Poco X3 drops NFC in India, tacks on a bigger battery

poco x3 india 1

Credit: Poco

The Poco X3 has launched in India.
The phone is a regional variant of the Poco X3 NFC launched earlier this month.
It does however feature a bigger battery than its European-focused sibling.

There’s a new Poco phone heading to India. Dubbed the Poco X3, it’s a slightly tweaked regional variant of the Poco X3 NFC.

Despite the slightly different monikers, the two devices are visually similar sporting the brand’s first original (and arguably divisive) design of 2020. This includes the large POCO logo emblazoned on the phone’s back with a circular camera array sitting above it. Upfront, the X3 also sports a punch-hole with minimal bezels.

Where the X3 does trump its global sibling is in the battery department. Keeping the lights on is a substantial 6,000mAh battery, which can be topped up via Poco’s 33W fast charging system claimed to top up the battery in 86 minutes. That a substantially larger battery than the Poco X3 NFC’s 5,160mAh power bank, but still falls short of the Galaxy M51‘s 7,000mAh reservoir. You’re missing out on NFC too in India, as you may have guessed from the lack of “NFC” in the phone’s name.

poco x3 india 2

Credit: Poco

The substantial differences between the Poco X3 and Poco X3 NFC end there, though.

We’re also looking at a 6.67-inch 2,340 x 1,080 display on the Poco X3 with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 240Hz touch sampling rate. That refresh rate can vary between 50Hz, 60Hz, 90Hz, or 120Hz depending on the use case, which should further aid the device’s battery life.

For photographers, the Poco X3 is also headlined by a Sony IMX682 64MP snapper, also used on the Galaxy M51. A 13MP ultra-wide camera, 2MP macro snapper, and 2MP depth sensor also make the cut while a 20MP selfie snapper can be found in the punch-hole.

Other niceties include MIUI 12 running on Android 10, an IP53 rating, a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, and dual stereo speakers.

Poco X3: Indian price and availability

The Poco X3 will arrive in two colorways – Shadow Grey and Cobalt Blue – with three RAM/storage options.

The base 6GB/64GB model will retail for Rs 16,999 (~$231). If you want 128GB of storage with 6GB of RAM, you’ll need Rs 18,499 (~$251). Finally, the top-spec model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage will cost Rs 19,999 (~$272).

As expected, the Poco X3 is also much cheaper than the European-focused X3 NFC which starts at €229 (~$271).

There’s no shortage of options at this price point either, but the Poco X3 looks a stellar option. It does undercut the Galaxy M51 and challenges the Realme 7 Pro on value.

All models go on sale on Flipkart on September 29 at 12 PM IST (2:30 AM ET).