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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  • F
  • Finophile
  • 7tm
  • 13 Jan 2019

I thought that the naming of the phone was interesting, because in many ways I felt the Oppo F1 to be the best high quality low price offering they ever made (still to this day). Perhaps it was a reference to that phone?

    • I
    • Islam
    • fkc
    • 13 Jan 2019

    Samy, 12 Jan 2019Buudy, If you really looking pocophone as flagship... sorry... moreyou are right, but we can this phone is a flagship for the mid-level

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • EKh
      • 12 Jan 2019

      edwin, 12 Jan 2019i bought my pocophone 6/128 for 282 EUR at gearbest plus 2 ... moreI paid less than 200 EUR for my S9. Boxing week sale. Not in Europe, of course. :-P

        • K
        • Kenli
        • vx6
        • 12 Jan 2019

        Heisen8erg, 12 Jan 2019I have a problem understanding the meaning of flagship and ... moreTrue man.

          I have a problem understanding the meaning of flagship and midrange. What do you mean when you say poco is not a flagship. Flagship specs, flagship camera, flagship support, flagship feauters, midrange display, plastic build. I dont get it how this phone count as "midrange". Display and the material is what differentiate flagship and midrange? Or it has to be perfect to be recocnised as a flagship like all those "perfect" flagships with +700$ price tag :))))

            • G
            • Gandalfdenvite
            • 38E
            • 12 Jan 2019

            XiaomiUser, 12 Jan 2019Funny how it didn't mention how Xiaomi keeps pinging home e... morePie has "Private DNS", I use "dns.adguard.com"!

              • G
              • Gandalfdenvite
              • 38E
              • 12 Jan 2019

              Midrange phones are just as fast as flagships, so if you do not intend to play PUBG mobile at highest settings then a midrange phone for the same price/money but without any of the Pocophone F1 problems, is a far better option!

                • S
                • Samy
                • Dkd
                • 12 Jan 2019

                Anonymous, 12 Jan 2019LOL ROFL Poco is the most innovative of 2018. Seriously is ... moreBuudy, If you really looking pocophone as flagship... sorry man, you are on wrong track.
                That phone is made for core performance, not for amazing looks & style. Look at the price 1st. If you want flagship, you should pay flagship price. Pocophone is not for you brother.

                BTW @Gsmarena, IR face unlock works preety well in most of the regions. Change your region & enjoy.

                  • e
                  • edwin
                  • Pu1
                  • 12 Jan 2019

                  Nero123, 12 Jan 2019It doesn't make sense to compare it to the Note 9. You can ... morei bought my pocophone 6/128 for 282 EUR at gearbest plus 2 years warranty :D

                    Nero123, 12 Jan 2019It doesn't make sense to compare it to the Note 9. You can ... moreI think the Mi 8 is a better comparison to flagships than the Poco which is mid-range in every way but internals.

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                      • AnonD-804996
                      • M}3
                      • 12 Jan 2019

                      I've decided to use all my phones without a case. What's the point of buying beautiful glass design and then stick it in a cheap and ugly looking protective case. In that case just buy Pocophone F1. I have Xiaomi Mi5 in white and it's amazing. Feels premium with double glass case, looks great despite many scratches on back because the glass is white and you don't even see the scratches. Same for fingerprints. You don't even see them on white glass. I also had Huawei Ascend P7 and it was also white. Before that, I had HTC Wildfire. Also in white. I just like white phones, they look pretty and are more durable than black ones.

                        • X
                        • XiaomiUser
                        • fIZ
                        • 12 Jan 2019

                        Funny how it didn't mention how Xiaomi keeps pinging home even if you've turned off all ads and analytics stuff.

                        If you have a Xiaomi phone (if you don't, install POCO launcher, not sure about other Xiaomi apps but POCO launcher will definitely work)
                        1. install Intra app (the DNS changer app) and tick "Show recent DNS requests" at the bottom of the Intra app
                        2. turn off Wi-Fi/Mobile Data and turn it back on
                        3. you should see pings to Xiaomi or MIUI servers
                        4. also, it will ping every few minutes as long as you're connected to the Internet, I'm not sure how long since I didnt time it but check Intra app every few minutes if you're curious

                        List of Xiaomi servers it pings to and AdAway hosts file for rooted users who want to block it :
                        https://gist.github.com/eboye/ef2f8c3e9e3b32c0980ff1a226770b1c

                        https://forum.xda-developers.com/redmi-note-3/how-to/adaway-blocking-miui-calling-home-t3516119

                          It doesn't make sense to compare it to the Note 9. You can compare it to the Galaxy S9 which goes for £500 on Amazon while the Pocophone F1 goes for £330. Sure the Pocophone is still the better deal despite its major shortcomings, but that comparison actually makes sense.

                          Hopefully this year they add NFC without major price increases and without removing the headphone jack.

                            LG Superfan, 12 Jan 2019At this price no compromise counts as negativeCan't really agree with you) Price is a characteristic of a product on a shelf, not of a smartphone itself)

                              For around 280 euros at the moment , this is really a steal, you're not going to find an SD 845 anywhere for this price, and if you're worried about the camera, install the pixel camera apk and you're good to go!

                                LG Superfan, 12 Jan 2019How is it huge downside?digital payment is common in us and europe, and some asian countries. without nfc, you need to use a dedicated nfc card which is a hassle to pick it up from your wallet because today we could've just use nfc from our phone.

                                  Just having a beer, 12 Jan 2019If it wouldn't be for missing NFC, I would recommend it to ... moreHow is it huge downside?

                                    At this price no compromise counts as negative

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                                      • user
                                      • bLy
                                      • 12 Jan 2019

                                      My favorite phone, have bought this since day one and using it for more than 4 months. The plastic body is actually my favorite part: better signal reception (compared to iphone 6/8 and other android, in very weak signal area i saw other phones goes blank but F1 still has signal) very durable, no fingerprint at the back, no slippery, looks and feel totally premium. I hope Poco F2 keeps the plastic body and improve more on camera. Snapdragon 845/855 together with ufs 128gb and 6gb ram, 4000mAh battery are already flagship spec. Launcher is great, software great, very responsive, ufs very fast. Can't believe such phone even exist at that price point. When the F2 comes out i will buy 2 more and give to my family.

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                                        • Maria
                                        • 6c6
                                        • 12 Jan 2019

                                        I almost...almost fall in love with Poco F1 but No NFC seperate us. I buy galaxy A8 2018 indeed.