Poco F4 review: The Poco F3 reloaded

The Poco F4 fixes a lot of the Poco F3 flaws, however the ad-filled software program and unsure long-term assist remains to be a letdown. For probably the most half, although, this can be a good worth funds telephone backed by impressively highly effective {hardware}.

The Xiaomi-affiliated Poco model debuted again in 2018 with the landmark Poco F1, standing out due to its flagship silicon and inexpensive price ticket. The model has unfold its wings since then, tackling mid-range and low-end merchandise whereas additionally providing its first ecosystem merchandise. Nonetheless, you possibly can argue that the Poco F sequence stays its most necessary vary from a status perspective. Now, Poco has launched its newest F sequence telephone, however is it a worthy entry? It’s time to search out out in our Poco F4 review.

What it is advisable know in regards to the Poco F4

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• Poco F4 (6GB/128GB): £379 / €399 (~$405)
• Poco F4 (8GB/256GB): £429 / €449 (~$455)

The Poco F4 is an higher mid-range providing within the Poco portfolio, positioned slightly below the gaming-focused Poco F4 GT however above telephones just like the Poco M4 household and Poco X4 Professional. It’s additionally value noting that this can be a rebranded model of the Redmi K40s. Nevertheless, that Redmi gadget was a China-only telephone, so that is successfully a brand new gadget for international markets.

Both approach, it brings some noteworthy specs for the worth. There’s the ever-popular Snapdragon 870 processor, a 6.67-inch 120Hz OLED panel, and 67W wired charging for that 4,500mAh battery. We’ve additionally acquired a 64MP rear camera, packing optical picture stabilization for the primary time within the sequence. Take a look at our devoted camera review part for our ideas on the Poco F4’s shooters.

Associated: The perfect Xiaomi telephones you should purchase

In saying so, there are just a few cutbacks to fulfill the worth tag. The telephone lacks wi-fi charging, full-fledged water resistance (IP53 solely), and a telephoto camera, for one, although these options aren’t super-common on mid-range telephones within the first place.

Poco provided early fowl pricing of €349 for the 6GB/128GB possibility (examined) and €399 for the 8GB/256GB mannequin, however they’re usually bought at €399 and €449, or ranging from £379 within the UK. The Poco F4 is available in Moonlight Silver, Nebula Inexperienced, and Evening Black colour choices. It’s in the stores in Europe, the Center East, and Southeast Asia from Xiaomi’s on-line retailer, Amazon, and chosen different on-line retailers.

What’s good?

Hadlee Simons / Android Authority

The Poco F4 — which is equivalent to the Redmi K40s, bar an added Poco brand — isn’t going to win any awards for its aesthetics. What’s right here is generally good although, that includes a comparatively gentle design, flat edges, a remarkably tiny punch-hole cutout, and a really slippery glass again. The again is a complete fingerprint magnet too, so that you’ll wish to slap this in a case as quickly as attainable. Luckily, Poco features a TPU case and display screen protector within the field.

The telephone has Gorilla Glass 5 on the entrance however there’s, sadly, no safety for the glass again. Nonetheless, I by chance dropped the telephone from roughly a meter onto my rest room sink and it survived the ordeal simply tremendous. I additionally dropped the telephone from my workplace desk onto the ground and it appeared no worse for put on — curse that slippery again.

Extra studying: The perfect waterproof telephones you should purchase

Flip the telephone on and also you’ll discover a 6.67-inch FHD+ OLED panel with a dynamic 120Hz refresh fee. This appears to be Poco and Xiaomi’s go-to panel for mid-rangers in 2022, however it’s nonetheless display screen. The show was brilliant sufficient for viewing in direct daylight and also you’ve acquired these pretty blacks right here too, though colours had been a contact on the saturated aspect as a result of vivid colour profile being the default possibility. Fortunately, colours and the colour temperature might be tuned accordingly.

The Poco F4’s 120Hz OLED display screen is a mid-range staple in 2022, however it nonetheless seems to be nice.

Energy-chasers is likely to be a bit disillusioned that the Poco F4 retains the Poco F3’s Snapdragon 870 chipset, however the processor remains to be a really highly effective platform. Plus, Poco has stated it had no selection as Qualcomm has but to launch a follow-up chip with such a pointy price-to-performance ratio. Benchmarks present that the telephone affords good efficiency, occupying the slot between latest flagship telephones and bona fide mid-rangers, which is what we’ve come to count on from the Snapdragon 870. The telephone additionally did effectively within the 3DMark Wild Life stress take a look at, providing spectacular stability.

Geekbench 53DMarkGFXBench

These benchmarks are mirrored in real-world efficiency too, as basic scrolling, net shopping, and multitasking labored simply tremendous. I did discover some lag on the odd event, such because the icons often taking a second to populate the house display screen after unlocking or the latest apps display screen lagging for a second, however it by no means occurred typically sufficient to be an issue.

The Poco F4 additionally acquits itself effectively on the subject of gaming, as titles like Name of Obligation Cellular, Genshin Influence, and World of Tanks Blitz all delivered easy efficiency. I additionally upped the body fee to 60fps in Genshin Influence, and whereas I did see some stutters on occasion, it was a fluid expertise more often than not. For sure, the telephone is value a glance if you wish to play superior video games and emulated 3D video games a few years down the road and have a restricted funds.

See additionally: The perfect telephones for gaming

One notable improve over the Poco F3 is the introduction of 67W wired charging in comparison with the earlier telephone’s 33W assist. I used to be in a position to take the telephone from zero to 100% in 45 minutes. That’s about seven minutes in need of Poco’s personal lab-tested declare of 38 minutes; a not insignificant discrepancy, however you’re nonetheless getting a fast-charging gadget on a budget. Plus, Poco handily features a 67W charger within the field.

Desire a telephone that gained’t maintain you tethered to a charger? Then the Poco F4 is fairly stable when it comes to battery life, though not almost as long-lasting as one other, cheaper Xiaomi-related telephone, the Redmi Observe 11 Professional 5G. I managed to eke out about six hours of screen-on time throughout a day and a half with the adaptive refresh fee enabled. This era of utilization included about half-hour of gaming, roughly two hours of YouTube viewing, in addition to utilizing Uber Eats, and shopping Reddit. That’s not a class-leading effort however it’s not a dunce both.

Lastly, the telephone’s side-mounted fingerprint scanner was extraordinarily quick and correct, and it didn’t get sticky as I discovered with the Poco F4 GT throughout my time with that gadget. Who says you want an in-display fingerprint sensor?

What’s not so good?

Hadlee Simons / Android Authority

The Poco F4’s tackle MIUI is fairly stable when it comes to each options and polish. The Poco F3 was torpedoed by a litany of bugs at launch, however we didn’t expertise any main points throughout our Poco F4 review testing. Sadly, that is considerably negated by the intrusiveness of the system advertisements on the brand new telephone.

I particularly observed these advertisements in Poco’s personal file administration, video, and music apps. I additionally acquired a notification from the Mi Video app to view a video for some motive. For what it’s value you may take away most of those apps from your house display screen (however not uninstall them), whereas tried-and-tested strategies of disabling MIUI advertisements do work for probably the most half.

Both approach, that is nonetheless annoying when one in every of Poco’s unique strengths was the shortage of system advertisements within the first place, which set them aside from options from Redmi. Take a look at just a few screenshots of a number of the advertisements beneath.

One other space of concern with the software program is the shortage of any public long-term replace pledge. Once we requested in regards to the Poco F4 GT beforehand, Poco informed us that it was in discussions with Google to supply three years of OS updates and 4 years of safety patches for its “efficiency” telephones. We’ve requested the corporate in regards to the Poco F4 particularly and can replace the review after we know extra. For now, although, there’s no assure for the way lengthy or how shortly you’ll obtain Android model and safety updates. We do understand it took 5 months for the Poco F3 to obtain Android 12 (after launching on Android 11), so it’s possible you’ll be in for a little bit of a anticipate Android 13.

The Poco F4 has its fair proportion of bloatware too. Though it’s not fairly the worst offender within the trade, you may look forward to finding a number of pre-installed video games like Mud Settle, Fb, Jewels Blast, Spotify, and Tile Enjoyable. Not less than they’ll all be uninstalled.

System advertisements and an absence of an replace assure take a number of the shine off of the Poco F4’s worth.

Want to harass passengers on public transport with obnoxious music? Then the brand new Poco gadget actually brings loads of quantity, however the bottom-firing speaker is noticeably louder than the highest speaker. I observed this discrepancy on occasion when watching some movies.

And eventually, whereas the show is actually a pleasant sufficient panel for a funds telephone, I might’ve favored to see Poco supply extra granular refresh fee performance, reminiscent of a 90Hz possibility. It additionally looks as if the telephone doesn’t dip beneath 60Hz fairly often, as I solely noticed the panel switching to 30Hz for the notification gentle pulse on the in any other case turned-off display screen. It nonetheless caught to 60Hz when viewing pictures, watching YouTube movies, or studying ebooks.

Poco F4 camera review

Hadlee Simons / Android Authority

One of many Poco F4’s extra notable upgrades is the first camera, because it adopts a 64MP sensor with optical picture stabilization (OIS). As compared, the Poco F3 served up a 48MP shooter with out OIS. Both approach, the principle shooter does a good job through the day, providing a wholesome stage of element, correct publicity, and respectable dynamic vary.

The camera isn’t excellent in these situations although. Other than some photos simply being a bit too saturated, you’ll discover elevated ranges of noise in darker areas of a photograph (take a look at the foliage within the third picture beneath) whereas the camera does generally ship an over-sharpened picture too. I additionally observed that the Poco F4 is often vulnerable to lens flare and purple fringing when capturing some out of doors scenes, even when the solar isn’t instantly within the scene.

Associated: The perfect funds camera telephones

The Poco F4 foremost camera does a stable job at evening too, seemingly as a consequence of OIS enabling slower shutter speeds. You’re not going to get brilliant leads to the default mode, however whereas the evening mode isn’t a transformative affair both, it’s able to visibly lifting the brightness and taming noise on occasion. OIS isn’t actually a boon for the telephone’s lengthy publicity modes, as you’d usually want to make use of a tripod anyway for greatest outcomes. Nevertheless, it does turn out to be useful for extra secure video (extra on that in a bit).

The 8MP ultrawide is a token effort at most, as even brightly lit photos could have photographs with simply seen noise within the darker areas of the scene. You’re additionally taking a look at considerably inconsistent colours in comparison with the principle shooter.

The 2MP macro lens additionally appears like an inclusion for the sake of it, because the fixed-focus works tremendous however photos are a bit too low-res for something apart from social media. It’s additionally a downgrade in principle over the Poco F3’s 5MP telemacro lens with autofocus.

The Poco F4’s 20MP selfie camera isn’t going to win any awards both, however it performs adequately. Photographs shot through the day provide you with sufficient resolvable element for cropping, however there’s nonetheless a good quantity of grain seen within the scene. Indoor selfies are extra inconsistent, various between a comparatively sharp picture and a tender shot. The telephone’s portrait selfie mode is pretty correct too, though the background is blown out and there are minor cutout errors with my hair and shoulder within the picture beneath.

Poco’s telephone performs effectively sufficient on the subject of video recording, serving up punchy colours, correct publicity, and stage of element within the shadows. There’s additionally an excellent regular video mode topping out at 1080p/30fps, making a notable distinction when it comes to decreasing judder. You do see the jello impact on occasion however it’s nonetheless a helpful addition, particularly when the Poco F3 lacked this feature. One other function lacking from the earlier telephone was 4K/60fps recording, however it’s current on the Poco F4 and works effectively sufficient. Nevertheless, you do understandably see extra judder in comparison with the tremendous regular mode.

The Poco F4 has loads of camera choices on-hand, too. There’s the aforementioned lengthy publicity suite, 4K/60fps setting, and tremendous regular video mode. However you’ve additionally acquired a clone mode (letting you create a number of situations of somebody in an image), vlog possibility, slow-motion (albeit topping out at 1080p/120fps or an interpolated 720p/960fps), time-lapse mode, and a film results suite. The latter consists of modes like gradual shutter results (preserving a transferring topic clear whereas blurring the background), time freeze performance, and a Hitchcockian magic zoom function.

Poco F4 specs

Poco F4 review: The decision

Hadlee Simons / Android Authority

By its personal deserves, the Poco F4 is a reasonably good launch for £379/€399. The Snapdragon 870 nonetheless delivers loads of efficiency, 67W charging is brisk sufficient to make charging really feel like much less of a chore, and the FHD+ 120Hz OLED display screen makes for a pleasing viewing expertise.

When judging the Poco F4 within the context of its predecessor, it’s clear the corporate did a good job of fixing the earlier telephone’s flaws. But it surely looks as if a double-edged sword in some methods. Certain, 67W charging is a stunning addition, however battery life isn’t the easiest in its worth tier. Sure, we’ve acquired an improved foremost camera, however the remainder of the sensors are an afterthought. Poco polished the software program expertise out of the field this time, however system advertisements nonetheless sully the expertise.

By way of options, the Poco F3 (£329) might be probably the most logical rival proper now in the event you like what you see and may stay with the caveats. It lacks 67W charging and OIS, however you’re nonetheless getting the identical highly effective chipset, the identical battery capability, a equally good display screen, and a sharper macro lens. The total asking worth can also be cheaper than the Poco F4 and it goes for even decrease on sale, plus lots of the early bugs we encountered in our review have since been squashed.

The Poco F4 is an effective funds telephone with loads of energy, however the competitors is robust.

Staying with the Poco household, the Poco F4 GT (£699) is a tool value contemplating in the event you’re a hardcore cell gamer. You miss out on OIS for the principle camera however do achieve a extra highly effective processor, 120W charging, and a few cool retractable shoulder buttons.

The Samsung Galaxy A53 5G ($449) is a powerful telephone value contemplating over the Poco F4. You miss out on a flagship-level processor and quick charging however achieve IP67 water resistance, a much bigger battery, a greater ultrawide camera, and a powerful dedication to updates.

The Pixel 6a ($449) hasn’t hit the market on the time of this writing, however contemplating Google’s pedigree with funds telephones, it’s completely in rivalry. You’re getting a much less fluid 60Hz OLED display screen and far slower charging speeds. Nevertheless, the Pixel brings an prolonged replace dedication, Google’s AI-focused Tensor processor, unique software program options, improved water resistance, and a twin rear camera system borrowed from the Pixel 5a that we already know delivers nice picture high quality.

Poco F4

The Poco F3, refined.

The Poco F4 is a follow-up to final yr’s diamond within the tough that was the Poco F3. The 2 key adjustments this time are the upgraded foremost camera with OIS in addition to 67W charging. In any other case, you have nonetheless acquired a robust Snapdragon 870 chipset right here, together with a 120Hz OLED display screen, and a comparatively giant battery.

Prime Poco F4 questions and solutions

Is the Poco F4 waterproof?Does the Poco F4 have microSD card growth?

No, the Poco F4 solely has mounted storage as much as 256GB.

Does the Poco F4 have an IR blaster?

Sure, it has an IR blaster.

Does the Poco F4 assist 5G?Does the Poco F4 have wi-fi charging?

No, the Poco F4 doesn’t assist wi-fi charging.

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