Our Poco F3 GT review explains how the brand’s first flagship in India in three years is as exciting as the original.
Poco F3 GT review: The Xiaomi Poco F1 was an iconic device in many ways when it launched in 2018, proving that it was possible to have a high-performance smartphone for a reasonable price. Naturally, it got users excited for its follow-up and to see what else Poco could pull off. But, that never happened. After three long years (in a time when smartphone refresh cycles are close to six months), Poco has finally launched a new flagship smartphone in India — the Poco F3 GT. While it is a part of the high-end F series, it actually marks the start of a new product philosophy for the brand, no longer just focussing on the performance. So, if you were in the market for a powerful yet affordable gaming smartphone in India, this is not it. The Poco X3 Pro will be better suited for gamers and power users. The Poco F3 GT will move to a new, higher positioning which will also focus on the design, cameras and the overall experience — as will upcoming devices in the F series. It starts with the flagship MediaTek Dimensity 1200 chipset, which gives it ample power for gaming as well as daily use along with 5G capabilities. The Poco F3 GT’s closest rivals also use the same chipset, once again reminding us that it doesn’t aim to win the specs race. The most interesting aspect is perhaps its design. Based on the Redmi K40 Gaming Edition, the Poco F3 GT looks quite cool and unique, and comes with a bunch of gaming-centric extras such as retractable shoulder triggers, RGB lighting, and quirky accents. More importantly, there are thoughtful design choices here such as a frame that is partly curved, partly flat, the positioning of the speakers to not get covered in either orientation, and even the bent USB cable. The good stuff continues on the other side as well, as the Poco F3 GT has the best display in this segment. The screen is big for immersive viewing, fast for enjoyable gaming, bright for outdoor legibility and beautifully vibrant. Paired with the excellent speakers, it becomes a binge machine. It houses a larger battery than the competition, giving it great reliable battery life. At 67W, it is also the highest wattage charging on any phone in India. It goes really fast from 0 to 50% and then slows down considerably — presumably to save the battery’s health. Needless to say, we had a lot of fun in our time with the Poco F3 GT. However, it is not all rosy as its cameras are quite average and far behind the segment leaders. It would’ve been forgivable, but the competition is quite intense right now and Poco made big claims about the new flagship. There’s not much else to complain about here. Where does that leave us? The Poco F3 GT is a great option for those who do a lot of smartphone gaming but want a device that doesn’t suck at everything else. Its screen and speakers are second to none, as are its battery life and charging figures. If the camera performance was a little better and more consistent, the Poco F3 GT would’ve been very close to being the best phone under Rs 30,000. Launched on July 23, the Poco F3 GT comes in three variants. The 6GB+128GB variant is priced at Rs 26,999, while the 8GB+128GB variant is priced at Rs 28,999 and the top-of-the-line 8GB+256GB model is priced at Rs 30,999. It is available on Flipkart in black and silver colour options. There’s also an interesting offer going on, where all the variants will be available at a discount of Rs 1,000 till August 2, and at a discount of Rs 500 till August 9, before going on sale at the usual price. At that price, it competes with the OnePlus Nord 2 which starts at Rs 29,999 and the Realme X7 Max which goes at Rs 26,999. Poco admits that design was not a big priority for them in the past, but wants to change that with the Poco F3 GT. For its first real attempt, it’s done a fine job at creating a phone that is fancy, classy, ergonomic and over the top — all of it at once! It comes in two colourways, Predator Black (pictured in this review) and Gunmetal Silver, with the former being more understated and the latter, more ostentatious. The silver one is quite flashy and is a rather uncommon colour, and it shines beautifully. The black colour has a matte finish that is immune to fingerprints and looks quite subtle unless the light hits it right. There are contrasting lines running across the back which give it some character, while the Gorilla Glass 5 protection on top keeps everything pristine.
