Xiaomi has officially presented the Little F4a mobile phone that has ballots to be a sales success, like its predecessor, the Poco F3, which has been the default recommendation for anyone looking for a phone in its price range.
On this occasion, yes, news is quite limited. On the outside it is different from its predecessor. The chassis has flat sides, following in the footsteps of other Chinese brand phones. And it also changes the range of available colors or the design of the back. It is, in this sense, an undoubtedly better product than last year.
Inside the Poco F4, however, the changes are limited. The processor, for example, it is again the Snapdragon 870, a chip that delivers good performance in a wide range of situations, but which, in turn, has a few years behind it. Let us remember that the Snapdragon 870 is actually a modified version of the Snapdragon 865, the chip that many high-end phones in 2020 had.
Does this mean that the Snapdragon 870 is a despicable or mediocre processor? Absolutely. In fact, it is one of Qualcomm’s best optimized chips in terms of efficiency per watt. However, it is remarkable that, unlike what we are used to, this new generation does not come accompanied by a new SoC inside.
And why has Xiaomi decided to repeat with the Snapdragon 870 instead of mounting a Snapdragon 888 or another Qualcomm or MediaTek chip in the Poco F4? The real answer is a mystery that only the product managers of the brand could clear up. However, looking at the panorama, it is possible to list some possible explanations:
- They have a wide stock of some components that they want to remove from the warehouses.
- The shortage of chips that still affects the sector makes it difficult to incorporate a more advanced processor without sacrificing the availability of the product in stores.
- The higher cost derived from a better processor would make it impossible to keep the price of the Poco F4 in the window in which Xiaomi wants to position this phone.
- Inflation has affected production costs and maintaining this processor is a mechanism to keep the total price of the product from shooting up.
The characteristics of the Poco F4
Features of the Poco F4 | |
---|---|
Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 |
RAM | 6 / 8GB |
Storage | 128 / 256GB |
Drums | 4,500mAh |
upload speed | 67W |
Screen | 6.67 inches, AMOLED, 120 Hz, DCI-P3, Dolby Vision and up to 1300 nits |
main chamber | 64-megapixel sensor with OIS, f/1.79 aperture lens and 1.4-micron pixels (combining 4-in-1) |
wide angle camera | 8 megapixel sensor with f/2.2 aperture lens |
macro camera | 2 megapixel sensor with f/2.4 aperture lens |
Frontal camera | 20 megapixel sensor with f/2.45 aperture lens |
connectivity | NFC, 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, USB-C, etc. |
Biometrics | Fingerprint sensor on the side |
The differences are also small in other aspects. For example, the screen of the Poco F4 is again 6.67 inches, it has a peak brightness of 1,300 nits, its technology is AMOLED, it reaches up to 120 Hz, etc. The battery, likewise, remains at 4,500 mAh capacity.
Where we do find changes, in addition to the design, is in the photographic module. The main camera now has a higher resolution (64 megapixels) and also welcomes OIS image stabilization technology. On the other hand, the macro camera loses performance, moving to a two-megapixel sensor that does not act as a telephoto lens – unlike its predecessor. Another change compared to the F3 is found in the charging speed, which is now up to 67 watts.
The Poco F4 is probably one of the strangest phones of the year. It is presented as a new generation but the changes, beyond the design, are very small. In the case of the macro camera, in fact, it is even lower than its predecessor.
This phone also It will arrive in stores with a slightly higher price than the Poco F3 had when it was first launched on the market. (399 vs. 349, without early bird in both cases). A rise that, given the similarities with the previous model in the technical section, seems to be related to the inflation that is affecting the world economy –which increases production costs–.
Despite this, everything indicates that the Little F4 it will continue to sell quite well and continue its predecessor’s legacy as one of the most recommendable phones in its segment. The key is double in this case:
- If you analyze the market, there are no better options in this price range – the only alternative would be the Realme GT Neo 3T, which has similar features and a slightly higher price.
- Xiaomi is going to stop manufacturing the Poco F3, so the trick of buying the previous model at a lower price is not going to be an option once the price runs out. stock in stores that sell it.
The Little F4 will go on sale next June 27 at 1:00 p.m. on the brand’s official website. The promotion early bird will last, in this case, until July 1 at 1:00 p.m. Prices are as follows:
- Poco F4 with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage: 349 euros in promotion early bird399 euros after the promotional period.
- Poco F4 with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage: 399 euros in promotion early bird449 euros after the promotional period.