POCO F3

Technical specifications

I have been using it for a few months. Generally speaking, it is reasonably efficient, and the 120Hz screen is quite pleasant. The cameras are acceptable, but not particularly impressive.
Unfortunately, as is typical for a Chinese brand, there are many shortcomings.
+Powerful processor
+256GB is completely sufficient for me
-There were problems with the phone freezing and restarting
-The GPS functions inconsistently; it behaves erratically far too often
-When a protective film or glass is applied to the screen, dirt accumulates in the cutout for the front camera.
-The rear camera glass broke almost immediately
-The experience of using MIUI is of very poor quality
-The fingerprint reader on the side of the phone works inconsistently. It works when you put the locked phone in your pocket, the reader accidentally reads your thumb, and an unlocked phone in your pants results in clicking on random items. It does not work when you take the phone out and want to unlock it quickly.
I spent 1800 PLN on it and I regret every penny.

A very good phone. The efficient processor and 8GB of RAM are completely sufficient. The battery lasts a long time if you use fast charging, but not turbo. In that case, the cycle maintains power very well. Essentially, only the camera performs poorly. The display in my case is outstanding. I have been using it for over a year without any freezing. 256GB for data is very effective. Very good POCO :)

The main rear camera sensor is a Sony with an Exmor transducer. It has 12 megapixels divided by a grid into 4, resulting in 48 mega subpixels. The pixel division and the Exmor transducer create incredible noise and ruin the photos. I have a POCO F3 and the photos are truly terrible. Worse, even with native 12 mpx photos, the image is also poor. This is clearly visible on dog fur. Never Sony sensors again. Instead of three cameras, I would prefer one with a larger sensor. Physically larger, not in the number of subpixels. Other than that, fortunately, the phone works well for me. Unfortunately, my girlfriend had a POCO X3 PRO and the motherboard died right after the warranty expired. The technician charged me 300 PLN, stating that the phone is unrepairable. He added that he would have fixed a Samsung for me in 5 minutes on the spot. After reading reviews about failing motherboards, even though my partner, daughter, and I have already owned 6 different Xiaomi phones, this time I was afraid to buy this brand. Instead, I bought my partner a Samsung A34, which looks like a thick brick, with the same Sony sensor, but a smaller screen, an ugly casing, a slower processor, and software that is a poor version of MIUI, just without 3D sound and a few other options. Samsung also lacks a microphone between the lenses for video zoom, but there is at least a chance for repair after the warranty. So to summarize - if someone wants high specifications but low-quality parts and is willing to change their phone every 2 years, then Xiaomi models should meet their expectations, and the choice is truly vast. If someone wants to use it longer and doesn't have money to throw away after 2 years, then perhaps a modest Samsung is better. I should also add that Samsung didn't even include a charger or a case with the phone. POCO has a charger and a silicone case. And faster charging. Additionally, an original, elegant flip case at the MI store costs only 20 PLN.

I have been using the phone for a long time. The thing that made a good impression on me is the battery life, both during normal daily use and when browsing the internet non stop or using navigation. The display has a relatively good brightness, although on very sunny summer days it is simply medium-good. I was disappointed, however, with the camera... the front one performs poorly even in hdr mode, hdrs often look artificial and a clear line of separation (hdr stitching) is visible, there is a lack of manual settings for the front camera and no raw file recording. The standard rear camera takes correct/good photos only on bright days, the quality drops significantly when it is gray outside (a very cloudy day) or when evening is approaching. RAWs do not contain much information, they are rather quite noisy above ISO-320. The rear wide angle camera takes very average/poor photos, if on a bright sunny day the photo is simply average, then in lower light it will be terrible. 8 mpix is not enough and the sensor size is not large. Setting the ISO above 160 makes no sense. As for video - from the wide angle - fullHD, digitally stabilized, it is relatively tolerable, obviously the quality is not impressive, but it is smooth and well stabilized. From the standard camera 4k, digitally stabilized 30fps, it is moderately smooth, the image is quite nice and quite dynamic (though not exceptional), unfortunately constant autofocus hunting and stabilization vibration cause the video to come out not very nice, and very bad in low light conditions - the autofocus then acts erratically and the stabilization also has problems.

Unfortunately, I do not recommend it. I am currently having trouble checking whether I bought it within the warranty period because I cannot find the receipt. My phone has broken for the third time. The first time was in January, the second on May 3, 2023, and today, May 5, 2023, for the third time permanently. It suddenly started restarting until the battery was completely drained. Later, when I charged it, it would turn on, but today it restarts even when it is being charged. The phone worked smoothly for me; I did not use it for gaming. However, if the motherboard fails after about 1.5 to 2 years, that is very bad. A colleague from work has a Redmi Note purchased at the same time as my POCO F3, and it has already frozen seven times. Unfortunately, mine did not start working again after the third time. If anyone recommends Xiaomi at all, they should at least clarify whether the motherboard issue has already been resolved. It is like car engines. If there is a global problem, there should be phone replacements or refunds. That is why I am already looking for a new phone, but when I see Xiaomi phones being praised without any mention of these faulty motherboards, I become extremely frustrated. I would like to point out that this is the opinion of people from seven phone repair shops, plus opinions found online. The problem exists and it is significant. Regards, Darek from Płock.

The data is incorrect. The camera sensor is not 48 MP, but only 12 MP. This 48 is interpolated fiction. If someone is looking for a camera and video, they should choose another phone. If someone wants powerful and fast equipment for performance, I recommend it.
Dear User, the smartphone has a Sony IMX582 sensor in its main camera. This is a 1/2" CMOS Exmor RS sensor with a resolution of 8000x6000 px and a pixel size of 0.8 µm. This IS a 48 MP sensor. Why Poco decided that their smartphone can only combine pixels in groups of 4 and produce resulting photos in 12 MP, only Poco knows. I think it is enough to install alternative photography software (if the installed one does not allow it) and take photos in 48 MP. 48 MP is not interpolation. 12 MP in this system is interpolation because the software forces a 12 MP photo from a physical 48 MP sensor. The interpolation is simply downwards instead of upwards, as some enterprising Chinese companies do. I do not intend to argue, however, due to my duties here, I must correct inaccuracies, mistakes, and other things that a person has the right to, but which are not good if they mislead others. Regards. (jf)

I have had the POCO F3 for almost 2 years and it performs truly exceptionally, even today in 2023 there is no competitor for it, powerful stereo speakers, powerful Snapdragon 870 and improved MIUI 14 Andr 13 really perform well, plus good fast charging, even though it is only 33 W the smartphone still charges in about 30-45 min max, depending on whether the phone was under load before charging, plus the ability to edit colors manually, which is missing in almost all smartphones, for example editing gamma etc, and the white version along with the camera looks great, the matte back really performs well

The only downsides are:

-Lack of 4k 60 fps recording (at least in the stock camera app)

-Visible gray screen with a black screen, it can be seen when the phone is reset at 5% brightness, then at the POCO logo it is visible, I do not know why this happens, but fortunately the colors are okay and this problem is only visible during a reset at 5% battery level

Apart from that, the phone is unmatched and Android 13 will easily serve for another 2 years or more

A week ago I replaced the POCO F3 with the F6. No, it did not break. It also did not have a green tint, the motherboard did not fail, and neither did the proximity sensor. It did not experience performance interruptions or slow down. It took normal, decent photos during the day and slightly lower quality ones at night, but I do not take photos at night and probably 90% of users do not either :) Full screen advertisements also did not appear, and applications did not behave abnormally. For over 3 years I did not have to do anything with this phone besides normal use. A good case, protective glass, and a bit of common sense are enough. It remains in the family, and I have a new one with 512 GB of space, which was the main reason for the change. Also the likely approaching end of support for updates. If someone has the opportunity to buy such an F3 in good condition and at a low price, for example for a child or as a second phone, it will be a good choice.

In my opinion, the phone is quite decent for an ordinary person, but after two years of use, the charging module had to be replaced and screen burn-in is visible :) The biggest flaw that annoyed me was that the phone would overheat... After heating up to a certain temperature, the charging speed would slow down from, let's say, 4000 to 900-600 according to the Ampere program. Furthermore, it would automatically switch from 120Hz to 60Hz. The only way to return to 120Hz was to go into the settings and change it manually, and the display would lose its maximum brightness. I do not like the direction POCO is taking. I bought this phone because my brother and a friend recommended it, but they do not have high requirements. I cannot function without a phone, so now I have a Xiaomi 12t and it looks promising, much better than the beginning with POCO.

4 years of use without problems. The battery still lasts about 2 days (I do not play games). The device does not experience freezes, although it seems to have slowed down slightly, but it is still faster than new phones up to 1000 zł. Its closest equivalent in terms of speed - costs at least 1500 zł. At the moment, I evaluate the camera as average, especially in low light. From the beginning, the proximity sensor was somewhat disappointing - as I read, it was a certain type of imitation there. Overall, I rate it very well and I have continued with the Xiaomi brand. This phone remains with me as a backup device, because it has a performance reserve for at least another 4 years.