2021 has started on a good note for the Chinese smartphone brand Poco, especially in India with the huge success of its budget smartphone Poco M3. Now, in an attempt to make greater inroads in the mobile gaming community in India - which is growing rapidly - this company has introduced Poco X3 Pro, the successor of its X3 variant with top-end features like 120Hz display, 48MP quad rear camera set up, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 860 chipset.

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The newly launched Poco X3 Pro with 6GB+128GB storage variant is priced at Rs 18,999 and the 8GB+128GB variant will be available for Rs 20,999 in three color variants -- graphite black, steel blue, and golden bronze. We used the 'steel blue' color variant for more than one week and here are my views about this device.

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When you hold this device in your hands for a longer duration you might feel its heaviness. However, the Poco X3 Pro does offer a good grip, it also looks good in hands. Also, the steel-blue variant we used did not pick up fingerprint smudges easily. Overall, the smartphone scores decent marks in terms of design.

When you check the back panel, the newly launched Poco X3 Pro features a 48MP primary camera with F/1.79 aperture, 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera with f/2.2 aperture, and 118-degree FoV, 2MP macro camera, and a 2MP depth sensor that gives portrait shots. along with LED Flash. The back panel of this device is divided into three. The middle one comes with a glossy finish with a large Poco logo and both sides come with a matte finish.

The Poco X3 Pro houses the power button with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor (which worked smoothly) and the volume keys on the right side, while the left side has a dedicated space for SIM-tray. At the bottom, the device features Type-C USB charging port, stereo speakers, along a 3.5mm headphone jack. Overall, the speaker performed well. The connectivity options on the Poco X3 Pro include Wi-Fi 802.11, GPS, Bluetooth v5.00, NFC, USB Type-C, 3G, and 4G, and more.

In terms of camera performance, this Poco X3 Pro comes with in-built features like Portrait, Night, 48MP, Short video, panorama, Vlog, slow-motion, time-lapse, long exposure, dual video, clone, and more. We used every singe while reviewing this unit. When it comes to images, the device captured good and detailed images, especially in Portrait, 48MP modes. While taking multiple shots with different modes, the Poco X3 Pro didn't hang. However, the images produces in the low-light conditions in normal settings were nowhere outstanding when compared to the newly launched Oppo F19 Pro. Overall, the device did a decent job here even the small videos we recorded during a review period came out pretty good.

One of the major USPs of this newly launched Poco phone is its huge display.  The Poco X3 Pro comes with a 6.67-inch FullHD+ display with 2400x 1080p resolution, protected by flagship-level Corning Gorilla Glass 6. It also comes with a 240Hz touch sampling rate that provides smooth lag-free performance. There's a punch-hole camera in the top center of the display with an on-screen fingerprint sensor and face recognition which worked pretty well. The experience while using the screen was smooth and fast. I didn't face any issues even during heavy usage. The colors came out good on the screen in the direct sunlight as well.

On the front, the Poco X3 Pro houses a 16MP selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture, Sony IMX471 sensor, which is placed at the top left corner of the screen. While taking pictures from the selfie camera, the pictures came out well but were good in daylight conditions but lacked sharpness in low lights.

Another USP is the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 860, which boasts faster graphics rendering and an uplift in CPU performance. This will make the smartphone gaming experience smooth and lag-free. The Poco X3 Pro runs on MIUI 12 based on Android 11 out of the box. The good thing is the UI is very easy to use and users might not face any issues. While playing games like Asphalt 9: Legends, FAU-G, Call of Duty: Mobile, and Garena Free Fire, we experienced lag-free gaming. The graphic quality was up to the mark. The reason why this can be a good gaming smartphone is that even after intense gaming the device didn't heat up.

Thanks to the massive 5160mAh battery which comes with an in-box fast 33W Type-C charger. Even after heavy usage, the device lasted for more than a day on a single charge. While watching movies, web series, and IPL on the device during the review period, the smartphone made the viewing experience smooth. Overall, the Poco X3 Pro was fast, smooth, switching between the apps was easy and the performance was flawless.

Verdict: Available at a starting price of Rs 18,999, Poco X3 Pro is a decent gaming smartphone with top-end features. This device is competing with popular smartphones like Samsung Galaxy A32, Oppo F19 Pro, and Realme 8 Pro. For those who are looking for a decent gaming smartphone under Rs 20K, the Poco X3 Pro might meet your requirements.