Introduction
Last month, Xiaomi’s spin-off brand Poco India launched its next smartphone dubbed Poco X2 in the Indian market. For those who’re unaware, the company is very well known for its affordable debut Poco F1 smartphone.
The Poco F1 was built on the foundation of offering a high-end performance-driven device at a value for money price. The foremost question that emerges is the fact that whether the all-new Poco X2 follows the same ideology or not. Well, we have been using the device for a good amount of time now to answer these questions for you.
Also Read: Best smartphones under 20000
Price in India, Variants, Availability
Before talking about the device in-depth, let us first take a look at the variants as well as the pricing of the phone. Poco X2 comes in three different storage options – 6GB+64GB, 6GB+128GB and 8GB+256GB variants. The base variant comes with a price tag of INR 15,999 while the top-end model will set you back around INR 19,999. The 128GB storage option, on the other hand, is priced at INR 16,999.
In terms of colour options, the phone is available in Atlantis Blue, Matrix Purple, and Phoenix Red options. Interested buyers can get the device exclusively from Flipkart India. At the time of writing this, the company is offering an instant discount of INR 1,000 when the transaction is done by ICICI credit cards.
Box Contents
Poco X2 comes packed in a black premium looking box with logo and model branding on the front view. Just to mention, the device falls under the Made in India campaign as you can see from the back of the device. Sliding the cover of the box, we come across a rectangular section that consists of a user manual guide, soft transparent case, and SIM ejector tool.
Underneath the section, you will see the device itself covered in a protective layer laying there nicely. Keeping the phone aside for a while, let’s see what else is present inside the box. There is a big heavy fast charger that comes with 27W charging technology. Alongside this, you will see the USB Type-C cable for charging.
Here is a quick overview of what you’ll be getting inside the box:
- Poco X2, the device itself
- 27W Fast charging adapter
- USB Type-C cable
- Soft TPU case
- SIM ejector pin
- Manuals and other documentation
Specs at a Glance
Talking about the key on-paper specifications of the all-new Poco X2 smartphone, here is what the device packs under the hood.
- Display: 6.67-inch IPS LCD panel, 1080 x 2400 pixels, 395 PPI, 120Hz
- Processor and GPU: Snapdragon 730G (8nm), Adreno 618 GPU
- RAM & ROM: up to 8GB, up to 256GB options
- Software: Android 10 OS, MIUI 11
- Rear cameras: Quad module, 64MP+8MP+2MP+2MP
- Selfie sensor: Dual module, 20MP+2MP
- Battery: 4500mAh capacity, 27W fast charging
- Weight: 208g
- Dimensions: 165.3 x 76.6 x 8.8 mm
- Price in India: starts from INR 15,999
With key specifications cleared out of the way, let’s see how the device performs in real-life usage scenarios.
Design & Build
Let’s start this review off by addressing that Poco X2 looks exactly like the Redmi K30 device in China. In fact, Poco has made the device in collaboration with its primary brand i.e. Xiaomi. Unlike the Poco F1 which came with the simple not-so premium design, the X2 does offer an improvement in that aspect. We’re looking at a modern-design smartphone that comes with a high-gloss finish on the rear side.
Looking at the camera module at the back, you can easily conclude that the device takes inspiration from Huawei Mate 30 Pro. The difference here is that the circular element is a part of the Gorilla Glass 5 glass. You can also see ring patterns in the camera module that looks quite pleasing. With that said, the cameras are arranged vertically accompanied by an LED flash. Even the branding on the back is quite minimal with simple POCO written on the bottom.
Since the front and the back are covered with the Corning Gorilla Glass 5 glass protection, the device is quite slippery. You might want to throw that free soft transparent case to fix that. With that said, the back of the device doesn’t attract that much of the fingerprint smudges. If it does, you can just simply wipe the back off to get back the clean glossy appearance.
Talking about the placement of the buttons, we can find the power button and volume rockers on the right side with a hybrid SIM tray on the left. The power key also doubles up as a fingerprint sensor which might be uncomfortable for the left-handed users. At the bottom, there is a 3.5mm headphone jack, USB Type-C port for charging and speaker grille. As expected, there is an infrared emitter on the top which can be used to control appliances and more.
All in all, there is a significant improvement in terms of the design department with the second-gen Poco X2 smartphone. Xiaomi has already upped its ante when it comes to the design of its devices and the same is confirmed with the Poco X2 (which is nothing but a rebranded Redmi K30).
It’s time for the moment to answer the foremost question along with many others. First up, it is pretty clear that the all-new Poco X2 is not a true successor to the previous Poco F1 device. In fact, it is a rebranded Redmi K30.
Even though the company has improved on the design bit by adding that glossy finish and modern looking colours, the performance has taken a major hit. The appeal that used to be there with the Poco devices is no longer present. Instead, you are getting a mid-range beefy chipset. In essence, Poco X2 was not able to differentiate itself from the crowd which is something we saw with the Poco F1.
Now the question is – Should you go ahead with this device? Well, my answer would be quite sceptical. There’s nothing bad with this device and it managed to satisfy us in almost every aspect. It does miss that appealing factor that you can find in the Redmi K20 device. The final choice boils down to your personal preference. If you are willing to overlook the 120Hz display panel, then there are some solid options from other brands that you can consider. With that said, we are concluding our review of Poco X2.
