It’s been only six months since Xiaomi unveiled its last POCO X series device, and they’re back at it again with the launch of its successor – the POCO X3 NFC. For quite some time now, Xiaomi has been attempting to distinguish its POCO sub-brand from rest of its line up but has miserably failed with the launch of Poco M2 Pro, which was more-or-less a rebranded Redmi Note 9 Pro. With the launch of POCO X3 NFC, Xiaomi aims to introduce Snapdragon’s latest 732G processor in the POCO X series that promises to bring it up-to-the times. What’s new? Let’s take a look:
POCO X3: Design and Specifications
- Design:
POCO calls its new design on the X3 NFC is race-inspired. With a finish line inspired stripe-like pattern running through the back of the phone and has a colour shifting POCO logo which they called it Chroma design. It will ship in two colour variants – Shadow Gray and Cobalt Blue.
POCO also introduced its LiquidCool Technology 1.0 Plus. This includes a 70% larger heat pipe, using which POCO claims that the X3 is able to run up to 6-degree cooler compared to its rivals. The POCO X3 also comes with an IR Blaster, NFC and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The POCO X3 places its fingerprint sensor on its power button. Interestingly, the POCO X3 is also splash-proof with an IP53 certification. - Display:
On the face of the X3 is a 6.67″ FHD+ IPS 120Hz high refresh rate, with a small 3.8mm dot punch at the centre top for the selfie camera. The display comes wrapped under a Corning Gorilla Glass 5. Along with the high refresh rate display, it has a 240Hz touch sampling rate, which adds another layer of smoothness to the whole user experience.
- Build:
What is clearly the main highlight here is the new SoC from Snapdragon. The POCO X3 is the world’s first smartphone to ship with the Snapdragon 732G. Qualcomm, promises to deliver improved performance as compared to the older generation 730G, as some prior benchmark tests suggested. An underrated improvement that the POCO X3 boasts courtesy of Snapdragon 732G SoC, is the support for the newer WiFi standard — WiFi 6.
Paired with this processor comes 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM coupled with up to 128GB (UFS 2.1) onboard storage. POCO has also added an option for expanding externally, with support of up to 256GB through a MicroSD card. - Cameras:
Following the industry standards, the POCO X3 comes with a quad-camera set up. It’s got a 64MP 1/1.73″ Sony IMX682 primary sensor. Accompanying the main camera comes a 119 degree 13MP ultra-wide-angle camera, a 2MP macro camera and 2MP depth sensor for portrait shots. Allfour camera modules are assisted by an LED flash. On the software front, the X3’s camera set up is assisted by Gold Vibes mode and CyberPunk mode. For some added flair, it comes with a Kaleidoscope mode and an AI Skyscaping 3.0 mode.
- Battery:
As the power source, POCO X3 uses 5160 mAh. POCO claims that the X3 is capable of running up to 2-days on a single charge. The POCO X3 comes with 33W in-box charger which charges the X3 to a 100% in about 65 minutes.
- Software:
The X3 runs on the latest MIUI 12 based on Android 10. POCO promises 3 years of software support on the X3, which is a big claim. POCO also provides in-built software optimizations specifically for gaming.
POCO X3 NFC: Pricing and Availability
POCO X3 starts at $229 (~ Rs. 17,000) for the base 6GB/64GB variant with early bird pricing quoted to $199(~ Rs. 14,500). The higher spec 6GB/128GB variant will retail at $279 (~ Rs. 22,000) with an early bird offer dipping the price to $249 (~ Rs. 18,290). POCO will also bundle a Black Shark FunCooler models for a slight bump in price as a bundle. The smartphone will be available in two colours — Cobalt Blue and Shadow Grey.
POCO X3 will start retailing from 8th September 2020 and is exclusive to only some European countries for now. We don’t know when this smartphone will make its way to India.
