Poco X3 GT review

Introduction

Poco recently unveiled a couple of GT phones with the Poco X3 GT and Poco F3 GT. The duo is aimed at different regions - the X3 is for the middle East and Asia excluding India, while the F3 model is an India-exclusive. These new GT versions are meant to deliver speed on the budget, and they sure look intriguing. Today we are meeting the Poco X3 GT and we are ready to put it through its paces.

Poco and Xiaomi, two supposedly independent companies, are once more trying their best to confuse us. See, the Poco X3 GT is not a new smartphone - it's a rebranded version of the Chinese Redmi Note 10 Pro. The stress here is on Chinese, as it has nothing to do with the global Redmi Note 10 Pro. And in case you were wondering, yes, the other F3 GT model is also a recycled one - it's the Redmi K40 Gaming Edition for China.

Long story short, the GT pair is not new, in fact, it's been selling in China for quite some time under the Redmi brand. However global markets will get them in a different flavor, along with some changes in the UI.

And with the Chinese Redmi Note 10 Pro not available around these parts of the world, we are thoroughly intrigued to see what the Poco X3 GT can do. It's a promising offer with a 120Hz LCD screen, speedy Dimensity 1100 5G chip, a trio of cameras, and a large 5,000mAh battery with flagship-grade 67W fast charging.

The GT model has a lot in common with the Poco X3 Pro - an attractive IP53-rated design, a 120Hz LCD screen, some powerful hardware platform, a triple camera on the back, and a large battery.

But it also improves on the Pro model with the most current Gorilla Glass Victus protection, a better 64MP primary camera (vs. 48MP), and much faster 67W charging (vs. 33W). Poco is also advertising the screen for its adaptive refresh rate - it should be able to switch between 30Hz, 48Hz, 50Hz, 60Hz, 90Hz and 120Hz automatically depending on the content.

The Dimensity 1100 SoC should be as powerful as the Snapdragon 860 inside the X3 Pro model. It is also very close to the flagship Dimensity 1200 chip - the only notable difference being the omission of a designated Prime CPU core.

Enough introductions. Let's scroll through the specs and get this review started.

Xiaomi Poco X3 GT specs at a glance:

• Body: 163.3x75.9x8.9mm, 193g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), plastic back; IP53, dust and splash protection.
• Display: 6.60" IPS LCD, 120Hz, HDR10, 450 nits (typ), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 399ppi.
• Chipset: MediaTek MT6891Z Dimensity 1100 5G (6 nm): Octa-core (4x2.6 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G77 MC9.
• Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM; UFS 3.1.
• OS/Software: Android 11, MIUI 12.5 for POCO.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm, 1/1.97", 0.7µm, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 120˚, 1/4.0", 1.12µm; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4.
• Front camera: 16 MP, f/2.5, (wide), 1/3.06", 1.0µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps, 720p@120fps, 960fps.
• Battery: 5000mAh; Fast charging 67W, 100% in 42 min (advertised), USB Power Delivery 3.0.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); Infrared port; Virtual proximity sensing.

The obvious missing bits on the Poco X3 GT are a microSD slot and a 3.5mm audio jack. It also doesn't have dedicated gaming triggers as the Poco F3 GT, but we doubt as many people will be sad about those. Still, it would have made the GT insignia even more relevant and distinguish the GT model from the Pro one.

Unboxing the Poco X3 GT

The Poco X3 GT ships within a black paper box with rich content. Inside the box you'll find a 67W power adapter and a 6A-rated USB cable - the same combo that ships with the flagship Mi 11 Ultra.

In addition to the top-notch charger, the box also contains a transparent silicone case, a USB-C-to-3.5mm adapter, and a bunch of Poco stickers. And since Poco is all about 'Everything You Need, Nothing You Don't', we imagine eventual buyers most definitely need those stickers, right?