Poco F1 FAQ

BY Rajesh Pandey

Published 24 Aug 2018

The Poco F1 from Xiaomi’s new sub-brand Poco has managed to create quite a stir in the smartphone world. It is currently the cheapest smartphone in the market featuring a Snapdragon 845 chip and 6GB RAM.

Given its low price, it is not surprising that many consumers are interested in switching to it. Some are, however, skeptical of buying the device due to its low price as they feel the device might be lacking something that’s not immediately obvious. Whatever the case might be, if you are interested in buying the Poco F1 and have some questions about it, check out our FAQ below.

Read: Poco F1 vs OnePlus 6 Comparison: Which One Should You Buy?

Poco F1 FAQ

Q) What are the full specifications of the Poco F1?

A) The full specs of the handset are as follows:

  • Dimensions: 155.5 x 75.3 x 8.8mm, 180g
  • Display: 6..18-inch 18.7:9 aspect ratio FHD+ display, 500 nit brightness, Gorilla Glass
  • Chipset: Snapdragon 845 at 2.8GHz, AIE 845, Adreno 630 GPU, LiquidCool technology
  • RAM: 6/8GB LPDDR4X RAM
  • Storage: 64/128/256GB storage, microSD card slot
  • Camera: 12 + 5MP AI Camera
    • 12MP primary camera with f/1.9 aperture, 1.4um pixel
    • Dual Pixel Autofocus
    • HDR, AI Scene Detection
    • LED flash
    • 5MP dept camera
  • Selfie Camera: 20MP f/2.0 aperture
    • 1.8um pixel binning
    • HDR, AI Beautify, Portrait mode
  • Face Unlock with infrared sensors, Fingerprint sensor
  • 4,000mAh battery, Quick Charge 3.0 support
  • 4G+ connectivity, Hybrid SIM slot, USB-C, Bluetooth 5.0, aptX, Wi-Fi MIMO

Q) Does the Poco F1 feature a headphone jack?

A) Yes, the 3.5mm headphone jack is located at the top of the device.

Q) Is the Poco F1 made of plastic?

A) Yes. The Poco F1 features a unibody polycarbonate build. The use of plastic might seem like an odd choice but it gives the handset a very rugged and durable design, something which cannot be said for other phones featuring a glass design.

There’s also an Armoured edition of the Poco F1 featuring a DuPont Kevlar back for a slightly more premium look and feel.

Q) Is the Poco F1 water-resistant?

A) No. The Poco F1 is not water resistant or even splashproof.

Q) Is the battery of the handset removable?

A) No. The Poco F1 features a unibody plastic construction which means its back cover is not removable.

Q) What kind of SIM card slot does the phone have? Can one use two SIM cards and a microSD card at the same time?

A) The Poco F1 features a hybrid SIM slot. This means one can use two nanoSIM cards or a SIM card and a microSD card on the device at any given time.

Q) Is the display on the Poco F1 protected by Gorilla Glass?

A) Yes, the display on the handset is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass.

Q) Can the notch part of the display be turned off?

A) Yes, you can turn off the notch from the Settings menu if you don’t like it.

Q) What OS does the Poco F1 run on?

A) The handset runs on Poco for MIUI. This highly customized version of MIUI is all about speed. It also comes with a new system theme and a Poco launcher which features an app drawer.

Xiaomi/Poco is also promising security updates for the F1 once every quarter and quick Android updates. The handset will get an MIUI build based on Android Pie in Q4 this year.

Q) Can one lock apps using the fingerprint scanner on the Poco F1?

A) Yes, you can. App lock feature is a part of MIUI.

Q) How many different variants of the Poco F1 6 are there?

A) In India, Poco is selling four different variants of the Poco F1 catering to different price points

  • 6GB RAM/64GB storage – Rs 20,999
  • 6GB RAM/128GB storage – Rs 23,999
  • 8GB/256GB storage – Rs 28,999
  • Armoured Edition, 8GB RAM/256GB storage – Rs 29,999

The Armoured edition of the Poco F1 features a kevlar back.

Q) Are there any other differences between the three variants of the device?

A) There are no other differences between the other variants of the Poco F1.

Q) What’s the dual-camera setup of the Poco F1 like? 

A) The primary 12MP sensor on the Poco F1 features a f/1.9 aperture with 1.4um large pixels. It lacks OIS, though it features an AI mode, multi-frame noise reduction, and HDR. This is paired with a 5MP depth sensor.

Q) Is there FM radio on the Poco F1?

A) Yes, the Poco F1 has FM Radio.

Q) What about IR blaster?

A) No. The Poco F1 is among the very few Xiaomi devices launched in India which comes without a handy IR blaster.

Q) Where is the fingerprint scanner on the Poco F1 located?

A) The fingerprint scanner is located at the back of the device.

Q) What about Face unlock?

A) Yes, the Poco F1 has Face unlock. Unlike many other smartphones in the market, the Poco F1 features IR sensors at the front which illuminates one’s face in dark. This ensures that face unlock on the handset works properly even in low-light scenarios.

Q) What’s so special about Poco for MIUI?

A) The Poco F1 runs on a special version of MIUI that is optimized for speed, performance, and security updates. Dubbed Poco for MIUI, this version of MIUI feels considerably faster than the regular build of MIUI.

Poco for MIUI is based on MIUI 9.6.

Q) Which version of Android does the handset run on?

A) Android 8.1 Oreo with July security patch.

Q) What about Android Pie update for the handset?

A) Poco has promised to roll out a Poco for MIUI build based on Android Pie in Q4 this year.

Q) Does the Poco F1 support LTE and VoLTe networks? Will a Reliance Jio SIM work on the phone?

A) Yes, it supports LTE and VoLTE out of the box. Unlike many other phones, the handset will also work with a Reliance Jio SIM out of the box. In fact, the Poco

Q) Is there Dual-VoLTE support on the Poco F1?

A) Yes, the Poco F1 supports dual-VoLTE which means you can use two Jio SIM cards on the phone at any given time.

Q) Does the Poco F1 support Quick/Fast Charging?

A) Yes, the Poco F1 has Quick Charge 3.0 support. Even better, a Quick Charge 3.0 charger comes bundled with the device.

Q) How much free storage space does the Poco F1 has out of the box?

A) The 64GB Poco F1 comes 51GB of free storage space.

Q) Can you uninstall or disable pre-installed apps on the handset?

A) Yes, you can uninstall or disable some pre-installed apps on the Poco F1, though the handset does not come with many pre-installed apps to begin with.

Q) What contents do you get inside the retail box of the Poco F1?

A) You get the phone, a Quick Charge 3.0 charger, a USB-C cable, SIM ejector tool, and some regulatory papers. No screen guard or earphones are bundled with the phone.

Q) Does the handset support USB OTG?

A) Yes, the Poco F1 6 supports USB On-The-Go. This allows you to directly connect pen drives, external hard disks and more using an adapter to the device.

Q) When does the Poco F1 go on sale in India and where?

A) The Poco F1 goes on sale in India from August 29th. It will be available online exclusively through Mi.com and Flipkart.


Have any other questions about the Poco F1? Drop a comment and we will answer them for you.