The Poco F4 GT, a gaming phone with cutting-edge specs and a striking appearance, was first introduced in the spring of this year. The basic Poco F4, a more understated phone that is also more reasonably priced and perfect for someone searching for an all-around, good-value handset, is now joining it.
The Poco F4 is an excellent budget device with lots of intriguing features that’ll captivate the interest of every smartphone lover.
I’ve used the Poco F4 to evaluate how it performs on a daily basis, how well the cameras are, how durable the design is, and other factors.
Poco F4: Design and Build up
There are three color options for the Poco F4: black, silver, and green. Even while the design isn’t as flamboyant as the GT (or some other older Poco versions), it’s nearly too simple to make a genuine impression. At the moment, Poco phones lack a distinctive design language, and the F4 is a prime example.
It is rather thin at 7.7mm and lightweight at 195g. Despite its thin construction, it seems strong, and its IP53 classification will protect it from some light rain and dust. When compared to competitors like the Realme 9 Pro+, the F4 is competitive because it has waterproofing of some kind.
The Poco F4 incorporates a vapour chamber cooling mechanism and a seven-layer heat dissipation structure, both of which are intended to keep the chip cool when performing demanding activities. When you play games, the phone itself still becomes quite warm.
Screen and Speakers
The Poco F4’s 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display, which supports Dolby Vision and has a 120Hz refresh rate, which is one of its greatest features. The panel on this phone is different from the one on the F3, according to Xiaomi, which makes colors appear brighter and enhances visibility and HDR performance.
Although I was unable to directly compare the F4 to the F3, I can state that both videos and photos appear fantastic on this screen. It is sufficiently bright for me to use it outside in the sun without feeling like there is a lot of glare. Additionally, I didn’t have to leave the brightness at maximum all the time.
Depending on the task you’re working on, this phone’s variable refresh rate display may fluctuate between 60Hz and 120Hz. As a result, social media feeds flow smoothly, but other times, to save battery, the refresh rate is reduced. You may also leave it locked to just one option the entire time.
The F4 boasts dual speakers that are Dolby Atmos compatible. Both ends of the phone’s audio output are strong and powerful, and even music has clarity and depth even though there isn’t a lot of bass.
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Specs and Performance
The Snapdragon 870 processor powers the Poco F4. Although it’s not the newest processor, it nevertheless provides a fluid performance and is extremely adept of multitasking without a problem. Although Genshin Impact, a difficult game, does become a little sluggish when visuals are set to medium, it can still run some titles like it on lesser settings.
Performance is therefore satisfactory, but there is a drawback. If you already own the Poco F3, there is no justification for upgrading.
Poco F4: Camera
The triple camera system in the Poco F4 has a 64Mp with OIS, an 8Mp wide-angle, and a 2Mp macro.
During the day, you may quickly take a good photo that has distinct textures and crisp details. This phone’s HDR setting is robust, making shades appear incredibly vibrant but a little artificial, similar to other mid-range devices. On sunny days, the sun’s flare can also damage the camera.
The greatest modification from the Poco F3 is the incorporation of OIS. Low-light photographs nevertheless offer strong contrast and a pleasing appearance. The F4 does, however, have trouble at night when there are strong lights in the scene. The results are generally not as stunning as those of other mid-range phones.
On moving subjects, the OIS does, occasionally, assist in stabilizing subjects and reducing motion blur.
Portrait mode loses sharpness and detail, especially in low light conditions, but has a reasonable background blur. Wide-angle photos taken with the 8MP lens lack the sharpness and clarity of photos taken with the primary camera, and the colors aren’t as vibrant. It is still useful for taking group or landscape images, though.
The macro photography on this inexpensive mid-range phone is not particularly good. In actuality, the F3’s 5MP macro camera has been downgraded by 3Mp.
Battery Capacity and Charging
Similar to the F3, the Poco F4’s battery life isn’t noteworthy. With its 4500mAh battery set to the maximum refresh rate, playing a lot of games, and using 5G while out and about, the F4 struggled to last the entire day.
The 67W fast-charging technology quickly recharges the battery to 85% in just 30 minutes, which is precisely what you need. Although it’s not the fastest charging we’ve experienced, it’s still speedy enough that even a five-minute charge will be sufficient to extend your phone’s usable battery life by a few hours.
When charging, both the charger and the phone get fairly warm.
Poco F4: Price and Availability
The Poco F4 costs £379/€399/32,999 for the model with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, but you can upgrade to the 8GB/256GB model for £429/€449. The most expensive variant in India costs 39,999 and comes with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
Both the Poco store and Amazon sell it; the former was having a deal at the time of the review and was giving away a free Poco Watch. Amazon had deducted £20 from Poco’s suggested retail price. As of the time of this writing, a monthly contract for the Poco F4 was not available.
