Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC (2020) Review

I recently got my hands on a Poco X3 NFC phone to replace my Yotaphone. Why the X3 you might ask? Feature-wise, the X3 is one of the fewer models in recent times to come with NFC support and it even comes with an IR blaster. These quirky features aside, the X3 is quite a strong contender when it comes to mid-range Android phones with decent storage, RAM, and processing power.

Poco, if you’ve not heard of them before, was originally just a series of phones from Xiaomi back in 2018 and have only become an individual brand in January 2020. They gained a lot of attention with their early models which offered the best bang for the buck for the consumers.

Powered by the Snapdragon 732G processor and backed with 6Gb of RAM and 128Gb storage, the X3 is adequately equipped for modern business apps and gaming use.

The first thing you will notice on the X3 is the gorgeous 6.67″ IPS 120Hz display. Although the refresh rate is capable of hitting a maximum of 120Hz, it can be configured to be adaptive according to the usage in order to conserve its power usage which is another plus point of this phone.

The screen is framed by an aluminum band which gives it a sturdy feel which hopefully helps to keep it intact for short drops. The backplate is made with tough polycarbonate materials. I think this is a fair tradeoff for the budget X3.

Along this frame you will find the volume rockers, sim tray with microSD support as well as the side-mounted fingerprint sensor. The detection rate is fairly quick and very few times was I unable to unlock it almost immediately. Finally at the bottom side of the phone you will find the USB C charger port and a 35mm headphone jack which I strongly believe every budget phone in the market must include these days.

These luxuries come at the cost of the phone’s heftiness. Weighing in at 215g, this phone is certainly not a featherweight contender but the size is still pocketable. With a battery capping at 5160mAh and its variable refresh rate, the X3 can easily last 11-12 hours of regular use on my test with 40% battery remaining. This includes daily messaging use, YouTube streaming, and some light browsing on the phone. Support for fast charging lets the X3 refill from zero to full charge in less than 2hrs with the included 33W fast charger.

The IR blaster is a fun inclusion. I can hardly recall my last mobile or gadget that had such a feature. With the preinstalled IR app, I was able to quickly configure it to recognize my televisions and controlling them with the phone. Not pictured in the photos is the microSD expansion slot which sits alongside the SIM card tray allowing you to extend its storage to another 128Gb.

Let’s talk camera. The X3 primary shooter is a 64MP wide sensor with a secondary 2MP macro sensor and a 13MP ultra wide-angle sensor. It supports up to 4k 40fps recording mode with software-powered motion compensation. The camera performs great in well-lit outdoor shots and I have no complaints about its quality and capture speed.

The X3 sure sounds like a great deal in a small package, so what’s the catch. For one, the X3 is littered with ads in almost all their user interface. Simple tasks like installing a new app, customizing themes or wallpapers will be greeted with an ad. Although they do not take over the screen, they are certainly very obtrusive and annoying. Thankfully all these advertising options can be disabled with a little bit of research and digging deep into the Settings menu.

The USB-C situation on the phone is also rather interesting. You would think that being USB-C it is actually a high-speed USB 3.0 interface behind it, but unfortunately, this works more like a pin compatible USB 2.0 interface with some tweaks to support fast charging. It may not be a deal breaker if you hardly need to transfer large files to the device, but otherwise it still works fine as a charger.

An excellent budget mid-ranger Android with many surprises and practical features. There are definitely some corners cut to get such a feature-packed performer at an affordable price, and many are just inconveniences (ads !) but overall most users would likely not complain with its overall quality and features.

• Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 732G

– Kyro™ 470 octa-core CPU,

– Adreno™ 618 GPU with Elite Gaming

• LiquidCool Technology 1.0 Plus

• LPDDR4X RAM, UFS 2.1 storage

• 6GB+128GB

• Hybrid SIM slot, up to 256GB expandable storage

• LiquidCool Technology 1.0 Plus

– Copper heat pipe + graphite

• MIUI 12 for POCO, based on Android 10

• 6.67” FHD+ LCD DotDisplay

– 20:9, 2400×1080, 395ppi

– 240Hz touch sampling rate

– 120Hz refresh rate

– Color gamut: NTSC 84% (typ), DCI-P3 87.4%

– Contrast ratio: 1,500:1(typ)

– Brightness: 450 nits (typ) / 380 nits (min)

– TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light Certification

– HDR10

• Dimensions:165.3mm x 76.8mm x 9.4mm

• Weight: 215g

• Available colors: Shadow Gray, Cobalt Blue

• 2.5D glass front, 3D curved back

• Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5 front

• Polycarbonate back

• Super aluminum alloy frame

• Side-mounted fingerprint sensor

• Splash-proof protection, IP53 TÜV SÜD tested

• 5,160mAh (typ) high-capacity battery

• 33W fast charging

• 33W in-box charger

• USB Type-C

• Dual Stereo Speakers

– 4cc-equivalent 1012 upper speaker, open cavity

– 1cc-equivalent 1216 lower speaker

– Maximum speaker vibration amplitude: 0.5mm

64MP+13MP+2MP+2MP quad rear camera

• 64MP main wide sensor

– Sony IMX682

– 1/1.73“ sensor, ƒ/1.89, 1.6μm 4-in-1 Super Pixel, 6P lens

• 13MP ultra wide-angle sensor

– 119° FoV, ƒ/2.2, 1.0μm

• 2MP macro sensor

– ƒ/2.4, 1.75μm, 4cm

• 2MP depth sensor

– ƒ/2.4, 1.75μm, FF

• Up to 4K 30fps, video recording

• AI Skyscaping 3.0, Night Mode, ShootSteady video, Vlog

Mode

20MP in-display front camera

• ƒ/2.2, 1.6μm 4-in-1 Super Pixel

4G: LTE FDD: B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/20/28

4G: LTE TDD: B38/40/41 (2535-2655MHz)

3G: WCDMA: B1/2/4/5/8

2G: GSM: B2/3/5/8

Communications

Hybrid SIM slot, nano-SIM + nano-SIM or microSD

Up to 256GB expandable storage

Supports dual SIM and dual VoLTE

Supports WiFi 2×2 MIMO

Supports Bluetooth 5.1

Supports Google Pay

Height: 165.3mm

Width: 76.8mm

Thickness: 9.4mm

Weight: 215g

Side-mounted fingerprint sensor

AI Face Unlock

POCO X3 NFC 6G+128G | Power adapter | USB Type-C cable

Anti-bacterial case and screen protection | SIM eject tool | User guide | Warranty card