POCO X2 : POCO Reborn !!

After remaining silent for almost 1 and a half year and lots of leaks and renders Poco has launched its Second Phone in the Indian smartphone market as an independent brand. Poco X2 starts at Rs. 15,999 for base configuration of 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage and goes up to Rs. 19,999 for 8+256 configuration and comes in three colour variants. Ironically, even after being an independent entity POCO X2 is just a rebranded Redmi K30 from China. Facts aside, Does this Mid Ranger from Poco has the capability to create the same buzz as F1 or it's going to be suppressed in this mid range market we should find out.

POCO X2 Colour Variants

Detailed Specification:

Poco has taken a different approach this time with the design and specs. Starting with the design it's a major improvement over the Poco F1. It comes with an all Glass design and a Gorilla Glass 5 protection on both front and back. The back panel of the Phone has the aura design but comparing  it with the K20 series it does not have any unique design approach. X2 offers a 6.67 inches Full HD+ an IPS LCD panel with a refresh rate of 120 Hz and supports HDR 10. On the Camera front it sports a Quad Camera layout with a 64 MP Sony IMX 686 Sensor a successor to the last year favorite 48 MP Sony IMX 586 sensor coupled with a 8 MP wide angle lens and two Sensors each of 2 MP for Portrait and Macro shots. The selfie camera is on display just like Samsung S10 series with a Pixel count of 20 MP coupled with a 2 MP Depth lens.  Poco is marketing it as an in-display camera but in reality it's just like a Pill shape cut-out on the screen. For processing power  it comes with the much popular Snapdragon 730G SOC. It can be a disappointment for some consumers expecting  Poco X2 to offer the newly launched 5G capable Snapdragon 765 G SOC. Because of an LCD Display they have to go with a side mounted Fingerprint Scanner for security purposes with an additional Face unlock feature. There is a 4500 Mah capacity battery powering it with a support of 27 watt Type-C fast charger which comes included in the box.Other miscellaneous stuffs are the presence of  headphone jack and a expandable storage through a Hybrid slot.

The software is the same MIUI 11 based on Android 10 for Poco with some customization. As being a Poco series Phone it will surely not display any Advertisements on the Phone which is a common problem in Redmi lineup of Phones.

Thoughts:

IIf specs are to be go by this is the most value for money device like the Poco F1 but there are many ifs and buts associated with it. A SD 730 G processor paired with a high refresh rate display seems like an odd combination as the Processor is not capable of fully utilizing the 120 Hz display and can result in occasional lags and stutters. How much practical a 120 Hz refresh rate in a smartphone is still unknown when most of the content either videos or games is in 24-60 fps but that's an another point of topic. As Poco X2 is rebranded Redmi K30, a change from a full screen display with a pop up camera to a camera cutout on screen and absence of an Optical Zoom lens can be considered as a downgrade from previous generation. Its nearest competitor Realme X2 is offering almost same specs but have an Amoled display. A LCD Panel + 120 Hz refresh rate versus an Amoled Panel with a 60 Hz refresh is going to be a personal choice of the users. The two main USP of Poco X2 is going to be its Primary Camera and Developer support. The Sony 64 MP sensor absolutely destroys the Samsung 64 MP sensor in Camera comparisons like what we saw last year with the 48 MP ones. The camera of the Poco X2 is much more optimized in comparison to the Reame X2's camera. Another thing is that the Dev support is going to be great for Poco X2 as it is in Poco F1 because of which it is still relevant in  the market even after 2 years of its launch. But, this time even after having some of the strong USP, Poco X2 seems like less path-breaking than its predecessor.

Conclusion:

To conclude, even after being hit and a miss at the same time, Poco X2 is an easy recommendation for the People looking to purchase a Phone in this budget segment. You can't ignore the fact that Poco is offering what no brand is offering right now like a Sony Imx 686 camera sensor and a 120 Hz display at this price point. Even if you are a Mobile gamer or the Camera quality is your highest priority Poco X2 is the best you can get. You will easily get constant 38-40 frames per second while playing PUBGM in Smooth and Ultra setting. Poco has maintained a good track record of providing regular updates to its users and fixing any bugs immediately and you don't have to worry about service related stuffs because Xiaomi will continue to provide service support to Poco devices even after separating it. Surely, Poco X2 packs a punch under the budget of Rs. 20,000 and gives a serious competition to some of its competitors. I have to mention clearly that this Phone is not a successor of the highly popular Poco F1. We have to wait more for a true flagship device from Poco but for now it looks like Poco has made a strong comeback in the market.