Poco, the smartphone sub-brand of Xiaomi, is about to launch its highest-spec cellphone but.

The Poco F4 GT seems to be and appears like a gaming cellphone, and in an unique pre-launch interview the corporate’s head of product advertising and marketing Angus Ng revealed to Tech Advisor a spec sheet to match – however insists the machine isn’t solely designed for avid gamers.

I’ve seen the machine, however I can’t speak about it but or certainly showcase the cellphone’s design, although Ng was glad to speak intimately concerning the cellphone’s specs forward of its world launch on 26 April – a primary for the sequence, after final 12 months’s F3 GT launched primarily in India.

Spec heavy

“We need to be probably the most reasonably priced Snapdragon eight Gen 1 smartphone within the trade. That’s the important aim,” he explains.

With the newest flagship chipset from trade leaders Qualcomm, Poco is successfully dropping its most premium cellphone thus far, with the identical processor because the Samsung Galaxy S22 Extremely, OnePlus 10 Professional, and Oppo Discover X5 Professional – to not point out gaming telephones such because the Black Shark 5 Professional or Crimson Magic 7.

The F4 GT has a 120Hz AMOLED show, and excessive frequency 1920Hz PWM dimming, which Ng says is to verify individuals’s eyes are greatest protected when utilizing the cellphone for lengthy intervals of time, particularly in low mild situations.

It additionally has what Poco calls its LiquidCool Expertise 3.0. Ng says the design separates the battery charging indicator circuits and the Snapdragon chip to assist preserve the 2 important warmth spots additional aside, whereas vapour chambers on prime of every assist cool the cellphone when it’s beneath heavy load.

“However … when you’re enjoying Genshin Influence on the very best graphic settings, you realize, and you continue to really feel a bit of warmth, I believe that’s comparatively regular for any smartphone.”

The software program has a ‘efficiency mode’ to push the {hardware} to the max, although Ng says the cellphone will “carry out with out challenge” when in ‘stability mode’. He doesn’t suggest charging the cellphone whereas enjoying a high-performance recreation.

Final 12 months’s Poco F3 used the 48Mp Sony IMX582 sensor.

The principle digital camera sensor is the 64Mp Sony IMX686 sensor, first utilized in 2020’s Poco F2 Professional. Ng admits cameras nonetheless aren’t prime precedence for Poco.

“It’s not as a result of we don’t take cameras critically … We simply need to be sure that it takes good photographs,” he stated. “We’re making an attempt to supply shooter. It doesn’t should be the top-end one.”

He’s prouder of the haptics within the cellphone.

“I do know it’s forbidden to say ‘we’re the very best’ based mostly on promoting legislation, however I can actually say, it’s most likely the very best expertise I’ve felt on handheld typing.

“It actually form of units the entire tone. Once you activate the cellphone and also you arrange, kind in your e mail, then you’ll be able to really feel how good the cellphone is.”

Ng did not inform me concerning the F4 GT’s battery measurement or charging speeds, however we are able to speculate a bit. The specs he did affirm match up with the Xiaomi Redmi Ok50 Gaming Version – the cellphone that trade insiders have speculated the F4 GT is predicated on. 

Xiaomi’s Redmi Ok50 Gaming Version launched in China in February.

If that holds true throughout the board, then Poco followers can count on to see a 4700mAh battery with spectacular 120W quick charging – although there is not any assure Poco will not have made tweaks to the spec alongside the way in which. We would actually additionally count on the design to vary a bit from the Redmi cellphone, which you’ll see above.

Constructed to recreation – and extra

Ng says Poco surveyed clients and located lots of people who’ve gaming telephones have two telephones they at all times carry round. Telephones just like the Asus ROG Cellphone 5 have been purchased merely for gaming however weren’t individuals’s main machine.

“It’s form of like carrying a PS5 with you on a regular basis … we form of want our customers don’t want to hold one other cellphone,” Ng instructed me. “We don’t actually need to place ourselves purely on a gaming cellphone despite the fact that it has numerous gaming options. This cellphone is totally able to being a traditional flagship.”

The Asus ROG Cellphone 5 additionally affords shoulder triggers, with an express concentrate on avid gamers.

He says the cellphone has a full metallic physique with shoulder buttons with magnetic launch switches. Whereas these scream ‘gaming cellphone’ at first blush, Ng instructed me the buttons might be mapped for features akin to opening the digital camera, in a transfer meant to attraction to a wider viewers.

“For those who don’t use it for gaming or activate the triggers, the shoulder buttons, then technically that is no completely different than a traditional flagship on the market out there.

“We’re not seeking to compete with different gaming smartphones as a result of we don’t see ourselves as a pure gaming smartphone. If we do compete with them, I believe we are able to put up struggle, however we’re undoubtedly not the very best gaming cellphone on the earth.”

His honesty is kind of refreshing.

“It’s such a distinct segment area on the whole within the cellular market, however I can say we’re undoubtedly probably the greatest.”

Poco’s roadmap for the long run

Poco sells M, F, and X-branded units at a comparatively low price in comparison with rival smartphone manufacturers. Is the F4 GT a transfer in direction of a brand new target market?

“We have been at all times glad to broaden our target market group. Clearly, we might love extra customers to strive our telephones,” Ng stated.

“The F4 GT is a check within the water for increased finish customers or for people who find themselves searching for a extremely good efficiency cellphone … the aim is to satisfy the wants of our present followers and their gaming pastime.”

As as to whether there will probably be an everyday F4, all Ng would say is, “keep tuned.”

Final 12 months’s vanilla Poco F3.

He did although have extra to say about Poco’s Android replace promise. With Samsung now promising many Galaxy clients 4 years of Android platform updates and safety patches – extra even than Google – different producers have work to do to catch up.

“We’re presently really engaged on that like proper now. It’s one thing that we’ve been discussing with Google and the MIUI crew,” Ng stated.

“We try to attempt for a 3 plus 4,” he added, that means three years of Android model updates and 4 years of safety patches.

“For F sequence and X sequence, as a result of they’re efficiency telephones, they’ll most likely, you realize, take the three years of updates, or two to 3 years of updates, and be capable to run lag-free. Whereas I believe for the decrease finish ones, we have to do a bit extra intensive testing the place we form of want to check out is it even value upgrading … [in case] it may well’t deal with all the brand new options.”

As for the sequence of telephones themselves, the X and X Professional sequence will stay a key focus, in addition to the F sequence. There are dialogue of a brand new line, however nothing is confirmed right now.

With the F4 GT, Poco is selling what it calls its AIoT – synthetic intelligence of issues – credentials and can launch the cellphone alongside new wi-fi earbuds and a smartwatch. AIoT is branding borrowed from Xiaomi, however Poco isn’t prone to stray removed from cellular equipment.

“We don’t need to go too far-off from our smartphones,” Ng stated. “I don’t suppose we are going to ever launch something like a robotic vacuum cleaner.”

Poco has been pushing out extra units at a quicker tempo because it shook up the trade with the Pocophone F1 in 2018. The corporate clearly believes it may well present a crossover gaming hit with the F4 GT and attraction to greater than the Fortnite crowd, however we’ll should see simply how hungry persons are for prime efficiency Android telephones with set off buttons and options that are, irrespective of how a lot the corporate says they aren’t, focused at cellular avid gamers.