smartphone LITTLE X3 NFC is a very attractive and affordable piece from the workshop of the subsidiary brand POCO. In the middle class, despite the very low price, it offers, for example, a high-quality IPS display with a high refresh rate of up to 120 Hz.
However, the equipment also includes, for example, an NFC chip for mobile payments via Google Pay service, a high battery capacity, as well as a new Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G processor. Is it worth buying this smartphone? Today's review will answer that.
POCO X3 NFC: Where to buy?
We are a smartphone LITTLE X3 NFC purchased through the popular Banggood e-shop, which currently has it at the best price. It is currently available at a reduced price.
There is also duty-free transport on the EU Priority Line, which is for a smaller fee. Thanks to this transport, you will not pay any additional fees, as everything will be arranged for you by the seller.
LITTLE X3 NFC
Accessory package
As usual, POCO smartphones come in a colorful box in a blue and yellow color combination. Also a smartphone package LITTLE X3 NFC is identical, contains the name of the phone and selected technical specifications.
At the top, right after unpacking, there is a paper box with accessories. This includes a needle for ejecting the SIM / microSD card slot, but also a brief manual or a high-quality and hard, clear silicone case with the necessary cut-outs to protect the device.
Below is the smartphone itself wrapped in a protective foil, as well as a cable with a USB type C connector for charging. A fast charger with a local, European terminal and a power of up to 33W is also available directly in the package.
Increased durability with IP 53 certification
LITTLE X3 NFC is a really great smartphone. This is also indicated by its dimensions, which stopped at 165,3 x 76,8 x 9,4 mm. The large capacity of the battery was subsequently signed on the weight of the device, which amounts to a total of 215 grams.
In terms of construction, the front is glass and covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The side edges are rounded and metal, the back is made of glossy polycarbonate material. The low price is a sign of this material, on the other hand it is a durable smartphone with increased resistance to water and dust with IP 53 certification.
The front of the device contains a large 6,67 ”IPS display, which includes standard frames on the sides, above and below the display. This is not unusual and the front camera is located in the area, at the top of the screen.
The display has a protective foil attached at the factory, which is a welcome plus. Above the display, there is a speaker grille for telephony, which also acts as a stereo speaker for loud listening to the media. There is also a notification LED in the speaker grille and a group of sensors below it.
The sides are metal, the back is polycarbonate
The left edge contains only a slot for a pair of nanoSIM cards, it is a hybrid slot and so it is possible to use a combination of 1 x nanoSIM + 1 x microSD memory card.
The right edge contains the volume control buttons and the power on / off button. This button is conveniently located, easy to feel, oblong and includes a standard fingerprint reader.
The upper edge contains an infrared port for controlling home electronics (complete with the appropriate software), there is also a secondary microphone for video recording, but surprisingly also a small hole for distributing stereo sound from the front speaker when listening to media loudly. He is really high quality and loud, which will be appreciated especially by fans of movies and series.
The underside contains a very popular 3,5 mm audio connector in this class, but also a universal USB type C connector for charging (with support for the USB On-The-Go function). There is also a loud speaker (creates a stereo effect with a speaker for telephony) and there is also a primary microphone.
We still have the back polycarbonate side left. It is glossy and contains a very distinctive colored strip with the manufacturer's name POCO and recycling information. At the top is the protruding module of the four cameras, which is not circular, it is irregular. The module also contains an LED flash and it is possible to align it with a protective cover.
Display: Very fast 120 Hz IPS panel
The equipment includes a large 6,67 ”IPS LCD display with Full HD + resolution (2400 x 1080 pixels) and a 20: 9 aspect ratio. The display contains space for the front camera and thanks to the narrow frames it occupies almost 85% of the front wall. The fineness of the display is 395 ppi.
However, the main benefit of this panel is the high refresh rate up to 120 Hz. The low price of this smartphone and the use of this functionality make this smartphone a unique combination in the sales market.
The difference compared to the 60 Hz panel is really noticeable, the movement on the display is very smooth and fast. The truth is also the intelligent change of the refresh rate through the software and the application used. In this way, the manufacturer optimizes the use of this function with respect to the resulting battery life.
There is also HDR 10 technology, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and protective film from the factory. The manufacturer declares a maximum brightness of 450 rivets. We were satisfied with the maximum and minimum brightness, the display was easy to read even in direct sunlight. We did not notice a problem with the automatic brightness control either.
Performance: New Snapdragon 732G
In terms of performance, a new medium processor is available, resp. upper middle class 700 series. It is specifically an eight-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G processor (2 x 2,3 GHz Kryo 470 Gold + 6 x 2,8 GHz Kryo 470 Silver) manufactured by 8 nm technology.
This processor can handle very demanding multitasking or graphically demanding games in medium detail. We can also thank the integrated graphics chip Adreno 618. For comparison with your smartphone, you can see the results of AnTuT benchmark tests.
Memory: 6 GB RAM + 128 GB
The very good smoothness of the smartphone is ensured by up to 6 GB of RAM, which is supplemented by 64 or 128 GB of internal storage of the UFS 2.1 type, depending on the version. There is also a hybrid microSD memory card slot (only 1 x SIM).
We received a version for testing in a configuration of 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage. When you turn it on for the first time, Android takes about 15,5 GB. And we recommend this version for purchase as optimal.
Fingerprint reader in the side wall
The fingerprint sensor is located in the right side edge this time. It is integrated in the elongated button to turn the device on or off. This is a standard fingerprint reader, which we can already know from some previous models.
It is a fast sensor that detects the imprint for the first time and the problem is not even a slight grease or moisture on the fingers. The manufacturer definitely deserves praise for the sensor used, especially in the low price of the device.
In addition to the fact that the button with the sensor is conveniently located, the benefit is definitely that it is not necessary to press the button to unlock the device. Just place your finger on the fingerprint reader.
Android + MIUI + POCO Launcher
In terms of software, it offers a smartphone LITTLE X3 NFC still the current Android operating system in the Android 10 version (10 QKQ1.200512.002).
The system is also supplemented by a current security update dated 01.08.2020. Only the September security package is missing, which is likely to arrive in one of the next software updates in the coming weeks.
The operating system itself is complemented by a powerful graphical superstructure MIUI Global 12.0.1 (Stable version 12.0.1.0 (QJGEUXM)). Although the global version is much impoverished compared to the Chinese version, it nevertheless offers several interesting features.
There is a new font, a sophisticated dark mode, which must be activated in the settings of the smartphone, and we were personally pleased with an interesting feature - waking up the display by double-tapping the screen.
There is also an application menu within the smartphone environment. In addition to the MIUI superstructure, a specific one is also available POCO Launcher 2.0, of which this menu is a part.
The menu with applications can display applications alphabetically, but also according to the use in the upper part, there is also a sorting into individual folders according to the application function, but also an interesting sorting according to the color of the application icon.
The system was very well optimized and thanks to the fast 120 Hz display we did not notice any major decelerations. Ads in the environment itself are not extremely common, it is a standard display as in other Xiaomi smartphones, either in the Optimization application or when checking the currently installed application.
Camera: 64 MPx surprises
An equally important feature of an affordable smartphone is the camera. The equipment of this model will offer the main 64 MPx (f / 1.9) sensor from the Sony workshop, which is located in the protruding module on the back and is also complemented by three others.
Namely, these are a 13 MPx (f / 2.2) ultra-wide sensor, a 2 MPx (f / 2.4) macro sensor and a 2 MPx (f / 2.4) depth sensor. There is a dual LED flash, modes such as panorama, vlog (cut short shots with music) and HDR. Video from the rear camera can be recorded in 4K (30 fps) resolution. However, from the viewpoint of image stabilization, it is preferable to use 1080p resolution.
The front camera is very good, offering up to 20 MPx (f / 2.2), not missing HDR support, panorama, but if shooting 1080p video (30 fps). The images from the front camera were sharp and also offered true colors. This camera is ideal for various video calls while working from home or office.
If we look at the photographic features of the rear cameras, the photos from the workshop of the main 64 MPx camera clearly dominate. Photos in daylight are sharp and have a sufficiently high level of detail or depth of field.
Full-size original photos are available at the following link.
However, the ultra-wide-angle sensor, whose images are definitely usable in daylight, at least on social networks, is not to be ashamed either. The depth sensor also fulfills its role and effectively blurs the background, especially in portrait mode. Poorer results were offered by a macro sensor, these photos lacked detail.
When shooting in night or evening lighting conditions, with both the main and ultra-wide sensors, the less light, the more noise the resulting photo has. The same is true for photos early in the morning at sunrise.
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.1 and NFC
In terms of connectivity, it is a very well-equipped smartphone. 4G / LTE support including LTE-A technology is missing (channels: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41), dual Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g will also please / n / ac with Wi-Fi Direct support and hotspot functionality.
Bluetooth 5.1 LE with A2DP technology support is available for connecting accessories. The equipment also includes integrated GPS (with A-GPS support), as well as GLONASS or BDS technology.
A very welcome feature is the integrated NFC chip. You can use it, for example, for contactless payments through Google Pay. We tried the payment with this smartphone and it worked quickly and without any problems. There is also an infrared port for controlling electronics and an FM radio with recording.
The 5160 mAh battery can handle a lot
The manufacturer equipped the smartphone LITTLE X3 NFC battery, which offers a total capacity of up to 5160 mAh. In addition to the resulting endurance, this high capacity was also reflected in the higher weight and thickness of the device. On the other hand, directly in the package is a 33W charger for fast cable charging via a USB connector type C.
According to the manufacturer, it should be possible to charge such a large battery to 30% in 62 minutes, from zero to full capacity it will take 65 minutes. This is definitely not a bad value and fits with real testing. The endurance per charge is also very good, which, depending on usage, is at the level of 1 - 2 working days (7 hours of the display on).
Thanks to good software optimization, an economical processor and intelligent adjustment of the refresh rate, the smartphone had no problem managing a full working day. In our case, there was no lack of active use of social networks, hourly telephony, hourly watching of 1080p videos or occasional photography.
Final rating: The best for the low
LITTLE X3 NFC is truly and without exaggerated superlatives an excellent smartphone. At its low price, it offers very good specifications, a 120 Hz IPS display, a good camera and a really high battery capacity.
If you are looking for a smartphone in the price range of around € 200, you will probably not find better equipment on the sales market at the moment. better price / performance ratio. We definitely recommend the purchase of this smartphone.
I wouldn't even point out the ads on my phone. These can be easily switched off on all Xiaomi models. Otherwise good review.
Again, it's not entirely wrong to give info. I didn't have much of an overview of Xiaomi phones (so far Huawei) and I was for my 12-year-old son, so I liked the info. Also the fact that it goes off again in the discussion 🙂