I've actually sold away my Poco M3 few months ago, because it was under used and that it disappointed me as the audio quality (when using karaoke app) is not that satisfactory.

But I regretted, it was quite an instant regret. Because, I lost my lightning to 3.5mm adapter so I can't have music OR watch videos as long as I'm in public. Unless, I want to be blasting music through the loud speaker, which is pretty annoying and inconsiderate.

So when the Poco x3 pro was launched and have the early-bird discount, I got the 6/128GB for SG$299. I think its quite a steal.

Anyway, here is what I feel about the Phone after using it for a week. As usual, I won't go into all the technical specifications, because I won't have known what I was talking about! LOL  

Unboxing and Looks

The packaging is very simple but packed with everything you need to get a phone working - including a 33W charging brick, Type-C cable and also the SIM card slot pin.

They're nice enough to include a transparent case, Poco stickers and a pre-applied screen protector. But be aware that the screen protector is a fingerprint magnet.

The Poco X3 Pro comes with dual SIM but one of them is a sharing slot (SIM and MicroSD card) so either you have dual SIM or 1 SIM card and one MicroSD card.

Yes, shameless Advertising of the MicroSD card I designed again. :p

The 3.5mm audio jack is at the bottom of the phone, together with a 2nd speaker. The 1st speaker is below the phone at the side of the charging slot.

I must say I thought it looks "cheaper" than the M3 as the back cover is just plain plastic and I cannot say how much I dislike the camera design. But at least, it is sturdy and doesn't slip easily.

Starting Up and MIUI OS

The OS system is well, same as the Poco M3 and well as heavy, It took up 13.03GB.

I still don't enjoy the MIUI OS but oh well, it's not that bad and I did get used to it after using the Poco M3. Plus the phone is running smoothly.

Once again, the phone came pre-installed with ads. But there are ways to turn them off. How to remove ads from Xiaomi phones with MIUI

Fingerprint Unlocking

The fingerprint unlocking is at the side of the phone, right at the On/Off button. I didn't really like it at the side but it's the same as the M3 and I did get used to that.

And fortunately, the sensor is very sensitive and works with no delay.

Display and Brightness

Music and Video

The Poco X3 pro has certified Hi-res speakers and the audio is really great! Earphone works great too, clear mids and highs, too bad the bass isn't that impressive and lags the energy. But still enjoyable at the least.

As for videos, I've no problem watching YouTube, dramas and movies! Well, unless of course you're very sensitive to brightness, then you might find yourself having to adjust the brightness after dark scenes (like drop the brightness a little).

Gaming

PUBG run smooth without any lag. Same with PPSSPP. Genshin Impact runs without lag in most part of the game.

However, if you do startup screen recording while playing games, there will be noticeable stutters and slow down.

The phone can become a great gaming center if you pair it up with a controller!!

Battery

Its 5160 mAh battery is not the largest one you can find out there. M3 has a 6000mAh battery but it can last long enough. Using it for just music and video, I used only 3-4% for 3 hours of usage.

Battery drops a little faster when using Blue Tooth, dropping about 19% in about 3 hours, playing action games on PPSSPP.

Leaving the phone in standby mode, the battery drops only 4% for a half a day!

Camera

The camera seems to be pretty "normal". It's pretty much a hit and miss; sometimes you get stunning image, sometimes it just nothing amazing.

I think the Poco X3 pro night mode and 5x Zoom is somewhat useful, but the 10x Zoom is pretty much not vert useful. However, both the 10x Zoom and Night Mode requires steady hands and for the night mode, you need to hold the phone for say about 1 second after pressing the snap button.

Anyway, here are some sample photos and video I took, both with the Poco X3 pro and iPhone 7 plus. You can judge by yourself.

Conclusion