Poco X3 Pro review

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Introduction

The spirit of the first-ever Pocophone - the F1 - continues to live as part of the newly announced Poco X3 Pro and the Poco F3. These two mid-rangers reach new heights with 120Hz screens, flagship-grade chips, stereo speakers, large batteries. And today, we'll be exploring the cheaper Poco X3 Pro - the first Snapdragon 860 carrier - and its bang for the buck features.

The Poco X3 Pro builds on top of the Poco X3 NFC, and they both look alike. The Pro version employs much better hardware, though - it is the first phone to run on the Snapdragon 860 SoC - a repackaged version of the once (and still) flagship Snapdragon 855+ chip.

Just like the Poco X3 NFC, the Poco X3 Pro is IP53-rated for dust protection and splash resistance, it packs a 6.67" IPS LCD screen with 1080p resolution and 120Hz refresh rate support, and the same 5,160mAh battery capable of 33W fast charging. You also get stereo speakers, a microSD slot, NFC, an IR blaster, and even a 3.5mm jack.

Oddly, the camera is a bit different and not in a good way. See, the Poco X3 Pro has a quad-camera on its back with a 48MP primary, an 8MP ultrawide, a 2MP macro, and a 2MP depth snappers. It's not bad, it's just that the regular X3 model offered a 64MP main and a 13MP ultra-wide shooters, and we can't but feel the Pro as being demoted in this department.

Well, obviously the most significant upgrade since the original X3 is the much-improved SoC, which should allow for reaching beyond 60fps on many of the popular games and utilize the full potential of the 120Hz screen. This is often an issue with the HRR-capable mid-rangers, and we will gladly take the update, be it at the expense of some camera megapixels.

Let's dig into the specs now.

Poco X3 Pro specs at a glance:

• Body: 165.3x76.8x9.4mm, 215g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass 6), plastic frame, plastic back; IP53, dust and splash protection.
• Display: 6.67" IPS LCD, 120Hz, HDR10, 450 nits (typ), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 395ppi; 240Hz touch sampling.
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 860 (7 nm): Octa-core (1x2.96 GHz Kryo 485 Prime + 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 485 Gold + 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 485 Silver); Adreno 640.
• Memory: 128GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM; UFS 3.1; microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot).
• OS/Software: Android 11, MIUI 12, Poco launcher.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 48 MP, f/1.8, 1/2.0", 0.8µm, PDAF; Ultrawide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 119˚; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.
• Front camera: 20 MP, f/2.2, (wide), 1/3.4", 0.8µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/120fps, 1080p@960fps; gyro-EIS; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 5160mAh; Fast charging 33W.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); Infrared port; NFC; Stereo speakers; 3.5mm jack.

We can't think of anything missing on this €250 phone. Yes, we would have liked a telephoto camera and an AMOLED screen, but maybe that's why we have the Poco F3 and the supposedly upcoming F3 Pro?

We can feel we are in for a treat with the Poco X3 Pro, but before we dig in, let's first unbox this thing.

Unboxing the Poco X3 Pro

The Poco X3 Pro retail bundle brings no surprises, and it is as rich as we are used to getting with the Poco and Redmi phones. Inside the box, you'll find the promised 33W power adapter and а 3A-rated USB-C-to-A cable.

There is also a transparent silicone case, which has a small protective cover for the USB port. The flap is a bit annoying when you need to charge your Poco X3 Pro, but we can appreciate the extra care for the port.

And for the true Poco fans, the box also contains a bunch of Poco stickers you can put on your computer, monitor, desk, car, and whatnot.