Poco F3 GT review: Smart design, sharp performance

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Poco made a solid first impression with the launch of Poco F1 in 2018. The company, since then has launched a handful of smartphones across multiple price categories. But the search for Poco fans to get a true Poco F1 successor did not end until the launch of the Poco F3 GT. The new smartphone comes with a MediaTek processor and boasts new design and features, specially made for gamers. We reviewed the handset and here’s what we think about it

Poco F3 GT: Design and display

Poco F3 GT comes with new aesthetic designs that give it a refreshing new look. The phone is offered in two colour variants — Gunmetal Silver and Predator Black. We received the latter as our review unit. The handset features what Poco calls the Slipstream design which looks cool and unique. The body frame is partly curved and partly flat for a better grip while gaming. Also, the camera module is pill-shaped and is paired with a thunderbolt-shaped dual-LED placed next to it. The camera module has RGB lighting and comes with metallic edges to protect against scratches.

The smartphone comes with dual speakers. One speaker is placed at the bottom edge along with the USB Type-C charging port. The bottom of the phone also features the SIM card tray, microphone and IR emitter. The other speaker is placed on the top edge of the Poco F3 GT along with the mic.

At the right side of the smartphone is the power button mounted with a fingerprint reader. The positioning of the button is such that it is easily accessible for single-hand usage. Also, the sensor is quick to unlock the phone. The right edge of the Poco F3 GT also has two “maglev” trigger buttons for gaming. The triggers have good clicky feedback. On the left side are the volume control button and another microphone.

The handset weighs 205 grams and does feel heavy to hold, especially during long hour usage. Despite that, the body is durable and can stand daily wear and tear. The handset comes with a protective case so you don’t have to spend extra bucks on the case.

Poco F3 GT is IP53 rated. It can withstand water splashes. Also, the front display and rear of the phone come with Corning Glass 5 for added protection.

The handset is equipped with a 6.67-inch full HD AMOLED screen with 1080×2400 pixel resolution. The screen offers up to a 120Hz refresh rate. The colours are punchy and vivid. Images have a good level of contrast. The phone’s screen has sufficient brightness levels and will give no hiccup when using the phone outdoors. Watching videos on the device is a great experience, thanks to good viewing angles. There is HDR 10+ video support as well. The experience is enhanced further, thanks to the dual speakers on the phone.

Poco F3 GT: Performance

Poco F3 GT is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 1200 octa-core chipset. It is built on a 6nm processor with a peak frequency of 3GHz and is paired with Mali G77 MC9 GPU. The handset offers LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 3.1 storage. It is offered in three variants- 6GB+128GB, 8GB+128GB and 8GB+256GB. We received the 8+128GB storage model for review.

The phone offers smooth, hassle-free day-to-day performance. You will hardly face any lag or significant glitches in terms of performance. The fingerprint reader works well and is quick to unlock the phone. Similarly, the face recognition on the Poco F3 GT will give you no reason to complain.

Gaming on the smartphone is lag-free. Be it light gaming or intensive games like the Battlegrounds Mobile India or Call of Duty, the device gives no stutter or setback of any kind. The device heats up during gaming. Nevertheless, the experience is good and as we said before, lag-free. The maglev triggers come in handy during these games and make them more engaging. The response was good too. Another thing worth mentioning is that you may see a significant drop in the battery while playing heavy games.

The smartphone comes with a cooling chamber to regulate the temperature. We did not face any heating issues on the phone while playing music or watching videos. But the body did heat up during charging. The problem was resolved with the MIUI 12.5.5 software update.

Talking about the software on Poco F3 GT, the smartphone runs MUI 12.5 on top of the Android 11 operating system. The UI is comparatively neat and there were no ads coming in the notifications. Though you will find a handful of pre-installed apps, many of them can be uninstalled if not needed.

The audio output of the Poco F3 GT is loud and clear. The dual speakers are well-placed and help enhance the overall binge-watching experience on the smartphone.

Poco F3 GT: Camera

The handset comes with triple camera sensors at the back. The rear camera system comprises a 64MP primary lens, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens and a 2MP macro lens. It is paired with thunderbolt-style dual LED flashlights.

Images turned out to be somewhat acceptable. In some cases, there was over-sharpening of images, especially those clicked during daytime. The shots were noisy and lacking in detail. The quality improves with the Pro Colour mode on.

The wide-angle sensor was also not up to the mark. The macro sensor, on the other hand, clicked some good shots. The depth effect in the portrait images was decent with good edge detection. Low-light photography on Poco F3 GT is not good either. Shots lack detail and are overexposed.

The camera app on Poco F3 GT has an easy UI. There are quick toggles for HDR, AI, Beautification, Google lens and others at the top. You can switch between shooting modes- Portrait, Pro and More with a simple swipe.

At the front, the smartphone has a 16MP selfie camera. Selfies look artificial, which may not be a problem to many.

Poco F3 GT: Battery

Poco F3 GT houses a 5065mAh battery. It comes with a 67watt charging adapter which is a bit bulkier. Also, the charger has a Yellow colour charging cable and an L-shaped USB Type-C charging pin. This new styled connector comes in handy when you are streaming videos on the phone while charging.

The phone takes about 50 minutes to fully charge. The RGB glow indicator light turns on when the handset is plugged into power, which is kind of cool. Once fully charged, the handset can help you sail throughout the day without asking for power. This is when the display refresh rate is set to high 120Hz. You can get a couple of extra hours with the standard 60hz refresh rate.

Verdict

Poco F3 GT comes with a starting price of Rs 26,999 (6GB+128GB). For its price, the handset offers good performance, an impressive display and decent battery life. All these features make Poco F3 GT a good choice for those looking for a gaming phone that is value for money. The phone’s camera does not do much to impress though. Running on MediaTek Dimesnity 1200, the phone’s closest competition is the OnePlus Nord 2 that comes with a price of Rs 29,999 (8GB+128GB).

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