POCO F2 Pro announced: Who needs a $1,000 flagship?

Almost two years after launching the Pocophone F1, Xiaomi has finally launched a successor in the POCO F2 Pro, and it’s essentially a rebranded Redmi K30 Pro.

That means you’ve got a 5G-enabled Snapdragon 865 processor with graphite, graphene and vapor chamber cooling, “up to” LPDDR5 RAM, and “up to” UFS 3.1 storage. Presumably this means the base model packs slower LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 3.0 storage, much like the Redmi K30 Pro.

None of this power means anything if endurance is an issue, so we’re glad to see the POCO F2 Pro packs a 4,700mAh battery. The device also offers 30W wired charging, capable of hitting 100% in 63 minutes. But don’t expect wireless charging here, presumably because they want to keep costs down.

Much like the Redmi K30 Pro, the POCO F2 Pro packs a 6.67-inch FHD+ OLED display (full screen, HDR 10, and 60Hz) and a 20MP pop-up selfie camera. It’s a little disappointing to see 60Hz instead of 90Hz or 120Hz here, especially when Realme and a few other brands offer it.

The Pro model also touts a quad rear camera setup, featuring a 64MP main camera (IMX686), 13MP ultra-wide camera, 5MP telephoto macro sensor, and 2MP depth sensor. And yes, the device supports 8K recording as we’ve seen on several other phones this year.

In terms of software, you can expect the POCO Launcher 2.0 atop Android 10. Xiaomi touts standout features like an app search bar at the bottom of the home screen, automatic app grouping by category, and dark mode.

Other notable POCO F2 Pro features include a 3.5mm port, in-display fingerprint sensor, Z-axis linear motor for improved haptic feedback, IR blaster, NFC, and IP53 splash resistance.

The POCO F2 Pro starts at €499 (~$542) for the 6GB/128GB variant, and €599 (~$650) for the 8GB/256GB option. Global availability starts today via Gearbest and AliExpress, with more partners (including Amazon) coming at a later time.