Xiaomi is launching a budget version of its Mi 8, however, the features remain very interesting and the performance is not entry-level
The PocoPhone F1 is reality. After the rumors of the last few weeks, the smartphone has finally been presented in India, where it will make its official debut in the coming days. But the most important news concerns the fact that the PocoPhone brand will also arrive in Italy: it will be on sale from August 30.
The PocoPhone brand is a sub-brand of Xiaomi that created it to produce smartphones that have a great value for money. The strategy is very similar to the one used by Huawei with Honor: the main brand makes smartphones using premium materials and components, while with the sub-brand the focus is more on price than quality. For example, the PocoPhone F1 has a polycarbonate cover, a material less valuable than the glass found in all premium smartphones. As for the rest, however, the PocoPhone F1 is a smartphone of all respect: it has an excellent technical card (it mounts the Snapdragon 845 processor) and uses a user interface based on MIUI, but that guarantees even more speed in opening applications.
PocoPhone F1: technical characteristics
There are several elements of quality present inside the PocoPhone F1. In addition to the aforementioned Snapdragon 845 processor we find 6/8GB of RAM and 64GB/128GB/256GB of internal storage (expandable) depending on the model chosen. The notch in addition to the camera also hides an infrared sensor that The screen is 6.18 inches with FullHD+ resolution and aspect ratio of 19:9. There is the inevitable notch where the infrared sensors are positioned that allow unlocking the phone with facial recognition even in poor light conditions. The temperature is always kept under control thanks to a liquid cooling system. The Xiaomi Poco F1 will run on Android Oreo 8.1 but should also receive the update to Android 9 Pie soon. The 4000mAh battery ensures an autonomy is at least two days with medium-intense use and there is the Quick Charge 3.0.
PocoPhone F1: photo compartment
The cameras present on Xioami PocoPhone F1 are exactly the same seen on the Xiaomi Mi8, a sign of the closeness of the two brands. The rear sensors are two, the main 12-megapixel and the second 5-megapixel. A solution that allows shots with portrait or bokeh effects and each image is enhanced by artificial intelligence present on the smartphone. Also interesting is the front camera of 20 megapixels and optimized for selfies.
PocoPhone F1: availability and prices in Italy
From August 30 will be available in Italy two versions: one with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal memory and the model with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Expected also the arrival of the 8GB/256GB version with Kevlar back, but there is no precise date.
The price starts from 329 euros for the 6/64GB model and goes up to 399 euros for the 6/128GB version. The smartphone will be on sale at major Italian retail chains and on Amazon and Miui sites.