Friends+Design
- Unique, flashy rear design - the polycarbonate back has a thick etched strip running through the middle with large Poco branding towards the bottom which shines in iridescent colours when light hits it
- The front has a sleek look with just a single punch-hole camera in the middle-top and thin bezels
- The Poco X3 is well-built for a phone at its price
- The side-positioned fingerprint scanner is easy to find, very responsive, and accurate
- There’s also IP53 rating for dust and water resistance
- A tad bit too bulky, measuring over 10mm and weighing over 225 grams
Display
- Vibrant and crisp 6.67-inch IPS LCD screen - the expansive canvas with smooth transitions and rich colours with high refresh rate make it one of the best in this segment
- The 120 Hz refresh rate is exclusive to Poco for this segment - it makes the UI very quick and responsive and general content and scrolling on the display looks smooth
- HDR10 support for content and sites like YouTube while Widevine L1 brings high-res OTT streaming
- Brightness could have been better for direct sunlight use
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 customizability, and optimisation - everything is neatly categorized and colour coded for easier access
- There are still at least a dozen unnecessary apps pre-installed, though most of them can be uninstalled
Performance
- Excellent performance for the price from the new Snapdragon 732G SOC - it raises the bar in terms of how smooth budget phones can be - regular usage like scrolling pages, switching between apps is extremely fluid and heavy games like COD: Mobile can also be cranked up to higher graphics or frame rates for a respectable performance
Cameras
- Good quad cameras for the price - a 64MP primary snapper, a 13MP ultrawide shooter, followed by a 2MP macro cam and a 2MP depth sensor
- The default 16MP photos from the main camera are excellent for this class - there is enough detail, high contrast, and commendable dynamic range - the colours are on the warmer side, but other than that the Poco X3 performs splendidly for its price
- The ultrawide photos are quite good for a mid-ranger - they are quite detailed, the colours are nice and there is a reasonably wide dynamic range, the lens distortion correction is decent
- The macro camera is decent for the occasional snap of a flower or bug
- The portrait shots are pretty detailed - the Poco X3 is a capable portrait shooter with proficient subject separation and natural-looking blur
- The low-light photos from the camera are decent, with enough details and light - the night mode brightens the whole scene and restores the highlights, the photos look great on the phone's screen and in low resolution on social media
- The 20MP samples from the front camera present enough details, the colours are nice, and the contrast is excellent - portrait selfies are available and are decent
- Video recording is good from both primary and ultra-wide cameras - electronic stabilization is available for the cameras
Audio
- Good set of stereo speakers - the speakers get very loud with good enough bass
Battery
- Excellent battery life from the 6000 mAh cell - the battery can last a whole day with heavy use, with light to moderate use it can be stretched for the second day
- Very good fast charging from the 33W fast charger - it takes little over an hour to charge the phone completely
Verdict
- The Xiaomi Poco X3 is one of the best budget smartphones in its segment - it crams in a huge battery, solid screen, good cameras, and excellent performance for an unbeatable price, add in the great audio setup and it makes for a fantastic package
