The POCO X3 NFC box features a conventional black design, still containing a cable, a charging support 33W fast charging unit, and this time around, an antibacterial pouch and the main character POCO X3 NFC. The machine’s design is quite sleek and curved on the back to give it a less aggressive look because on looking purely at the camera cluster, it looks too big and thick and might scare some female users away.
Design and Build Quality
POCO X3 NFC is large, and it screams its ambition through the design as well. The dimensions of the phone stand at 165.3 x 76.8 x 9.4 mm, and the weight is pegged at 215 grams, which is among the heftiest of mid-range devices. The weight emanated from the decent battery and the fact that the device is built solid.
Despite its large, centrally located camera module at the back, one has to admit the phone still has an altogether different and somewhat futuristic design. The camera module has four sensors and an LED flash, all wrapped in a circular pattern that draws attention to it. Below there, you will find a pretty large and bold POCO logo, which some users might consider flashy, but it does add to the overall unique appearance of this phone.
The material on the back of this device is plastic that shines glass-like. Cheaper, yes, but it also means that this back will easily collect fingerprints and smudges. To remedy that, POCO sent with the little silicone case that protects the phone while keeping its design intact.
The frame on the POCO X3 NFC is made from aluminium, which kinda bumps up the overall sturdiness of the device . Up front you get a 6.67-inch display that takes most of the space, with a small hole punch right in the middle for the front facing camera. The bezels around that panel are pretty thin too so the whole phone looks more modern , not bulky or old school.
On the right side you’ll find the power button which is also the fingerprint scanner, along with the volume rocker. Flip to the left and you see the SIM card tray, it can hold two SIM cards or one SIM plus a microSD, for expandable storage, so you can sort of stretch things out a bit. Then at the bottom there’s a USB Type-C port, a speaker grille and a 3.5mm headphone jack, for customers who still like using wired headphones.
Overall, the design and build quality of the POCO X3 NFC are impressive when compared with the mid-ranger. The plastic back may not seem premium enough as glass but still solidifies the feel and adds weight to the phone. In addition, the design is unique enough to set it apart from competition clutter in the market.
Display
Much like the predecessor, the POCO X3 NFC applies a 6.67-inch IPS LCD screen with a resolution of 1080 by 2400 pixels and a dot pitch dithering-out at approximately 395 ppi. The 120Hz refresh rate, one of the utilizations of the display for which that stands out, benefits the design in terms of making animations and scrolling feel buttery smooth, especially during gaming and browsing.
Above the aforementioned 120Hz refresh rate lies a 240Hz touch sampling rate, which makes the touch much more responsive. This becomes exceptionally useful for gamers, who wish for touches on the screen to be registered as quickly as possible and accurately so as to compete well in fast-paced action games.
Flashbitr polish being HDR10-certified guarantees that the display is capable of offering better contrast along with extra vibrant colors during playing back HDR content. Not as bright and punchy as the AMOLED, POCO X3 NFC should still provide remarkably good color accuracy with decent viewing angles. It has a maximum brightness of around 450 nits-more-than-enough in the majority of situations, but one may struggle a bit under the brightest of sunlight.
Now, to keep the opposing elements there, black levels would have been slightly better, with additional depth compared to what you could expect from an AMOLED screen. This is a downside most IPS LCDs struggle with, but it shouldn’t be that big of an inconvenience given the displays’ overall quality.
The hole punch cutout in front camera area is pretty small and unobtrusive, but it could take a bit of time to get used to if you are used to notch-less displays. The cutout is centered roughly in the middle of the screen, which might feel better to some folks and not so much for others, especially compared to side-mounted hole punch cutouts on opposite devices.
Overall, the display of the POCO X3 NFC is one of its positive notes. High refresh rate, with a big screen and good colors, provides an excellent platform for media consumption, gaming, and general usage.
Performance
The brains behind this smartphone, POCO X3 NFC , is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G chipset, an octa-core mid-range kind of setup that’s aimed more at gaming than anything else. It uses two Kryo 470 Gold cores for peak performance, clocked at 2.3GHz, plus six Kryo 470 Silver-efficient cores running at 1.8GHz. Meanwhile graphics are handled by an Adreno 618 GPU , which actually does a decent job with gaming and those graphics-hungry applications too.
In terms of options, the POCO X3 NFC comes in two versions, 6GB RAM with 64GB internal storage , or 6GB RAM paired with 128GB internal storage. It uses UFS 2.1 for storage, which is usually quick enough but it still trails the newer flagships that use UFS 3.0 or UFS 3.1. Also, you can expand things using a microSD card , which is a very useful feature if you tend to run out of space for apps, photos, and videos.
Performance wise, day to day use with the POCO X3 NFC feels really solid. That Snapdragon 732G chipset keeps multitasking smooth, apps open fairly briskly , and they don’t seem to stall in normal use. Plus, the 6GB RAM inside the phone helps it keep plenty of apps in memory without that annoying lag, so the whole experience stays snappy and responsive.
For gaming , the POCO X3 NFC can deal with most popular titles like PUBG Mobile , Call of Duty Mobile, and Asphalt 9 even on higher settings, but you might still catch a couple of jerky little moments in the frame rate. The more immersive , smoother vibe tends to come from the Adreno 618 GPU , plus it has a 120Hz refresh rate and a 240Hz touch sampling rate, which feels pretty responsive. And then there’s a liquid cooling solution inside , designed to keep temperatures calm during longer sessions, so you don’t get that overheated , unpleasant kind of heat.
As for benchmark scores , yeah the POCO X3 NFC really does line up and stay within what you’d expect from a mid-range device that’s leaning into gaming. It basically lands around 280,000 points in AnTuTu, and for Geekbench you’re looking at roughly 550 for single-core and about 1,750 for multi-core. Honestly, these results match other phones in the same price level, so you can expect decent performance for a bunch of different tasks , not just games.
Overall, the POCO X3 NFC performs well for the price. The Snapdragon 732G chipset , together with 6GB RAM and the high-refresh display, helps the phone glide through day to day stuff, including gaming as well as multitasking, without feeling too sluggish.
When it comes to photography, the POCO X3 NFC kinda comes with a quad rear camera mix, like a 64MP main cam, 13MP ultra wide angle camera, a 2MP macro camera and also a 2MP depth sensor. The main sensor is a Sony IMX682, with an f/1.89 aperture, and it uses the Super Pixel approach to merge 4 pixels into 1 bigger point, so you get a 1.6 μm size. That 13MP ultra wide angle camera gives you a 119 degrees shooting angle. after that there are the 2MP macro unit and the 2MP depth sensor stuff. On the front side, the POCO X3 NFC has a 20MP selfie camera with an f/2.2 aperture.
One of the eye catching bits about the POCO X3 NFC is how it performs, it runs on the Snapdragon 732G processor, which is fairly recent, plus it’s supported by a 5160 mAh battery that feels pretty solid. The 120Hz refresh rate, and up to 240Hz touch sampling rate, makes everything feel very fluid, like butter smooth, compared to many of the more high-end phones you can find.
The architecture is based on the octa-core Kryo 470 CPU and Adreno 618 Elite Gaming GPU core, which adds LiquidCool 1.0+ cooling technology with large copper heat pipes in stacks with carbon wafers, to reduce temperatures of the phone’s processor up to 6 degrees Celsius. These optimizations let Game Turbo 3.0 do wonders for the chipset in boosting the performance when teamed with it for gaming. Users get even more comfort, knowing that the device supports fast charging at 33W and is able to charge to 62% within just 30 minutes, and fully charge in 65 minutes.
Software and User Exteriors
The POCO X3 NFC comes with MIUI 12, built on top of Android 10 , so yeah it’s Xiaomi’s custom skin, and it delivers this really reworked, highly personalized kind of user experience. MIUI obviously has plenty of fans, also plenty of people that don’t like it, but still you can’t really deny that it bundles a lot of options and features inside.
One of the more striking parts on MIUI 12 is the extreme level of customization. You can personalize basically everything, or well, reshape the look and feel of the interface by getting themes, tweaking the icons, and even adjusting the home screen layout. It’s a slick addition, because it can be tuned to match what the user actually wants, which a lot of people seem to enjoy.
MIUI 12 also dares to bring the app drawer approach , so users who prefer a cleaner, less cluttered home screen can finally get it. You can even set it so the phone categorizes apps on its own within the drawer, which helps you find stuff with less effort. And then there’s the new control center , it arrives with MIUI 12 , it’s iOS-inspired, and it gives quick access to settings as well as notifications, all in one place.
In terms of performance, MIUI runs quite smoothly and stutter-free on the POCO X3 NFC with almost zero lagging. This is assisted further by the high refresh rate display that enhances the fluidity of the user experience even making interactive feel really snappy.
MIUI is quite notorious for being heavy on pre-installed applications, also known as bloatware. While some apps might be useful, all the users may not be privy to using most of the apps. Given the situation, all the apps can mostly be uninstalled or disabled if you would like to go simple.
Manage Notification is another thing that MIUI divides users, as it has different behavior when it comes to notifications compared to stock Android, and may not come across as the most user-intuitive while grouping or displaying them. Besides, MIUI’s management of background apps is so aggressive that it can sometimes lead to nonappearance of notifications during the time one is expecting them. Most of the time, though, such inconsistency can be sorted out via tweaks within the application or a third-party launcher.
On the bright side, there are so many complete privacy features presented in MIUI 12, from the management of permissions to lost applications to app lock-in built-in. These together create that additional layer of confidentiality and data protection, extreme vigilance by users.
The POCO X3 NFC benefits significantly in terms of software updates. Xiaomi indeed has a track record of pretty good updates on its devices, and this device is no exception. Expect security patch updates and feature updates for the next few years, extending the life of the device.
Audio and Multimedia
The POCO X3 NFC has a really great multimedia experience, courtesy of its stereo speaker arrangement. The phone possesses bottom-firing speakers and another speaker integrated into the earpiece to enhance the sound effect, something that one rarely finds in midrange phones.
Both speakers deliver crisp and clear audio, with a bit of bass to boot. The stereo separation really brings out the sound, making it even more enjoyable when watching a video or playing a game. They may not be as powerful or with massive bass as flagship devices, but definitely good enough for everyday use.
For those who wired audio use, the POCO X3 NFC has a 3.5mm headphone jack, which is becoming rare among today’s smartphones. The headphone jack delivers good sound quality, and there is also a built-in equalizer in MIUI to customize audio settings.
When the time comes for multimedia consumption, a big display of 6.67 inches with stereo speakers in POCO X3 NFC will make your movie, online video, and gaming experience much better. When watching HDR10-compatible content, the picture quality will also improve. Of course, the deep blacks and vibrant colors of an AMOLED display are superior compared to streaming on an LCD. However, the contrast level and black levels contrast aren’t comparable.
It also Widevine L1 certification; which lets you enjoy full HD streaming from popular services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube. A key feature for all video-watchers on devices.
Connectivity and Other Features
True to its name, POCO X3 NFC means it is NFC ready so you can enjoy features like Google Pay for contactless transactions. It saves you hassle in making payments with your smartphone and not with your physical cards.
With dual SIM support, the POCO X3 NFC kinda has one of its SIM slots shared with a microSD card , so you have to juggle that a bit. On the connectivity side it’s ready for 4G LTE , Wi‑Fi 5 (802.11ac), Bluetooth 5.1, and GPS too. In day to day use the signal seems decent, like you get solid reception, and the connections stay pretty steady across the networks that it supports.
For unlocking, the fingerprint scanner is embedded into the power button . It’s fast, and also accurate, it usually opens the phone in just a few seconds. There’s also a face unlock option , which uses the front camera. Now, this method is a bit less robust compared with the fingerprint scanner, but it still performs well in most lighting situations.
Lastly, the phone includes an infrared (IR) blaster. That means you can control compatible devices , for example TVs and air conditioners. Honestly it’s a neat extra, and it’s something many other mid range smartphones simply don’t bother to include.
At worst, the POCO X3 NFC is a model that will not support 5G – of course, which becomes normal among almost all new mid-range devices. Most people may not even care about this due to its price and the fact that 5G is still being set up in many countries during this time.
Conclusion
The POCO X3 NFC is quite possibly the best mid ranger in today’s market simply because of how wonderful the features, performance, and price come together. Featuring a 120Hz display, solid performance, long-lasting battery, and various camera options, the POCO X3 NFC gives a lot for someone who is looking to get a fairly featured smartphone without cashing out that much.
Even if there are some downsides, like the plastic back, the lack of 5G support , and bloatware already sitting there in MIUI, well these feel more like small things compared to what this phone actually brings. The POCO X3 NFC, honestly is the best choice you can get in this price bracket, if you care a lot about raw performance, dependable battery stamina, and a smooth daily experience.
In fact, the POCO X3 NFC is pretty much highly recommended for anyone who wants a mid budget cell phone that still delivers strong speed, especially during gaming sessions or while watching content, at a price that still seems decent. Whether you’re playing games, consuming media, or just looking for a low cost yet reliable smartphone, the POCO X3 NFC is definitely a device worth keeping on your shortlist.
Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC 64GB, 6GB RAM, 5160mAh (typ) Large Battery, 6.67″ DotDisplay, QUALCOMM Snapdragon GSM LTE Factory Unlocked Smartphone – International Version (Cobalt Blue): Buy it now
Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC – Smartphone 6 GB + 64 GB, Dual Sim, Grigio (Shadow Grey): Buy it now
Tech Reviewer & Product Analyst
Định Bia has spent over 10 years testing consumer electronics with a focus on smart technology. He work as a product advisor at Biareview where he helped customers find the right devices for their needs. He personally tests every product featured on this site using a consistent evaluation framework covering quality, durability, and value. All reviews are based on experience, not influenced by the manufacturer.
