Source: Apoorva Bhardwaj/Android Central

I’m exceptionally priveleged to be able to utilize the most recent and greatest phones, however the mad speed of the industy ways there isn’t a lot of time for reflection. Luckily, there’s a lull in the launch cycle before the inescapable flood starts next month at Mobile World Congress, so I chose to go through all the phones I’ve collected over the last two years and review a couple of standouts.

The apparent beginning point is the POCO F1.

The brainchild of Jai Mani and a select team of hardware engineers working out of Xiaomi’s Beijing head office, the POCO F1 was catered to power users from the very beginning. The luring hardware integrated with the attractive price point made it an instant hit, and to this day Xiaomi is seeing decent sales figures.

Here’s how the POCO F1 is doing in 2020.

Source: Apoorva Bhardwaj/Android Central

Whenever I pick up the POCO F1, I have to remind myself that it costs just $350 Yes, the phone has a polycarbonate back, but it operates in its favor. The design ensures it is rugged than the usual metal-and-glass chassis that we’re utilized to in this classification, and the Armored Edition that I’m utilizing has weathered several tumbles over the last 18 months without any problems.

The Snapdragon 845 chipset still has a lot to use in 2020, and the polycarbonate back turned out to be rather durable.

Also, the kevlar surface with the textured pattern at the back deals exceptional grip and makes it harder for spots to show up.

The style itself may not be to everyone’s tastes, however I like the kevlar version. It is simlistic when seen against the styles we have in the marketplace now, but I ‘d rather have a phone with great internal hardware and uninteresting design than the other way around.

I use over 30 phones over the course of a year, and it isn’t feasible for me to test a phone long-term.

There have actually been barely any problems in the year that my papa has actually used the POCO F1. He gets quite vocal about any software shortcomings, and disallowing the odd glitch with MIUI not being able to remain linked to the Equipment Fit and ambient brightness concerns, it has been smooth sailing. These problems were resolved with software updates, and in general the POCO F1 has actually shown itself to be a trustworthy workhorse. At the end of the day, that’s what you want from a phone.

Source: Apoorva Bhardwaj/Android Central

Source: Apoorva Bhardwaj/Android Central

Another location where the POCO F1 continues to do well is battery life. The phone still provides a day’s worth of use from the 4000 mAh battery, and the fact that there’s 18 W quick charging makes it easier to charge it up whenever it’s running low.

POCO’s decision to over-engineer the phone operated in its favor here, because from a hardware viewpoint, there truly isn’t anything lacking on the POCO F1. Were it not for the reality that the phone wouldn’t get any additional platform updates, I would not have any qualms suggesting the device in 2020.

POCO F1 What’s not excellent

Source: Apoorva Bhardwaj/Android Central

The broad cutout at the front immediately calls out the fact that the POCO F1 was released in2018 The notch was thedefining trend that year, and I’m delighted that particular feature only lasted one generation. The smaller waterdrop cutout that we have now is far more elegant, and far less disruptive.

The POCO F1 got the MIUI 11 upgrade, but beneath it’s still on Android 9.0 Pie.

But my main issue with the POCO F1 in 2020 is the update scenario.

It is terrific to see the POCO F1 picking up MIUI updates, but the truth that it may not get even two platform updates is a disappointment.

POCO F1 What’s next for POCO in 2020?

Source: Apoorva Bhardwaj/Android Central

While the POCO F1 continues to be a fantastic phone to this day, the brand name had a quiet2019 Jai Mani left Xiaomi to return to the U.S., and the brand name is now under Alvin Tse. I was waiting to see what Xiaomi would provide with the POCO F2, however that didn’t materialize.

It now looks like we will get a POCO F2 after all, with Xiaomi set to present the phone sometime later this year. The timing exercises quite well for Xiaomi as it enables the brand to place the F2 as an ovious upgrade course for POCO F1 owners that are aiming to make the switch to a new phone in 2020.

It will be intriguing to see the direction POCO takes here, due to the fact that the F1 is a hard act to follow.

If you’re searching for a good deal on a phone, the POCO F1 is still offered for just14,999 Yes, the phone is nearly 2 years of ages and is unlikely to receive further platform updates, but the hardware you’re getting here is pretty amazing.