With the Poco F4 GT, the old Xiaomi subsidiary is trying to win over gamers. With a lightning-fast processor, an extremely fine refresh rate and an incredibly fast charger, it is clear: the GT addition is not just there. Some unique features can be a deciding factor, but is that enough? You can read it in this Poco F4 GT review.
Poco F4 FT
Recommended retail price From € 499 (early bird)
Colors Black, silver and yellow
OS Android 12 (MIUI 13)
Screen 6.67-inch OLED (2,400 x 1,080, 120 Hz)
Processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
RAM 8GB to 12GB
Storage 128GB or 256GB
Battery 4,700 mAh
Camera 64, 8 and 2 megapixels (rear), 20 megapixels (front)
Connectivity 5G, 4G (LTE), Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 6e, GPS, NFC
Format 162.5 x 76.7 x 8.5mm
Weight 210 grams
Other Fingerprint scanner in power button
Website www.poco.co 7 Score 70 
- Pros
- OLED screen
- Mechanical shoulder buttons
- Unobtrusive(er) design
- charging 120 watts
- Negatives
- Longer term charging speed
- No adaptive refresh
- Audio Performance
- Software (MIUI)
- Camera system
Sometimes there is still some confusion about it, but Poco is an independent company. This brand was once founded as a subsidiary of Xiaomi, which allowed the company to release all kinds of existing smartphones under a new banner. Although Poco now stands on its own two feet, that philosophy still stands. The Poco F4 GT shows that perfectly.
The Poco F4 GT is exactly the same smartphone as the Xiaomi Redmi K50 Gaming Edition, which has been on sale in a number of countries since February 2022. That smartphone is officially not for sale in the Netherlands (as far as we could see), so it doesn’t matter much now. It remains surprising, because why do companies put so much effort into brand distinction?
There are probably all kinds of marketing reasons for this. Perhaps a name like Poco will catch on better in the west and Xiaomi wants to prevent us from wondering how to pronounce that name. For example, we spent months discussing the pronunciation of the name Huawei; That, of course, distracts from what it’s really all about.
The star of the show
In this case, the star of the show is that Poco F4 GT smartphone. This is a smartphone intended for gamers, with a suggested retail price of at least 499 euros. At first you don’t see that immediately, as you see with market leader Asus and its ROG Phone 5s. The F4 GT is somewhat thicker than an average flagship, but relatively thin compared to the range of Asus.
In addition, the back and the aluminum frame have no crazy additions or striking elements, in the form of LED lighting or extra ports. For example, there is no extra USB-c port for optional accessories, but we do miss a headphone connection, for example. This is unfortunately a big loss for gamers for two reasons.
Firstly, because you have to invest in extra hardware, in the form of a good USB-C to AUX connection or wireless headphones or a set of earphones. Second, because the Poco F4 GT does not support aptX HD or Adaptive, so there is a small delay on the bluetooth line when you stream your audio wirelessly.
Audio experience is good and bad
Due to the lack of aptX support, the audio quality is also substandard, which can lead to distortions. Some aspects sound much more shrill than you are used to, for example, while other layers are suddenly cut off or limited to a certain surface. Connecting headphones effortlessly wired is then really preferred.
The sound experience without a wireless connection is very nice. There are no fewer than four small speakers on board: two for the higher tones and two for the lower tones. At first you might think they are in a strange place, but the positioning is right. When you game horizontally, your fingers are not easily in front of the openings.
The sound from the speaker is loud, wide and detailed and really adds to the gaming experience. However, your fingers can end up in front of the speakers when you want to use the mechanical shoulder buttons on the device. Right, the Poco F4 GT has (horizontally seen) two shoulder buttons on the top.
Mechanical shoulder buttons click nicely
When you want to press those shoulder buttons, your fingers are in front of the speakers. As a result, that audio experience sounds a bit hidden again. You can in principle bypass the speakers by wrapping your fingers around the device, but that does not provide a comfortable gaming position that you can sustain for a long time.
Although the mechanical shoulder buttons are quite unique in smartphone land, they are not a new feature. The Poco F3 GT (and its corresponding Xiaomi variant) also offers such buttons. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that they click really well and that you really have a sense of control. This is emotionally better than how Asus handles it, in any case.
In that comparison with the ROG Phone 5s, we end up in a strange kind of split. Because the range of Poco is thinner and less noticeable, while the shoulder buttons are actually an eyesore of the design. The recent ROG Phone has no extra physical buttons, but it is very thick and loud.
So you would almost expect that the ROG Phone would be better off with physical shoulder buttons, since that device is already thick and bulky, while the Poco benefits from the AirTriggers that are very unobtrusive on the device. Well, so you see: the range of gaming smartphones is not perfect either.
keep a cool head
Since the Poco F4 GT will of course be released months later than the ROG Phone 5s from Asus, the Poco has the advantage of a new processor. This is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. It is the fastest chipset from manufacturer Qualcomm at the moment and that is not entirely unimportant for gamers.
The processor is accompanied by 8 to 12 GB of RAM and can therefore run many Android games. In any case, we have not encountered any problems with the games we have played. Does the device sometimes get warm? A little, but the LiquidCool cooling system (version 3.0 again) seems to do its job just fine.
By the way, keep in mind that the Poco F4 GT does not offer support for Google Stadia. You can, for example, play your games via Xbox Game Pass. You can only map digital buttons to the shoulder buttons when the digital buttons are actually displayed as an overlay. Setting the buttons is also very easy.
120 Hertz refresh rate
Playing games on the Poco F4 GT is not a punishment. The colorful 6.67-inch OLED screen offers a fine resolution of 1,080 by 2,400 pixels. Higher is not necessary, because you can not see that and it will only unnecessarily at the expense of the battery. The device offers support for HDR10 + and a refresh rate of 120 Hertz.
This refresh rate has a drawback, however. The Poco smartphone does not offer an ltpo screen, so the speed does not adaptively switch back when necessary. You can choose between 60 or 120 Hertz, but nothing in between or lower. With fast images, or when you watch content in 24 frames per second, a ghosting effect may occur.
Not that ltpo is the best in all respects. Screens can wear out sooner and a device may overheat faster. But for smartphones aimed at gaming (and media use) it is necessary because of the offer and the target group. However, if you only use the 60Hz mode, you limit the possible complaints.
Battery, camera and software
The battery has a capacity of 4,700 mAh and supports fast charging at 120 watts. That sounds really cool and also works as advertised. Poco promises to complete a full charge within seventeen minutes. The results are indeed between fifteen and twenty minutes, so you can continue gaming undisturbed in no time.
However, charging batteries at such rates is bad for the battery in the long run. Tests may show that such a battery lasts well for a year, for example, but after a few thousand charges, the performance quickly deteriorates. We can’t test that right now, but you should always remember that when you buy a smartphone with fast charging.
The camera is clearly not an important part of the experience for a gaming smartphone, but you can still speak of a reasonable quality. During the day photos look colorful and sharp, but in the evening all details are almost lost. The system functions better than on the aforementioned Asus smartphone, but don’t expect too much from it.
Finally, we come to the software. The Poco F4 GT runs on MIUI 13 (a software skin from Xiaomi), with Android 12 underneath. Poco also promises to release two Android upgrades. That’s marginal, but better than nothing. Furthermore, we come across some annoying apps that cannot all be removed and the interface has some annoying elements. This way you pull down another menu from the home screen, so that you do not immediately reach your settings.
Poco F4 GT – conclusion
We have made comparisons with the Asus ROG Phone 5s in this review. After all, that is the top model among gaming smartphones, so the comparison is in place. The Poco F4 GT does a number of things well. The mechanical buttons feel nice and click well and in terms of specs and software you will be fine for the next two years.
The price is also not disappointing, especially when you consider that you are getting a smartphone with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. However, there are also things that are disappointing. In the audio field, many smartphones perform much better, for example. The back also quickly attracts fingerprints. Fortunately, it is not so slippery that it immediately slides off the couch.
Although fast charging is marketed as a big advantage (120 watts is a decent performance), you have to keep in mind that in the long run you will probably be drawing the short end. Fast charging is often disastrous for batteries, so keep this in mind. In any case, Poco initially fulfills the advertised promise.
But is this the gaming smartphone you should have right now? That might depend more on how much money you want to spend. The Poco is a lot cheaper than the latest Asus, which can be decisive. Poco is on its way to the top with this device, but the company does not manage to pass Asus, despite all the speed. Asus offers more value for that higher price, especially in the field of audio, software and image quality.
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