The Poco F1 was a rare beast, an actual
example of a “flagship killer”. Now, almost two years later it is finally time
for a sequel, after the detour named Poco X2 – a mid-ranger that was based on
the Redmi K30. Actually, it seems it was a change in course rather than a
detour as the new model is essentially a rebadged Redmi K30 Pro.
The Poco F2 Pro does bring a long list of
improvements compared to the F1, starting with the latest chipset. The
Snapdragon 865 is the best chip from Qualcomm yet and one of the first to
feature updatable GPU drivers, which might improve the phone’s longevity.
A lot of emphasis was placed on the
LiquidCool 2.0 tech, which has three layers: graphite, graphene and, finally,
the "Super VC". That vapor chamber is larger than competing phones,
which Poco says will enable more efficient cooling. The F2 Pro will run Android
10 out of the box with Poco Launcher 2.0. Dark mode is available, a must have on
AMOLED screens.
Storage now starts at 128GB (twice as much
as before) and there’s also a 256GB option for those who want more. Plus, this
is fast UFS 3.1 storage, up from 2.1. This year it’s actually something to
consider as Xiaomi has axed the microSD slot. Besides the new chipset, Poco F2
Pro’s new camera setup may be what pushes die-hard Poco fans to upgrade. The
main camera has a 1/1.72” sensor with 64MP resolution, with pixel binning that
works out to 16MP photos with 1.6µm effective pixels.
The phone can push in closer with the 2x
zoom camera, which has a 5MP sensor and 50mm lens, or go wide with a 13MP
camera. There’s also a 2MP depth sensor. There's no dedicated macro camera, the
tele cam takes care of that (it's a tele macro, actually, letting you shoot at
a comfortable 3-7cm distance). The more powerful chipset enables 8K recording
at 30fps (you probably want the 256GB phone if you’re going to shoot in 8K).
Also, 4K videos can now be recorded at 60fps.
The final camera is on the front - a 20MP
shooter on a motorized pop-up mechanism. This leaves the 6.67” screen
completely unblemished. This year it’s a Super AMOLED panel with HDR+ support,
so you can expect a boost in image quality, even if the resolution remains at
1080p+. The switch to AMOLED also allowed the fingerprint reader to move below
the screen.
The screen refreshes at a standard 60Hz,
but the touch sampling rate has been amped up to 180Hz. The phone has Widevine
L1 certificaiton, so it can play HD content from Netflix, Amazon Prime Video
and other services. While Xiaomi skipped the microSD slot, it did leave the
3.5mm headphone jack intact – we know many of you don’t care for Bluetooth
headphones. Although the phone does offer Bluetooth 5.1 with aptX HD.
Finally, we make our way to the battery –
it’s bigger and faster than before. The capacity increased to 4,700mAh (from
4,000mAh) faster 30W charging (up from 18W). The Poco F2 Pro will be available
online, starting at $500/€500 for the 6/128GB version. There's also a version
with 8GB of RAM and 256GB storage for €600. The phone will be available at
AliExpress and Gearbest first. You can pre-order it today, shipping should
start on May 19 (a week from now).
It will come to other online distributors
- from Amazon through Lazada and Shopee to JD and more. The phone will also
sell through the official Poco.net site and the team is working on making the
F2 Pro available in offline stores too.
