Introduction
The spirit of the first-ever Pocophone - the F1 - continues to live as part of the newly announced Poco X3 Pro and the Poco F3. These two mid-rangers reach new heights with 120Hz screens, flagship-grade chips, stereo speakers, large batteries. And today, we'll be exploring the cheaper Poco X3 Pro - the first Snapdragon 860 carrier - and its bang for the buck features.
The Poco X3 Pro builds on top of the Poco X3 NFC, and they both look alike. The Pro version employs much better hardware, though - it is the first phone to run on the Snapdragon 860 SoC - a repackaged version of the once (and still) flagship Snapdragon 855+ chip.
Just like the Poco X3 NFC, the Poco X3 Pro is IP53-rated for dust protection and splash resistance, it packs a 6.67" IPS LCD screen with 1080p resolution and 120Hz refresh rate support, and the same 5,160mAh battery capable of 33W fast charging. You also get stereo speakers, a microSD slot, NFC, an IR blaster, and even a 3.5mm jack.
Oddly, the camera is a bit different and not in a good way. See, the Poco X3 Pro has a quad-camera on its back with a 48MP primary, an 8MP ultrawide, a 2MP macro, and a 2MP depth snappers. It's not bad, it's just that the regular X3 model offered a 64MP main and a 13MP ultra-wide shooters, and we can't but feel the Pro as being demoted in this department.
Well, obviously the most significant upgrade since the original X3 is the much-improved SoC, which should allow for reaching beyond 60fps on many of the popular games and utilize the full potential of the 120Hz screen. This is often an issue with the HRR-capable mid-rangers, and we will gladly take the update, be it at the expense of some camera megapixels.
Let's dig into the specs now.
Poco X3 Pro specs at a glance:
- Body: 165.3x76.8x9.4mm, 215g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass 6), aluminum frame, plastic back; IP53, dust and splash protection.
- Display: 6.67" IPS LCD, 120Hz, HDR10, 450 nits (typ), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 395ppi; 240Hz touch sampling.
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 860 (7 nm): Octa-core (1x2.96 GHz Kryo 485 Prime + 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 485 Gold + 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 485 Silver); Adreno 640.
- Memory: 128GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM; UFS 3.1; microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot).
- OS/Software: Android 11, MIUI 12, Poco launcher.
- Rear camera: Wide (main): 48 MP, f/1.8, 1/2.0", 0.8µm, PDAF; Ultrawide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 119˚; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.
- Front camera: 20 MP, f/2.2, (wide), 1/3.4", 0.8µm.
- Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/120fps, 720p@960fps; gyro-EIS; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
- Battery: 5160mAh; Fast charging 33W.
- Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); Infrared port; NFC; Stereo speakers; 3.5mm jack.
We can't think of anything missing on this €250 phone. Yes, we would have liked a telephoto camera and an AMOLED screen, but maybe that's why we have the Poco F3 and the supposedly upcoming F3 Pro?
We can feel we are in for a treat with the Poco X3 Pro, but before we dig in, let's first unbox this thing.
Unboxing the Poco X3 Pro
The Poco X3 Pro retail bundle brings no surprises, and it is as rich as we are used to getting with the Poco and Redmi phones. Inside the box, you'll find the promised 33W power adapter and а 3A-rated USB-C-to-A cable.
There is also a transparent silicone case, which has a small protective cover for the USB port. The flap is a bit annoying when you need to charge your Poco X3 Pro, but we can appreciate the extra care for the port.
And for the true Poco fans, the box also contains a bunch of Poco stickers you can put on your computer, monitor, desk, car, and whatnot.
Design, build, handling
If you've seen the Poco X3 NFC, then you already know everything about the X3 Pro - those are visually identical. The Poco X3 NFC was the one to break the mold and show the first original Poco design, and that's the one you'll get with its Pro upgrade, too.
The phone's build is business as usual - a large Gorilla Glass is keeping the screen safe, the rear panel is made of plastic and beautifully painted, and the glossy frame seems to be plastic, too. The whole thing has an official IP53 rating for dust and splash resistance. Do not mistake this with waterproofing; the Poco X3 Pro will probably not withstand a submersion.
The back panel with the camera arrangement is what made the Poco X3 differ from the Redmi phones - it was the first uniquely designed hardware making the Pocophone instantly recognizable among its peers. Just look at it!
The company opted for a somewhat flashy design, but it wanted it to be seen, and seen it shall be. The curved plastic has three distinct stripes - two matte and one glossy in-between. The shiny part is as wide as the camera setup and has this cool striped pattern, which in addition to housing the huge POCO logo, also reflects light in a cool way. The back is indeed unique, and while it can't be everyone's cup of tea, we believe some of the skeptics could grow to like it over a few weeks.
The camera setup is also peculiar - its island has the shape of a rectangle with curved sides. Then the whole thing sits within a dark gray circle - an odd, yet again likable accent. The setup is thick, and if the Poco X3 Pro is carried case-free, it will wobble on your desk or table.
Enough with the design, let's take a closer peek around the sides of the phone now.
The 6.67" IPS LCD screen is the most interesting thing at the front. It's one of those premium panels with 120Hz refresh rate, a small cutout and the usual 1080+ resolution. That's the same screen we've seen on the Poco X3 NFC.
There is a flat Gorilla Glass 6 shielding the screen, which is one of the few upgrades over the Poco X3 NFC - the previous model relied on a Gorilla Glass 5 piece.
The bottom screen bezel is a bit larger than the rest, but we can't really hold it against the Poco X3 Pro, given its affordable pricing. Plus, above the screen, you'll find one thin grille hiding the earpiece/stereo speaker and a tiny white-only notification LED. The speaker seems to be as loud as the bottom one, which is nice.
There is no in-screen fingerprint scanner as the panel is not an OLED but LCD. The Poco X3 Pro has its reader put on the right side, mounted on the power key's surface and ideally sitting underneath your thumb. This placement could be an issue for some, as you may get misreads while pulling the phone out of your pocket. We suggest changing the scanning trigger from Touch to Press in Settings, and all issues will be immediately resolved.
The right side also has the volume keys. The lone card tray is on the left, and it's of the hybrid kind - you can replace one of the SIMs with a microSD card.
The top of the Poco X3 Pro has the IR blaster, one of the mics, and an additional hole for the top speaker. This way, you get louder sound with better quality.
Finally, the bottom packs the 3.5mm jack, the USB-C port, the mouthpiece, and the second stereo speaker.
The sides of the Poco X3 Pro
We've already mentioned the unique back and its camera setup. The sensor logic there is the same as on the Poco X3 NFC, but the two important cameras feature lower-res sensors now. The primary snapper is a 48MP one instead of 64MP, the ultrawide uses an 8MP eye instead of 13MP, while the depth sensor and the macro cam are unchanged - they are both 2MP. A single LED flash sits in the fifth and final cutout.
The Poco X3 Pro measures 165.3 x 76.8 x 9.4 mm and weighs 215 grams - a perfect replica of the Poco X3 NFC.
The X3 Pro isn't that elegant, nor is lightweight - the phone feels solid and well-built, with a good grip thanks to its plastic frame, even if it is glossy. Fingerprints and smudges are an issue for the frame and the back, so if you like to carry your phone without a case and care for its looks, we can see you cleaning it a couple of times every day.
The Poco X3 Pro is a pretty phone, and we appreciate the added ingress protection. It fits well in hand and in most pockets, but as we said - it isn't the slimmest nor the most lightweight offer. But it can't have flagship specs and such a larger battery and be as thin as a sheet, can it?
Display
The Poco X3 Pro employs the same 6.67" IPS LCD screen we met on the Poco X3 NFC. It uses the familiar resolution of 1,080 x 2,400 pixels (395ppi), supports HDR10, 120Hz refresh rate, and 240Hz touch sampling.
The panel has a punch-hole for the selfie camera. The hole is small alright, but due to the LCD technology, the backlighting around it is uneven.
One odd thing - even if the screen does officially support HDR10 and is recognized as such, currently Netflix and Prime do not recognize it as HDR-capable (they do stream in Full HD, though). Then YouTube does. Maybe it's up to the services to whitelist the X3 Pro as a supported device. Widevine L1 DRM is present, the DRM apps correctly recognize the screen as HDR10, so we hope resolving this would be only a matter of time.
The screen supports an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate and a fixed 60Hz one. You can choose either from Settings.
The touch sensors are working with a 240Hz sampling rate, which should be appreciated by gamers mostly.
The display maxes out at 458 nits of brightness when adjusted manually, and that is what Xiaomi promised. When set to the Auto setting and faced with bright light, it will go as high as 534 nits. That's a bit disappointing, as the Poco X3 NFC screen could light up as bright as 630 nits on Auto.
The blacks are deep enough even if not the darkest we've seen, and the contrast turned out excellent at about 1400:1.
The minimum brightness we measured is incredible - just 0.9 nits - one of the lowest we've encountered!
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, |
White, |
||
| 0.327 | 458 | 1401:1 | |
| 0.4 | 534 | 1335:1 | |
| 0.354 | 460 | 1299:1 | |
| 0.515 | 631 | 1225:1 | |
| 0.252 | 395 | 1567:1 | |
| 0.277 | 439 | 1585:1 | |
| 0 | 457 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 725 | ∞ | |
| 0.303 | 421 | 1389:1 | |
| 0.42 | 575 | 1369:1 | |
| 0 | 459 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 585 | ∞ | |
| 0.31 | 457 | 1474:1 | |
| 0.374 | 526 | 1406:1 | |
| 0.376 | 484 | 1287:1 | |
| 0.667 | 571 | 856:1 | |
| 0 | 386 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 794 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 525 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 635 | ∞ | |
Xiaomi offers three different Color presets - Auto (default), Saturated, and Standard - each one representing a specific color space.
The Auto option would adjust the colors to correspond to your current lighting (like Apple's True Tone). Usually, the screen has this bluish tinge and isn't that accurate. The Saturated option makes the color pop even more, so if accuracy is what you are after, you better use Auto and tweak the advanced color settings to your liking.
The Standard setting corresponds to sRGB, and we captured a near perfect color accuracy.
Now, let's talk more about the refresh rate. There are two settings available to you - Standard (60Hz) and Medium (120Hz). The Poco X3 Pro remains always in 60Hz for whatever it is that you're doing if you have the phone set to Standard.
The Medium mode is adaptive, though. You'd be getting 120Hz refresh rate whenever you're touching the phone and across the UI. Sometimes there will be a drop to 60Hz a couple of seconds after your last interaction, sometimes don't. This behavior varies across apps, even system ones, so we can't really put it into a pattern.
There are exceptions, though, with most of them being video apps. In YouTube, for example, the phone always remains at 60Hz.
In Netflix, the UI is always displayed at 60Hz, while movies are played at 48Hz. Amazon Prime Video shows its UI and streams content at 90Hz.
The Poco X3 Pro also unlocks its high refresh rate for many popular titles that are known to go above 60fps. Among the ones we tried and got 120Hz were Mortal Kombat, Dead Trigger 2, 1945 Air Force, Pac Man.
Battery life
The Poco X3 Pro, just like the Poco X3 NFC, is powered by a rather large 5,160 mAh battery. Fast wired charging is supported, and the 33W adapter is bundled with the phone.
The new Poco X3 Pro aced our battery test and posted an outstanding score of 112 hours. It can do nearly 33 hours of calls, last north of 17 hours online, or play videos for half a day. The phone also demonstrated good standby performance.
We did the onscreen tests at both 60Hz and 120Hz, and the difference in the scores was insignificant.
Our battery tests were automated thanks to SmartViser, using its viSerDevice app. The endurance rating above denotes how long a single battery charge will last you if you use the Poco X3 Pro for an hour each of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. We've established this usage pattern so that our battery results are comparable across devices in the most common day-to-day tasks. The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you're interested in the nitty-gritty. You can check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.
Battery charging
The Poco X3 Pro comes with a 33W adapter and a 3A-rated USB-C cable inside the box. Xiaomi's official statement says the 33W charger should refill up to 59% in 30 mins and reach 100% in 59 mins.
Our testing revealed slightly different results - 50% in 30 mins and 100% in 68 mins. That's plenty fast, too, so we won't be nit-picking. And charging always depend on the room and internal temperature, so it can differ on different cycles
.As you can see, the charging speed is in line with recent Redmi phones, but it's no match for Realme's 65W SuperDart Charge.
30min charging test (from 0%)
- Realme 7 Pro
94% - Xiaomi Mi 11
83% - Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro
63% - OnePlus Nord
60% - Realme 7
58% - Apple iPhone 12
58% - Poco X3 NFC
55% - Poco X3 Pro
50% - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
50% - Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S
37% - Poco M3
25%
The X3 Pro's battery is pretty large with 5,160mAh capacity, and being able to recharge it for an hour or so is quite impressive, especially for a €250 phone.
Time to full charge (from 0%)
- Realme 7 Pro
0:37h - Xiaomi Mi 11
0:50h - Realme 7
1:05h - OnePlus Nord
1:05h - Poco X3 Pro
1:08h - Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro
1:11h - Poco X3 NFC
1:15h - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
1:21h - Apple iPhone 12
1:30h - Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S
1:45h - Poco M3
2:30h
Speakers
The Poco X3 Pro offers what seems to be a proper stereo speaker setup. There is one grille at the bottom, while the sound comes from a hole at the top and through the earpiece grille. The two parts seem equally loud, and we find the output balanced.
The Poco X3 Pro offers a Good loudness, a hair shy from Very Good (look at the Poco X3 NFC). The speakers offer good mid- and high-tones but are lacking in bass. We'd rate the sound quality as satisfying, but we've heard a lot better.
Use the Playback controls to listen to the phone sample recordings (best use headphones). We measure the average loudness of the speakers in LUFS. A lower absolute value means a louder sound. A look at the frequency response chart will tell you how far off the ideal "0db" flat line is the reproduction of the bass, treble, and mid frequencies. You can add more phones to compare how they differ. The scores and ratings are not comparable with our older loudspeaker test. Learn more about how we test here.
Android 11 with MIUI 12
The Poco X3 Pro boots Android 11 with the Poco-spiced MIUI 12 out of the box. The MIUI 12 version has been around for a while, and even if it uses a newer Android 11 base, you can't really tell that as it skins everything thoroughly. The Poco launcher uses a slightly different system theme, icons included, but you can change it if you don't like it.
You unlock the screen via the side-mounted fingerprint scanner. The reader is easy to set up, blazing-fast, and the accuracy is superb. We advise you to set the unlock method to Press as the always-on reader may and will read your palm and/or other fingers and eventually disable the fingerprint unlock until you input your PIN. A 2D Face Unlock is available, too, but it is far less secure than the fingerprint option.
Security options
The homescreens are business as usual - they are populated with shortcuts, folders, and widgets. The leftmost pane, if enabled, is Google's Discover.
There are no Super Wallpapers on the Poco X3 Pro, in case you were wondering.
Homescreens
The Poco-fied MIUI 12 offers an app drawer, but unlike on the Redmi phones, you cannot disable it on the Poco X3 Pro. It automatically organizes your apps into categories. The first is All, meaning it contains all apps. Then follow Communication, Entertainment, Photography, Tools, New, and Business. You can edit these categories or even disable them altogether.
App drawer
Another interesting feature is the Notification shade split into Notification Center and Control Center. Just as on the iPhones, you summon them by pulling down from the left part of the screen for the Notification Center or pulling down from the right for the Control Center.
If you are not fond of this new split - you can disable the Control Center, and the shade will revert to its normal looks and operation.
Notification Center • Control Center • Control Center • Options • The old Notification Shade
The task switcher has not changed much. It shows all of your recent apps in two columns. Tap and hold on a card for the split-screen shortcut, or just swipe it left or right to close it. There is a new Floating Windows button on top, a new option offered by MIUI 12. You can put any app in a floating state, but you only have one floating window at a time.
Task Switcher • Options • Floating app • Split screen
Themes are a huge part of MIUI, and they are available on MIUI 12, too. You can download new ones from the Themes store, and they can change wallpapers, ringtones, system icons, system fonts, and even the always-on display style.
Themes
Xiaomi enhanced MIUI 12 with a couple of additional privacy options. Now, when sharing stuff, like photos and videos, you can opt to remove location info and/or other metadata (incl. device info) and thus protect your privacy better. Neat.
Gallery • Privacy Settings
MIUI also offers a Security app. It can scan your phone for malware, manage your blacklist, manage or restrict your data usage, configure battery behavior, and free up some RAM. It can also manage the permissions of your installed apps and allows you to define the battery behavior of selected apps and applies restrictions only to the apps you choose.
MIUI 12 packs proprietary Gallery, Music, and Video player. In some regions, the music and video apps may include paid streaming options. Mi Remote for the IR blaster is available, too.
The Poco X3 Pro supports FM radio, and you will find the appropriate app for it.
Security • Security • Music • Video • Mi Remote • FM radio
MIUI 12 supports Dark Mode, too, and you can even force it on wallpapers or restrict its application on incompatible individual apps.
Dark Mode
MIUI 12 is fully optimized to work on HRR displays, and it looks gorgeous on the Poco X3 Pro. Everything is smooth and fast; animations are unobtrusive yet impressive, the attention to detail is simply excellent. We did enjoy working with MIUI on the Poco X3 Pro's 120Hz for sure.
Some MIUI ROMs include ads in the default apps, it is a well-known thing.
An ad • how to disable ads • Some apps still have ads
The international ROM version of this Poco X3 Pro does come with baked-in "recommendations", but luckily - you can disable most of those. For example - if you are annoyed of the ads within the app scanner - just hit the settings gear and disable recommendations. The same applies to the Themes app. you can't do the same for the File Manger through, meaning complete removal is impossible.
Performance and benchmarks
The Poco X3 Pro is the first smartphone to employ the Snapdragon 860 chipset. Even if the model number is new, it's a familiar piece of hardware - that's a repacked version of 2019's top SoC - the Snapdragon 855+. It has the same processor and graphics but has widened camera and RAM support. And in the case of Poco X3 Pro, the S860 omits the external 5G model and its mobile support maxes out at 4G LTE networks.
So, the Snapdragon 860 is based on the 7nm node from TSMC and the chip employs an octa-core processor with 1+3+4 configuration - there is a single Kryo 485 Gold core (a Cortex-A76 derivative) clocked at 2.96GHz; three more Kryo 485 Gold cores clocked at 2.84GHz and a cluster of four Kryo 485 Silver cores (Cortex-A55 derivative) ticking at 1.78GHz.
The GPU is Adreno 640 - even it it's two generations old GPU, it is still more powerful than any mid-range offering and should be handing HRR-capable games hassle-free.
The Poco X3 Pro is available in two configurations - our base model has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, the top configuration comes with 8GB+256GB combo. RAM is LPDDR4x and the storage is the UFS 3.1 type.
Let's see some benchmark results now.
Well, the Snapdragon 860 CPU, quite expectedly, turned out faster than any other mid-range processor we've tested so far.
GeekBench 5 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Poco X3 Pro
2574 - Realme 7 Pro
1811 - Realme 7 5G
1794 - Redmi Note 9 Pro (Max)
1785 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
1780 - Poco X3 NFC
1777 - Xiaomi Redmi K30 (Poco X2)
1692 - Realme 7
1681 - Samsung Galaxy A52
1577
GeekBench 5 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Poco X3 Pro
735 - Realme 7 5G
598 - Realme 7 Pro
576 - Redmi Note 9 Pro (Max)
571 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
569 - Poco X3 NFC
568 - Xiaomi Redmi K30 (Poco X2)
548 - Realme 7
536 - Samsung Galaxy A52
525
We can say absolutely the same thing about the GPU performance - it's stellar for this class and nothing short of flagship-worthy.
GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Poco X3 Pro
67 - Xiaomi Pocophone F1
53 - Realme 7 5G
31 - Realme 7
28 - Poco X3 NFC
27 - Xiaomi Redmi K30 (Poco X2)
27 - Redmi Note 9 Pro (Max)
26 - Samsung Galaxy A52
26 - Realme 7 Pro
25
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Poco X3 Pro
38 - Xiaomi Pocophone F1
31 - Realme 7
17 - Realme 7 5G
17 - Poco X3 NFC
16 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
16 - Xiaomi Redmi K30 (Poco X2)
15 - Redmi Note 9 Pro (Max)
15 - Samsung Galaxy A52
15 - Realme 7 Pro
14
You bet the Poco X3 Pro aced the AnTuTu test and came on top of our chart, beating the competition by a mile.
AnTuTu 8
Higher is better
- Poco X3 Pro
453223 - Realme 7 5G
318535 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
295442
292828
283750
279625
278414
272229
261282
The Poco X3 Pro is without a doubt the fastest phone in the sub-€300 class. With such a powerful hardware it can chew pretty much anything. The GPU is enough to handle HFR games and does them a proper justice.
The phone also offers an adequate cooling system and it never gets hot, just lightly warm. It scored a 97% stability score over at 3D Mark Wild Life Stress Test - a thoroughly impressive thing!
You may notice some minor stutter when running the Poco X3 Pro screen at 120Hz. It's noticeable when pulling the notification or toggle shades, and during fast scrolling through menus or switching between apps. It's not because the chipset is weak though, but because the screen isn't of the greatest possible quality. The issue is that the pixel response time on this panel is not that good and some ghosting may and will happen, which looks like stuttering at times. Just bear that in mind and known it's a screen issue and not a performance-related one.
Your average quad-camera
The Poco X3 Pro offers a quad-camera on its back - there is a 48MP primary shooter (down from 64MP on the X3 NFC), joined by an 8MP ultrawide snapper (down from 13MP on the X3 NFC), a 2MP macro imager and a 2MP depth sensor. The selfie kit remains the same - it's a 20MP front-facing cam.
The Poco X3 Pro packs a 48MP primary camera relying on the Sony IMX 582 Quad-Bayer 1/2" sensor with 0.8µm pixels, 25mm f/1.8 lens, and PDAF. Night Mode is supported on this camera.
Second is an 8MP snapper with 15mm f/2.2 lens. The focus is fixed; Night Mode is present here, too.
The macro camera is 2MP with f/2.4 aperture, 1.75µm pixels, but lacks autofocus. Finally, there is a 2MP depth sensor.
The selfie camera has a 20MP Samsung S5K3T2 ISOCELL Plus 1/3.4" Tetra-pixel sensor behind a 26mm f/2.2 lens. The focus is fixed.
The default camera app is a typical MIUI affair - switching between modes is done by swiping left and right, and all available modes but the Macro are on this rolodex. The zoom shortcut on the viewfinder switches between ultrawide, regular 1x, and 2x zoom (digital).
On the opposite end of the viewfinder, you have a flash mode switch, an HDR switch, an AI toggle, Google Lens, and a magic wand with beauty effects and filters. Behind a hamburger menu, you'll find some more options, including the Macro mode, plus the shortcut to the settings. What you won't find is an option to set the output resolution for any of the cameras.
The Pro mode works with the normal camera, the ultra-wide, and the macro. Manual 48MP pictures are also an option. For the main camera, you can use up to 30s shutter speed and ISO up to 6400. For the ultrawide, the slowest shutter speed goes down to 30s, while for the macro - it's 1/4s.
Poco X3 Pro camera app
Photo quality
The main camera saves 12MP photos by default, and those turned up good for a mid-range camera. The resolved detail is enough but far from impressive - intricate details are often smeared (such as grass). The dynamic range is good, though, and even if the Auto HDR was active, it did not trigger HDR once.
The colors are a match to the real scenes. The noise is extremely low, and we could argue the noise reduction took away some of the fine detail. This could be fixed with some processing finetuning in the next firmware update.
Finally, the sharpening is just right, whereas others usually go overboard with it.
Main camera, 12MP
There is a 2X zoom switch on the viewfinder, but you've guessed that right, it's a simple digital zoom (crop and upscale). While it looks okay on the phone's screen, you better not pixel peep these photos too much.
Main camera 2x, 12MP
Shooting in 48MP is available, but the results are a mixed bag. The images are less processed, and there is more noise, and thus - you can see a bit more of the foliage. The dynamic range is even better, probably because of the multi-stacking involved in making the high-res photo where one should not be possible. But the noise does get in the way, especially in shadows.
We don't think it's worth it to shoot in this resolution - it takes a while to save such an image, it is rather large ~20MB, and the benefits are questionable.
Main camera, 48MP
The 8MP ultrawide camera some very nice photos with enough detail, good contrast and okay dynamic range. The distortion correction does a nice job around the corners and overall.
There is visible noise if HDR did not fire, but when it does - it improves the dynamic range noticeably (the last photo), it reduces the noise, but it also destroys nearly half of the detail in the process.
Ultrawide camera, 8MP
The 2MP macro cam has its fixed focus at 4cm, and it's mostly a hit-and-miss even if you are a regular user. The photos it shoots are uninspiring - they are poor in detail, the color saturation isn't that good, and the contrast is low.
Macro camera, 2MP
Then, there is the 2MP depth sensor, which helps the main camera shoot in Portrait Mode. The Poco X3 Pro saves very good portrait images with proficient subject separation and natural-looking blur. The resolved detail, colors, and contrast are on a high note, too.
Portraits, 12MP
The main camera shoots acceptable low-light photos. They are well exposed and bright enough, with preserved colors, but are lacking in detail and rather soft. The night photos are shot at high ISO settings, but they aren't noisy - that's because the noise reduction tries to get rid of all noise, taking a ton of fine detail in the process, too.
Main camera, 12MP
The Night Mode does not drastically improve the image quality, but it does help for more balanced photos. The Night Mode shots aren't as bright, but they have their highlight clipping fixed, the noise is lower, and the resolved detail is higher. The color saturation is better, too, and overall, we do prefer these over the standard pictures.
Main camera Night Mode, 12MP
The ultrawide camera is simply no good at night - its photos are dark, lacking in detail, and the smudged noise ruins everything.
Ultrawide camera, 8MP
Unlike the Poco X3 NFC, the X3 Pro can do Night Mode on its ultrawide camera. And the photos are pretty usable - while they are soft, they are well exposed, with good color saturation, contrast, and dynamic range.
Ultrawide camera Night Mode, 8MP
And here are photos of our usual posters taken with the Poco X3 Pro. Here's how it stacks up against the competition. Feel free to browse around and pit it against other phones from our extensive database.
Poco X3 Pro against the Poco X3 NFC and the Redmi Note 10 Pro in our Photo compare tool
Selfies
The 20MP photos from the selfies offer good enough detail, the colors are nice, and the contrast is great. While you have a limited range for the focus sweet spot, the Poco X3 Pro offers enough leeway to cover the different arm lengths and those who prefer closeup shots.
Selfies, 20MP
Portrait selfies are available, the separation isn't as great, and sometimes you may get smeared ears and hear. The blur looks good, though.
Portrait selfies, 20MP
Video recording
The Poco X3 Pro captures videos up to 4K@30fps with its main camera, though 1080@60fps and 1080@30fps are available as well. The ultrawide snapper is limited to 1080p@30fps, while the macro cam maxes out at 720p@30fps.
Electronic stabilization can be enabled on the primary and ultrawide cameras, and it works on all resolution and frame rates. There is also GoPro-like SuperSteady mode, which captures heavily cropped and incredibly stabilized Full HD videos with the main camera.
Let's talk about the main camera. The video bitrate is 40-42Mbps in 4, while audio is recorded in stereo with a 96Kbps bitrate. The clips offer a good amount of resolved detail, and the scene looks nice - the colors are accurate, the contrast is great, and the dynamic range is more than enough.
The 1080p videos from the ultrawide camera are poor in detail, but otherwise good in colors, contrast, and even dynamic range.
And here is the Poco X3 Pro in our video sample database, where you can compare it directly to all other phones we've reviewed.
2160p: Poco X3 Pro against the Poco X3 NFC and the Redmi Note 10 Pro in our Video compare tool
Alternatives
The Poco X3 Pro gives you a flagship-grade screen, outstanding performance, excellent battery endurance and speedy charging at the unbeatable price of €249. And when you think it can't get better than that, you notice the little things like splash protection, stereo speakers, a capable camera, and fan-favorite connectivity options. And then you just wonder how is it possible for Xiaomi to offer this so cheaply?
We can ponder on this as long as we like, but it doesn't really matter, does it? What you should be asking is if the competition can match this offer.
The Realme 7 Pro is a good match to the Poco X3 Pro, and it shines with an AMOLED screen, but it's limited to a 60Hz refresh rate, and the Snapdragon 720G is no threat to the flagship Snapdragon 860. The Realme 8 Pro is just around the corner, but it seems to be focused on camera upgrades instead of screen and/or performance.
A good gaming-oriented alternative is the Samsung Galaxy A42 5G - it costs as much as the Poco X3 Pro. It packs an HD 60Hz OLED and runs on the powerful Snapdragon 750G 5G chipset. Its quad-camera is quite capable, while the battery endurance is simply remarkable. We know this Samsung cannot match the 120Hz 1080p screen, but it can offer 5G and even more battery life while keeping the gaming performance on a similarly high note.
Then there is the already cheaper Poco X3 NFC. It has a bit better main camera and offers the same 120Hz screen, but the performance isn't as impressive due to the mid-range Snapdragon 720G chip. You can get it for €50 cheaper than the Pro, but we are not sure if it's worth it. If your budget is €200, you better keep an eye out for the early birds Poco X3 Pro sales, which will go for exactly €200.
Finally, the Redmi Note 10 Pro also costs €250 and is an excellent alternative to the Poco X3 Pro. This Redmi has an even better 120Hz AMOLED screen and some flagship-worthy 108MP main camera on the back. It matches the stereo speakers and battery skills and the IP53-rated body. The chipset in charge of everything is the Snapdragon 732G - which isn't as powerful as the 860. You have to decide whether a better screen and camera are worthy over 40% or so performance gap.
Realme 7 Pro • Samsung Galaxy A42 5G • Samsung Galaxy A52 • Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
Finally, if you want a phone like the Poco X3 Pro, but with an AMOLED screen, look no further than the newly announced Poco F3. It's literally the X3 Pro with a 120Hz OLED and an even faster Snapdragon 870 SoC (a repackaged SD865 version), but sadly the microSD slot had to go. The Poco F3 will go on sale for €350, but the early adopters will be able to get it for just €299.
Xiaomi Poco F3
The verdict
We loved the Poco X3 Pro, and you can easily tell that. There is hardly a better performer at that price level. And early birds can get one for as low as €199.
The Poco X3 Pro offers uneatable flagship bang for some entry-level buck, but it also impresses with so much more - display, speakers, battery, charging, and even camera. This achievement is something for the history books, just like the first Poco F1's was and the X3 Pro receives our outright recommendation.
Pros
- Signature design; IP53-rated for dust and splash resistance.
- Large screen with 120Hz refresh and HDR10 support.
- Excellent battery life, fast charging.
- Balanced stereo speakers, good loudness.
- Top notch performance, outstanding stability.
- Dependable cameras day and night, okay selfies.
- Good 4K clips, EIS works, too.
- MIUI 12, Android 11, 3.5mm jack, IR blaster, microSD slot.
- Intriguing launch price
Cons
- Somewhat bulky.
- Screen pixel response time isn't ideal (we are nit-picking here).
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