Poco X3 NFC Review | Best Value Phone of 2020 (so far...) By Tech Spurt

Okay, so things are getting kind of pretty bloody ridiculous in the budget smartphone realm right now, you've got the likes of realm, really bringing the heat with its lead as seven series smartphones, but big rival. Xiaomi has come back swinging with this plastic Wii beauty right here. The Poco x3 NFC, which, as far as I'm concerned, is the best value smartphone that you can buy right now in 2020. This 64 gig model will cost you just 199 pounds from Xiaomi's UK website right now and for that low price, you basically get mid-range performance and some super flagship style features like a 120 hertz display, which frankly, is more nuts than squirrel Nikki's not sack after a thorough dunking in a jar of Nutella. Of course, it's not quite perfect, but it is fantastic for the price I've been using the Poco x3 NFC as my full-time smartphone for the past week. So here's my in-depth review and also go check out my roundup of the best sub 200 pound budget phones that you can buy right now in autumn 2020 for ideas of other close rivals and as ever, please do poke subscribe and ding that notifications bell for more on the latest and greatest tech cheers.

Now. Although the Poco x3 NFC sports, a polycarbonate ass, there is a awful lot of techs packed inside this near 6.7 inch beastie. So the hefty 215 gram weight isn't too much of a shock if you're after a smartphone, that's easy to handle. Well, the Poco x3 NFC definitely ain't it, although you do at least get some one-handed help when needed, such as the ability to pull down that notifications bar nice and easy, and the actual look of this pocket blower is likely to put some people off too most, notably that bloody, huge bit of Brandon, which is about as subtle as a kick in the coconuts. Personally, I didn't really care too much because honestly, as soon as you pick up the Poco x3 NFC your hand basically covers that logo anyway.

But, of course, I can understand perfectly well why someone would be put off by that absolutely freaking enormous tag. Brandon aside, the shadow gray model looks rather smart, and you can also grab the Poco x3 NFC and cobalt blue here in blight. If you'd like something a bit lighter, you do also get a simple condom case, bundled with the Poco x3 NFC as well, but I kept this off the phone the entire time. I used it just to see how tough that plastic chassis really was, and the good news is it's still in pretty bloody good nick. There are a couple of tiny little scratches down towards the bottom of the back end there, but you have to squint really hard in order to see them and around front you've got a pre-installed screen protector as well, which is always great to see.

Now on the software front, what you get here is a surprisingly tasty cocktail of android 10 and Xiaomi's on mini 12, with a dash of Poco launcher action. Now in the past, I've most definitely not been a huge fan of me UI. I found it rather clunky and a little restrictive in certain areas with mini 12 Xiaomi is putting things right, big style, it's like mini, used to be a tomato and lettuce sandwich, and you're like staring at this thing like what you actually expect me to put this thing in my face and enjoy it, but then Jeremy suddenly comes along and shoves a massive watch of bacon in there. That's the UI 12 updates for anyone who's, not paying attention, and suddenly you're like oh, this sandwich has suddenly turned really freaking awesome. But anyway, if you want a closer look at me, UI 12, and why I like it so much.

I did your full tips and tricks and best features guys, definitely go check that out I'll, try and remember to bring a link here and, of course, as this is a Poco phone, then you've also got the Poco launcher tweaks on top, so the x3 NFC feels more like it's running a more stock version of android, albeit with some added customization here and there I have to say it's an enjoyable overall experience and one, that's surprisingly, bug free as well. I didn't stumble across any serious issues the entire week I was using this thing- certainly no app crashing anything like that, not even any piddly little bugs that was so mildly irritating or the edge of my new fingerprint sensor works a treat, and it's backed up ably by some wonderful face. Recognition too, oh and while we're on the subject of mini, let's just quickly address the turd in the box, which is that some YouTubers have been complaining about the number of ads on this thing. Apparently, because I've had quite a few comments in oh, but aren't they just ads popping up like every five seconds on me? UI, yes, they're all ads I'd. Rather they weren't there because it does feel like it cheapens the OS somewhat, but I've literally only seen them a couple of times when installing apps from Google play or when using Xiaomi's own apps and even then they're few and far between, and you know who else slaps adverts right into their own apps on their slightly more expensive smartphones.

That would be Samsung, and you've also got the option of disabling personalize. That tracking, when you set up the x3 NFC, like with all the Xiaomi phones, so there's not really a concern on the privacy front either now another feature that you'll find rather unsurprisingly on the Poco x3 NFC is NFC. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to test out google pier on this bad boy, because it came with the bootloader already unlocked, so apologies. I haven't had a chance to check that out. Definitely a pain in the buttocks any who, let's shift onto entertainment, and I'm rather taken by that 6.67-inch IPS screen, which is bright and punchy, despite the lack of AMOLED tech that full HD plus resolution does their job. So movies and photos appear finely detailed despite the sheer bloody gigantic size.

Of this thing, vibrant colors have proper pop with the ability to tone them down and adjust the overall warmth inside the display settings if you like, and rather unbelievably the Poco x3 NFC, also supports a 120 hertz refresh rate, something previously only found on crazy, expensive gaming phones and that's a dynamic setting as well. So the refresh rate will only actually be bumped up whenever you're, using an app that can take advantage of it, and you've also got wide vine l1, certification and hdr10 support here on the Poco x3 NFC as well. Although again I couldn't get Netflix to run on this thing, because that unlocks bootloader, even when I side loaded the bloody thing, good news for audiophiles as well, because you've got some TSD stereo speaker action, which is actually pretty rare for budget phones still, and they're, actually pretty bloody good to a little equity. But the clarity is fine, and they pack a decent punch at top volume and like a lot of budget blowers, you also get a proper headphone jack. So I had away with that stupid dongle thing, and they've got Bluetooth, 5 connectivity here as well.

Although I found that connection wasn't exactly strong and stable. It's absolutely fine when just using headphones with the phone on you, but if, for instance, you're streaming to a speaker- and you moved a few feet away from it, occasionally a little of a stutter, and you've got high-res audio support as well. So music will sound, effing marvelous, the Poco BC NFC, plus a diesel hi-fi account equals serious neck breaking from involuntary motion, but one of the absolute highlights of the Poco x3 NFC is definitely that snapdragon 732g chipset stuffed inside, which delivers proper mid-range performance on a more budget-friendly price. Here it is ably assisted by six gigs of ram and the result is a silky smoothness. Rarely seen once you cough up less than 300 quid for a new blower anytime, I did actually see things slow down or pause a bit on the Poco x3 NFC was invariably down to it waiting for data to download and even then, like the data connection, stayed absolutely fine, all for Wi-Fi and mobile connections as well.

Even when the signal wasn't particularly strong. If you're after a dedicated gaming handset without skunking away all of your savings, then job done. The Poco x3 NFC can handle the likes of Call of Duty mobile on those top detail settings without even breaking a sweat, and even if your working from home schedule involves a two hour, lunch break for some merry online merge ring. This handset does not overheat. Thanks to the heat, pipe and other coolant measures as well, not to mention the general energy efficiency of that 732g gamers are also well served by the game.

Turbo mode which I covered in that mini 12 tips and tricks guide, plus the 240hz touch response rate, which means that your dogs and pods garner an instant response, critical for any reaction based titles and then, of course, there is that super fluid 120 hertz refresh support, which these days are supported by a fair few decent games. Of course, there's no built-in 5g modem as you get with the likes of the 765g, but then at 200 quid that really wouldn't be an ask too far and battery life is yet another highlight of Xiaomi's blower as well. Thanks to the mighty 5 160 million battery stuffed inside, although it isn't quite as strong as the battery life on some rivals like uh, the Oppo a72, for instance, you won't get two full days of fairly intense use from a full charge, but even on a crazy hectic day filled with Zoom chat, sat nav action, media streaming and liberal use of that camera. I still found. I had at least 25 to 30 charge when I first planted my bed, which to be fair, is a better result than I get from most flagship phones like the likes of the Galaxy Note, 20 ultra, for instance, and you also get 33 watt fast charging on this thing as well, so you can basically plug it in the morning, while you're floundering around sorting out just give it a bit of a top-up, instead of having to leave it plugged in all night.

Long and last up. You've also got an impressively dependable, 64, megapixel main camera slapped on the back using Sony's mix 682 sensors. Now this shoots photos at 16 megapixels by default, with four in one pixel bin and used just to brighten up shots when needed. All the same, you can shoot at that maximum 64 meg resolution, if you like, which adds some finer detail to your snaps, I was very impressed by the general photo quality for this price point. Those colors appear natural.

That is, unless you use the AI mode, to boost the vibrancy when snapping plants and the like. The focus generally cops well as long as your subject isn't too close, and that fast shutter speed works pretty well for moving subjects. Even in strong contrast, the polo, x3 NFC outperforms many budget rivals sure you'll definitely see some over saturation in very testing conditions, but this thing can pick a very respectable detail, even when you're shooting against the sun and that 13 megapixel ultra-wide angle, lens is handy when you need a pullback viewpoint, although bear in mind, as with most budget phones. This lens is not as effective as the primary lens for color capture and in strong lights. Things do look positively washed out at times as usual, with Xiaomi smartphones, you've got a crap lot of bonuses, mods stuffed on there to mess around with too many of which are utterly pointless.

Although I did like the results that I got from the portrait mode, which uses the two megapixel depth sensor to accurately pick out your subject and then attractively distort the background, and you've also got your obligatory 2 megapixel macro lens, stuffed on there as well. If you want to get an extreme close-up, although, as usual, the results are a bit of back Xiaomi is also added a night mode for when things get seriously darker, though this is rather limited in its effectiveness, you will get a slight brightness boost and that's about it for your home movie requirements, you can shoot 4k resolution video at 30 frames per second and again, those results are solid for a 200 pound smartphone, the ultra HD mode, produces sharp, finely detailed footage and can cope with challenging conditions without much picture degradation. Audio is clearly captured as well, and I was also surprised at how good that stabilization is when you're moving and shooting even at that top 4k level, and you can also choose that ultra-wide angle lens for shoot and video as well. But you need to select that before you start shooting, because you can't change in the middle of the video and last up, you got that 20 megapixel selfie camera, which will make you look nice enough for your instar shots, while the portrait mode does a blinder, despite no help from an additional depth, sensor, lovely stuff. So usually, when I review a Xiaomi smartphone, it's a fairly standard, uh conclusion and verdict.

To be honest, I'm usually impressed by the hardware that's on offer, especially for the sort of price point, but I usually recommend installing your own custom launcher because mini's a bit, but this time there really is no, but the hardware and software aren't entirely perfect. But honestly, the overall experience they offer for 200 quid is just simply stunning. This could be a mid-range smartphone costing around 300.350 quid no worries so basically, if you're after a mid-range smartphone for a budget price, get this and that's my full review of the Xiaomi Poco x3 NFC, still a clunky name after using that's my full-time smartphone for a week. But what do you think? Are you tempted by it? Please don't say you're so scared by the ads, because seriously the ads are not a problem at all, but be great to your thoughts down below, and please do poke, subscribe and ding that notifications bell for more on the latest and greatest tech cheers everyone loves you. You.

Source : Tech Spurt