Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro vs Xiaomi Poco F1: Which one should you choose?

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7’s top-end model costs ₹16,999. But is it a better deal than Xiaomi’s powerhouse Poco F1?

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro with 6GB of RAM and 128GB went on sale in India today (HT Photo)

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro's top-end model with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage went on sale in India today for the first time. Priced at ₹16,999, Redmi Note 7 Pro is ₹3,000 more expensive than the base model which features 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage. Apart from bump in storage and RAM capacity, specifications of Redmi Note 7 Pro top-end model remain unchanged.

At ₹13,999, Redmi Note 7 Pro 4GB RAM variant is a solid deal as most of the under ₹15,000 phones in India don't match up to the specifications, especially 48-megapixel camera, that Xiaomi phone has to offer. But is it the same for the top-end model? Just recently Xiaomi Poco F1 price was dropped in India and is now available at a starting price of ₹19,990.

So should you rather buy Xiaomi Poco F1 or consider the latest Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro model? Here's a comparison between the two phones.

Design

Xiaomi Poco F1 and Redmi Note 7 Pro look quite different from each other. Let's talk about Poco F1 first. With glass and glass-like phones becoming increasingly popular, Poco F1 design may be underwhelming. It dons polycarbonate body bearing metallic edges, which remind you of phones from 2016. There's also a notch on the top but the cutout design is also kind of old now. Redmi Note 7 Pro, on the other hand, looks more modern with glass body and new gradient design and colours. It also has smaller dot notch on the front.

Redmi Note 7 Pro comes with a 6.3-inch full HD+ display whereas Poco F1 has a 6.18-inch screen with full HD+ resolution.

Camera

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro set a new benchmark for mid-range and budget phones in India with a 48-megapixel Sony IMX586 sensor. As mentioned our detailed camera review, Redmi Note 7 Pro offers near-excellent results. The 48-megapixel camera is also quite effective. As far as specifications go, Redmi Note 7 Pro comes with 48-megapixel and 5-megapixel dual rear cameras with AI features. Xiaomi Poco F1 camera specs may seem little dated in front of Redmi Note 7 Pro. Poco F1 has 12-megapixel and 5-megapixel rear cameras. The camera quality of Poco F1 is pretty decent for its price point. Interestingly enough, DxOMark benchmark rates Poco F1 equivalent to Apple's iPhone 8.

Performance

This is where things get more interesting. While Redmi Note 7 Pro offers Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 processor with up to 6GB of RAM, Poco F1 is powered by Snapdragon 845 processor, which is Qualcomm's 2018 premium chipset. Aimed at power users, Xiaomi Poco F1 with liquid cooling technology is more equipped to handle graphic-intensive apps like PUBG Mobile for longer hours. Poco F1 also comes with a range of software-level optimisation to handle graphic intensive games. The recent MIUI 10.3.4 update brought features such as Widevine L1 support, video recording at 4K 60fps, and game turbo to the Poco phone. Also, note that the base model of Poco F1 offers 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage.

Summing up,

If you're looking for a phone that looks good and delivers good camera experience, Redmi Note 7 Pro is definitely worth considering. But if you're a power user and love to play graphic intensive games, Poco F1 is a good alternative.