Before we proceed with our Poco X2 review, let’s address what all Poco fans must already know – The X2 is rebranded Redmi K30 4G and it’s not a successor to the F1 (review). We might, after all, see the more powerful Poco F2 materialize soon. Poco has positioned its X2 against the Realme X2 and that explains, well, the ‘X2’ moniker. Of course, none of that naming chatter should matter if all you are looking for is to buy a decent phone that offers excellent value and can hold well in the long run. Is the Redmi K30 4G deserving enough to be the Poco X2? Is it a phone that you can buy? Let’s now talk details and present our take on Poco S02E01. Page Contents:
POCO X2 REVIEW: PRICE & SPECIFICATIONS
POCO X2 REVIEW: DESIGN & DISPLAY
Over the last year, our phones have evolved to be yet bigger and bulkier which is why we felt at home with the Poco X2 in spite of its 8.8mm thick waistline and 208 grams of heft. The phone has a plastic side frame and a glass back with a Mate 30-like circular accent around the quad-camera array that looks good. The camera module sticks out quite a bit and the bundled cover barely evens out the hump. The X2 comes in three flashy gradient options – Atlantis Blue, Matrix Purple, and Phoenix Red. We were at least hoping for Poco-exclusive colors for India, or a more sober option, but these are the same gradients that are available for Redmi K30 in China. On the front, it’s mostly display and a dual-camera punch-hole notch that makes the phone stand out. Now we have had wide punch-hole notches before and even appreciated them, but something about the cut-out on the Poco X2 doesn’t feel quite right. We could make out that the edges aren’t very neat and this can get a bit annoying. The IPS LCD panel can’t quite compare to the AMOLED punch, but it’s still a fine panel. Colours appear well-calibrated, contrast is high, the screen is HDR10 compliant, and HD streaming is supported across apps, and the outdoor visibility is above average if not outright impressive. The star highlight is the 120Hz refresh rate which makes screen transitions and scrolling amazingly smooth on the X2. We believe this enhances the experience even for people who aren’t particularly into gaming, but not so much over the 90Hz screens. The side-mounted fingerprint sensor, which is also the power button, proved to be surprisingly good. It’s quite convenient to access, snappy and very reliable. The fingerprint scan kicks in right when you place your thumb on the sensor and we never had to rely on the face unlock (which, too, works fast). The handset has a USB Type-C port and retains the good old audio jack. The speaker placement to the left is a bit odd, though. Many a time we inadvertently blocked the speaker grill while holding the phone in landscape mode and had to realign. Poco X2 has an IR Blaster and that’s an extra you wouldn’t find on the Redmi K30. Also Read: Samsung Galaxy A51 Review
POCO X2 REVIEW: PERFORMANCE & SOFTWARE
I know Poco fans would have expected a Snapdragon 855 or Snapdragon 855+ powered phone to match the Realme X2 Pro, but the Snapdragon 730G powering the Poco X2 is in itself quite capable and welcome for the aggressive price – especially since it’s backed by oodles of RAM and storage (UFS 2.1). The day-to-day usage and gaming performance is quite impressive. The Android 10-based MIUI 11 isn’t our favourite custom interface, but it’s feature-rich, stable and gets the job done. The default launcher is Poco launcher, which is again in line with our personal preferences. We did notice bloatware and numerous app stubs, but are yet to come across ads (surely can’t rule them out). We haven’t noticed any call or connectivity related issues. Also Read: Realme XT vs Realme X2 vs Redmi Note 8 Pro Comparison
POCO X2 CAMERA REVIEW
The Poco X2 is the first phone in India to employ the 64MP Sony IMX686 sensor. The primary camera is accompanied by the usual suspects – 8MP wide-angle camera, 2MP depth sensor, and 2MP macro camera. The Sony sensor that takes center stage operates on the same principle as the 64MP Samsung GW1. To judge how much better the Sony IMX686 is over the Samsung GW1, we compared samples clicked by Redmi Note 8 Pro with Poco X2. We noticed that image processing software on the two phones doesn’t act the same and thus the comparison between the two isn’t ideal. Anyways, we could still make out the Sony IMX686 gives Poco an edge in HDR shots and in images clicked outdoor. The Redmi Note 8 Pro has more consistent metering and delivers better results indoors and in tricky lighting. The Redmi Note 8 Pro also has a significantly better selfie camera. In daylight, the Poco X2 can capture great details and images reproduce close-to-natural colors, but in low light and indoor lighting, the images are nothing to write home about. The wide-angle camera has significant distortion. The macro camera is fun, but it struggles to focus and don’t expect perfect snaps in single attempts. Portrait camera works great more often than not, but it is a bit inconsistent. The Poco X2 won’t deliver a camera advantage over phones like Realme X2 or Redmi Note 8 Pro. At the same time, the performance doesn’t fall short of what we usually see in this price segment.
POCO X2 REVIEW: BATTERY & AUDIO
Even with the display tuned to refresh at 120Hz, the battery does take a hit however the 27W adapter bundled within the box covers up the shortcoming. It takes just about one hour for a full charge. Of course, the Realme X2 has faster 30W charging, but what the Poco X2 offers is more than enough for our needs. The audio output from the speaker is quite decent, but as mentioned earlier, the speaker placement is far from perfect and the grill often gets blocked in the landscape orientation. ALSO READ: Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite Review
POCO X2 REVIEW: VERDICT
Poco X2 crams an extraordinary amount of trends and hardware for a very affordable price and that is what makes it impossible to ignore and incredibly hard to pass over. The Poco X2 is an excellent phone for gamers and power users, and one of the best available options for its price. But we wouldn’t go as far as saying that it’s ‘the best’ option in its class or that it should be the default choice in the sub-20K price segment. To sum it up, the X2 has a powerful chipset, runs the latest Android version, offers an impressive battery backup. The big, broad and bulky body that comes in flashy colours is what kind of let us down. And we are not sure if the wide notch would suit to everyone’s taste. But yes, if you are a Xiaomi or Poco fan, the X2 certainly won’t disappoint. Pros
Powerful performanceAndroid 10-based software120Hz display refresh rate for an unprecedented price
Cons
The extended notch looks and feels weirdColours options are all flashyBig and bulky
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