Pocophone F1 - The new flagship killer?

Standard Toaster · 03-09-2018 12:13pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7nC7G_urPY

The Soup Thief · 03-09-2018 12:19pm

The Soup Thief wrote: »

I just ordered a 6gb/128gb blue one from eglobalcentral.eu
Free delivery to Ireland in 6-8 working days
€326 (using a 5.99 off voucher) which doesn't seem bad
Order is currently in progress - I'll check back in when it arrives

They're doing a flash sale today so prices for all models have dropped 128gb version is now down to about €312

TitianGerm · 03-09-2018 12:30pm

Not sure it was mentioned but the 128GB is available for pre-order from Honorbuy European warehouse now. Should ship around the 7th.

https://www.honorbuy.com/1527-xiaomi-pocophone-f1-official-global-version-128gb-smartphone-black.html

MOH · 03-09-2018 12:38pm

The Soup Thief wrote: »

They're doing a flash sale today so prices for all models have dropped 128gb version is now down to about €312

The black 128GB is cheaper than the 64GB?!

Are they reliable? Really tempted to pull the trigger.

ouxbbkqtswdfaw · 03-09-2018 12:40pm

Just remember eglobal take their time. You might have forgotten what you ordered! Pay the bit extra and get it from Amazon.

Standard Toaster · 03-09-2018 12:46pm

7s52ot9fg4eqvr wrote: »

Pay the bit extra and get it from Amazon.

Any idea when one will be able to order from Amazon and the likes?
Has the Kevlar edition gone on sale anywhere yet?

MOH · 03-09-2018 12:49pm

7s52ot9fg4eqvr wrote: »

Just remember eglobal take their time. You might have forgotten what you ordered! Pay the bit extra and get it from Amazon.

I'd consider it, but the cheapest I can find it on Amazon (UK) is about 70 quid more.

tedpan · 03-09-2018 2:09pm

MOH wrote:

The black 128GB is cheaper than the 64GB?!

MOH wrote:

Are they reliable? Really tempted to pull the trigger.

Very reliable. As long as you allow 2 weeks for delivery you won't be disappointed. I think Dinny is now awaiting delivery from eglobal. I'll be buying one as soon as I get cash!

The Soup Thief · 03-09-2018 4:39pm

Ooh crumbs! Now I'm in a pickle.
I ordered a 128gb F1 last night, then saw this morning that eglobal central have launched presales of the red one and dropped the price.
I cancelled my order (got confirmation email) and was going to order the red 128gb one tonight.
Then I saw you can get a 64gb Mi8 from AliExpress for €325, 128gb for €350!
The OLED screen, OIS camera, nicer build and the NFC might edge this for me (only real downside is the lack of SD slot, but i reckon i can live with 128gb internal).
I've an evening to mull...

03-09-2018 4:52pm

The Soup Thief wrote: »

Ooh crumbs! Now I'm in a pickle.
I ordered a 128gb F1 last night, then saw this morning that eglobal central have launched presales of the red one and dropped the price.
I cancelled my order (got confirmation email) and was going to order the red 128gb one tonight.
Then I saw you can get a 64gb Mi8 from AliExpress for €325, 128gb for €350!
The OLED screen, OIS camera, nicer build and the NFC might edge this for me (only real downside is the lack of SD slot, but i reckon i can live with 128gb internal).
I've an evening to mull...

would you not be at risk of duty and customs on the aliexpress route? aren't there extra delivery costs also.

nfc is increasingly useful for sure - pity that it's not on the f1.
bigger battery on the f1 tho.

the red one is the best colour imo on the normal f1 model

The Soup Thief · 03-09-2018 4:58pm

glasso wrote: »

would you not be at risk of duty and customs on the aliexpress route? aren't there extra delivery costs also.

nfc is increasingly useful for sure - pity that it's not on the f1.
bigger battery on the f1 tho.

It's €350 including delivery.

3200mAh battery on the mi 8 is fairly substantial - should easily do me a day and a bit.

Duty though... Good point
And a glass back (GG5, but even that's not too forgiving)

03-09-2018 5:05pm

durability to drops on the f1 seems poor.

broke from a 3 feet drop

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFLSRzKO6Ag

actuar90 · 03-09-2018 5:09pm

"would you not be at risk of duty and customs on the aliexpress route? aren't there extra delivery costs also."

Is there not a danger of this with eGlobal central also? Thats the main reason I've held off ordering from them

squawker · 03-09-2018 5:12pm

actuar90 wrote: »

Is there not a danger of this with eGlobal central also? Thats the main reason I've held off ordering from them

nope eGlobal has Euro warehouses

along with other sites like Honorbuy & Geekbuying

03-09-2018 5:13pm

yes eglobal you won't get caught for duty

The Soup Thief · 03-09-2018 5:28pm

actuar90 wrote: »

"would you not be at risk of duty and customs on the aliexpress route? aren't there extra delivery costs also."

Is there not a danger of this with eGlobal central also? Thats the main reason I've held off ordering from them

I emailed eglobal central this morning and got the following reply:

"With regard to your query, we would like to confirm that orders placed on our site, are shipped out from our Hong Kong Warehouse as we are a Hong Kong Based company. The invoice we send is based only on the price of the item, any tax or vat amount will not be indicated on the invoice

However, we ship our orders with special logistics arrangement and therefore all you will need to pay is the prices on website, no VAT, import fees nor hidden charges involved for the customer on any order. Any VAT or customs duties incurred will be settled by eGlobaL. The price you see on the website is the final price you pay for the product.

Hereby, we confirm that we will settle VAT, related taxes and custom charges"

They stop short of stating that they have paid the duties and it seems as if the EU warehouse bit is a fib (when I placed the order with them last night it said it ships from Hong Kong, which is not currently one of the EU 28!)

However, they do indicate above that they'll pick up the tab if you're caught for tax, which is some kind of something...

I feel I may have just taken the pin out of a grenade, so I'm gonna just stroll off and lurk for a bit while you lot chew that over ðŸ€

I think I like the mi8 better, btw

03-09-2018 5:38pm

mi 8 is a nicer looking phone with nfc and better overall build quality imo.
if I could get it for not much more than the f1 I'd go for that. the notch is really big on the f1 also.

going to cost you more tho when the shipping from aliexpress is taken into account.

duty would add another 23% + collection charge again.

some aliexpress sellers claim that the dhl option will avoid customs I think but not sure how reliable that is

TitianGerm · 03-09-2018 5:44pm

glasso wrote: »

mi 8 is a nicer looking phone with nfc and better overall build quality imo.
if I could get it for not much more than the f1 I'd go for that. the notch is really big on the f1 also.

going to cost you more tho when the shipping from aliexpress is taken into account.

duty would add another 23% + collection charge again.

some aliexpress sellers claim that the dhl option will avoid customs I think but not sure how reliable that is

If your going to spend a little more I'd consider the Honor 10. Available for £359 (€395) from Amazon.

The Soup Thief · 03-09-2018 5:55pm

TitianGerm wrote: »

If your going to spend a little more I'd consider the Honor 10. Available for £359 (€395) from Amazon.

Interesting suggestion, and Huawei do make really nice hardware, but their bootloader policy puts me off a lot. I'd rather have an SD 845 than a Kirin 970, plus I think the mi 8 camera is better regarded. Thanks for the idea though

Madly, Gearbest are doing the honor 10 for €324, 128gb/4gb, delivered with a global ROM (though you'd be stuck on that forever)

tedpan · 03-09-2018 5:57pm

TitianGerm wrote:

If your going to spend a little more I'd consider the Honor 10. Available for Â£359 (â‚¬395) from Amazon.

Nice phone, although the battery is not good enough. I need 4000mah at a minimum.

Widdensushi · 03-09-2018 6:18pm

glasso wrote: »

durability to drops on the f1 seems poor.

broke from a 3 feet drop

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFLSRzKO6Ag

Had one in the shopping cart on laptop and watched that and changed my mind,i have a habit of dropping my phone and that one wouldnt last me long

Pacifico · 03-09-2018 7:01pm

TitianGerm wrote: »

If your going to spend a little more I'd consider the Honor 10. Available for £359 (€395) from Amazon.

At that point i'd keep going and get the Mate 10 Pro @ £399! No notch, OLED, 4000mah & a great camera

TitianGerm · 03-09-2018 7:10pm

Pacifico wrote: »

At that point i'd keep going and get the Mate 10 Pro @ £399! No notch, OLED, 4000mah & a great camera

Yea saw that as well. I was going to hold off for the OP6T but looking at a few different things at the minute but considering the S9+ and the Oppo F9.

03-09-2018 8:53pm

where can you get the mate 10 pro for 399?

tedpan · 03-09-2018 9:15pm

glasso wrote:

where can you get the mate 10 pro for 399?

Pounds

tedpan · 03-09-2018 9:20pm

Should have said, Currys UK site or Currys have stock on eBay uk

MrStuffins · 04-09-2018 1:48pm

Am I right in thinking that any version on sale at the moment will come with a two-prong European plug?

04-09-2018 2:02pm

MrStuffins wrote: »

Am I right in thinking that any version on sale at the moment will come with a two-prong European plug?

probably safe to assume that. some suppliers may provide you with a converter.
otherwise you can get one for 1.50 in a shop like dealz

04-09-2018 2:54pm

looking more into this phone perf (just below 1+6) and camera (around or very just below 1+6) are good.
good battery.
but the build quality doesn't seem to be great.
raised glass on the front seems to make it susceptible to cracking at the sides on dropping even from low heights.
doesn't have a premium look overall.
glass on front seems to scratch easily also.
waterproofing side seems to be poor - obviously not officially certified but besides that would be more prone to water damage than other phones.

so good perf and camera but not without compromises.

MOH · 04-09-2018 3:26pm

glasso wrote: »

looking more into this phone perf (just below 1+6) and camera (around or very just below 1+6) are good.
good battery.
but the build quality doesn't seem to be great.
raised glass on the front seems to make it susceptible to cracking at the sides on dropping even from low heights.
doesn't have a premium look overall.
glass on front seems to scratch easily also.
waterproofing side seems to be poor - obviously not officially certified but besides that would be more prone to water damage than other phones.

so good perf and camera but not without compromises.

That video above of it being dropped repeatedly on it's corner on a tiled floor wouldn't particularly bother me, especially given it'll be in a case from the moment I unbox it.
I've seen waterproofing tests that indicate it holds up quite well.
And it's the same version of Gorilla Glass as on the front of my Onpelus One that's been in my pocket with keys and coins for the past 4 years and doesn't have a mark on it.
Look is a subjective thing, looks fine to me.

Only reason I've held off on it is the lack of NFC. I'm still not sure a wider European release won't include an NFC version, so holding off on buying an import until that's setteled.

04-09-2018 5:05pm

haven't seen any mention of nfc for any version.

definitely the way that it has raised edges at the front means that the glass has a higher chances of breaking.

already a thick enough phone so wouldn't be the most suited to a case in terms of not overly bulking up the overall footprinnt and fitting it in your pocket.

The Soup Thief · 04-09-2018 8:14pm

MOH wrote: »

Only reason I've held off on it is the lack of NFC. I'm still not sure a wider European release won't include an NFC version, so holding off on buying an import until that's setteled.

A good point MOH.
After all that indecision the other night about buying a Mi8 I discovered that the phones I found the great deal on were Chinese retail versions, flashed with an international ROM. Problem was, in order to flash a new ROM the bootloader had to be unlocked - i read around and find that relocking with a new ROM bricks the phone, but leaving the bootloader unlocked borks the NFC! Added to the tax obligations I decided to sack the idea and ordered a blue 128gb F1 from eglobalcentral.eu (€312 delivered, with 3 pin plug and international ROM)

That slightly optimistic point about NFC on the European versions has me wondering. It wouldn't amaze me if there was an NFC capability, disabled by software in India. I guess if someone has an F1 already (even an import) they could try running Devcheck from XDA or Play to see if the relevant hardware is present. I've not read about anyone finding it in the teardowns, but we're talking about a miniscule component so would hardly be surprising if it were missed. I'll ask on XDA and see if anyone can shed any light.

Countering that optimism with my natural pessimism I'm wondering if, if NFC were present, will we fudge it by unlocking the bootloader as happens with the mi8?

All will be revealed...

@glasso - that's what tempered glass screen protectors are for

04-09-2018 9:36pm

I don't fully understand why nfc is absent from budget and many mid-range phones.
is it a cost issue (how much does it cost to implement) or purely a segmentation issue?!

04-09-2018 9:40pm

The Soup Thief wrote: »

@glasso - that's what tempered glass screen protectors are for

it has 2.5d curved glass on the front - that means that temperered glass protectors won't be able to cover the whole front - looks like absolute sh1t with a protector then a big gap to the side of the glass - 10x worse than any notch

like this or most likely way worse

9H-2-5D-Anti-Explosion-Screen-Protector-Tempered-Glass-For-iPhone-7-7-Plus-6-6.jpg_640x640.jpg

9H-2-5D-Anti-Explosion-Screen-Protector-Tempered-Glass-For-iPhone-7-7-Plus-6-6.jpg_640x640.jpg

The Soup Thief · 04-09-2018 10:00pm

glasso wrote: »

it has 2.5d curved glass on the front - that means that temperered glass protectors won't be able to cover the whole front - looks like absolute sh1t with a protector then a big gap to the side of the glass - 10x worse than any notch

I have ordered a glass screen protector that claimed to follow the contour of the curved glass. We'll see what the postman brings, but if it is flat like you say, then it probably will look like a hatful of arses

NFC, FM radio and similar features are so cheap they're nearly free, but I really think they are omitted to segment / differentiate markets. It's all a bit weird. The F1 itself is strange to my mind in that it has been pitched as, and frankly is a phone designed for a market segment that's always been neglected. People who want a cheap but balls-out fast phone with a massive battery and an SD slot. People care less about fancy design than fancy designers would have us believe.

corwill · 04-09-2018 10:24pm

The Soup Thief wrote: »

I have ordered a glass screen protector that claimed to follow the contour of the curved glass. We'll see what the postman brings, but if it is flat like you say, then it probably will look like a hatful of arses

That halo effect makes me want to eat my own head, even seeing it on someone else's phone.

The Soup Thief · 04-09-2018 10:41pm

corwill wrote: »

That halo effect makes me want to eat my own head, even seeing it on someone else's phone.

But if it stopped my phone breaking into teeny pieces I reckon could deal with it. Bear in mind the F1 isn't much of a looker to start with!

jimmycrackcorm · 04-09-2018 10:53pm

Subcomandante Marcos wrote:

For that reason it's just seen as an unnecessary additional cost to have to put an NFC interface in the phone.

Not having NFC is crap if you have a LEAP card

The Soup Thief · 04-09-2018 10:59pm

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

Not having NFC is crap if you have a LEAP card

Absolutely! That's pretty much the only time I use it tbh, but it's worth having just for that

irishchris · 04-09-2018 11:52pm

Assume this phone can't play hd netflix or prime?

05-09-2018 2:17am

irishchris wrote: »

Assume this phone can't play hd netflix or prime?

540p Netflix

irishchris · 06-09-2018 8:08pm

glasso wrote: »

540p Netflix

That's massively disappointing :-(

Rock Paper Scissors · 06-09-2018 8:21pm

glasso wrote: »

mi 8 is a nicer looking phone with nfc and better overall build quality imo.
if I could get it for not much more than the f1 I'd go for that. the notch is really big on the f1 also.

going to cost you more tho when the shipping from aliexpress is taken into account.

duty would add another 23% + collection charge again.

some aliexpress sellers claim that the dhl option will avoid customs I think but not sure how reliable that is

I just took delivery of a Mi 8 and used one of the sellers on Ali that claim no customs charges if you pay for DHL. Delivery took 8 days and there were no customs fees.

The Soup Thief wrote: »

A good point MOH.
After all that indecision the other night about buying a Mi8 I discovered that the phones I found the great deal on were Chinese retail versions, flashed with an international ROM. Problem was, in order to flash a new ROM the bootloader had to be unlocked - i read around and find that relocking with a new ROM bricks the phone, but leaving the bootloader unlocked borks the NFC! Added to the tax obligations I decided to sack the idea and ordered a blue 128gb F1 from eglobalcentral.eu (€312 delivered, with 3 pin plug and international ROM)

That slightly optimistic point about NFC on the European versions has me wondering. It wouldn't amaze me if there was an NFC capability, disabled by software in India. I guess if someone has an F1 already (even an import) they could try running Devcheck from XDA or Play to see if the relevant hardware is present. I've not read about anyone finding it in the teardowns, but we're talking about a miniscule component so would hardly be surprising if it were missed. I'll ask on XDA and see if anyone can shed any light.

Countering that optimism with my natural pessimism I'm wondering if, if NFC were present, will we fudge it by unlocking the bootloader as happens with the mi8?

All will be revealed...

@glasso - that's what tempered glass screen protectors are for

Like you I was torn between the F1 and the Mi 8. I went with the Mi 8 in the end because in my opinion the build quality is superior (I don't like phones with plastic back covers) it has an AMOLED screen, NFC and the camera has OIS.

Yes its true that the phone is a Chinese model flashed with a global ROM but band 3 and band 20 are supported and it receives OTA updates so no worries.

When I got the phone, I installed TWRP, rooted it, and flashed the ROM from Xiaomi.eu, installed Magisk and NFC works perfectly. The camera on the Mi 8 is unbelievable and the phone itself is a work of art. Best phone I've ever had.

The ROM from xiaomi.eu unlocks some cool features not found of the global ROM such as infared face unlock and it also removes the chinese bloatware

Running sweet as a nut on vodafone 4g now.

The phone cost me €345 all in including DHL delivery for the 6GB RAM 64GB model

Tip: if your going to buy a Mi 8, pay in USD and use Revolut and you will save a few euro.

Here is the seller I purchased from

I am extremely happy with my decision of choosing the Mi 8 over the F1

The Soup Thief · 06-09-2018 9:37pm

Rock Paper Scissors wrote: »

I just took delivery of a Mi 8 and used one of the sellers on Ali that claim no customs charges if you pay for DHL. Delivery took 8 days and there were no customs fees.

Like you I was torn between the F1 and the Mi 8. I went with the Mi 8 in the end because in my opinion the build quality is superior (I don't like phones with plastic back covers) it has an AMOLED screen, NFC and the camera has OIS.

Yes its true that the phone is a Chinese model flashed with a global ROM but band 3 and band 20 are supported and it receives OTA updates so no worries.

When I got the phone, I installed TWRP, rooted it, and flashed the ROM from Xiaomi.eu, installed Magisk and NFC works perfectly. The camera on the Mi 8 is unbelievable and the phone itself is a work of art. Best phone I've ever had.

The ROM from xiaomi.eu unlocks some cool features not found of the global ROM such as infared face unlock and it also removes the chinese bloatware

Running sweet as a nut on vodafone 4g now.

The phone cost me €345 all in including DHL delivery for the 6GB RAM 64GB model

Tip: if your going to buy a Mi 8, pay in USD and use Revolut and you will save a few euro.

Here is the seller I purchased from

I am extremely happy with my decision of choosing the Mi 8 over the F1

Glad it paid off for you!
That's the same AliExpress seller I was going to use! Enjoy that beautiful AMOLED screen too, ya jammy thing

After googling I couldn't find any reassuring reports of people having managed to Kang a Chinese mi8 in the way you've managed to, so between the fear of ending up with a lemon and cautionary tales of people being hit up for tax I bottled it!

Nevermind - I'm sure I'll have lots of fun with the F1 when the postie brings it

Standard Toaster · 07-09-2018 10:19am

Anyone recieve their Pocophone yet?
Thorn between it and the Mi 8 now.

dinnybyrne · 07-09-2018 2:53pm

Standard Toaster wrote:

Anyone recieve their Pocophone yet? Thorn between it and the Mi 8 now.

Mine arrived today ordered it on the 29th, I'll update you later when i have it set up. So far so good tho...

Standard Toaster · 07-09-2018 5:43pm

dinnybyrne wrote: »

Mine arrived today ordered it on the 29th, I'll update you later when i have it set up. So far so good tho...

Nice. Will you let us know if you experience any multitouch or LED bleeding issues.

dinnybyrne · 07-09-2018 6:29pm

No issues with light bleeding or multitouch.
Very happy with it so far i ordered the 6gb/64gb version on eglobalcentral.eu for 309 euro. Took 9 days in total and no customs charges.
Its heavier than my OnePlus 3 build quality is nicer than i expected but i dont like the raised screen edges(exposed to breaking) so id advice anyone ordering one to order a case also.the supplied case is flush to the edge of the glass,dont see it protecting it in a fall.
The swipe gestures are great once you get the hang of it but im worried they wont work with a proper case as you swipe from the edge of the screen.
Battery is at 60 percent after messing with it for 5 hours.
Screen is nicer than i expected and its a powerful piece of hardware.
Love the face unlock absolutely seemless.
My cell reception has improved as well.

The Soup Thief · 07-09-2018 8:08pm

dinnybyrne wrote: »

No issues with light bleeding or multitouch.
Very happy with it so far i ordered the 6gb/64gb version on eglobalcentral.eu for 309 euro. Took 9 days in total and no customs charges.
Its heavier than my OnePlus 3 build quality is nicer than i expected but i dont like the raised screen edges(exposed to breaking) so id advice anyone ordering one to order a case also.the supplied case is flush to the edge of the glass,dont see it protecting it in a fall.
The swipe gestures are great once you get the hang of it but im worried they wont work with a proper case as you swipe from the edge of the screen.
Battery is at 60 percent after messing with it for 5 hours.
Screen is nicer than i expected and its a powerful piece of hardware.
Love the face unlock absolutely seemless.
My cell reception has improved as well.

All very encouraging! Itching for mine to arrive. Good to read some positive comments too - the XDA thread is riddled with what seem frankly to be unreasonable complaints.
Btw, I'm just switching to a new deal - Tesco mobile are doing a €15pcm 4g deal with 15gb data, incl calls & texts. Seems good

OldMrBrennan83 · 07-09-2018 8:10pm

The Soup Thief wrote: »

All very encouraging! Itching for mine to arrive. Good to read some positive comments too - the XDA thread is riddled with what seem frankly to be unreasonable complaints.
Btw, I'm just switching to a new deal - Tesco mobile are doing a €15pcm 4g deal with 15gb data, incl calls & texts. Seems good

Is that the plan people are losing their minds about over on the Tesco mobile forum?

Pocophone F1 - The new flagship killer?

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