Pocophone F1 long-term review

11 January 2019
A little phone that isn't small. A flagship that costs a third of what you'd expect. A contradiction? No, it's the Pocophone F1. Shocking? Awe-inspiring? Yes and yes. The most intriguing handset of the year isn't the most bezel-starved, or one with sliding bits and pieces, or one with an in-display fingerprint senso

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  • M
  • Maria
  • 6cY
  • 19 Jan 2019

TechJunkie, 18 Jan 2019It's a well-written piece of art, I'll give you that. I'm a... moreI almost fall in love with Poco F1. Since there is no NFC only, I do not use Poco F1 as my daily drive.

    It's a well-written piece of art, I'll give you that. I'm a Poco User myself and I can say that Poco F1 doesn't lack in any category to provide us the best of former best of Snapdragon. The only thing that isn't superior in Poco F1 is its plastic body but again that plastic is of superior quality. So, Poco F1 is the ultimate mid-price high end Smartphone. It is not a midrange Smartphone from any angle other than the body quality. Read Poco F1 expert review here https://www.techoleaksofficial.com/2018/08/pocophone-f1-by-xiaomi-expert-review.html?m=1

    Thankyou.

      • B
      • Borjal84
      • Luq
      • 18 Jan 2019

      I use my Pocophone in Spain and in Mexico and Face authentication works perfectly.

        • V
        • Vin
        • 7Xp
        • 17 Jan 2019

        I just bought the Pocophone and i really like the battery of it, regular use + games can stand a whole day. I will not talk about more of the camera and performance because it's given that it can really perform well.

          • M
          • Mikey
          • NKH
          • 17 Jan 2019

          khrm, 16 Jan 2019Depends what you intend to do with your phone. In actual us... moreThat's actually good to hear, because I haven't had any hands on time with the 8x yet. I'm a HUGE fan of what they did with the older 7x, for the those exact reasons. That phone wasn't slower unless you were looking at benchmarks or had it side by side doing the same thing with a flagship. It was just a tremendously well balanced phone for the price.

          But back to the F1, it comes across the same way. You have to factor that much lower price when putting it head to head with something like an S9 or OnePlus 6T. They had to cut back in certain areas to make that price, but didn't hack and slash it to death. I really like what they managed to accomplish for the price. I'm not a photographer in any way shape or form, so the so-so camera doesn't bother me. I'm not a gamer, so the screen doesn't bother me either. I'm a complete clod with phones, so the lack of a glass back is a bonus for me. The battery life is a good thing too. No wireless charging / IP rating is an issue, but I can completely forgive that given the price. My only real hang up on the phone is the less than stellar US LTE band support... BUT the US isn't the target market, so I understand that too, and sadly have to put it on my 'no go' list solely based on that fact. Otherwise I'm really impressed by the F1. Another extremely well balanced phone... for the rest of the world :(

            • M
            • Mikey
            • NKH
            • 17 Jan 2019

            Gandalfdenvite, 16 Jan 2019Not being able to see the screen when using sunglasses make... morePolarized sunglasses tend to do that.

            I even have issue with an S8 Active and certain pairs of glasses. Just something to keep in mind, but not a deal breaker to me.

              • ?
              • Anonymous
              • KiN
              • 17 Jan 2019

              conclusion: if you want it then go for it. else, create your own imaginary phone with a budget like that.

                • k
                • kisslipsred
                • Q5x
                • 16 Jan 2019

                ive been an apple fan before since iphone 5s launch until I upgraded for iphone 6splus. but bcos of playing heavy games like ragnarok eternal love and mobile legends, etc. I bought an f1 to try a real deal coz its made up for gaming anyways. I don't like it at first bcos the MIUI is quite confusing not until I get to understand more of its quirks and advantage I started loving my f1. I even bought some casing for it. its really worth it.

                  Gandalfdenvite, 16 Jan 2019Not being able to see the screen when using sunglasses make... moreI guess I overlooked that but yet another reason to skip this phone.

                    s-pen pusher, 15 Jan 2019i agree, once you have started using phones with other buil... moreI don't recall saying plastic was bad in any way, if it brought the price of my phone down a bit I would be ok with that 100%, like you said - glass is nice but we slap plastic / rubber cases on them anyways.
                    I simply said plastic wasn't premium.
                    But aside from the accidental drop that everybody tries to avoid, is a glass back not a better choice for daily use as it doesn't scratch nearly as easily as plastic (we all have to put our phones down sometime and I doubt we're laying them face down intentionally).

                      • G
                      • Gandalfdenvite
                      • 38E
                      • 16 Jan 2019

                      Not being able to see the screen when using sunglasses makes this a total "no buy" for me!

                        Astro bouy, 15 Jan 2019A device ends at many things apart from how fast it opens a... moreYes, there most certainly is ground for denying that silly claim. ios has always been missing features, right from the get go.

                        ios lacked file manager, bluetooh file sharing, or any sort of simple file sharing really across platforms. First gen iphone didn't even have front facing cam for video. A feature even my 2003 feature phone had. When iphone 4 came it had, but only for facetime over wifi. Not until ios 8 did parties like whatsapp get access to video chat.

                        Why support open and widely used standards when one can use proprietary ones instead? That's a question apple, ios and iphone is defined by. #lockin

                        ios kind of borrowed widgets from android, but not allowed on home screen.
                        ios borrowed quick settings too, after way too long.

                        ios is supposed to be a smart OS, but using other launcher/home screen, or replacing ios standard apps is a huge no no. Even keyboard was locked until (same as above) ios 8.

                        After all these years there's still no file manager, no option for app drawer or third party home screen. Widget where you want it, and adaptable size on your home screen etc, still missing and locked to the widget menu.

                        Iphone got NFC after so long, but can one actually use it? Not freely, it's locked down for apple pay only.
                        How long could android charge wirelessly before iphone came tagging along?

                        Iphone lagged in power, lagged in camera and android users was "spec wh*res". Now though benchmark is all that matters because the chipset finally caught up, haha. So now that matters, now that even budget phones have plenty of power for normal use.

                        And what about simple things as ringtones? Want your own song, or any part of that song? Easy in android, even since my first (Motorola Droid), but apple wanted you to buy the ring tone version of a song. Even now it's not straight forward and something you can do on your phone. You have to do it through itunes. Awful user friendlyness.

                        Sorry, but iphone was never the best choice.

                          • k
                          • khrm
                          • PDT
                          • 16 Jan 2019

                          s-pen pusher, 15 Jan 2019those you hve mentioned have mid-range specs. i have had c... moreDepends what you intend to do with your phone. In actual usage, the performance difference is hardly noticeable among them. I own Honor 8x and even though its chipset may be inferior on paper compared to Poco, it is by no means slow as it never lags. So why pay more for a device (PocoF1) which is 50% more expensive than 8x? Unless I start playing heavy games (which I don't) I wont likely feel the benefit of paying more for Poco. Also, the battery of my phone is just superb and now even on 4G mobile network, I don't have to charge my phone daily. This to go with 6.5 inch stunning display/build, faultless performance and 128 GB of storage gives me everything I practically want in a phone.

                            • s
                            • s-pen pusher
                            • PMT
                            • 15 Jan 2019

                            Lyndino, 15 Jan 2019You are perfectly clear in your choice and kudo's to you fo... morei agree, once you have started using phones with other build material other than plastic it really would be difficult to see plastic as premium. i mean back in the day we consider some type of plastic premium as it was used in the first three generations of the iphone. there are manufacturers who out plastic devices and go through lengths to pass it off as metal or other materials, but really there is no way to mask it. then again it is weird that we hate plastic or rubber so much but then slap on a case made out of it soon as we get our hands on a new metal/glass phone. i ordered this yesterday together with a plastic case so to hell with premium materials.

                              • s
                              • s-pen pusher
                              • PMT
                              • 15 Jan 2019

                              khrm, 15 Jan 2019The whole review is just about comparing and praising PocoF... morethose you hve mentioned have mid-range specs. i have had chance to compare yesterday the y9 and nova 3i and they just don't stand a chance against the f1.

                                • s
                                • s-pen pusher
                                • iny
                                • 15 Jan 2019

                                Jonsid01, 15 Jan 2019Yes it does. thanks. ordering one online today.

                                  Essen, 14 Jan 2019Is it possible for GSMa to do the battery endurance test on... moreYou're very demanding man.

                                    user, 15 Jan 2019Then go grab one and see for yourself. Did you read what gs... moreYou are perfectly clear in your choice and kudo's to you for that. I don't consider plastic with a carbon fiber sticker to be premium. Just because the weight is good doesn't make it feel premium. No I haven't held one in my hand but I have held many plastic items throughout my life that are plastic, metal, glass, ceramic, rubber.... and I can tell you that plastic (no matter how polished it is) does not carry the same feel as glass, metal or ceramic. Also, I couldn't care less about the burn / bend test on Jerry Rig (I do like to watch his clips that's for sure) as they don't pertain to me. I'm not stupid enough to sit on my phone and possibly bend it, or put it in a compromising situation. Maybe it's because I know I pay a substantial amount for my phone and take care of it. Maybe if I bought an cheap chinese phone I wouldn't care so much and probably toss it around like a foot ball because I can get another one cheaply.

                                    Like I've stated in all my recent posts, I welcome to hear your opinion and encourage you to express it but to me there is no way 'plastic' feels premium. Would you consider an Agar wood phone back premium just because it survives a bend test or GSM says it's good?

                                      • u
                                      • user
                                      • bLy
                                      • 15 Jan 2019

                                      Lyndino, 14 Jan 2019Feel premium??? A plastic bodied phone feels premium??? I c... moreThen go grab one and see for yourself. Did you read what gsmarena wrote about build quality in this article, did you see the durability test by jerry on youtube, did you touch and feel the phone in person, or just reading spec and think you know best. I have used iphones, sony, samsung, xiaomi with glass/metal material. When i say poco f1 is totally premium, i mean it is premium even by iphone standard. Plastic is my prefer preference for material because phones with plastic body have many advantages, i don't prefer glass or metal, hope that is clear.

                                        • J
                                        • Jonsid01
                                        • sxs
                                        • 15 Jan 2019

                                        s-pen pusher, 14 Jan 2019anyone using this with globe in the philippines? does the g... moreYes it does.