The best gaming phone on the market?

The Poco F3 GT was one of the best gaming phones of 2021, offering a high-end Dimensity 1200 chipset, retractable shoulder triggers, and a large, fast-charging battery. Now Poco is back by launching the Poco F4 GT in global markets.

Just as the Poco F3 GT was a rebranded version of the Redmi K40 Gaming phone only in China, the Poco F4 GT is a rebadged version of the Redmi K50 Gaming device. That means you get a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, a dual vapor chamber cooling system, and a 6.67-inch FHD+ 120Hz OLED flatscreen display. This chipset in particular should offer a significant performance boost over last year’s phone, although we hope sustained performance won’t be an issue.

The Poco F4 GT also retains its predecessor’s retractable shoulder triggers, exiting the body via a pair of mechanical switches. These physical triggers should provide a more tactile experience than the capacitive shoulder buttons seen on many other gaming phones.

What else do you get?

Poco’s latest gaming phone also comes with a 4,700mAh battery and 120W charging. This is a drop in capacity from the Poco F3 GT’s 5,065mAh battery. , but you get a boost in charging speed of 67W (Poco touting a zero-to-100 per cent charge time of 17 minutes). Fortunately, the 120W charger is included in the box.

The Poco F4 GT has a nice body-worn camera system here as you’d expect from a gaming phone, with a 64MP main shooter (IMX686), 8MP ultra-wide lens and 2MP macro camera. . A 20MP camera (IMX596) in a punch-hole cutout handles selfies and video calls. The previous phone offered a similar camera system and we thought photos were lackluster as a result, so we don’t expect major improvements on the new device.

Other notable features include Bluetooth 5.2, Gorilla Glass Victus on the front, MIUI 13 on Android 12, NFC, quad speakers, Wi-Fi 6E support, and a side fingerprint scanner.

Price and availability

Poco’s latest flagship offering is available at a starting price of €599 (~$639) for the 8GB/128GB model, while the 12GB/256GB variant has a recommended retail price of €699 (~$746) . The company says it is offering a pre-registration price of €499 (~$533) and €599 (~$639) respectively for April 26-29. Even at its standard price, the phone is cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy S22, Google Pixel 6 and Apple iPhone 13 Mini in Europe, although you miss out on features like wireless charging and an IP rating.

Expect to find the Poco F4 GT in Cyber ​​Yellow, Knight Silver and Stealth Black colorways. It seems those looking for a gaming phone or those who value performance over everything else should keep this phone in mind.

It’s not the only product launched that day, as Poco also launched its first ecosystem products in the form of the Poco Watch and the Poco Buds Pro Genshin Impact Edition. The smartwatch retails for €79 (~$84) and packs a 1.6-inch square AMOLED display, 5ATM water resistance, 100 fitness tracking modes, GPS tracking, SPo2 monitoring, and up to 14 days of juice.

Meanwhile, the Poco Buds Pro Genshin Impact Edition retails for €69 (~$74) and offers active noise cancellation, wireless charging, 9mm drivers, Genshin Impact-based audio alerts, and an IPX4 rating. Poco adds that the earbuds can be connected to two devices at once and last up to 28 hours via the charging case (or six hours via the earbuds alone).