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In 2018, when brands like OnePlus started making more expensive and mainstream flagships, there was again a gap in the budget smartphone market, which created room for a new set of devices to offer that enthusiast-grade experience to customers. And Xiaomi, a Chinese OEM known for its value-for-money hardware, decided to try to fill this gap with a sub-brand, a strategy previously executed by Huawei.
So came Poco, making the world of smartphones noisy with the Pocophone 1 – a device that offered a combination of specifications with the sole focus on delivering the motto, ‘Everything you need and nothing you do’ . ‘
Four years later, Poco moved out of its sub-brand positioning, calling itself an independent entity and still manufacturing devices that offer the best value for money. For 2022, its range has added the Poco C40 and, more recently, the X4 GT and F4.
In this article, we will focus on the Poco F4, the latest in the OEM’s flagship range, and look at how the F range has evolved over the years and whether it remains true to the ideology behind the original.
small F1
In 2018, the Poco F1 found itself in a market where OnePlus flagship devices touched prices around the $ 600 range; that meant the budget flagship market, which enthusiasts were running around, was open again for a new competitor. The Poco F1 fits right into this slot with its eye-catching inclusion of Snapdragon 845 and $ 300 price tag.
Next up was the furious design choice at this time to have a notch on your smartphone, and the Poco F1 did exactly that. The brand’s first smartphone had a 6.18-inch FHD + screen with an iPhone X-like notch and thick edges. This display encased a metal chassis with a polycarbonate rear panel.
For those who were ready to spend more, the brand did offer a Kevlar-bound option, but against the smartphones it tried to compete with, the Poco F1 did not look so good. For its price, however, the device did many things right.
The screen was more than bright enough and had decent sharpness. On top of that, the Snapdragon 845 was so good that it showed why consumers do not have to spend the highest dollar to get a smartphone that performs well. On top of that, the 4000 mAh battery held its own.
Also, although it was not great, the cameras on this smartphone were good enough – Poco F1 had a dual camera setup, with a 12MP wide and 5MP depth sensor, with a 20MP shooter on the front.
The smartphone has made a case for itself as a stronger performer, with its price tag performing most of the heavy tasks. This meant that when its successor would emerge, the device would have to check all the boxes the Poco F1 did and more.
Little F2 Pro
Then a little less than two years later, the Poco F2 Pro emerged. There was no standard F2 model here, which means that the F-Series now had a more expensive device than before and was quite different. At € 499, the F2 Pro showed a sharp rise from its predecessor’s € 330 price, but it also did many other things. Especially his design, like away, was the cheap polycarbonate and thick ring aesthetic.
The F2 Pro has a significantly better display performance than the one on POCO F1. It has a 6.68-inch FHD + screen with no notch and no hole punch. The front camera here was of the pop-up type. A Super AMOLED unit also replaced the IPS LCD. So, the colors and viewing experience showed a significant upgrade.
The Snapdragon 865 handled the performance on this device. With RAM options, including 6GB and 8GB SKUs, that came on tow, either 128GB or 256GB was storage. As on the F1, the processor provided an experience that is hard to argue with, as the disc set was a flagship product. And to ensure that your sessions are never cut short, the F2 Pro has come with a 4700 mAh battery that supports 30W charging.
The cameras also saw an improved approach, with three of the four rear sensors capable of capturing decent images – the rear system included a 64MP Wide, 13MP Ultrawide and 5MP macrosensor. And in front was a 20MP shooter, which was good at best, but did add pizzaz with its pop-up mechanism.
So, although the POCO F2 Pro brought a sharp price increase, in a market where OnePlus crossed the premium range, the € 499 POCO F2 Pro was an option that made its mark.
Small F3
Although there was a longer than usual gap between the launch of Poco F1 and Poco F2 Pro, within a year of its predecessor, Poco F3 made its way to the market, bringing with it a more rounded approach and cleaner design. But here the aspect of the price increase of the news came back.
The € 499 returned to € 349, with a few cuts here and there, although these were changes one could not argue against, as the core experience remained the same.
The decisions that led to the price reduction are more than likely due to the return to a screen with a hole punch cutout, the transformation of the chassis into plastic (although the glass back is stuck), and possibly the smaller battery – 4700 mAh drops to 4520 mAh.
But speaking of the upgrades, the Poco F3 was shipped with the more modern 870, with better clock speeds and efficiency. The show, which took a step back in design, made a leap into other aspects. Its 6.67-inch FHD + OLED screen that refreshed at 120Hz brought it in line with flagships. A high refresh rate performance was missing in the F2 Pro, and the addition was welcome.
Small F4
Now, almost four years after the launch of the Poco F1, the Poco F4 arrives. The device has a new price tag but shares specifications with its predecessor, especially the Snapdragon 870 SoC which is packed inside. So while some changes with this generation make it worth considering over the last one, this is probably the most iterative upgrade the F-Series has ever seen.
Poco F4 starts at € 399, a € 50 increase over its predecessor
The main difference here is the design, which went from one with curves to a boxer one. Whether this is a positive change depends on the subjectivity of a buyer. Personally, the decision is something I welcome. There is just something more appealing about such a look.
The frame on the F4 also remains made of polycarbonate, a change made with the F3 last year, but this time Poco considers IP rating a necessity as it provides IP53 protection for the smartphone.
The camera shows improvement with the inclusion of OIS on the primary 64MP sensor, but the rest of the hardware stays the same of course. Poco F4 bundles an 8MP Ultrawide and 2MP Macro along with the primary. And rounding off the setup is a 20MP shooter found on the F3.
The battery sees a haircut coming down to 4500 mAh from 4520 mAh, but Poco has improved the charging speed. The F4 – which still comes with a charging brick in the box – now supports 67W fast charging, which can increase the phone from 0 to 100 in less than 40 minutes.
But if you ask me to pick up the changes, there are only a few, the design, the charging speed, a slight change in the cameras, and the support for Dolby Vision on the screen. While these changes are likely to improve the user experience, I would at best define it as iterative.
For new buyers, the Poco F4 stays true to the brand’s ideology, but if you want to upgrade, it’s not a necessity.
Is this a story of repetitions for Poco from here on out?
The Poco F1 was a phone with a lot of positive press around it, and a big reason for this was the value-for-money offer on offer. With the F4, the brand’s motto, ‘Everything you need and nothing you do,’ remains true.
So, as a phone, the Poco F4 impresses me. I do not care about the reused Snapdragon 870, as using the proven hardware is better than including components that can change the principle behind a device. Yes, there is a price increase this time, but the additions like support for Dolby Vision, an IP rating and faster loading seem worth the increase.
But the bigger question is whether the F-series will become a story of iterations from here on out? The changes between Poco F3 and Poco F4 are so marginal that although they are for the better, I wonder what the F5 will bring to the table.
If you ask me, I do not care about the iterative changes, because I would rather see Poco change their focus to improve the experience that their software offers and make better use of the independence they claim to have from Xiaomi.
What are your thoughts on Poco’s evolution? Let us know with a comment below.