topic Re: Pocophone F1 in The Lounge

Pocophone F1

ShawnC13 — Wed, 02 Jan 2019 21:06:22 GMT

Anyone have this phone or know someone who does. I am interested in it https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/xiaomi-pocophone-f1

Re: Pocophone F1

computergeek541 — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 05:46:44 GMT

Personally, I've never heard of this company before and don't know anyone who has either. I would say that at least spec-wise, it's great for the price, as long as the software that goes along with it doesn't slow things down. From the screenshots, it looked pretty much stock Android, at least based on on the app drawer that strongly resembles Google Now Launcher.

When the reviewer mentions a sub-$300 pricepoint, I'm going to assume that's American dollars - so somewhere slightly above $400 Canadian if it's at a price of $299 (USD).

I think it's a little suprising that they've skipped the NFC on this model, especially since similar high mid-level models from Motorola (ex. G6 Plus) and Samsung (A series) do have this feature. I do notice that they've also decided against a higher resolution screen, but that's pretty much in-line with other devies in this price range. I'm not sure if I missed this detail, but I don't recall seeing any mention of water-proofing for this model.

What they have given us is, at least in my opinion, is faster processor, more RAM, and storage space than we'd normally get for this price.

Re: Pocophone F1

will13am — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 11:37:43 GMT

No global model, poor north America LTE compatibility, no thanks. Wait for F2 or F1 version 2.

Re: Pocophone F1

will13am — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 11:42:47 GMT

@computergeek541 wrote:
Personally, I've never heard of this company before and don't know anyone who has either. I would say that at least spec-wise, it's great for the price, as long as the software that goes along with it doesn't slow things down. From the screenshots, it looked pretty much stock Android, at least based on on the app drawer that strongly resembles Google Now Launcher.

When the reviewer mentions a sub-$300 pricepoint, I'm going to assume that's American dollars - so somewhere slightly above $400 Canadian if it's at a price of $299 (USD).

I think it's a little suprising that they've skipped the NFC on this model, especially since similar high mid-level models from Motorola (ex. G6 Plus) and Samsung (A series) do have this feature. I do notice that they've also decided against a higher resolution screen, but that's pretty much in-line with other devies in this price range. I'm not sure if I missed this detail, but I don't recall seeing any mention of water-proofing for this model.

What they have given us is, at least in my opinion, is faster processor, more RAM, and storage space than we'd normally get for this price.

You need to think past Apple and Shamsung my friend. I mentioned Xiaomi many times in this forum, but not this model. This company did an IPO last year, they are #5 in cell phone manufacturing worldwide and they are coming to North America. They are the best for value at the moment.

Re: Pocophone F1

ShawnC13 — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 15:11:48 GMT

@computergeek541, the parent company is Xiaomi and they are a pretty big phone company. No there isn't waterproofing on the phone and I have yet needed that as a feature for me. As well NFC I don't use. You mentioned the screen resolution and this is what I read from it. "There’s an extended 6.18-inch Full HD+ screen that dominates the front of the F1, sporting a 2246 x 1080 resolution. That renders it sharper than even not-so-affordable devices, such as Apple’s newly announced $749 iPhone XR"

@will13am, they say there is a global version

Network

Technology	GSM / HSPA / LTE
2G bands	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2
3G bands	HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
4G bands	LTE band 1(2100), 3(1800), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 20(800), 38(2600), 40(2300), 41(2500)

but yeah looking at future as well. Still very happy with the Essential but I am thinking Xiaomi will be my next brand although the Nokia 9 has my attention as well.

Re: Pocophone F1

will13am — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 15:43:25 GMT

@ShawnC13 wrote:
@computergeek541, the parent company is Xiaomi and they are a pretty big phone company. No there isn't waterproofing on the phone and I have yet needed that as a feature for me. As well NFC I don't use. You mentioned the screen resolution and this is what I read from it. "There’s an extended 6.18-inch Full HD+ screen that dominates the front of the F1, sporting a 2246 x 1080 resolution. That renders it sharper than even not-so-affordable devices, such as Apple’s newly announced $749 iPhone XR"

@will13am, they say there is a global version
Network
Technology GSM / HSPA / LTE
2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2
3G bands HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
4G bands LTE band 1(2100), 3(1800), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 20(800), 38(2600), 40(2300), 41(2500)

but yeah looking at future as well. Still very happy with the Essential but I am thinking Xiaomi will be my next brand although the Nokia 9 has my attention as well.

Global version means band 4 and band 2 LTE is available. A lot of sites mix global rom (includes English language) and global version which includes band 4 LTE. The only compatible band is band 7 which is not a popular band in this country.

I totally do not understand why Xiaomi excludes NFC in their phones. I don't do mobile payments and so it is not a deal breaker for me. But lack of NFC is a major issue for many.

Re: Pocophone F1

srlawren — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 20:06:27 GMT

Once you get used to using Google Pay, it's hard to want to give it up. But the F1 offers a tremendous amount of value.

Honestly, if you don't care about LTE speed data, the global version is still a heck of a steal.

I'm still waiting on the OP7 to replace my 5T, but I recognize that they are no longer considered "budget" brand anymore. However, I still love the Oxygen OS experience, and make use of the alert slider regularly, etc. The OP's just work for me, they suit me well, and still don't carry a Samsung/Apple-tax.

Re: Pocophone F1

MoreYummy — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 04:04:12 GMT

Its a good value if you dont mind missing a few "not useful" feature. Overall very good phone, very fast.

Re: Pocophone F1

stonechucker — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 14:16:45 GMT

And what is a not useful feature in your mind @MoreYummy? NFC payments are fantastic for me, and I use them for the smaller purchase items like a coffee or a fast food meal, as it's easier to use my default payment card on my phone, rather than pulling out my wallet and finding either the cash or the actual 'tap' card.

NFC is huge for me - certainly not an feature I'd call not useful.

Re: Pocophone F1

MoreYummy — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 15:06:14 GMT

If you cant live without one features and can not use something else, then its important.

Not everyone will keep the same habit all the time over something else. Its anyone's choice, either convenience or not.

Re: Pocophone F1

srlawren — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 19:43:30 GMT

@stonechucker wrote:
And what is a not useful feature in your mind @MoreYummy?

@stonechucker ask 12 people and you'll get 12 different answers. 😉

For me, NFC is something I could live without, but would definitely prefer to have it. A lot of people complain that OnePlus phones don't have wireless charging and it's a dealbreaker to them, when personally I could not care less and love the dash/warp charging they provide instead. That said, I would like to see an official ingress certification rather than just saying they are kinda water resistant, LOL. Everyon's got their own list of gotta have/nice to have/might be cool/couldn't care less features, I suppose.

Re: Pocophone F1

stonechucker — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 19:49:48 GMT

@srlawren, I wanted the NFC actually on my wrist, but I couldn't justify paying 6 arms and 3 legs for the top of the line smartwatches that had 'all' the features.

Over the Christmas break (I got 2 weeks off), I decided to purchase a Ticwatch S - It has the built-in GPS, the pulse reader (on demand, not a live monitor) and allows me to track my steps when I forget my phone at home when taking the dog for a walk.

Sometimes I miss tracking my steps while walking her, sometimes twice a day, as I don't grab my phone always. Now, this watch does it for me.

Re: Pocophone F1

srlawren — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 20:24:15 GMT

@stonechucker nice! I like those ticwatches. I'm on my second Wear OS device. First a 1st gen Huawei Watch (or Huatch as it's commonly referred to LOL) and since last summer a 3rd gen Fossil Q Explorist, in black on black on black. I don't know how I ever lived without one. I wear them whenever I'm out of the house, as a discrete way to get my notifications. Wear app on the phone is set to auto-mute the phone when I'm wearing the watch, and then I get a discrete buzz on my wrist instead. Big fan of smartwatches, though, to be fair, I was always "a watch guy" before that so I'm used to wearing one anyway. Neither of my devices can do NFC on my wrist either, but I'm okay with that.

Re: Pocophone F1

stonechucker — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 20:32:17 GMT

@srlawren, I previous wore a Fossil Nate standard watch - loved it, but was so big!! My wrist just wasn't big enough to wear it comfortably. I use the wrist notifications also and silence the phone via wearOS. I actually purchased a premium watch face to get extra launch buttons for $1.99.

I used to work inside computer cases years ago and stopped wearing a watch (and rings) so I wouldn't get them caught. Now my only issue is taking my current winter jacket off, as the watch is stopping the liner from easily going over the thicker watch 😞 Problems eh?

Re: Pocophone F1

srlawren — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 20:43:28 GMT

@stonechucker gloves can be a pain, too. I got a new pair for Christmas (after conveniently loosing one of my old ones a couple of weeks before) and they are runner's gloves, designed to roll part way up the forearm, which is tough on my watch wrist. But it's thin enough that I can just bunch it up a bit and it works. And no, I'm not a runner! But the gloves are nice. 🙂

Re: Pocophone F1

TimeLemon — Wed, 16 Jan 2019 16:08:34 GMT

I have this phone, and am using it right now with public mobile. This page can show you the steps to putting stock android on the phone, along with rooting it (but if you don't want to root it then don't follow through with the magisk step.) There isn't anything I found wrong with the phone. The global version works just fine with the network, as long as the latest update is installed. It is basically just a bare-bones pixel 3 for $400, so I'd say go for it!

EDIT: Typos

Re: Pocophone F1

TimeLemon — Wed, 16 Jan 2019 16:12:21 GMT

I enjoy how quickly this went from phones to watches to gloves... Anyone suggest any cheap smart watches? I have been thinking about getting one.

Re: Pocophone F1

ShawnC13 — Wed, 16 Jan 2019 16:22:36 GMT

@TimeLemon wrote:
I enjoy how quickly this went from phones to watches to gloves... Anyone suggest any cheap smart watches? I have been thinking about getting one.

@TimeLemon, what are you looking for? I have a Xiaomi Mi Band 3, it gives me notifications for email texts and phone calls. You can't really read the full messages on teh watch so I do need to goto my phone for the full info but I use it more for notification of the messages as my phone is always on silent. I think I got it for ~$30 or something from aliexpress. I am looking at their actual watch now but with exchange it has gone to over $100 but quality of the product is great. Waterproof been swimming with it many times, battery life last well over a week and have it go over 2 weeks as well.

Re: Pocophone F1

TimeLemon — Wed, 16 Jan 2019 16:33:12 GMT

@ShawnC13, you pretty much summed up exactly what I wanted, thanks! I'll probably wait till it goes on sale during a holiday.

Re: Pocophone F1

srlawren — Wed, 16 Jan 2019 17:00:57 GMT

@TimeLemon not super cheap, but if your're looking for something that looks like an actual watch (rather than an activity tracking band--which may or may not be your thing), the 4th gen Fossil Q Explorist HR is a pretty good value at $335 with the silicon strap or a few different colour combos with leather straps brown leather or tan leather (there is a black too but the link is broken). Or, for $365 in either of two different steel band colours regular stainless or smoked stainless.

I've got the 3rd gen Explorist and wear it literally every day. Great watch, but this newer version is better as mine lacks a heart rate sensor but the 4th gen has one. If you saw a 1st or 2nd gen Fossil and got scared off by the flat tire screen, note that these don't have that issue.

EDIT: sorry didn't notice your reply to @ShawnC13, looks like my suggetions probably weren't to your tastes. Ah well, swing and a miss!