The Poco F2 Pro is the flagship killer we've been waiting for

The Poco F2 Pro is essentially a rebranded Redmi K30 Pro. Xiaomi has also rebranded the original Pocophone to just Poco since the launch of the F1. With the Poco X2, a rebranded Redmi K30 4G, we got a glimpse into this complicated web of Xiaomi and its sub-brands. However, the Poco F2 Pro is the true successor to the Pocophone F1.

Plenty of power under the hood

The Poco F2 Pro comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor, up to 8GB of fast LPDDR5 RAM, and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage. A version with 6GB of slower LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB of storage is also available.

Aside from the top-end processor that lives inside phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S20 and the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro, the Poco F2 Pro features what the brand is calling its LiquidCool Technology 2.0. We saw this sophisticated cooling technology on the original Pocophone F1, and JerryRigEverything proved it was more than just a marketing slogan when he tore down the phone on his YouTube channel. Now, version 2.0 is said to feature a 3435mm² vapor chamber and multi-layer graphite and graphene to provide up to 14°C CPU core temperature reduction.

The Poco F2 Pro is also a 5G smartphone, and there is support for Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1.

Design and display

The Poco F2 Pro has a 6.67-inch AMOLED display that the brand is calling its "Ultimate Full Screen Display". It's completely uninterrupted thanks to a pop-up selfie camera - a dying trend, but one that I am delighted to see making a comeback here.

The resolution comes in at 2400×1080, making this a FHD+ screen. It supports HDR10+ and has something Poco is calling a 360° triple ambient light sensor, which is meant to deliver accurate ambient light detection and smooth brightness adjustment. There's an optical fingerprint sensor under the display, which is made from Gorilla Glass 5.

What's interesting here is that there is no 90Hz or 120Hz refresh rate as we have seen on most of the flagship smartphones from the top manufacturers this year. It's one of the few areas where you can see cost-cutting measures to get the price down.

Four rear cameras and 8K video recording

One area where the Poco F2 Pro doesn't skimp is on the cameras. On the back, you get four sensors in total. The star of the show is a 64-megapixel Sony IMX686. There's also a 13-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, a 5-megapixel telemacro lens, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. Poco says this combination will deliver "detailed close-ups with unparalleled bokeh".

The F2 Pro also supports video recording at 8K (24fps) and 4K (60fps). This was a standout feature of the Galaxy S20 Ultra. Despite the fact that 8K video recording on mobile has been criticized for being unwatchable on the device with which it is shot, and produces enormous file sizes, simply having this on a phone like the Poco F2 Pro is a statement of intent for the brand.

On the front, Poco F2 Pro sports a 20-megapixel pop-up camera with a multicolor notification light and 120fps slow-motion capability. Once again we see the flagship-killing intentions, with Poco taking aim at Apple and its Slowfies.

You can see the full camera specs below:

Quad rear camera

• 64MP main camera, Sony IMX686, 1/1.7“ sensor size, ƒ/1.89, 1.6μm 4-in-1 Super Pixel, AF, 6P lens
• 13MP ultra wide-angle camera, FOV 123°, ƒ/2.4, 5P lens
• 5MP telemacro camera, 1.12μm pixel size, f/2.2, AF (3cm-7cm), 4P lens
• 2MP depth sensor, 1.75μm pixel size, f/2.4, FF, 3P lens
• Supports 8K@24fps/4K@60fps video recording, Pro mode, 4K 30fps time-lapse, ShootSteady video, Video bokeh
• Night mode 2.0, Vlog mode, Cinematic mode
• Supports HEIF photo format output

Pop-up front camera

• 20MP, 1.6μm, 4-in-1 Super Pixel
• Supports 120fps front slow-motion, Multi-color notification light, Drop protection

30W fast charging and a 4,700 mAh battery

The battery is a nice chunky 4,700 mAh but it's the fast charging technology that is aiming to take on the top players on the market here. Poco says the 30W fast charge can fuel the device to 64 percent in just 30 minutes and charge to 100 percent in 63 minutes. You get a compatible 33W charger in the box. There is no reverse wireless charging though.

The headphone jack lives on

The Poco F2 pro features a 3.5mm headphone jack. Fans of wired headphones will be delighted. This is likely to be the only truly high-end smartphone to have this 'feature' in 2020.

Price and availability

Finally, we come to the price. This is what really makes or breaks a flagship-killer. The 6GB/128GB version of the Poco F2 Pro costs €499 in Europe. The 8GB/256GB version comes in at €599. It comes in grey, purple, blue, and white.

To me, that price is crazy. For the specs you are getting here, you will struggle to find a better price-to-performance ratio than this in 2020. The Pocophone F1 launched at €399, and turned heads due to its high-end processor and performance, but that was made of plastic. The Poco F2 Pro has all the design and hardware features of a $1,000 flagship phone, for half the money.

Is this the flagship-killer we have all been waiting for? We certainly can't wait to test it to find out.