When introduced 2 years ago, the Pocophone F1 was a very charming superior product. With Snapdragon 845 and a relatively affordable price, the Pocophone F1 is a symbol of resistance that high-performance smartphones can be sold at a rational price.
But since it was introduced, Xiaomi hasn’t made an update to the Pocophone line until now, with the Poco F2 Pro. Based on the same formula, Xiaomi is trying to reclaim the throne of smartphones with the highest performance-to-price ratio that F1 has ever achieved. Can the Poco F2 Pro repeat the success of the Pocophone F1? Check out our review below.
Beauty inside and out
Poco F2 Pro comes with a premium concept inside and out. Wrapped in metal and glass, this smartphone feels premium in the hand. Even though it is quite heavy, with the metal and glass wrapping, we are actually attributing this fact that the Poco F2 Pro is a sturdy premium smartphone. The size of the screen does not reduce the value of the Poco F2 Pro’s mobility thanks to the thin bezel so that the large 6.67 ”screen is still comfortable to hold.
Although it doesn’t come with a high refresh screen like some mid-range smartphones, the Poco F2 Pro comes with a full screen without a front camera notch thanks to the inclusion of a pop up camera. Coupled with the use of an AMOLED screen, high color contrast like other top smartphones is perfectly carried by this smartphone. With the use of an AMOLED screen, the Poco F2 Pro carries an Always On Display feature like the Mi 10. From a physical side, Xiaomi’s compromise on the Poco F2 Pro is very small. One element that we can call an attempt to cut prices lies in the uneven connection of the screen to the body. However this is a very minor complaint and almost irrelevant.
The Poco F2 Pro design adopts the ergonomic design of Xiaomi smartphones in general with the power and volume buttons on the right side. On the upside, the Poco F2 Pro still offers an audio jack and infrared blaster for controlling other devices. On the down side, the USB type C port, speaker and sim slot complement the physical design of the Poco F2 Pro.
Poco F2 Pro Camera
From the rear camera side, the Poco F2 Pro carries 4 sensors with a 64 Megapixel f / 1.9 main camera sensor, a 13 Megapixel f / 2.4 ultra wide camera, a 5 Megapixel f / 2.2 macro camera, and a 2 Megapixel f / 2.4 depth sensor. . The pop up 20 Megapixel f / 2.2 camera complements the camera sensor that is carried by this smartphone.
The catch of the Sony IMX686 main camera sensor in bright conditions is very good. The color saturation and shadow highlights are captured in great detail. Even though the lighting is less the result is a bit grainy, detail is preserved. Apart from the main camera, ultra wide camera captures tend to be less, especially in low light and dark conditions.
The following are the photos of the Poco F2 Pro without editing.
Likewise with macro cameras that require ideal lighting conditions. For selfie camera results, the Poco F2 Pro takes good pictures, with a high level of detail in good lighting.
The pop up camera operation is similar to other smartphones with this feature. The Poco F2 Pro selfie camera carries pressure detection and sudden acceleration detection which automatically closes the camera to prevent damage. Xiaomi provides an extra feature, namely the LED light on the pop up camera which has an additional function as a missed call notification indicator light.
Video recording Poco F2 Pro enters the high-end realm with 8K video recording capability up to 30FPS thanks to the high processing capability of the Snapdragon 865 processor. Although it does not have optical stabilization feature for static image capture, Poco F2 Pro has electronic stabilization feature for video capture. Unfortunately, electronic stabilization does crop the video resolution, but the results are good enough to stabilize the video.
High performance for all
Poco F2 Pro equipped with Snapdragon 865 Processor, Adreno 650, 6GB / 8GB memory options and 128GB / 256GB internal storage based on UFS 3.1. Synthetic testing of processor performance and graphics performance gets fantastic value, according to the specifications it carries.
In everyday use, all the applications and games we tested ran very well. Loading time feels fast thanks to processor performance and UFS 3.1 data access. Games like Mobile Legends, Asphalt 9, and Call of Duty run without a hitch with the highest graphic settings. We felt the rear especially the area around the camera a little warm after playing the game for a long time, but it is still acceptable, especially considering the high performance of the CPU and GPU. We are also amazed by the connectivity features pinned by Xiaomi on this smartphone. Connections such as 5G Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.1 are the latest modern device connection standards, as is the availability of NFC. Coupled with 5G (when the network is available),
Poco F2 Pro comes with MIUI 12 for POCO. Similar to the MIUI adopted by other Xiaomi smartphones, the Poco F2 Pro uses the Poco launcher feature by default which adds an app tray feature. Apart from this app tray, MIUI 12 for POCO operations are no different from MIUI. Navigation options via gestures or virtual buttons are available on this smartphone. Likewise with the Always On Display feature which can be modified according to taste thanks to the use of the AMOLED screen. Even though “only” uses a 60 Hz panel, the Poco F2 Pro screen also carries HDR 10 technology and makes video HDR content so alive. Unfortunately this smartphone doesn’t have stereo speakers like the Mi 10, but with a loud and clear sound from the main speaker, the Poco F2 Pro still has superior value as a multimedia tool.
This smartphone also comes with a battery with a capacity of 4700 mAh and supports 30 Watt charging. Even though it comes with a big screen and fast processor, the Poco F2 Pro also has excellent power management. We got up to a day and a half of normal usage with the PC mark synthetic test result nearly 19 hours.
With the same formula as the Pocophone F1, Xiaomi has once again succeeded in bringing a “flagship killer” to the Indonesian smartphone market. Even though the price has increased compared to its predecessor, the Poco F2 Pro still has a very high price per performance value. The feature compromise on the Poco F2 Pro is minimal and makes it a product that is suitable as a gaming phone, or as a productivity support solution.
The advantages of POCO F2 Pro
- High performance processor and graphics for various needs
- Attractive design
- Complete video recording in its price class
- The sharp AMOLED HDR 10 screen with excellent color reproduction
- Complete connectivity (Bluetooth 5.1, 5G Wi-Fi, NFC)
Disadvantages of POCO F2 Pro
- The camera needs ideal lighting
- The 5G connection is not yet available in Indonesia
- Relatively heavy mobile phone weight
Specifications:
Size: 16.4 x 75.4 x 8.9 mm
Screen: 6.67 “, 2400 × 1080 Pixel
Weight: 219 Gram
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
Ram: 6/8 GB
Internal: 128/256 GB
External Memory: No
Battery: 4700 mAh, Quick Charge 4.0
Connection: 2.4G Wi-Fi / 5G Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, NFC, USB Type C
