The Xiaomi Pocophone F1 - The Flagship Killer of the Flagship Killer
Xiaomi Corporation launched its sub-brand POCOPHONE here in New Delhi on the 22nd of August with the unveiling of the first smartphone from the brand, the Pocophone F1. From the launch itself, the phone has been making headlines and probably for all the right reasons.
Back in 2013, Oneplus, a new and emerging Chinese company was in the news for similar reasons. They had launched a smartphone in the market with a spec-sheet that more than less resembled a Flagship but for less than half the price. Fast forward to 2018, Oneplus is now an established smartphone brand known for quality devices at reasonable prices and has rightfully earned the tag of ‘Flagship Killer’.
The Pocophone F1 promises to do the same, only this time the target is not the flagship but the flagship killer. Powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC, coupled with 8 gigs of RAM, the phone does pose a threat to the Oneplus or even the flagships on paper. The phone comes with a more than capable camera, a fingerprint sensor and runs MIUI which is based on the latest version of Android.
Even after such an impeccable spec-sheet, the most compelling feature of this offering by Xiaomi has to be its price. Priced in India at ₹ 20,999 for the base variant, the Pocophone F1 is indeed a bang for the buck. To put things in context the next cheapest phone with a Qualcomm 845 starts at ₹ 34,999 i.e. the Oneplus 6.
To deliver a smartphone with such a high level of specifications at such a price there is some cost-cutting that needs to be done to make the phone feasible. These come forward in the form of the absence of NFC and wireless charging. The body is completely made out of poly-carbonate instead of glass or aluminum and thus lacks that premium feel. The screen is an IPS LCD panel and is somewhat dull as compared to an AMOLED display. Although the lack of the above features is definitely not a deal-breaker, it is still something that cannot be overlooked and is more of a personal preference.
Last but not least, the Poco F1 is an extremely powerful device with an unbeatable price. Still, the real world performance, user-friendliness, battery life and endurance of the device can only be commented upon after regular usage for a longer time. If one is looking for a powerful smartphone and is tight on budget, the Xiaomi Pocophone F1 might surely be a way to go.