For this generation the top X-series mid-ranger switches over to an AMOLED display – the Poco X4 Pro 5G has a 6.67” panel with 1,080 x 2,400 px resolution (20:9). Like last year’s X3 Pro, this one has a refresh rate of 120 Hz, however, the touch sampling rate has been improved to 360 Hz (up from 240 Hz). It’s brighter to boot, up to 700 nits (up from 450 nits) typical brightness and 1,200 nits peak. One thing that isn’t a straight upgrade is the protection, the new phone uses Gorilla Glass 5 (instead of GG6).
In fact, this phone isn’t a direct upgrade
from the X3 Pro. This one focuses on screen, camera and battery, while other
components like the chipset are deprioritized – the X4 Pro is powered by the
Snapdragon 695. This 6 nm chip is a sequel to the SD 690 with 15% higher CPU
performance (thanks to two Cortex-A76 cores at 2.2 GHz + 6x A55 at 1.8 GHz) and
30% higher GPU performance (Adreno 619). It’s an efficient chip, but it is no
match for the Snapdragon 860 that powered the X3 Pro, especially the GPU.
Anyway, there are two configurations
available – 6/128 GB and 8/256 GB. This is a dual-SIM phone with a hybrid slot,
meaning you can add a microSD card if you don’t need a second phone line.
Virtual RAM is available on MIUI 13, giving 2 GB more to the 6 GB model and 3
GB more to the 8 GB one. There is sub-6 5G connectivity, along with a 3.5 mm
headphone jack (with Hi-Res Audio certification), Bluetooth 5.1, an IR blaster
and NFC. The camera on the new model makes a notable improvement with a large
108 MP 1/1.56” sensor in the main. That’s quite a change from the 48 MP 1/2.0”
sensor on last year’s model. It is better-suited for low light shooting with
9-in-1 binning it that gives it an effective pixels 2.1 µm in size (lens
aperture is f/1.9).
The remaining cameras include an 8 MP
ultra wide (118° FoV, f/2.2, seemingly unchanged) and a 2 MP macro cam (no
depth sensor this time around). The punch holed selfie camera has a 16 MP
sensor (f/2.4), a bit of a downgrade from the 20 MP cam (f/2.2) on the X3 Pro. The
battery is different too. It is still fairly large at 5,000 mAh (though that’s
160 mAh less) and now charges at double the power – 67W (up from 33W) with the
included adapter. A fully charged battery is enough for 15 hours of video
playback. Once depleted, the charger can get it back up to 70% in around 20
minutes, full 100% charge is reached in 41 minutes (the X3 Pro needed 59
minutes). The phone dimensions have been trimmed down and it measures 8.12 mm
thick (down from 9.4 mm) and weighs 205g (down from 215g). It still has IP53
for basic dust and water resistance, as well as dual speakers and a Z-axis
linear motor.
The Poco X4 Pro 5G will become available
on March 2 with several discounts. The MSRP of a 6/128 GB unit is € 300, but
there is a € 30 "early bird" discount for the first sale. Also, on
March 2 there is an additional, one day only discount of € 20, bringing the
price down to € 250. The 8/256 GB model has an MSRP of € 350, but is getting the
same € 30+€ 20 discount (note that the second discount will be available only on
March 2).
