Smartphones

Poco X4 GT : test / review

Published on: 23-06-2022 / Modified: 11-12-2022
I thought the production of new phones was going to slow down with the economic crisis we find ourselves in mid 2022 but obviously Poco is not letting itself down and continues to market mid-range phones (and even the upper end of the mid-range ). These phones were obviously designed before the crisis arrived, so the slowdown will surely take place later and we will undoubtedly find ourselves faced with a shortage of models and new products. In the meantime, Poco continues on its pace with this time a supercharged version of its X range with the X4 GT.

The Poco range was still quite simple a year ago with the M for the entry level, the X for the mid-range and the F for the high-end but they have added Pro and GT versions which blur the boundaries between each range. This supposedly mid-range Poco X4 GT is going to hit the performance race with a huge hammer to knock out the competition even more. This will undoubtedly delight gamers, but this phone has other interesting features, so I'm going to discover this one to help you in your choice.

offer

The Poco X4 GT will be available from the official website from 06/27/22 from the following link:
Poco X4 GT on Po.co

Manufacturer web site:

https://www.po.co/global/

Site where I have bought the Poco X4 GT:
https://ams-event.po...

Structure of my tests

I test the phones according to a pre-established structure (see below) to provide you with as much information as possible. Unfortunately, this takes a long time. Some tests like network performance tests take several days and for photo tests I sometimes have to wait until the weather is suitable to take pictures in good conditions. I am therefore obliged to publish the tests step by step, so I invite you to come back if the test is not complete at the time of your visit.

Price Poco X4 GT

The list below shows the prices for the Poco X4 GT from more than 50 sites around the world. If you are not satisfied with any price, you can subscribe to a price alert to be the first to be notified when the price drops.

The above links are affiliate links from companies such as Amazon, Gearbest, Aliexpress,... If you appreciate my work, I would be grateful if you could purchase these products through these links. It costs you absolutely nothing but I get a small commission that allows me to buy the material I test. Thank you very much!

Timeline

June 21, 2022 receipt of the Poco X4 GT

June 23, 2022 official announcement of the Poco X4 GT with commercialization a few days later

Why this phone?

You may no longer need a manual to be able to use smartphones because they can now be used by a very wide audience without encountering major difficulties. On the other hand, the proliferation of models in all segments makes it complicated to choose the phone that will suit you best. Most of the questions I receive show that future buyers are very hesitant between several models and can't make their choice. Don't worry, it's normal, there's really something to get lost in and I hope my test will help you make the best choice. Just keep in mind that the ideal phone probably doesn't exist, so you'll have to choose your priorities.

Pocos have often been performance-oriented phones with sometimes a few variations to open up the range to another type of audience. With the GT range, we are returning to pure and hard performance that will allow gamers to exploit every pixel in games. Over time, I still see that these performance-oriented Poco models also find their place among other types of users and that's what makes things more interesting. For example, we do not expect Poco on the photo quality, they have nevertheless made efforts. So I'm curious to see what Poco has in store for us with this new Poco X4 GT.

Unpacking

Poco has got into the habit of delivering its new phones in boxes with a code, I find it a nice initiative but I don't know if the goal is to get people talking about these boxes or if they really want to make sure the phones are not discovered before distributing the code to open the boxes. It's not very important for the test but it's a different experience that will make me forget the Poco models that I tested less quickly.

Poco has a strong visual identity, stronger than Xiaomi I think. The boxes all look the same but they use color combinations that are not frequently used by other brands. In just two years, they have completely rebuilt their brand and I find it successful.

The box contains almost everything that is usually found in a Poco box such as the phone, the manual, the charger, the usb cable, ... but I note two differences. The first is the delivery of a separate screen protector, I hadn't seen that for years. The other is more trivial but Poco no longer puts Poco stickers in its boxes. The first difference bothers me a little more than the absence of stickers because sticking a protection is not always easy and you end up with bubbles under the protection.

First configuration

The Poco X4 GT is released with MIUI 13 (Android 12), so the experience is almost exactly the same as every other phone running MIUI. I noticed some differences in the configuration of the Poco with in particular the list of search engines and certain screens which were different.

Finish

I'm going to contradict myself with what I wrote above because I said that Poco had a strong identity and it's true for the box but the Poco X4 GT has a very neutral design. It reminds me of the Redmi range for the choice of materials, there is no longer that typical Poco imprint which made it possible to distinguish these phones at first glance.

The back is uniform and resumes a style of anthracite gray already seen on the Redmi Note 10, I think the back is mainly made of plastic, in any case that's the feeling I get from it at the to touch. The edges, on the other hand, have a metallic effect and are cold to the touch. Poco has abandoned its large horizontal photo block to resume a more classic design. This doesn't affect the quality of the phone, but using a horizontal pad helped balance the phone better when laid on its back.

The photo block is nicely integrated on the side, I see here a desire to give a small premium look to the photo sensor. Both sensors have similar sizes, it's quite rare and when I saw them the first time, I immediately thought it was a Samsung sensor because of its thickness. The data sheet then proved me right. The sensors stand out but still reasonable especially in comparison with the 108 pixel sensor used on the Poco X4 Pro.

Above there is one of the two external speakers, an infrared transmitter, a sound sensor and an audio output jack. The outputs are not located in the same place on each phone, so the sound will not come out the same way if you hold the phone in a horizontal position, you will certainly block one of the outputs with your hand.

Below we find the other speaker, the USB C port and the SIM drawer which can hold a SIM card in combination with a memory card in double-sided mode.

For the rest, this phone has a very conventional design that looks more like a Redmi than a Poco, but in the end it's a matter of taste because the level of finish is in line with its mid-range positioning. range.

Specifications

The information below comes from the Device Info HW application. The application provides detailed technical information about the tested phone. The Poco X4 GT runs on an architecture that I haven't tested yet, so it's a real novelty where Poco/Xiaomi have got into the habit of always re-using the same hardware by changing just a few details. I come back to the CPU/GPU part in the next paragraph but I also see other interesting things:
- the audio chipset (mt6895), I've never tested it
- the UFS 3.1 (already on other Pocos but still quite rare)
- GPS (seems to be an old mono band generation but good accuracy)
- 8 Gb of basic ram
- an IPS screen, this is a step back compared to other phones in the range, but the goal was probably to make room for the Poco F4.
- dynamic screen frequency between 30 and 144hz which allows the frequency to be adapted according to needs and therefore to save battery power when not playing.
- extended color coverage for the screen
- re-use of an old Samsung sensor (but luckily it's a good sensor)
- wifi in 866 Mbps

Beyond raw performance, this phone has a few other assets to show off.

CPU / GPU Performance

The Poco X4 GT is the first Poco to use the Mediatek Dimensity 8100 Max CPU, it is a high performance CPU that we find here in a mid-range phone but rather the top of the mid-range. This phone could deliver performance comparable to the Poco F4 GT, hoping that it is able to hold the road in terms of temperatures.

For the graphics part, it relies on a Mali-G610 MC6 and here too we can expect good performance for a mid-range phone.

Benchmark Antutu/3DMark

I obtained a score of 714577 points with Antutu v9, I did not manage to run Antutu v8, the score is therefore not immediately comparable with the other tests I have carried out but this phone is clearly a high performance phone that will allow you to play any game in the highest level of graphics. Who says big performance also says heat and energy consumption, so I also tested the rise in temperature and its energy consumption with a load test.

Load test

To test the energy efficiency of a phone I push all its components all the way for several minutes, first sequentially and then pushing everything all the way up at the same time . I observe the real computing power, the ability to keep the phone at a good temperature, the battery consumption. This kind of test also allows you to see if the phone is able to exploit all its power when everything is running at the same time because even if the CPU and the GPU are powerful, when they work together they may not give 100% of their performance. Verdict? My test shows several interesting things.
In terms of pure computing power, the X4 GT offers 11% less performance than the F4 GT at the CPU level. If I look at the GPU, the difference is even bigger because the F4 GT offers 29% more performance. The scores seemed similar with Antutu but the reality is different.

With a little less performance, the X4 GT is also less greedy because the CPU consumes an average of 7.2W (against 10.67 on the F4 GT) and the GPU consumes 5.1W against 7.67 on the Poco F4 GT. This also results in a much more contained rise in temperature because over the duration of the test, I obtained an average temperature of 35 degrees where I had an average temperature of 50° on the F4 GT. This phone heats up but much less than the model of the higher range.

The Poco X4 GT therefore offers a very good performance but if you want better there is the Poco F4 GT but this phone costs significantly more, the X4 GT therefore offers a much better performance ratio / price.

Gaming

To test the performance in game, I download the mobile PUBG game and evaluate the in-game experience, graphics level and depth of vision. This game is quite demanding and should help you evaluating the performance of a phone.

As with all my tests, I play PUBG Mobile trying to use the highest level of graphics. The Poco X4 GT delivers an excellent gaming experience, and the phone's turbo mode boosts the frame rate to 60fps with the highest level of detail. I did not notice any overheating problems but on the other hand what I feared at the beginning of the article for the sound is true. The positioning of the speakers will result in one of the two speakers being impeded by the position of your hand.

Network performance

The Poco X4 GT offers very wide frequency coverage in 3G, 4G and 5G (13 frequencies). So you should be able to use it pretty much anywhere in Europe.

Signal 4G (from December 2020)

I decided to change the methodology for measuring the network because I noticed that the configuration of the mobile network changes over time. This makes it more difficult to compare phones because the conditions are no longer exactly the same.

To overcome this problem, I set up a device that captures 24 hours a day about ten parameters from the mobile network (ex: cell id, rssi, rsrq, snr, frequency,...). I then place the phone next to the device for 24 to 48 hours taking the same measurements so that I can compare them.

Overview of the phones tested with this methodology

I took just under 400 measurements in 4G (I don't have 5G at home) to assess the network sensitivity of this phone. I took a few fewer measurements than usual due to a lack of time, but since the results were consistent and regular, that will be enough to draw a conclusion. I obtained a very stable average signal around -97 dBm where I obtained an average signal of -96.505 dBm with the probe. These are very close results, so the Poco X4 GT has good network sensitivity and its signal is very stable.

Download/Upload speed

To test the download speed, I have identified some 4G cells offering good performance where I test all my devices several times to see what download and upload speed they can achieve.

Wifi performance

To test a phone's ability to receive the network properly, I take measurements near my router and then remotely (and always at the same place). This gives me an average in dBm where a value of -90 dBm indicates poorer performance than a value at -30 dBm.

Wifi signal

The Poco X4 GT uses a Mediatek MT6895 wifi chipset which is directly linked to the Dimensity 8000 type CPUs. This chip offers a good level of wifi sensitivity because I obtained a signal of -16 dBm near the router and -60 dBm from a distance.

Download/Upload speed

To test the speed in Wifi, I connect to my router in 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz (if available) and use the Ookla application to measure the speed.

GPS performance

To test the accuracy of the GPS signal, I use two positioning applications to evaluate the difference between the actual position and the position indicated by the phone. This test is done outdoors with nothing to obstruct the signal. An accuracy level of up to 3 meters can easily be corrected by an application (e.g. Google Maps).

The Poco X4 GT runs on a Mediatek architecture and this often results in a good level of precision and this is indeed the case once again. I got an accuracy level at 1m fairly quickly because the fix was also very fast. I then took a look at the frequencies but I see that this phone only uses one frequency at a time (per network) so it is not dual band.

Battery range

To test battery life I developed an application that measures the battery level minute by minute until the battery is empty. This application consumes about ten percent of the phone's resources and I do a test with 100 brightness. This test aims to reproduce a contemplative use of a phone (e.g. surfing the internet, reading articles, spending time on social networks). These results are not valid for intensive gaming/streaming use.

The Poco X4 GT has a 5080 mAh battery with 67W fast charging. I charged the battery from 0 to 100% in 113 minutes with a UGREEN 100W charger. Beyond the time which can be influenced by the type of charger, I notice that the charge is almost perfectly linear where the charge time of the last 20 percent usually takes much longer. The charging speed therefore does not slow down towards the end as it often does.

With the screen on at 100%, I measure a battery life of 726 minutes and this battery life increases to 1538 minutes with the screen on at 50%. The screen therefore has a linear brightness where the consumption at 100% corresponds more or less to the double of the energy consumption at 50%, this is not always the case. For this test I left the screen on the default frequency, so it's the phone that adapts the screen frequency to the type of use. It is therefore very likely that for more active use (eg a game), the autonomy is lower because the screen will switch to a higher frequency.

The screen consumes about 1.7W on a gray background and if I fluctuate the default frequency (60 to 144hz), I don't notice any noticeable difference in screen consumption. By doing this same test on other phones, I still notice a difference in consumption of around 30% but not on this Poco X4 GT. I don't know why, the dynamic frequency adaptation mechanism could explain this finding but I'm not sure.

With these results, I estimate that you should be able to last 2 days with a full battery and normal use. If you play a lot this autonomy will decrease sharply to less than a day.

Photo camera test

To test the quality of photos produced by a phone, I do a technical test (resolution, sharpness, chromatic aberration,...) in studio (identical conditions) to evaluate the technical part objectively. From the second half of 2020, I built my own laboratory to take completely objective technical measurements. I then take pictures in real conditions to see how the camera performs. I then evaluate these photos according to my criteria but I publish the photos so that you can evaluate the result according to your criteria.

Hardware

The photo has never been the top priority for the Poco brand, but sometimes certain models stand out. This will undoubtedly be the case for this Poco X4 GT because it uses the Samsung S5KGW1 sensor as its main sensor. It is an "old" sensor because I had already tested it on a Redmi Note 8 taken several years ago but at the time it was a very good sensor and it still is today because the quality photos has not changed significantly since that time. I tested it more recently on the TCL 10 Pro and I had obtained good results too, we will see here if the optimization layer of the Poco will improve or deteriorate the quality of the sensor.

For the wide angle, Poco has re-used the Omnivision sensor from the Poco M4 Pro.

Photo quality

Photo quality (indoor/studio)

The studio test is carried out under the same conditions so that the results can be compared on an equal basis. I calibrate my lighting for each test to obtain the same brightness and colour temperature. This test is a preliminary analysis of the technical qualities of a camera. Most phones fail this test, so you should also read the results of the other tests in the following paragraphs.

Main sensor: Samsung S5KGW1

Like most sensors, I get a bit underexposed image in the studio but this can be corrected by playing with the exposure and usually this problem does not occur outdoors. If I look at the other factors, I see that the sharpness is really good, you can even see the flaws of the Google stickers on the rubix cube and I find this same sharpness on other phones using the same sensor. The optimization of sharpness is very advanced. I have the impression that the colors are a little too warm but I will see if this is still the case outdoors, same thing for the dynamic range. I took some photos in manual mode below to show that you can easily correct the exposure when the conditions are difficult, but I should have changed the ISO too.

The test with the banknotes surprised me a bit for the brightness because for some reason the sensor overexposed the image and this happens very rarely . Again, we have to see if this problem will occur outdoors, I don't think so but I will have to check it out. This test is mainly intended to realize the sharpness and it is present, the Canada banknote is very well drawn, the texts are very readable. This sharpness deteriorates a little on the periphery like most sensors, but the overexposure disturbs the result a little.

Secondary sensor: Omnivision OV16A10

I have already tested this type of sensor on other phones but not this version, so it will be a discovery. For this first studio test, I noticed that the photo was underexposed, but less than what I'm used to seeing with this type of sensor. The sharpness also looks superior, which is quite rare for an ultra wide angle sensor. The deformation is very present but it is normal, this kind of sensor is not designed to take photos of this type. The colorimetry here is influenced by the exposure, so do not pay attention to it.

I am positively surprised by the sharpness of this photo. Usually the text of the Canadian banknote is not as clear with such a focal length and yet here the sharpness is so good that I thought I had taken the wrong photo. This sharpness decreases in the periphery but it is not the plunge towards the blur as it is often the case.

Photo: technical test

I was inspired by industrial technical tests to create my own technical test to evaluate the technical quality of a camera. This test is an objective assessment of a camera's ability to render a scene correctly.

I test the following elements:
- centre sharpness, peripheral sharpness
- colour fidelity based on 24 reference colours
- level of chromatic aberration
- dynamic range (ability to capture dark and light areas without loss)
- distortion

The technical evaluation may differ from the subjective evaluation as the feeling of a photo will be influenced by the processing provided by each manufacturer.

Main sensor: Samsung S5KGW1

Secondary sensor: Omnivision OV16A10

I had the opportunity to test this sensor several times and the first time was 3 years ago with the Redmi Note 8 Pro. This sensor is therefore not brand new but it is capable of producing good photos as you can see from the photos in this paragraph. The S5KGW1 was one of the best sensors for sharpness 3 years ago and still today, it is far from being ridiculous compared to the competition. The sharpness is still good although signs of too much optimization are present when I zoom far into the image, these are visible on the outlines of the branches but they are invisible to the naked eye. The color saturation is really good, we feel that the phone wants to play the saturation card to flatter the eye but it does it well because this saturation is not exaggerated. The dynamic range is good and reflects reality well with dark foliage and very bright areas such as clouds without falling into overexposure. I see a few other small flaws when zooming in, but a normal user will never go that far. 3 years later, this Samsung sensor still produces good photos when the conditions are good, is this a sign that this sensor was ahead or that the sensor market has not evolved much? I think there is a bit of both.

Secondary sensor: Samsung S5k4h7

When I test an ultra-wide angle sensor like this, I feel like I'm constantly repeating myself because this guy sensor suffers from the same weaknesses in all phones. However, sometimes I am positively surprised. Digging through the technical information in the phone, I identified that it was the Samsung S5k4h7 sensor. I have never tested this sensor before and it is very rare that Xiaomi / Poco uses a Samsung sensor for the ultra wide angle module. Why is this important? This sensor is without doubt one of the best ultra-wide-angle sensors I've tested. Of course, it has the usual faults of this type of sensor, such as the sharpness on the periphery, but the sharpness in the center is better than usual, the colors are well saturated and we can see at cloud level this effect of a sharp cutout caused by sharpness processing. There is of course distortion linked to the angle, this kind of sensor falls more quickly into underexposure as soon as the light drops but I still find that the photos I took here are better than what I am used to seeing for an ultra wide angle.

Test photo / night

Not yet available / tested

Video quality

Stabilisation

The Poco X4 GT is capable of filming in 4k and 30 frames per second, it is able to correctly stabilize the image up to 1080p but as soon as we switch to 4k the stabilization is less effective. The vibrations of each step are clearly visible on the image even if the recalculation of the pixels is very fast. In theory this phone is powerful enough to stabilize a video but the sensor used dates from 3 years ago and this can be seen quite strongly here.

Video normale conditions

The Poco X4 GT's Samsung sensor still produces great videos despite its age. Despite the 30 fps where today many sensors produce videos in 60 fps, the Poco X4 GT is not ridiculous at all. The video is of good quality, movements are fluid, the sharpness is good and recalculated quickly, the colors are correctly saturated and the exposure changes are discreet. The light conditions were obviously very good but it shows what this phone is capable of.

Video low light

Not yet available / tested

External audio quality

This test is intended to give you an overview of the volume and sound quality during calls and when listening to music through the external speakers.

In-call volume is above average because without using the external speaker I get 55-60 dB and with the speaker I get close to 75db. The sound is of good quality but shows a greater disposition for high-pitched sounds.

External speakers deliver decent quality sound, this phone hasn't gotten the special treatment from Poco, it's the same kind of quality as on the other phones in the range. The low frequencies lack a bit of depth and the highs are sometimes too forced, but that's often the case for this type of phone.

Audio quality (headphones)

To test the quality of the phone's audio output, I connect the device's audio output to a measuring tool, then play sounds on all frequencies and measure the differences between the original sound and the sound produced by the phone. In this way I measure the phone's ability to correctly reproduce all sounds.

I noticed a small degradation in sound fidelity on the latest Pocos and I found this degradation on this model. The graph below shows that the Poco X4 GT is able to reproduce all frequencies but with a difference of a few decibels on certain frequencies. Here I compared the Poco X4 Pro with the Poco X4 GT and I see that the Poco X4 GT favors low frequencies and loses a little on high frequencies. The irregularity of the signal is less important than the Poco X4 Pro but it exists. It may be possible to equalize the signal with the audio settings but I test all phones with the factory settings otherwise the comparison is no longer correct.

Subjective listening by ear isn't going to reveal any big problems, you really have to be very attentive to notice a difference and you would also need to be able to listen to high quality music on another device. high quality to start hearing differences.

Screen quality

To test the screen, I use a colorimetric probe that measures the color accuracy of a screen, as well as other parameters to see if a screen is able to correctly reproduce an image. I also test the brightness level to determine if the screen will be able to display an image in full sunlight.

Colorimetry

I was a little surprised to find that this new Poco had an IPS display instead of an AMOLED display, this directly effects the level of contrast where most phones in this price range use a Amoled screen. As usual, the default colorimetry is not correct, you have to switch to "original colors" mode to obtain a dE of 1.71 which is excellent.

The display is frequency adaptive, that means it can change the frequency depending on what you are using it for. When you read an article, the frequency will decrease to preserve the battery but when you play a game, the frequency will increase up to 144hz to ensure perfect fluidity. You no longer have to choose the frequency yourself and no longer have to sacrifice battery life to achieve smooth screen movement.

Brightness / Contrast

I measured a brightness of 500 cd/m² with the sun mode activated, it's a good score which will allow you to use the screen under the sun but other phones do better to ensure perfect readability in the open. Sun.

I measured a contrast ratio of 1200:1, it's not a very high contrast and it's a shame because it directly affects your viewing experience with this screen. With an AMOLED screen, the problem would not have arisen. Other than protecting the high end, I don't see why Poco used an IPS on this phone. When I tilt the phone, the blacks (which aren't quite black) quickly turn gray.

Biometry

Not yet available / tested

Operating system

Not yet available / tested

Encoutered bugs

Not yet available / tested

Accessories Poco X4 GT

Compare Poco X4 GT with the others

Test / Review conclusion

The Poco X4 GT ranks almost naturally above the other Pocos in the X range, but it does not do so on the criteria I expected. The Poco X4 GT keeps its promises in terms of performance, it even exceeds the Poco F4 in pure performance and the difference with a Poco F4 GT is not huge (even if it exists). On the other hand, I was not expecting this phone in photo territory because it is not Poco's usual playground, but by bringing out the old Samsung GW1, Poco made a good choice here for photo quality. This sensor has been around for a few years but it can still stand the comparison with more recent sensors, it is able to deliver very good photos when the light conditions are good.

I can't just pass on the performance and just write that this phone offers a good performance because beyond the numbers, there are other interesting elements. Since I measure the individual consumption of each component I notice significant differences between the phones tested. I note in particular that this phone has a good energy performance, the consumption in Watts compared to the power ranks it in the good students. I also see that when pushed to the maximum, the performance loss exists but is much less significant than with a Poco F4 GT which cannot manage the full power of its CPU at the same time as its GPU. The battery temperature is one of the other strong elements of the phone because with an average of 32°C at full charge, the phone heats up much less than a Poco F4 GT which rises to more than 50°C. Less performance than an F4 GT yes but more efficient therefore!

There are still other areas in which this Poco manages to stand out. I am thinking in particular of memory access in UFS 3.1 which offers fast access to memory which results in a shorter application loading time and a smoother transition from one application to another. WiFi sensitivity is also above average, network sensitivity is just average.

This phone has a lot of strengths but also has some weaknesses. I'm thinking in particular of the choice of screen, Poco used an IPS screen where we usually find an AMOLED screen and that's a shame. The contrast of the screen is quite low and even if the colorimetry is correct (in standard mode), an amoled screen offers a better experience. This phone should also sound good and I didn't notice any noticeable improvement over the rest of the range, I even measured deviations at some frequencies. The sound is good but not at the level of other phones in this price range. The use of an old photo sensor brings another weakness in terms of stabilization because even if the photo quality is good, the video stabilization is not at the level of today's phones.

I was positively surprised by this Poco X4 GT because despite some weaknesses, this phone will find its place in the mid-range and offer an alternative to all the Redmi range. The design moves a little away from the gaming side without dropping the performance, the photo has improved, the energy management is good and in the end this phone should be able to appeal to a very large audience.

Strengths

Not yet available / tested

Weaknesses

Not yet available / tested

Alternatives to this product

Not yet available / tested

LAURENT WILLEN
Head of myself on this blog

I share my passions on my blog in my free time since 2006, I prefer that to watching nonsense on TV or on social networks. I work alone, I am undoubtedly one of the last survivors of the world of blogs and personal sites.

My speciality? Digital in all its forms. I have spent the last 25 years working for multinationals where I managed digital teams and generated revenues of over €500 million per year. I have expertise in telecoms, media, aviation, travel and tourism.