Pocophone F1 launched in Nepal for 35K – Should you buy it?

By NewsTeam Last updated Mar 9, 2019

Updated 01 Feb-2019 Xiaomi’s Poco F1 is ready to strike back again today at 12 noon Nepali time on Daraz Flash Sales.

Be the first to grab this offer or be left out once again. The Poco F1 is available in Limited Stock and is available at same old price of Rs.34,999.

Hopefully, the Poco F1 comes with upgraded MIUI 10 v10.2.20 update this time with support for Widevine L1 support and also a fix for backlight bleeding issue.

Xiaomi has also recently updated the camera with added new features like 960 fps slo-mo video and Night mode for camera.

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DxOMark has only recently also rated the Poco F1 with a score of 91 for photo and 92 for its video quality which sets Poco in par with Apple’s iPhone 8.

It’s finally time to see the Xiaomi Pocophone F1 officially here in Nepal. The device was introduced three months ago in Indian market and promises to be one of the best flagship killer phone. Pocophone F1 Price in Nepal is speculated to be around Rs.33,999 for the base variant upto Rs.47,999 for the top Armoured Edition.

Following the launch of Poco F1, the smartphone received commendable response from customers towards the Master of Speed — while enjoying the power of incredible speed matched with the ultimate performance at an irresistible price.

Also read — Xiaomi unveils its flagship-spec Poco F1 at just $300

Pocophone F1 coming to these global markets incl. Nepal

Xiaomi Nepal recently mentioned in their Facebook page that Pocophone F1 is set to launch in Nepali market on 11.11 i.e. 11th Nov, 2018. The sale will take place from Daraz’s onlne shopping platform on the 11th of November celebrating the global 11.11 Global’s Greatest Sale Day.

The Poco F1 has flagship hardware under the hood, but mid-range everything else. The camera, build and design and the display can’t keep up with the more expensive flagships of 2018.

First of all let’s look at the Xiaomi Pocophone F1 Specification :

CPU – Octa-Core (4 x 2.8 GHz Kryo 385 + 4 x 1.8 GHz Kryo 385) CPU Clock
Chipset – Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, 64-Bit Processor
GPU – Qualcomm Adreno 630 GPU
Selfie-Camera – 12 MP f/1.9 + 5 MP f/2.0 with Dual-LED and AF
Dual Rear Camera – 20 Megapixel f/2.0 Front camera
Memory – RAM – 6GB, 8GB | ROM 64GB/128GB/256GB, External Memory Support up to 256GB (Uses SIM 2 Slot)
Display – Screen size 6.18-inches LCD IPS FHD+ Screen with (1080 x 2246 Pixels Resolution)
Battery – Non-Removable 4,000 mAh Lithium-Polymer with QU 3.0
SIM – Hybrid Dual SIM Card (Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM/microSD), Dual Standby
Sensors – Proximity, Light, Accelerometer, Compass, Gyroscope, Fingerprint
Color – Graphite Black, Steel Blue, Rosso Red, Armored Edition with Kevla
Operating System – MIUI V9.6 (Android 8.1 Oreo)
I/O Interface – 1 x Nano SIM Card Slot, 1 x Nano SIM, TF Card Slot, Type-C USB Port, Type-C USB Headphone Jack, Power Button, Volume Button, Microphone, Speaker
Dimensions – 155.5 mm x 75.3 mm x 8.8 mm
Weight – 180 Grams (with Battery)
Version – 3 Version – 6GB/64GB – 6GB/128GB – 8GB/256GB

The Pros: Good specs and real value for money

On the one hand, it is a flagship, which is already enough to draw attention to Xiaomi, one of the most trendy manufacturers, and the fact that the smartphone offers technical features worthy of its rank: Snapdragon 845 processor, 6GB of RAM, stereo sound… as for the battery life, it is equipped with a 4000 mAh battery. All quite promising.

For the rest, we have a rather large 6.18-inch screen (with notch) in 18.7:9 format, theoretically suitable for multimedia use. At the photo level, the camera is equipped with a double 12 + 5 megapixel sensor.

The Cons: Appearance and Compatibility

Yes, the Pocophone F1 looks cheap…because it is. And personally, as a power user who places a heavy load on a phone in daily use, I don’t mind one bit because the performance at this price point can’t be beaten.

The elegance of the Pocophone is in its build, not in the design lines. It doesn’t have the sleek, premium feel of the Galaxy S9, LG G7 or even the OnePlus 6. If you want to carry a handset that projects a certain amount of prestige, class, or status, the Pocophone just isn’t going to cut it.

The Poco F1’s body is entirely made of plastic and the handset simply doesn’t inspire that premium look and feel as you’d get from most contemporary glass or metal body phone.

Xiaomi’s Pocophone F1 won’t play Netflix in HD due to lack of Widevine L1 support. Widevine is a DRM module which is popularly used by many apps. There are multiple levels of support for Widevine, with L1 being full support. The Pocophone F1, however, only has Widevine L3 support.It’s unclear when Xiaomi will release the update for Widevine support, but it’s something to keep in mind if you’ve been considering one.

This phone is intended for Asian and European markets, so connectivity in the US will be rather limited. The Pocophone F1 has band 1(2100), 3(1800), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 20(800), 38(2600), 40(2300), 41(2500).

Chunky bezels on both chin and forehead of the screen don’t help Poco F1’s case either. Xiaomi also did some saving by not opting for oleophobic coating and the screen of the phone is a smudge magnet. Like iPhone X, the Poco F1 has a fairly big notch comparing to current design trend of water-drop notch in recently launched new smartphones.

Additionally, there’s a number of users complaining about a backlight bleeding issue on their handsets. It also appears to be pretty widespread and hence Poco India released a statement explaining how it will help solve the issue and what’s causing it. Poco India released a upcoming MIUI 10 beta update as a fix and some users are complaining that the screen bleeding bug still persists.

What all this means is that the Poco F1 phone is clearly not a head turner when it comes to design and build quality.

The extraordinary value that the base variants offers for the Snapdragon 845 makes every tiny tidbits and flaws more than forgivable.

In hindsight – Poco F2

Poco F2 – will most likely be released within the coming 8 months, according to Flipkart. As for an expected launch date and specifications of the Poco F2, this piece of information is based on assumptions made upon an official product listing. We are nowhere near the launch, but hopefully the second-gen model might come with upgraded features like a newer SoC, an in-display fingerprint sensor, and a revamped design. This is, however, a great deal for customers who would want to stick to Poco’s experience for more than one smartphone generation.

Pocophone F1 Price in Nepal

The Pocophone F1 is available in three different variants.

In terms of online prices based on online Flipkart store in India, the Xiaomi Poco F1 costs INR 20,999 for the 6GB RAM/ 64GB inbuilt storage variant, while the 6GB RAM/ 128GB inbuilt storage model is priced at INR 23,999, and the 8GB RAM/ 256GB inbuilt storage model is available at INR 28,999. The Armoured Edition of the Poco F1 with ‘real Kevlar’ comes with a price tag of INR 29,999. Colour options include Graphite Black, Rosso Red, and Steel Blue.

Xiaomi Nepal’s Pocofone F1 page can now be accessed on Daraz’s online store . The smartphone is available on sale for the base variant of 6GB+64GB in Steel Blue and Graphite Black color options.The company hasn’t provided any information on other variants,so its not known if 128GB and 256GB storage options will make their way to Nepal. The current base variant of 6GB+64GB is available for pre-booking and will be available in limited quantity,check out the details here.