The news of the day in the mobile scene is a phone with enormous potential and heir to the short history of the brand: the POCO F4 GT is now official. And with it comes the controversy: part of the 599 euros for its basic model, a price that we did not expect for the POCO category and strategy. Of course, this change of direction is not strange.
I remember having that first Pocophone F1 in my hands when it had not yet been officially presented on the market. He couldn’t explain to me how Xiaomi had done it to cram the best processor of the moment (the Snapdragon 845) into a 300-euro mobile. Yes, he wasn’t exactly pretty, nor did he take scandalous photos. But what power, nothing better could be bought. Because who needed to spend half a salary to have the maximum in performance? This strategy broke the market. And it seems that it no longer has continuity.
From outstanding power at a ridiculous price to an undisguised high-end
LITTLE F4 GT
The Pocophone F1 involved the premiere of the brand and also of the range, an “F” series that has been bringing success and sales in equal parts. In fact, I’ve had enough of recommending the POCO F3, a mobile that, after more than a year on the market, It is still as valid today as in 2021. In fact, I would recommend it over the new model, an heir to the F-series that has raised the prestige of the processor.
2022 is assuming a change of strategy within POCO: the different iterations of the ranges maintain a large part of the features of the previous generation; with an overall decline in the processor category. From the Snapdragon 860 of the POCO X3 Pro to the Snapdragon 695 of the POCO X4 Pro 5G, for example. And from the Snapdragon 870 of the POCO F3 to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 of the POCO F4 GT. Ok, in this case there is a noticeable evolution, but with a counterpart: almost double the price.
POCO has kept the price down for most of the range at the cost of offering slightly less powerful processors. And, for the POCO F4 GT, it maintains the strategy of maximum power with the trade-off of cost: It is the most expensive mobile in the entire POCO catalog. Without this avoiding scoring an achievement: the POCO F4 GT is one of the cheapest Android phones with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (it competes very closely with the Realme GT 2 Pro).
599 euros is a lot for a LITTLE, the joke was already done. Even so, I must admit that the phone shows ways, it has earned a place on my list of possible purchases. Not now, of course, it is best to wait for the price to drop, a “disease” that the LITTLE suffer more than any other.
Yes, the POCO F4 GT is expensive. But…
It seems that the manufacturers did not achieve the sufficient volume of purchases from Qualcomm to cheapen the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 to the level of being able to incorporate it into the mid/high range. Although last year we saw that the Snapdragon 888 appeared in mobiles such as the Realme GT, a high-end of heart that came out in the line of 400 euros, with the most powerful SoC of 2022 there is not so much luck. No doubt the shortage of chips is partly to blame.
POCO has wanted to maintain the very high performance of its highest category mobile regardless of the fact that the cost stands out from the average for the brand. And a lot. But it’s not all bad news as the phone raises the bar for hardware sky high at the same time that it differs from the rest of mobile phones with its “gaming” spirit.
As much as this mobile is new in Europe, POCO has not developed it from scratch: the F4 GT is the internationalization of the Redmi K50 Gaming Edition. In fact, the design, format of the cameras, retractable triggers with physical buttons and even fast charging are identical. If we take into account that the Redmi K50 Gaming Edition came out in China with a price of almost 500 euros to change, it seems logical to me that the POCO F4 GT goes to 600 euros. Logical, but not desirable.
Left, Redmi K50 Gaming Edition; right, POCO F4 GT
Having the maximum in power, a screen of excellent quality, a fast charge that revives the mobile in the blink of an eye, having a different design and a sound to match, among many other reference details, it has a price. Given what the market currently offers, I don’t think the POCO F4 GT is a (very) expensive mobile. Of course, the same thing that happened to me with the POCO F3 no longer happens: I would not recommend it to anyone. I think the main difference lies right at this point.
I will continue to recommend the POCO F3
The POCO F3 is still the best option
I don’t think POCO has changed the strategy, it has simply had to adapt to the costs of delivering the maximum in key components with a mobile. As happened to OnePlus, with the jump between generations, mobiles became more expensive due, above all, to to the increase in price of the processor and company. Although yes, OnePlus does not abuse the features that have made POCO strong: occasional sales beyond the limit.
I have recommended the POCO F3 ad nauseam: it seems to me a round mobile for what it is worth, it can currently be purchased for 249 euros. For that price, it does not have much to envy the new POCO F4 GT: it is powerful, agile, it remains quite up-to-date and offers an excellent experience on all terrains. When the POCO F4 GT drops below 400 euros in the coming months, we’ll talk.
