Xiaomi Poco F4 GT 5G Review | Is The Poco F4 GT Worth Buying?
Looking for a powerful phone that excels at gaming but doesn't break the bank? The Xiaomi Poco F4 GT might be the answer.
This smartphone boasts top-tier specs like a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, a 120Hz AMOLED display, and unique features geared towards gamers. But is it all smooth sailing, or are there hidden compromises?
This review delves into the Poco F4 GT's strengths and weaknesses, helping you decide if it's the right choice for you.
Xiaomi Poco F4 GT 5G Review
Highlights of the Xiaomi Poco F4 GT 5G
Super Fast Processor - The processor in the Poco F4 GT 5G is one of the latest and fastest processing chips from Qualcomm. I personally loved the speed and fluid response of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and it’s a fitting chipset to use in a smartphone designed for entertainment.
God of Fast Charging - One of the best highlights of the F4 GT 5G is that it’s equipped with 120W fast charging capabilities that can get the phone powered up from 0-100% in under 17 minutes. It comes with Power Delivery 3.0 and Quick Charge 3+.
Crystal Clear Display - Equipped with a large 6.67-inch AMOLED display, the Poco F4 GT 5G delivers crystal clear visuals that are bright and colorful. Gaming is a breeze on the F4 GT as the display supports 120Hz and is fluid when it comes to watching movies or playing high frame rate games like Call of Duty or PuBG.
Xiaomi Poco F4 GT 5G Design
I found the Poco F4 GT 5G to be a regular run of the mill smartphone in terms of design as it looks quite like any other Poco or Xiaomi phone in the market.
The phone is made of a combination of glass and plastic and is available in two color options - Gunmetal Silver and Predator Black. The phone has a glossy finish on the back, which adds to its premium look and feel.
It has rounded edges, a large camera housing unit and the aspects of the design that really stood out to me has to be the RGB lighting strip at the back and the tactile shoulder buttons that really enhanced our gaming experience.
Unlike other Poco smartphones we’ve reviewed, the Poco F4 GT 5G has a power button on the right side of the phone that doubles as a fingerprint sensor. The response time was pretty good and it was easy to lock and unlock the phone.
However, the only drawback with the Poco F4 GT 5G is that it’s heavy and slightly bulky than most others. But then again, it’s a gaming phone so we can’t expect the device to be paper thin and at the same time not have a built-in ventilation system to keep the phone cool especially while playing hardcore games.
Xiaomi Poco F4 GT 5G Display
In terms of the display, the Poco F4 GT 5G uses a large 6.67-inch AMOLED screen that is capable of churning out upto 1 billion colors and even HDR10+. This makes scrolling through apps and playing games feel smooth and responsive
So no matter what we threw at it, the Poco F4 GT 5G took it like a boss and delivered a wide spectrum of colors that were well detailed, bright and super smooth.
In my opinion, it’s an amazing display to have on a smartphone designed for entertainment. I did not notice any distortions or warps, nor were there any lags while watching high resolution content.
The only thing we did not like with the Poco F4 GT 5G’s display is the large ugly cutout pinhole camera at the top. Xiaomi could have given up on the front camera since it’s a gaming phone or could have opted for an under the display camera to provide more space on the screen.
On the other hand it has Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection on both the front and back, which adds an extra layer of protection against scratches and cracks.
Xiaomi Poco F4 GT 5G Performance
The one reason why we fell in love with the Poco F4 GT 5G is for the flagship processor running under the hood. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor delivered effortless speed, the apps loaded quickly and the animations or toggling between two apps were super smooth.
Not a single game struggled on the Poco F4 GT 5G, but even though there’s a decent cooling system, the phone did get a bit warm after gaming for 30 minutes at a stretch.
Poco’s version of MIUI is quite lightweight and there were fewer ads and bloat apps preinstalled on the phone, so from the second we powered on the Poco F4 GT 5G, it delivered top notch performance without breaking a sweat.
Xiaomi Poco F4 GT 5G Camera
Since the Poco F4 GT 5G is designed primarily for gamers, Xiaomi did not put in much thought while choosing the camera sensors.
Though the 64MP triple camera setup does a brilliant job in pulling in the right levels of color, brightness and can focus pretty well, it did not do a great job in the night and photos and videos ended up getting grainy.
It also comes with a 20MP wide-angle selfie camera which again did not blow our minds, but at least the end result of the selfies were not over processed.
Both cameras did shoot videos quite well with the rear camera capable of 4K at 30/60fps and the front camera maxing out at 1080p at 30/60fps which in my opinion is ideal enough for daily use and the occasional reels.
The camera performance is impressive, and you can expect to get sharp and detailed photos in good lighting conditions.
Xiaomi Poco F4 GT 5G Battery
Despite being a relatively large 4700mAh battery, we were not able to do a lot on a single charge. It did last up to 2 days, but that’s only when the load running on the phone was at a bare minimum otherwise we had to have the device plugged back in to charge before the day was done.
However, the powerful 120W fast charging does help and while it was advertised that we can get from 0-100% in under 17 minutes, it actually took around 25-30 minutes to attain full charge.
This is still quite spectacular and is definitely something to look forward to if you're considering buying the phone to play games.
Trust me when I say this, with the F4 GT 5G there’s no need to leave the phone on charge overnight and all we did was simply wait for around 10-15 minutes to have the phone charged before going to sleep.
Xiaomi Poco F4 GT 5G Specifications
| Xiaomi Poco M4 Pro 5G | |
| Announced | 2022, April |
| Status | Released |
| Display | |
| Type | AMOLED |
| Size | 6.67-inch, 120Hz, 800 nits |
| Resolution | 1080 * 2400p, 20:9 ratio |
| Protection | Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Body | |
| Dimensions | 162.5 x 76.7 x 8.5 mm (6.40 x 3.02 x 0.33 in) |
| Weight | 210g |
| Water Resistance | |
| SIM Slot | Dual SIM(Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) |
| Expandable Storage | No |
| Colors | Black, Grey, Silver |
| Internals | |
| Processor | Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 5G, Octa-core (1x3.00 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.50 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A510) Processor |
| Graphics | Adreno 730 |
| RAM | 8GB / 12GB |
| Storage | 128GB / 256GB |
| Cameras | |
| Rear Cameras | Triple Camera: 64 MP + 8 MP + 2 MP |
| Camera Features | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 720p@960fps, gyro-EIS |
| Front Camera | Single: 20 MP (Wide) |
| Camera Features | LED Flash, HDR, Panorama |
| Software | |
| Android | Android 12 |
| MIUI | MIUI 13 |
| Connectivity | |
| Network | 5G FR1: 450 MHz - 6 GHz , 5G FR2: 24.25 GHz - 52.6 GHzSpeed: HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE-A (CA), 5G |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | v5.2 with A2DP, LE |
| GPS | Yes + dual-band A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS, NavIC |
| NFC | No |
| Infrared Port | No |
| Radio | No |
| USB | USB: microUSB v2.0 Type-C |
| Battery | |
| Capacity | 4700 mAh Li-Po |
| Charging Technology | Fast Charging 120W |
| Sound | |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers (4 speakers) |
| 3.5mm Jack | No |
| Features | |
| Sensors | Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, compass, color spectrum, Virtual proximity sensing |
Xiaomi Poco F4 GT 5G Pros and Cons
Pros:
- The Poco F4 GT's chipset ensures smooth performance while gaming, streaming, or multitasking.
- The Poco F4 GT has 5G connectivity, allowing you to take advantage of the fastest data speeds available in your area.
- You can get a full charge in just 30 minutes, and the battery life lasts all day with moderate usage.
- Delivers a smoother and more responsive experience while scrolling, gaming, or watching videos.
- The Poco F4 GT has a 64MP triple camera setup on the back and a front-facing 20MP sensor that takes great selfies.
Cons:
- Unfortunately, the Poco F4 GT does not have a microSD card slot, so you cannot expand the storage beyond what is included.
- The Poco F4 GT does not have wireless charging capabilities, which may be a downside for some users.
- It is not officially certified for water or dust resistance, so you will need to be careful when using it in wet or dusty environments.
- There is no 3.5mm headphone jack, so you will need to use Bluetooth headphones or an adapter to use wired headphones.
- It does come with some pre-installed apps that you may not need or want, which can take up storage space and slow down the device.
Is The Xiaomi Poco F4 GT Worth Buying?
The Xiaomi Poco F4 GT is a mid-range smartphone that is definitely worth buying if you are looking for a smartphone that can handle heavy gaming without any compromise on performance.
With its powerful processor, high refresh rate display, long-lasting battery life, cooling system, and great design, it is one of the best mid-range gaming phones on the market. Additionally, it's a great value for money, making it an excellent choice for anyone who is looking for a high-performing smartphone without having to break the bank.
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