flaship efficiency for mid-range value

Let’s handle the elephant within the room first: sure, this telephone seems like an iPhone 17 Professional. No, Poco isn’t attempting to cover. it. However most individuals shopping for this telephone received’t care, as a result of it is a genuinely stable gadget.

The F8 Professional is beautiful. The flat glass and titanium finishes make the telephone really feel like a $1,500 flagship, not a $600 gadget. It’s additionally barely smaller than Apple or Google “professional” gadgets, so it’s noticeably nicer to carry for lengthy durations.

As a result of there’s no big dynamic island, the show feels clearer and extra trendy than iPhones. The construct high quality alone is best than most mid-range telephones, with Gorilla Glass 7i, an aluminum body and a glass again, and full IP68 water resistance. It’s flagship {hardware} in a mid-range telephone.

This isn’t a gaming telephone

This factor is powered by a 3nm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, and it’s absurdly good. Every thing is instantaneous. Apps launch immediately. Scrolling is easy as butter and multitasking is easy. That is a type of telephones the place I finished worrying about efficiency and simply used it, however there’s a catch.

Gaming thermals are horrible. The Snapdragon can deal with any recreation I throw at it, however the heavier video games pushed the telephone laborious and made it sizzling. Not essentially “shut-down-the-phone” sizzling, however sufficient to make my hand sweat. Mild and mid-tier video games are completely advantageous, simply don’t count on a lot Name of Obligation: Cell.

That’s advantageous, actually, as a result of this isn’t a gaming telephone. It is a nice every day driver for adults who want reliability and consistency from their gadget.

Finest telephone audio setup I’ve used

The F8 Professional actually shocked me when it got here to its display and speaker setup. It has a 6.59-inch AMOLED show with 120Hz refresh, Dolby Imaginative and prescient, HDR10+ and very excessive brightness. It’s one of many nicest shows I’ve used lately. Colors pop and blacks are deep, even in a brilliant winter solar. But it surely’s the audio that actually blew my thoughts.

Poco’s Bose-tuned speaker system is spectacular. It’s the identical setup as on the Poco F8 Extremely, which I actually loved. You get precise, noticeable bass because of the stereo audio system and rear acoustics tuning. That is actual bass, not the pretend boosted variety. This telephone doesn’t sound tinny or skinny in any respect, making music and movies dramatically extra immersive.

The cameras are common

You get what you pay for, and the cameras on the Poco F8 Professional aren’t any exception. These cameras aren’t unhealthy, they’ll get the job finished, however they’re not premium flagship high quality.

The 50MP most important sensor produces sharp, colour-accurate pictures with respectable dynamic vary. The two.5x telephoto and the ultrawide are each stable, even when not class-leading.

The front-facing selfie digicam is simply okay. It’s advantageous for video calls and sending pictures to your companion, however I wouldn’t use it for skilled social content material. There’s noticeable grain, and the AI processing will get heavy.

Video is superb, at the least. Stabilization is powerful. 4K 60fps seems nice. It doesn’t blow my thoughts however, just like the nonetheless shooters, it will get the job finished.

Irritating software program selections with unimaginable battery life

I really like Poco batteries. I’m satisfied this model has one of the best, longest-lasting batteries within the business. The massive 6,210mAh battery on the F8 Professional provides me two to 3 days of regular use, simply. Mild use can push 5 days. That’s uncommon.

And when it does begin to get low, 100W wired charging is stupidly quick. I mainly stopped worrying in regards to the battery solely whereas I had this telephone in my pocket. The true drawback is software program.

HyperOS3, Xiaomi’s Android pores and skin, is quick and easy, however Poco locks down customization laborious. Themes, icons, structure management and even easy settings are all closely managed. This can annoy Android diehards.

I get continuously irritated by an aggressive suggestion sheet that seems each time I swipe open the app drawer. It’s intrusive and pointless, particularly when the strategies are by no means what I’m in search of. I searched the settings and couldn’t discover a approach to flip this off. The F8 Extremely didn’t do that, so I’m undecided why Poco slapped this onto the Professional.

Must you purchase the Poco F8 Professional?

It is a telephone for individuals who need zero efficiency stress and a extremely purposeful telephone with few bells and whistles. It’s not constructed for energy customers who need deep customization, or for players.

As a substitute, it’s one thing that feels and appears premium, runs quick, will get the job finished and sounds superb. Plus, it lasts perpetually on a single cost. It could be one of many best mid-range Android gadgets to dwell with, even when it’s not probably the most thrilling.