POCO, a subsidiary of Chinese Xiaomi, officially introduced a new affordable smartphone called LITTLE X3 Pro with Snapdragon 860 processor and 120 Hz IPS display. This is an evolution of last year's X3 NFC model, which, however, is also improved by faster UFS 3.1 storage.
All for a price just under € 200. In the editorial office, we decided to thoroughly test this smartphone so that we could evaluate for ourselves what equipment it actually offers.
POCO X3 Pro: Where to buy?
A smartphone arrived at our editorial office LITTLE X3 Pro directly from the manufacturer. However, if you are considering buying it and want to save some money, we recommend buying it through a popular international seller Banggood.com or Edwaybuy. Don't forget to use discount coupons when buying.
packing
The affordable smartphone offers a relatively rich package showing the product name and selected technical specifications. The dark box of standard dimensions hides a yellow paper envelope with accessories on the top.
The accessories are quite rich in this category as well, including an ejector needle SIM cards, a clear silicone cover to protect the device and also a brief instruction manual.
Below you will find the smartphone itself wrapped in a protective foil, a charging cable with a USB type C connector and also a fast 33W charger. The packaging of this smartphone deserves praise.
Smartphone design and construction
The smartphone comes with a glass front wall and a rear plastic finish with a relatively distinctive POCO inscription. The gradient processing of our version of the back wall is also matte on the sides and thus eliminates fingerprints. The great news is the increased resistance to water and dust, even with IP 53 certification. A few drops of water will not harm the phone, but you can't immerse it.
The dimensions of this smartphone stopped at 165,3 x 76,8 x 9,4 millimeters, the weight is then up to 215 grams. This is a device of larger dimensions, which may not suit every user.
Device layout
The front of this smartphone features a large 6,67 ”display with standard frames in this class and spacious for the front camera. The manufacturer has decided to stick a protective film on the display directly from the factory. The display is then covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 6. Above the display there is a group of sensors, a loud speaker for telephony and also an LED for notifications.
There is a slight "chin" under the display, which, however, is not unusual in this category. The left edge of the device contains only a socket with a hybrid slot (for 2x nanoSIM or 1x nanoSIM + microSD memory card), otherwise it is practically empty.
On the right edge of the device we find a physical button for volume control and also an elongated wide button for switching the device on and off, which by the way also contains an integrated very fast capacitive fingerprint reader. However, we will talk more about this sensor in the relevant chapter below.
The upper edge contains a secondary microphone to help with video recording, for example, as well as an infrared port for remote control of home electronics (it is also supplemented with software in the form of the Mi Remote application). This edge also includes a second loudspeaker (probably a speaker speaker for telephony), which offers a quality stereo experience.
At the bottom edge there is a standard 3,5 mm audio connector for connecting wired headphones, but also a USB type C connector for charging, a primary microphone for telephony and a primary loudspeaker.
Powerful rear camera module and POCO inscription
All we have left is a rear wall, which is plastic and, following the example of the previous generation X3 NFC, also contains a massive module with four rear cameras, which is not round, bevelled and captures dust and dirt quite significantly. This module also includes an LED flash and around this module there is a gradient strip with color tones and a distinctive logo of the manufacturer POCO.
Although the construction of the device itself is glass-plastic, we must state that it is really strong and no part of it is creaking. In the given price category, this is a great processing, which also saves the price and we understand the manufacturer for his choice.
Display: Also this time 120 Hz IPS panel
In this case, the manufacturer chose to use a large, up to 6,67 ″ IPS panel, which contains a resolution of Full HD + (2400 x 1080 pixels). The screen has an aspect ratio of 20: 9, is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 6 and its overall fineness has stopped at 395 ppi.
A big advantage is also the support of a high refresh rate of the display up to 120 Hz. The choice between 60/120 Hz frequency together with color tone control is available in the settings of this smartphone.
The display covers almost 85% of the front wall and also has a shot at the top for a front selfie camera. The viewing angles of this display are very good, especially due to the use of the mentioned IPS technology. The backlight is even and the only characteristic where, compared to modern AMOLED panels, it loses its color saturation and dark black.
The minimum brightness of this device was not a problem even in a completely dark room, and we appreciated the maximum (450 rivets) especially in interiors. However, we would appreciate even higher brightness outdoors in direct sunlight. Nevertheless, readability was not explicitly bad, especially in automatic mode.
Performance: Quality Snapdragon 860 processor
In terms of performance, we can see a strong improvement over the previous generation. We have an eight-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 860 processor (1 x 2,96 GHz Kryo 485 Gold + 3 x 2,42 GHz Kryo 485 Gold + 4 x 1,78 GHz Kryo 485 Silver), which is practically identical to the flagship Snapdragon 855 processor before two years.
This processor is made with 7 nm technology, while it is rich enough for standard management of mobile applications and you can play a lot of mobile games with it. You can see the result of performance AnTuT tests in the attached photo gallery.
The processor from the Qualcomm brand is also supplemented by an Adreno 640 graphics chip. The smartphone does not support a 5G connection, so you will have to make do with a verified 4G + connection.
Memory: Fast UFS 3.1 storage
The Chinese manufacturer has also prepared an improvement for us in terms of internal storage. Not only do we have higher storage capacities, it is also a new, faster and more efficient type of storage compared to the previous generation X3 NFC.
We received a configuration of 6 GB RAM + 128 GB of internal storage for testing, which also forms the basic and cheapest configuration on sale. If you want a higher configuration, 8GB of RAM + 256GB of internal storage are also available.
In addition, the storage is of the UFS 3.1 type (compared to UFS 2.1 in the last generation), and if it happens to be insufficient, there is also a hybrid slot for a memory card with a capacity of up to 1000 GB (2x nanoSIM or 1x nanoSIM + memory card).
Fingerprint reader
The manufacturer decided to place the standard capacitive sensor of the fingerprint reader in the side edge of the device. The oblong surface is part of the button for switching the device on and off.
This button is conveniently located and the sensor is so easily palpable despite the larger dimensions of the smartphone, both for right-handers and left-handers.
Although the initial setup was slower, we need to highlight the fast responses of the reader in standard use. Of course, this is not the fastest sensor on the market, but fingerprint recognition and unlocking is flawless and fast.
We tried to recognize not only with the right thumb, but also with the left index finger and the reader, the slight grease or moisture on the fingers did not cause a problem. This is a more sensible solution, as opposed to using a cheaper sensor under the display.
Android + POCO Launcher
The current version of the system that Xiaomi offers us in this case is MIUI 12.0.5.0. The operating system is available in Android version 11 (11 RKQ1.200826.002). The phone also includes an April security update.
The operating system itself is also supplemented by a graphically modified POCO Launcher 2.0. At first glance, it attracts with a round package of pre-installed icons and also with a typical menu with applications.
There are also Google cards on the far left screen, the option to choose between older and newer shortcuts and notifications (by default we had the older one activated, without the smart home control function).
The mentioned menu with applications brings advanced functions of application sorting as well as search. After the first power on, we recorded more than 105 GB of free storage, the system together with the superstructure will take a little more than 13 GB.
We were satisfied with the smoothness and speed of the system, we can thank not only 6 GB of RAM, but especially the appropriate software optimization by the Chinese manufacturer. We can give another compliment for the updated software.
How are the cameras?
A very important aspect is also a set of rear cameras. These are located in the output module together with a dual LED flash, which has the shape of a kind of beveled strip. The ailment of dust and dirt from the same design from the previous generation thus continues in this case with this year's X3 Pro smartphone.
The main camera is a 48 MPx sensor (f / 1.8), which also includes PDAF focusing. It is also complemented by an 8 MPx (f / 2.2) ultra-wide sensor with an angle of view of up to 119 degrees, a 2 MPx (f / 2.4) macro sensor and a 2 MPx (f / 2.4) depth sensor.
From other equipment, we can definitely use 4K (30 fps) video recording, but for better video stabilization and smoothness, we recommend 1080p (60 fps) mode. Xiaomi also brings various other modes, including a full 48 MPx mode, night mode or VLOG mode, which allows you to capture a fast sequence of short shots even with transitions and music.
The front camera has a resolution of 20 MPx (f / 2.2). It supports both HDR and panorama as well as 1080p video recording. Photos in daylight were well focused, detail was sometimes missing only when taking pictures from an ultra-wide angle camera.
However, what pleasantly surprised us during testing are the photos taken in night mode, which have enough light, and similarly high-quality images are usually captured by more expensive and taller models of smartphones. The aforementioned VLOG mode is also very good, in addition, the camera offers real colors in its images and does not overdo it with saturation.
Full-size original photos are available at the following link.
We can also praise the software, which in the case of the Camera application reacted relatively quickly, and we were able to record the so-called snapshots. With regard to the price, this is definitely not a bad photographic equipment, although a pair of two-megapixel sensors with minimal use could be forgiven by the manufacturer, or replaced with a higher quality piece.
Connectivity and stereo audio
In terms of connectivity, this smartphone has a fairly standard connection for dual Wi-Fi 802.11 (a / b / g / n / ac) and also for 4G connection (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41).
Other functions include Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE technology, as well as GPS + GLONASS. The smartphone also contains an NFC chip, which can be used, for example, for mobile payments via Google Pay. We also actively tested these payments and did not see any issues at our local terminals.
You will also enjoy the infrared port, which is complemented by the pre-installed Mi Remote application. We can use this function to control home electronics, such as a TV or air conditioner. There is also a 3,5 mm audio connector for connecting standard wired headphones.
When testing the phone call, we did not notice a problem with the built-in microphone or loudspeaker. It is the loud speaker in this smartphone that we must praise. It is a stereo system with a converter on both sides. The main one on the bottom is complemented by a slightly less powerful converter on the top (primarily intended for telephony). However, this is definitely a welcome plus.
The 5160 mAh battery life will please
In this case, the battery has an above-standard capacity of 5160 mAh. This is a very good capacity, which comfortably brought us almost two full working days on a single charge. We didn't have to connect the charger until the next afternoon. A less demanding user or a user who only needs a 60 Hz screen can achieve even more.
We had automatic brightness and 120 Hz screen mode in use. Our standard use included active use of social networks, as well as hourly telephony, hourly 1080p video watching, occasional photography and occasional mobile gaming.
By default, we had the display turned on for more than 4 hours a day and we used the screen lock function after only 15 seconds. A great advantage of this smartphone is also the support of fast cable charging, directly in the package there is an adapter with a power of 33W. The maximum charging of the battery capacity took us within two hours.
Final rating: POCO X3 Pro
As a subsidiary of Chinese Xiaomi, POCO again surprised with its excellent price-performance ratio. The improved X3 Pro model will please not only with the very powerful Snapdragon 860 processor, but also with the fast 120 Hz display, which is an IPS type, but it is a quality panel.
We also appreciate the large 5160 mAh battery, which will easily provide juice for two days of full use. That way, you won't have to worry that the X3 Pro will leave you in the lurch. The cameras are rather average, but priced at around 200 € satisfaction cannot be expected in every aspect.
The POCO X3 Pro is thus more for users who are looking for the most powerful and fastest smartphone in the price category of € 200. This is because it manages brilliantly and currently has no competition on the market.