POCO revolutionized the smartphone market in 2018 with the release of the POCO F1. The device was a beast in terms of specifications bringing the Snapdragon 845 to an under $400 price level. The brand was put to rest in 2019, and Xiaomi filled the “cost-effective-flagship” segment with the Redmi K20 series. While appealing, those devices were far from being cheap as the Pocophone F1. Last year, POCO made a comeback, but for the first half of 2020, the brand focused on simple rebrandings of existing Redmi devices. In September, the brand finally brought what POCO fans were asking in the form of the POCO X3 NFC. The device was cheap, came with a powerful battery and high-refresh-screen device, and had an original design. The POCO X3 NFC, or POCO X3 in India, is considered one of the company’s latest hits. Now, it is about to receive a new variant with higher specifications dubbed POCO X3 Pro.
Same madness, only more!
Get ready for #PROformance coz ONLY a POCO can beat a POCO. pic.twitter.com/PeW2AX0ZjL
— POCO – Madder By the Minute (@IndiaPOCO) March 10, 2021
POCO X3 Pro to go official on March 30
POCO decided to tease the POCO X3 Pro launch today through an unconventional teaser. The brand published a letter on its social media talking about why no other phone has managed to reach the insane value-for-money levels of the POCO F1. According to the brand, costs and taxes have gone up, so an INR 21,000 (~$289) smartphone can’t get flagship Snapdragon chips. There are some bits of text in bold, and the interesting part of the letter, apparently, says that POCO X3 Pro is coming on March 30. The device’s existence isn’t a surprise, after all, it acquired multiple certifications recently. A previous rumor even suggests its launch for mid-March, but now we know that it is coming in the end of the month.
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The most intriguing detail is that the POCO X3 Pro specifications have been somewhat leak-proof right now. We only know the device’s name right now. It’s difficult to say if it will have a design based on the POCO X3, or if it will be based on another Redmi phone. The Redmi K40 will be dubbed POCO F3 on global markets, while India will get it as Mi 11X. The K40 Pro will be Mi 11X Pro. Considering that the POCO X3 is an original handset, we believe that its Pro also deserves to be original.
POCO X3 Pro rumored specifications
Unofficial info claims that the phone will pack the Snapdragon 860 SoC. We’ve been hearing about this particular chip since last year, but Qualcomm has not unveiled it yet. However, the existence of a Snapdragon 870 gives a little more consistency to the existence of a Snapdragon 860. Using older Snapdragon chips is a strategy that many companies are adopting to bring cost-effective flagships. Qualcomm is pretty aware of this and the Snapdragon 870, or Snapdragon 860, seems to be good ways to feed the demand for cheap flagships. With the so-called Snapdragon 860, POCO could deliver a Snapdragon 800-series smartphone priced below $300. That would be insane at this point.
Other rumors suggest that the POCO X3 Pro will come in 6GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB Memory configurations. It will bring the 120Hz screen of its predecessor, and considering the pricing point, it should be an LCD. The 5,200mAh battery will be present in the package with 33W fast-charging. Based on the certifications it received, the phone is a 4G handset, which implies that the Snapdragon 860 is a 4G chipset and should be a revamped Snapdragon 855.
Amidst the semiconductor chips crisis, it makes perfect sense for Qualcomm to refresh some of its chips to clean the stocks and keep feeding the smartphone market. We will know more in the coming weeks.
