lepermessiah
Discoverer
I am the proud owner of an F1- thanks to @TheBark cutting me a good deal for my dream version- an 8/256GB Armored Edition with an unlocked bootloader and running Pixel Experience. It's like having an unofficial Pixel 3/XL. I've been keeping an eye on the Poco F1 classifieds here for quite sometime and one thing is quite consistent- these get sold in record time. I even saw a bootlooping one getting sold in a flash. I wanted the views of members here on why this almost 3 year old phone is still so popular. I'm putting down some of my thoughts as to why the F1 is still popular (please feel free to correct me or add on to this):
1) Very dev friendly and a still has a lot of community support.
2) Good specs. SD845 is still relevant and its gaming performance is better than some mid rangers.
3) Some seem to like the IR face scanner.
4) Abuse friendly build since it's having a plastic back. I like the kevlar back mine's got. Seems like the screen is a bit fragile, but I feel if we're using a tempered glass screen protector and a rugged case (like the Ringke Fusion), it's fine.
5) Consistent, dependable performance (seems like the thermals are nice thanks to the strong cooling system). I found that the F1 is quite smooth and stable too.
6) Solid, consistent battery life. Even under scenarios like using it in my car as GPS along with streaming Spotify in a sunny day, this thing lasts well. Even in extended gaming sessions, the F1 holds up well.
7) While I am no expert in photography and even though I prefer the camera of my LG V20 (love the manual mode and controls, plus it has OIS), I find that the F1 can take nice photos if I'm using the GCam.
8) Again, though I do not usually use the F1 for this, the stereo speakers are pretty nice.
9) Last but not the least- the VFM proposition. One gets a lot for what one pays for.
Since the Poco X3 Pro has been launched recently and the F3 is on the horizon (I hope this would also be launched here), I was also thinking it would be interesting to see what you guys think of them compared to the F1. Some spec sheet advantages for the X3 Pro would be:
1) Like it since it has a plastic back like the F1. Hopefully, it would hold up to the daily grind.
2) Updated SoC. The SD860 would be a nice performer (at least better than the mid range chipsets when it comes to gaming performance).
3) Faster storage. UFS 3.1 vs UFS 2.1
4) Better camera hardware (on paper, at least).
5) Should be having a much better HRR screen, center punch hole seems to be less obnoxious than the F1's unibrow/ bathtub notch.
6) Even better battery (at least in terms of capacity).
7) Seems that the thermals are good and so is the sustained performance, as per the gsmarena review.
8) IR Blaster! This is so useful.
Only two aspects where the X3 Pro takes a step back as compared to the F1 I can think of:
1) Dev support and community love for the X3 Pro remains to be seen (although it seems quite likely that this one would also be having an active dev scene because of the nice specs and the low price point). The F1 kind of is a legend in this regard.
2) IR face unlock is gone, but I doubt whether many would miss this one.
Some spec sheet advantages for the F3 would be:
1) Better looks (and maybe percieved build quality) than the X3 Pro (at the expense of durability)
2) Even more faster SoC- SD870.
3) Faster storage like the X3 Pro.
4) Better camera hardware on paper, like the X3 Pro again.
5) HRR Amoled screen (Though I prefer the durability of LCDs, each to his own in this subjective matter).
6) Good tested battery life as per the gsmarena review.
7) Like the X3 Pro, seems that this one also seems to have good thermals and has good sustained performance, as per the gsmarena review.
8) IR Blaster! This is so useful.
Unlike the X3 Pro, I feel there are more areas where the F3 takes a step back when it comes to the F1 (and X3 Pro):
1) I may be in the minority here, but I'm not a fan of the F3's glass sandwich design. The F1 and X3 Pro, though made of plastic is more abuse friendly and is more suitable for the daily grind.
2) Like more expensive phones nowadays, the more you pay, the less you get. The F3 loses the headphone jack, the microSD slot and gets a smaller battery for the sake of aesthetics.
3) Even lesser scope for an active dev support for the F3 than the X3 Pro since this one would inevitably be priced higher and most devs would not be incentivized to buy it.
Would welcome your thoughts on the above as well.
At the end of the day, the X3 Pro feels like an actual spiritual successor to the F1 than the F3. So, would like to know- would existing F1 owners trade up for an X3 Pro?
1) Very dev friendly and a still has a lot of community support.
2) Good specs. SD845 is still relevant and its gaming performance is better than some mid rangers.
3) Some seem to like the IR face scanner.
4) Abuse friendly build since it's having a plastic back. I like the kevlar back mine's got. Seems like the screen is a bit fragile, but I feel if we're using a tempered glass screen protector and a rugged case (like the Ringke Fusion), it's fine.
5) Consistent, dependable performance (seems like the thermals are nice thanks to the strong cooling system). I found that the F1 is quite smooth and stable too.
6) Solid, consistent battery life. Even under scenarios like using it in my car as GPS along with streaming Spotify in a sunny day, this thing lasts well. Even in extended gaming sessions, the F1 holds up well.
7) While I am no expert in photography and even though I prefer the camera of my LG V20 (love the manual mode and controls, plus it has OIS), I find that the F1 can take nice photos if I'm using the GCam.
8) Again, though I do not usually use the F1 for this, the stereo speakers are pretty nice.
9) Last but not the least- the VFM proposition. One gets a lot for what one pays for.
Since the Poco X3 Pro has been launched recently and the F3 is on the horizon (I hope this would also be launched here), I was also thinking it would be interesting to see what you guys think of them compared to the F1. Some spec sheet advantages for the X3 Pro would be:
1) Like it since it has a plastic back like the F1. Hopefully, it would hold up to the daily grind.
2) Updated SoC. The SD860 would be a nice performer (at least better than the mid range chipsets when it comes to gaming performance).
3) Faster storage. UFS 3.1 vs UFS 2.1
4) Better camera hardware (on paper, at least).
5) Should be having a much better HRR screen, center punch hole seems to be less obnoxious than the F1's unibrow/ bathtub notch.
6) Even better battery (at least in terms of capacity).
7) Seems that the thermals are good and so is the sustained performance, as per the gsmarena review.
8) IR Blaster! This is so useful.
Only two aspects where the X3 Pro takes a step back as compared to the F1 I can think of:
1) Dev support and community love for the X3 Pro remains to be seen (although it seems quite likely that this one would also be having an active dev scene because of the nice specs and the low price point). The F1 kind of is a legend in this regard.
2) IR face unlock is gone, but I doubt whether many would miss this one.
Some spec sheet advantages for the F3 would be:
1) Better looks (and maybe percieved build quality) than the X3 Pro (at the expense of durability)
2) Even more faster SoC- SD870.
3) Faster storage like the X3 Pro.
4) Better camera hardware on paper, like the X3 Pro again.
5) HRR Amoled screen (Though I prefer the durability of LCDs, each to his own in this subjective matter).
6) Good tested battery life as per the gsmarena review.
7) Like the X3 Pro, seems that this one also seems to have good thermals and has good sustained performance, as per the gsmarena review.
8) IR Blaster! This is so useful.
Unlike the X3 Pro, I feel there are more areas where the F3 takes a step back when it comes to the F1 (and X3 Pro):
1) I may be in the minority here, but I'm not a fan of the F3's glass sandwich design. The F1 and X3 Pro, though made of plastic is more abuse friendly and is more suitable for the daily grind.
2) Like more expensive phones nowadays, the more you pay, the less you get. The F3 loses the headphone jack, the microSD slot and gets a smaller battery for the sake of aesthetics.
3) Even lesser scope for an active dev support for the F3 than the X3 Pro since this one would inevitably be priced higher and most devs would not be incentivized to buy it.
Would welcome your thoughts on the above as well.
At the end of the day, the X3 Pro feels like an actual spiritual successor to the F1 than the F3. So, would like to know- would existing F1 owners trade up for an X3 Pro?
