The successor to the critically acclaimed Poco F1 of 2018 was announced today in the form of the Poco F2 Pro. The Xiaomi sub-brand is back yet again to make some noise as their latest phone boasts some great hardware, an AMOLED display, and a knockout of a price. Unfortunately, it comes with a catch.
The Poco F2 Pro – So close to greatness, yet so far
The Poco F2 Pro is a great phone. It offers a flagship tier processor with UFS 3.1 (in the 256/8GB variant only) and other fantastic internals. When the Poco F1 first launched, the biggest complaint about the phone was its display, which was an LCD display. Otherwise, fans were more than content with what the F1 offered.
The Poco F2 Pro brings the following hardware to the table:
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor
- 128GB/256GB ROM with 6GB (LPDDR4X)/8GB (LPDDR5)
- 6.67″ dot AMOLED display at a resolution of 2400×1080 (FHD+) with DC Dimming
- 60Hz Refresh rate with a 180Hz Sample rate
- TÜV Rheinland Full Care Display Certification
- Supports HDR10+ with Widevine L1 support out of the box
- Quad camera setup: 64MP main wide sensor (Sony IMX686), 13MP ultra wide-angle sensor, 5MP macro sensor, 2MP depth sensor
- Front camera is a pop-up camera: 20MP that can capture slow motion at 120FPS @ 720p
- 4700mAh battery with 30W Fast charging (wired only) Supports quick-charge 4.0+ and power delivery 3.0. A 33W charger is included in the box.
- 5G connectivity, Dual-SIM.
- NFC Tsupport
- IR blaster
- 3.5mm Headphone jack
- ships with MIUI 11, Android 10
- Color options are: Cyber Grey, Electric Purple, Phantom White, and Neon Blue
The phone returns with its LiquidCool Technology 2.0. This time boasting thermal reductions of up to 14°C (57.2°F).
The phone is also capable of capturing footage in 8K, which is actually impressive. It can record in 8K at 24/30FPS (8K @ 24FPS will be added via a software update), 4K at 30/60FPS, 1080p at 30/60FPS, and 720p at 30FPS.
In addition, the phone can also record in a variety of slow-motion modes from the back camera.
- 960fps720P/1080P
- 240fps 720P/1080P
- 120fps 720P/1080P
It’s a shame that the face unlock which made the Poco F1 rival the iPhone X in terms of security is no longer a feature. The phone also doesn’t possess an on-screen or a physical fingerprint reader. This means security could be an issue unless you have a strong password, PIN, or pattern.
Another caveat comes in the form of the 60Hz refresh rate. When phones like the Meizu 17 are offering 90Hz at the slightly higher price with similar hardware, this is where the Poco F2 Pro lags behind the competition.
If you’re wondering why the phone looks familiar, its because the phone is a rebrand of the China-exclusive Redmi K30 Pro.
The phone is set to retail for $499 and is available for purchase on a variety of sites starting today. Sites like Gearbest are already taking orders for the phone.
What are your thoughts on the new Poco F2 Pro? Let us know in the comments section below!