After we reviewed the POCO X3 NFC, now comes the POCO X3 Pro, which also brings us the first contact with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 860 processor. If we expected the Snapdragon 870, it resurrects the Snapdragon 865+ for another a frequency boost, I wouldn't have thought of the Snapdragon 860 as an updated Snapdragon 855+, with a higher frequency. Well, this phone has that CPU, keeps the "racing car stripe" on the back of POCO X3, but also the camera design, with a module inspired by DSLRs. We have a quad camera with a slight downgrade, however, but the good news is that we keep the screen with a high refresh rate of 120 Hz. All at a price of 1199 lei and below you can find the unboxing and first impressions.
The box contains the SIM key, POCO stickers, manual and warranty, a cover, the cable from USB-C to USB-A, and the 33W charger. The phone has a plastic back and frame, but also a front area covered with glass, with Gorilla Glass 6 protection. The terminal comes with IP53 certification for dust and splash resistance. It measures 9.4 mm in waist and 215 grams, entering the territory of a gaming phone or battery phone.
It's certainly heavy and massive, it's not for everyone, but it offers safety during long gaming sessions. It seems to feel a little slippery, but the rounded back helps it sit well in the palm. The terminal is available in Phantom Black, Frost Blue and Metal Bronze shades.
The screen is a 6.67-inch IPS LCD, with a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels, with a refresh rate of 120 Hz and HDR10 support. Personally, I hope it delivers a better experience than the one on the POCO X3 NFC, which had some shortcomings, which made the fluidity of the high refresh rate sometimes not felt.
On the inside is a 7 nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 860 processor, an octa core CPU with Adreno 640 GPU, basically a Snapdragon 855+ from the ASUS ROG Phone II, only clocked higher. We also have 6 or 8 GB of RAM inside, but also 128 or 256 GB of UFS 3.1 storage and a microSD slot. On the front is the same selfie camera as the POCO X3 NFC, namely a 20 MP one, cut into the screen and with fixed focus.
On the back is that module inspired by DSLRs, only of the 4 cameras on the POCO X3 NFC, 3 have been kept intact and the main 64 MP one becomes a 48 MP one now. It has F/1.8 aperture, PDAF, Sony IMX582 sensor and combines 4 pixels in one. Along with it comes an 8 MP ultrawide camera, a 2 MP Macro and a 2 MP Bokeh camera. This phone shoots in 4K at 30 FPS, has LED flash and functions like Night Mode, Portrait, Pro, Tilt Shift, Vlog, Slow Motion, Dual Video and Clone.
On this phone we also find an audio jack and stereo speakers, and on the connectivity side we have dual band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, NFC and an infrared transmitter at the top, plus a USB-C 2.0 port at the bottom. For security, the phone has a fingerprint reader, and as a selling point I would say that the 5160 mAh battery qualifies. It charges at 33W. POCO X3 Pro runs Android 11 with MIUI 12 with those super dynamic and dramatic wallpapers, with zoom from space, but also Control Center with Quick Settings bubbles after the iOS model.
It seems to me like a phone for gamers, who focus less on the camera and more on how long the battery lasts and what the processor can do in long sessions of Call of Duty Mobile. The screen will make or break this product. It remains to test it and come back with a review.
POCO X3 PRO, updated prices: