the price - the primary 64MP + 8MP ultra-wide camera + 2MP macro camera + 2MP depth sensor
- The 64MP main camera saves 16MP photos, and the daylight pictures came out excellent for the class - the resolved detail is plenty, the contrast is great, and the dynamic range is rather high with vibrant colours - you can shoot in the full 64MP resolution and the photos look quite good, with a downright impressive level of detail
- The 8MP ultra-wide cam snaps good photos with enough level of detail and commendable contrast - very good ultra-wide shots for the class (though the quality is not as good as the main snapper, as expected)
- The POCO X2's 2MP macro cam has autofocus, unlike the majority of the macro shooters out there, be it flagship or not - it is much easier to use, and the closeups are also good
- The portrait photos are very detailed, have convincing blur and with some fine-tuning they can easily rival some of the best portraits from recent smartphones in this price range
- Low-light shots are also good from both primary & ultra-wide cam - the night mode makes a considerable difference and you don't have to stand still too long - the night mode brightens frames and shows details that would have been otherwise lost in the shadows
- Very good dual 20MP + 2MP selfie camera - there is enough detail in selfies, the colours are nice, and the contrast is good
- Selfie portraits are good too - edge detection is quite accurate
- Video recording is also good with good stabilisation, crisp details and smooth motion tracking
- Overall, one of the best cameras you'll find in any phone around the price of the POCO X2
- The camera app is a bit complicated for an average user, there is no clear way to navigate through all cameras - you have zoom controls for switching between ultra-wide and primary and different toggles for portrait and macro mode
Audio
- Good single speaker at the bottom - it's very loud and the sound is impressively deep and rich
- Call quality on the Poco X2 is very good and there is barely any noticeable distortion or jarring while taking calls
Battery
- Solid battery life with the 4500 mAh cell - can easily accommodate a day and half worth of moderate use
- Impressive and unmatched 27W Fast charging for the price - the cherry on top is the included 27W Fast Charger which fills the phone in an hour
Verdict
- Offering high-end specifications at rock-bottom prices is the mantra POCO follows and the POCO X2 is so well priced it makes very good value for money phones like the Realme X2 and the Redmi K20 seem a little worse in comparison - the POCO X2 is the new value champ in its price segment - the processor, RAM, storage, battery, and cameras are all strong, and there's nothing to complain about in terms of build quality or the included accessories (though some people might struggle with the sheer size of this device and the ads in MIUI)
