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POCO F3 5G (6.67" AMOLED, 8GB/256GB, SD870, NFC, Widevine L1) US$314.90 (~A$435.14) Delivered @ POCO Official Store AliExpress

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POCO F3 5G (6.67" AMOLED, 8GB/256GB, SD870, NFC, Widevine L1) US$314.90 (~A$435.14) Delivered @ POCO Official Store AliExpressAffiliate
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Clear on 03/03/2022 - 09:43 aliexpress.com (1550 clicks)
Last edited 03/03/2022 - 09:45
SPRING255
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Low price on the 8GB/256GB variant of the popular POCO F3 flagship phone that's a good alternative to the recently released budget POCO M4 Pro and mid-range POCO X4 Pro 5G. Available in Black, White, Silver and Blue.

Featuring a 6.67" AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and Gorilla Glass 5, 8GB RAM, 256GB UFS 3.1 Storage, Widevine L1 DRM for Netflix HD, NFC, 5G/4G with B28, Dual SIM, MIUI for POCO (Android 11), 4520mAh battery with 33W fast charging, 48MP/8MP/5MP Rear Camera, 20MP Front Camera, IR Blaster, Fingerprint reader and powered by the high-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 870.

For reviews Techtablets have a good indepth look as always. While it still is a 2021 flagship phone it holds up well today. Plenty of RAM, plenty of fast storage and the high end Snapdragon 870 makes it perfect for gaming.

  • Apply the coupon SPRING255 at checkout

AU$ based on current Mastercard rate, GST inclusive and stacks with 20% cashback at Cashrewards.

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closed Comments

  • wippy on 03/03/2022 - 09:56
    +2

    When is the F4 and F4 Pro coming out?

    • salin on 03/03/2022 - 10:01
      -2

      X4 Pro just released.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CCtqtva6ok

      • Clear on 03/03/2022 - 10:03
        +17

        M - Budget, X - midrange - F - flagship.

        • salin on 03/03/2022 - 10:06
          +1

          Thanks for your information.
          Did not know that before.

      • Wonderfool on 03/03/2022 - 11:46
        +1

        Nooo, they made x4 glassback? Dang.

        Promising otherwise though.

      • payless69 on 03/03/2022 - 14:28

        When Arun gets a splash of water on his face he gets tube money
        he used to be impartial but now pleases sponsors!

        • xoom on 03/03/2022 - 14:33

          They all end up shilling eventually. To what extent and how open they are about it varies.

    • Clear on 03/03/2022 - 10:06
      +6

      POCO F4 leaks suggest it's not going to be a major upgrade. It'll still retain the Snapdragon 870, 6GB/8GB/12GB RAM, 50MP Camera, 4500mAh battery with 67W charging,

      There will be a POCO F4 GT intended for gaming. Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, 8GB/12GB RAM, 4700mAh battery with 120W charging and everything else mostly the same.

      So not really a huge upgrade. More of a refresh of the POCO F3.

    • KARMAAA on 03/03/2022 - 11:10
      +3

      Probably soon, but likely it will use Mediatek Dimensity 8100 or 8000. The original Poco F3 is a rebadged Redmi K40 which used Snapdragon 870. The Redmi K50 is yet to release, but assuming the F4 is a rebadged P50 Pro or P50 which are rumored to use the Mediatek 8100, then that's what we may get.

      But honestly, it's hard to tell because Xiaomi released the Note 11 Pro with Dimensity 920 in China and for the rest of the world it was Snapdragon 695, so they could simply just reuse the 870 again with a Camera upgrade for the F4 over the F3 and call it a day. The only reason I say that is, the whole "POCO" and "Xiaomi" brand in the West feeds off having ROMs and customisation. It's the whole reason they're using Snapdragon 695 in the Note 11 Pro, simply because Snapdragon is less likely to brick and it has better development for ROMs. But Xiaomi have released Global phones with the Mediatek Dimensity chipset, like the M4 Pro and M3 Pro which means it's still possible to get Mediatek chipsets if Xiaomi really wanted to. I mean the display can't really be upgraded for the F3 since it's already got a pretty top tier display, so I can only guess camera and slight chipset upgrade at most is what you will find, as well as charging speeds.

      In fact, I'd say the F3 is still a good buy even if the F4 came out with a Mediatek chipset simply because of the custom ROM support, the fact in 5 years time you may be able to run the latest version of Android is kind of a big deal, then again most people upgrade their phones every 2-3 years, but you never know. The camera and chipset being a slight upgrade isn't exactly a worldbeating reason to wait for the F4, but they are nice to haves.

        • TeddyBear on 03/03/2022 - 12:56

          This time around they seem to be using the K50 as the base for the Poco F4 as opposed the the K50 Pro. Since the K50 Pro uses the MediaTek 8100, it's possible they switch to the SD 888 for the global release.

          Although they did rebrand the Redmi Note 11 Pro as the Poco X4 Pro. So it seems plausible, just odd.

          • KARMAAA on 03/03/2022 - 13:07

            @TeddyBear: Nah SD 888 is still considered by Qualcomm to be a top of the range chip and won't be heavily discounted.

        • KARMAAA on 03/03/2022 - 13:06

          While I don't negate this source, I think it just doesn't make sense. From 6.67 with F3, to 6.3 inch with F4. Same chipset. Same RAM config. Cameras slightly better. Same battery. Better charging. I honestly think that makes the F3 more appealing.

          Larger display on the F3. ROM development already started and way ahead. Pretty similar specs overall. Assuming that the price is the same, doesn't really look like an upgrade. F4 GT looks like the way to go, assuming the source is correct. Only way F4 looks good is if it's cheaper.

          • Clear on 03/03/2022 - 13:13

            @KARMAAA: That's why they're leaks. I don't expect it all to be correct.

  • justaddwater on 03/03/2022 - 10:29

    Camera any good compared to flagship Samsung?

    • xoom on 03/03/2022 - 10:37
      +6

      Lets see. A $400 phone versus a samsung thats 3 to 4 times the price? Gee. I would say its a working camera and leave it at that.

      I mean we all want the performance of a camera of a phone thats $1200 on a $400 phone but this will never happen.

    • arke1 on 03/03/2022 - 10:40

      Yea curious about the camera on these? How does it compare to a mid-range A52 with OIS for example? Flagship Samsung would blow this to the weeds surely though? Even the F4 probably?

    • spaij on 03/03/2022 - 10:43

      The X3 is not bad:
      https://www.dxomark.com/poco-x3-nfc-camera-review/
      (no reviews for F3 at dxomark)
      similar to flagships of a couple of years back, for the primary camera. No tele lens, like the F3, so that lets it down.

    • samuel042 on 03/03/2022 - 10:48
      +2

      Pretty sure you could get gcam (Google's camera app) working on the old models and probably newer ones too soon which will bring up the quality quite a bit

    • flame21 on 03/03/2022 - 11:37
      +4

      I'm using a Samsung S21 (for work)
      and a Poco X3 Pro (less than $400 from Banggood), installed 3rd party Gcam app.

      I took the same pic of the view at the same spot, zoom in into the pic, Sadly Samsung S21 lost some details, and the background cloud's colour surrounding trees are all wrong - I guess it's due to Samsung camera app's build-in enhancement, it overly edited the cloud's colour.

      Night light photo maybe Samsung is a bit better, but not too much compare to Poco X3 Pro + Gcam.

      And S21's fingerpring sensor is always bad, in the 9 months usage I normally prefer using pattern to unlock it.

      • salin on 03/03/2022 - 13:04

        Samsung makes good phones, but not worth that price tag for me.
        All those mid range phones are getting better every year. (except their cameras)
        I am not a fan of xiaomi's camera setting, but stick with Gcam if u can.

      • overlook on 03/03/2022 - 14:43

        hmm what you mean by 3rd party gcam app? do i need to root it?

        • flame21 on 06/03/2022 - 20:52
          +1

          Because Google Camera is the app officially only for Google Pixel phones.
          So you need 3rd modification Gcam apps. No need to root but you do need to spend some time in Gcam forums to find the right one for your model.

    • onegpt on 03/03/2022 - 20:47
      +1

      Sorry about diverging off topic. Normally i dont care about the country behind it, but in these times I am rethinking. China seems to be backing Russia and this crazy war (probably like most other wars). Would it be better for us to support by taking a bit of pain and using Samsung instead of chinese brands where we have an alternative?

    • Castcore on 03/03/2022 - 10:57
      +5

      Well yeah, it is after all only a $435 phone. So comparing it to an iPhone isn't exactly fair BUT might be useful for those thinking about switching from IPhone to android, and a budget android at that.

    • ramb9 on 03/03/2022 - 10:58
      +7

      i use both an iphone8 (work phone) and poco f3 (personal) actively.

      camera: in normal lighting, the poco f3 is ALOT better than the ip8. night is shit, no doubt about it

      light/proximity senson: is this screen brightness? Mine is always set manual so I dont know, but the colors/brightness of the screen are incredible

      GPS: I don't have this issue

      Maps: I also don't have this issue

      Charge: I also don't have this issue

      App Support: Iuno

      Performance: is incredible, flagship experience for $400

      fingerprint sensor: is incredible aswell. Better than Galaxy S10/S20 series in terms of speed and performance. 100% works for me, its the only way I unlock my phone

      In conclusion, it sounds like, you might have a dud!

      • nataliaava on 03/03/2022 - 11:43
        -1

        may be. but i got hard lesson.

        better spend 2000 for a phone that i will use 5 years happily

        don't spend 400/500 on a phone that you won't use even one year because it makes you sooo pissed off

        • cameldownunder on 03/03/2022 - 16:08

          I bought a LGv30+ more than 2 years ago. Just recently looking for a phone with ip68 and wireless charging, without braking the bank. My phone is still up there, battery has not lost too much, and photos are still great. I guess I'll keep it for another year.
          So I spent $500 and be happy for 3 years.

    • CrispyChrispy on 03/03/2022 - 10:58
      +12

      Did you expect the POCO to be on par with a $2000 phone? Your expectations were somewhat unrealistic; The F3 was highly rated by OzBargainers, at the midrange level (under $500). You can't expect it to perform nearly as well as an iPhone that costs 4x the price.

      Yeah, OP, this is POCO's flagship phone; but it's a quarter of the price.

      • nataliaava on 03/03/2022 - 11:10
        -2

        but how about the 4.5 years old iphone? except the app launching time 2/3 second behind and heavy video editing issue, in every aspect, iphone 8 is better!!!

        2000$ phone for 5 years HAPPILY is better than 450$ phone for one year UNHAPPILY

        quarter of the price, quarter of the uses time, quarter of the happiness. wao what a strategy

      • ozjacky on 03/03/2022 - 11:58

        mate, it is not the flagship, but still better than midrange.
        Considering about the price, I think most people would satisfy about it. (Some may have bad exp, sorry for that, but it would happen to iphone as well to be honest).

    • Zorlin on 03/03/2022 - 11:36
      +2

      this is their "flagship" phone!

      this is their "flagship" phone!

      this is their "flagship" phone!

      we heard you the first god damn time.

  • edforums on 03/03/2022 - 12:07

    Is aliexpress reliable for purchasing a phone? And with warranty? Thanks

    • CrispyChrispy on 03/03/2022 - 12:15

      Not sure about warranty, but I wouldn't be too worried about purchasing a phone from AliExpress; bought multiple tech items from various sellers on AliExpress in the past and haven't had much problem (except the occasional 1-2 month shipping time; not all the time though).

    • willyroo on 03/03/2022 - 12:16

      reliable for purchasing a phone?

      Generally yes

      And with warranty?

      Very low reliability

    • edforums on 03/03/2022 - 16:17

      Thanks guys, that's the only concern I have, and they don't offer PayPal so…

      • zyn0 on 03/03/2022 - 21:11

        I paid using Paypal (in 4)…double check and see if paypal is available…it should be :)

  • Kev828282 on 03/03/2022 - 12:22
    +1

    Using this phone right now, very impressed tbh

    • postform on 03/03/2022 - 13:37

      Only the software has been a huge problem for me.

      I have rooted the phone and currently using a custom rom pixel experience but I gotta say lots of bugs in that custom rom for a daily. For instance - pixel experience launcher is very unhappy with google maps, especially when you switch to another app with the google maps is on.

      I've also seen a couple of times keyboard no longer wants to pop-up and requires a restart of the phone to reset that.

      But its ok for a $400 phone.

      P.s. if anyone could recommend me a rock-solid custom rom.

      • zyn0 on 03/03/2022 - 14:08

        I just bought the phone and am currently on a mi mix 3 (4g - "perseus" if you wanna talk codenames).

        I know MIUI may be junk in your eyes but the xiaomi.eu roms are really great at removing bloat, ads and any tracking/privacy invading stuff that MIUI stock has. Once you use it for a while, MIUI is honestly…quite good? I am conflicted myself since I used to be an avid arrowos/pixelexperience user but they have too many bugs (especially with camera) that just ruins experience for me.

        ETA: xiaomi.eu is essentially the stock CHINESE rom but they remove all the tracking/ads/bloat/blahblah but retains all the good features of MIUI.

        • postform on 03/03/2022 - 14:54

          Mmm I agree but is arrowos also full of bugs?

          As for the camera I have got gcam which works flawlessly.

          But things like keyboard not popping up (I have a feeling it gets stuck and doesn't reinitialise) or Google maps not happy with minimising (possibly also some code collision in the back)

          It's been very good.

          • zyn0 on 03/03/2022 - 21:16

            @postform: I'm not sure about Arrowos on poco f3, obviously i dont have the phone yet :p

            On the mix 3 though, it was very buggy with random glitches all the time, not to mention using google maps turned it into a portable handheld heater, and also required a reboot after every time for it to be working like normal (it would slow down and just lag out).

            I will probably try out PixelOS, Pixelexperience and arrowos once I get the Poco f3. If you want someone to discuss this sorta stuff with, feel free to dm me!

            • postform on 03/03/2022 - 22:08

              @zyn0: Haha awesome let me know. I'm on the PixelExperience at the moment. Might switch to ArrowOS.

              How do you DM.. on ozbargain haha I've been on ozbargain since 2011? I think.. and I've never dmed Hahaha

              • zyn0 on 03/03/2022 - 22:24

                @postform: I think you need to allow private messages :p I just allowed it in my settings.

                It's under My Account -> Settings -> Messaging Tab -> Allow private messages checkbox

      • edforums on 03/03/2022 - 16:11

        I'm current using crdroid with pico gapps, but on another phone (official rom), and it works well for daily usage. They have an official rom for poco f3.

    • justaddwater on 03/03/2022 - 17:43

      How is the camera?

  • jolt on 03/03/2022 - 12:38

    A little off topic, but if I want a similar spec'd and priced phone but with Australian Warranty, what is the best option?

    • flame21 on 03/03/2022 - 13:46
      +2

      Buy a Redmi K40 or Mi 11X with 870 processor (Basically the same phone inside, even the 3rd party ROM is the same) from australian company.
      https://download.lineageos.org/alioth
      POCO F3 / Redmi K40 / Mi 11X are sharing the same code (alioth) which means they can use the same 3rd party ROM, and the design/spec are very much are the same.

      • postform on 03/03/2022 - 14:55

        How is lineageOS in terms of support and bug fixing ?

        • sir_bazz on 03/03/2022 - 19:14

          Depends on the maintainer for device issues, but Lineage release weekly updates for their work.

          • postform on 03/03/2022 - 22:06

            @sir_bazz: Well I would of course be referring to POCO F3

            • sir_bazz on 12/03/2022 - 15:25

              @postform: Sorry for the late reply, but if the maintainer for the Poco F3 is SebaUbuntu, (which I think it is), then he is one of the best in terms of bug fixing and support longevity.

              I think he still supports Lineage for whyred.

      • jolt on 03/03/2022 - 17:45

        Thanks so much for that insight, very much appreciated.

  • bb_hunter on 03/03/2022 - 13:31

    Can you combine with this https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/686232?

    • Clear on 03/03/2022 - 13:31

      Yes

  • pikachupw on 03/03/2022 - 13:54
    +3

    Math is Important：
    1） stacks with 20% cashback at Cashrewards ( https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/686232) is capped at $15 (important)
    2） normal aliexpress is 5% cashback (capped at $50): $435 x 5% = $21.75
    In conclusion, you would gain more with normal rate actually when purchasing this phone

    • pikachupw on 03/03/2022 - 14:21

      I just placed an order myself, which I paid $439.51 AUD
      Cashback tracked and sent me a confirmation email around 10 mins later, with a tracked of $20.62 cashback (maybe due to tax excluded)

    • flame21 on 03/03/2022 - 23:21

      How about Shopback? Seems they are offering 6% cashback compare to Cashrewards' 5%.

  • zyn0 on 03/03/2022 - 14:04

    Thanks OP. Snagged a white one!

    Just a FYI to everyone else looking to buy one, I paid using AUD rather than USD. I used Commbank's FX rate and it ended up being about ~$10AUD higher than the AUD price in Aliexpress. Ofc YMMV depending on the card you have but be sure to check with your bank and the aliexpress AUD price.

    All up, I paid $439.51 AUD for it (which is only ~$5 higher than the price quoted in this post).

    Also since it wasn't mentioned, I should add that the phone comes with a pre-installed plastic screen protector AND a cheapo plastic case (the most rudimentary type)

  • boostpak on 03/03/2022 - 15:54

    I think the poco f3 and xiaomi mi 11 stack up a little better all round for the money.

    Does anyone else have any other suggestions with flagship like specs similar to these or better from poco, xiaomi, oppo oneplus etc.

    Best value for money I have had is xiaomi mi9T (love that it still has a headphone jack)

  • frostyboy on 03/03/2022 - 17:42

    Poco F3 or Poco X4 Pro?

  • frkino on 03/03/2022 - 18:47

    Thanks OP
    Any info on when does this special price on the Poco F3 end?

    • Clear on 03/03/2022 - 18:52
      +1

      Coupons end on 1st of April however they could reach their max usage within 2 weeks.

      • frkino on 03/03/2022 - 19:02
        +1

        Cheers mate, not so concern about the 20% Cashback because it is capped at $15, in fact, as @pikachupw calculated above, the normal 5% cashback works out cheaper

        so the curious case is, how long will this price on the Poco F3 last : )

        Hoping to make a decision after Apple's March 8th iPhone SE 5G announcement

  • titan0r on 03/03/2022 - 20:36

    I've been using this phone since mid last year and very happy with it. I wasn't very happy with the mi software so I flashed arrowOS after 3 months. I have to say that arrowOS and gcam take this to another level.
    The flashing is very easy to do and you don't need to root the phone.
    To install arrowOS, if you watch munchy's videos on YouTube and follow his instructions, it's fairly straightforward.

    • postform on 03/03/2022 - 22:09

      Has ArrowOS been buggy? I've got a few annoying bugs in PixelExperience i.e. with google maps and google assistance doesn't pop up unless I tab the assistance button ..

      Also how is the maintainer for F3 for arrowOS? The pixelExperience's is very slow.

      • Triamble on 03/03/2022 - 23:28

        Bugs aside, there's a couple of things to be aware of. Custom ROM devs use workarounds to defeat Google's safetynet, and it's been a bit of a cat and mouse game over the years with Google patching safetynet requiring devs to find new workarounds. So your Google Pay, banking apps etc may break without warning. As part of the workaround many ROMs spoof the build fingerprints of a Pixel 2 running Oreo. This gives you free unlimited google photos upload, but it feels a bit too much like piracy/abuse of the service for me to risk, given how many accounts are tied to my gmail…

        If you want to be safe I'd recommend sticking to LineageOS, but then you can't use GPay as LineageOS stays clear of things that would raise the big G's ire.

        • postform on 04/03/2022 - 08:41

          Pixel experience and Arrow OS aren't rooted. So they pass safety net straight out of the box.

          It's only if it's rooted that you require to hit the root status with something like magisk (which now since the guy who developed it is working for Google, no longer works on the project)

          I agree, but I find having bigger community with more donations and more Devs who volunteer is a better rom. Issue with lineage OS is much smaller than the project arrowOS and pixel experience.

          • Triamble on 05/03/2022 - 01:05

            @postform: That's true they're not rooted, but safetynet is supposed to fail with an unlocked bootloader these days. Workarounds are used in the kernel to hide the bootloader unlock status. Last year Google started enforcing hardware attestation of bootloader unlock status on some devices, so the build fingerprint spoofing of older devices was used to avoid that. Sadly one day Google will eventually enforce hardware attestation on all devices, booting the old ones off, then that's probably the end of the road for safetynet workarounds. They've been moving towards more of a walled garden for a while now, for better or worse.

  • Dick10 on 04/03/2022 - 11:43

    Battery on a 2 year old Poco F2 pro starting to die. Is this an upgrade purchase or sideways move?

    • Clear on 04/03/2022 - 17:18

      It's a sidegrade. Not a major difference between the two really.

  • silo on 04/03/2022 - 16:34

    I bought it from the "Xiaomi mi global store" seller instead. Worked out $5 cheaper after you apply their store coupon as well

  • Dick10 on 04/03/2022 - 17:49

    What's the best value mid range/ flagship killer global version 5000 mAh battery and 870 or higher processor for around A$500?

  • Dick10 on 05/03/2022 - 09:09

    Just discovered prices on AliExpress are not including GST ( logically) so discount codes are vital to access the lower prices plus Cashback. Traps for young/inexperienced buyers.

  • HunterOfBargain2013 on 08/03/2022 - 10:13

    Bought one but after 3 days the seller did not ship out. Have to cancel and buy via Amazon UK deal instead which save me extra $20 with express shipping

  • vawiyoci on 09/03/2022 - 15:09

    Anyone receive shipping updates yet?

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