Putting the B's in bargain basement, Xiaomi staggers into sunlight clutching Poco X3

Yo Poco! Latest cheap-o blower has no 5G frills or long-lens skills. But it retails at £199

Formaldehyde-free matress, knicker and mobile phone maker Xiaomi has emerged from the bargian basement clutching its latest blower - the Poco X3 (NFC).

Over the past few years, the definition of a “flagship phone” has shifted to include devices retailing at circa £500, from their usual dizzying four-figure heights. Now we’ve seeing the same trend happening to mid-rangers.

Meaining 'little' in Italian, Poco X3 (NFC) comes with retail price tag of £199. It packs a Qualcomm 732G platform, a quad-camera system, fast charging, and remarkably, a 120Hz display.

On paper, the usual cut corners remain fully intact, with the Poco X3 (NFC) including a reasonable 6GB RAM and 64GB internal storage on the base model. For an extra £50, you can upgrade the phone’s internal storage to 128GB. In both cases, Xiaomi’s opted to use brisk-ish UFS 2.1 tech, instead of the usual sluggish eMMC storage found in cheaper handsets.

The display tech is also unusual. It’s extremely rare to see a high 120Hz refresh rate on a sub-£200 phone. There are exceptions (like the Poco X2 released in India earlier this year), but for the most part, these are the preserve of devices costing upwards of £400. The display itself is 6.67-inches with a 20:9 aspect ratio and a typical brightness of 450 nits.

On the camera front, Xiaomi’s opted to use the same 64MP Sony IMX sensor that’s prolific on bargain-basement blowers. There’s also a 13MP ultra-wide-angle sensor, as well as 2MP depth and macro sensors. As you’d expect for a phone in the price category, there’s no telephoto lens to be found, so don’t expect to take great long-range shots with it.

As the name implies, the Poco X3 (NFC) comes with… well… NFC. There’s also an IR blaster, allowing you to repurpose the phone as a universal remote control, as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack. Meanwhile, the battery is a 5,160 mAh affair and supports 33W fast charging.

The price of the Poco X3 (NFC) is hugely aggressive, undercutting similarly-targeted devices like the OnePlus Nord and the Motorola Moto G 5G Plus.

The glaring lack of 5G might reduce the shine of the device for some, although, given the availability of 5G is thin on the ground, this is unlikely to be much of a handicap. Did we mention? It costs £199.