Motorola One Fusion+ Review – A harmonious blend of the right mid-range features

For the last couple of years, Motorola has given its undivided attention to its portfolio of budget and mid-range smartphones. With a shift away from its flagship Moto Z line, Motorola dedicated even more of its efforts to the mid-range segment and launched the Motorola One series in 2018. While the Moto G and E Series continued to exist, the Motorola One has led the charge in the Motorola brand regaining ground among consumers, especially in parts of Asia. Each device in the series, such as the Motorola One Power or the Motorola One Action, is furnished with one stand-out feature that is reflected in the device’s name. Every new Motorola One smartphone comes with more tweaks, more optimizations, and a more convincing price than the last one. The Motorola One Fusion and the Motorola One Fusion+ are the newest entries to this series.

Last month, Motorola announced the Motorola One Fusion+ for India and Europe. According to Motorola, the One Fusion+ is the culmination of all its experiences with the Motorola One series in the last two years. The Motorola One Fusion+ is a well-balanced mid-range smartphone, and from my very first impression of the device, it feels like the brand’s efforts have come to fruition. Although down in the game, Motorola is no rookie when it comes to crafting excellent value-for-money mid-range smartphones, and the One Fusion+ definitely feels like Motorola’s return to form.

Motorola and the history of mobile phones are inseparable. Not only are they credited for the world’s first mobile phone, but they are also a pillar of smartphone design and innovation in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Unlike the 2000s, however, the following decade did not unfold in the company’s favor as they went through several episodes of acquisitions and restructuring. Despite financial troubles, Motorola had a good jumpstart in the budget segment when they launched the first-generation Moto G back in 2013. This $180 phone not only offered unprecedented value for the time but also did so without really feeling lackluster. Its middling single camera and lack of LTE support did not bother many buyers at the time, especially in then-emerging smartphone markets such as India. But over the years, Motorola lost its touch while facing competition from growing Chinese brands (Lenovo has owned Motorola since 2014) in India, eventually getting sidelined by the competition.

The Motorola One series has slowly turned things around for Motorola, and the company has been pushing back to regain its lost market share. With the One Fusion+, Motorola appears to have relearned what makes an excellent mid-range smartphone. I have been using the Motorola One Fusion+ for about a month now, and here is my review based on that time.

About this review: We received the 6GB+128GB variant of the Motorola One Fusion+ from Motorola India. Motorola did not have any inputs regarding the content of this review.

Before starting with the review, here are the specifications of the Motorola One Fusion+.

Motorola One Fusion+ Specifications

Specification	Motorola One Fusion+
Dimensions and Weight	162.9 x 76.9 x 9.6mm Plastic body 210g
Display	6.5″ FHD+ (2340 x 1080) IPS LCD; 19.5:9 aspect ratio HDR10 support
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 (global) and Snapdragon 730G (India): 2x Kryo 470 Gold (Cortex-A76-based) cores @ 2.2GHz 6x Kryo 470 Silver (Cortex-A76-based) cores @ 1.8GHz Adreno 618 (700MHz)
RAM and Storage	6GB RAM + 128GB
Battery & Charging	5,000 mAh battery 18W TurboCharger
Rear Camera	Primary: 64MP, f/1.8, 0.8μ Secondary: 8MP wide-angle, f/2.2, 1.12μ Tertiary: 5Super Macro, f/2.4, 1.12μ Quaternary: 2MP Depth Sensor, f/2.4, 1.75μ
Front Camera	16MP pop-up f/2.0 selfie shooter
Other Features	3.5mm headphone jack Bluetooth 5.0 Dual-frequency GPS Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac USB Type-C, USB 2.0 Rear-mounted fingerprint scanner Dedicated Google Assistant button
Android Version	Android 10 with Motorola Experience

Motorola One Fusion+ XDA Forums

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Design & Build

The Motorola One Fusion+ is unmistakably similar to other Motorola devices that have previously launched. Even without the brand’s idiosyncratic “M” logo that is placed over the fingerprint scanner, anyone who’s followed Motorola’s lineup through 2019 can determine the brand simply by looking at the quad-camera module on the back of the device. This is because the Motorola One Fusion+ follows the same discontinuous camera arrangement as seen previously on the Motorola One Action, Motorola One Macro, and the Motorola Moto G8 Plus.

The back of the phone is made of a unibody polycarbonate shell that also wraps around the sides of the phone. Despite being made of polycarbonate, the back is sturdy, durable, and does not flex or bend when pressure is applied from the top. It has a dual-tone color gradient on the Twilight Blue variant that we have for review. The back also has a texture underneath the smooth and glossy transparent layer on the top, and the pattern in the texture resembles a peacock’s feather. This is even more evident when the texture shimmers under light.

The back has tapered edges that make the phone feel easier to grip despite the heft. Because of the phone’s large footprint and battery, the phone weighs 210 grams and thus feels (justifiably) heavy in the hand. Using Moto Actions –  including the chop-chop gesture for activating the flashlight or the wrist flick gesture for switching between the front and the back cameras – feels like a serious drill for the wrist.

Moving away from the back and to the side of the phone, we see the power button and the volume rocker located on the right side along with a dedicated Google Assistant button. Placing all of these buttons on one side of the phone does have one drawback – the volume rocker is smaller than on most phones and feels crammed between the two buttons on either side, making it more prone to accidental presses. Although Motorola has added different textures to each of the keys, I have found myself accidentally hitting the Google Assistant button multiple times while trying to increase the volume. Although the volume rocker does not feel very ergonomic, the power button is easily accessible. The buttons feel wobbly but that can be fixed by covering the phone with a case such as the one included in the box.

A major design change from the previous Motorola phones is the new pop-up selfie camera. The Motorola One Fusion+ is not the first Motorola phone with a pop-up selfie camera – it was the Motorola One Hyper that first introduced the concept to Motorola devices. The placement of the Motorola One Fusion+’s pop-up camera, however, is different. The pop-up mechanism is not the fastest we’ve seen in this range and takes a couple of seconds to lift. The phone features fall detection to protect the pop-up camera by retracting it automatically when it detects that the phone might have fallen out of your hands. However, the slow retraction speed might cause the camera to get damaged if the phone hits a hard surface before the camera has fully retracted. The SIM slot lies on one side of the pop-up camera, while the secondary microphone lies on the other side. The left side of the phone is empty while the bottom is home to a 3.5mm headphone jack, the primary microphone, a USB Type-C port, and the mono loudspeaker.

With the Motorola One Fusion+, the brand has meticulously lifted elements from its recent phones and combined them in an amicable fusion (pun intended) of all the essential – or conveniently marketable – features. The build quality isn’t top-notch, and the weight may be an issue for some picky users. But the fact that you can just use the protective case bundled in the box will ease other concerns. Overall, the Motorola One Fusion+ feels pragmatically designed. The company has diverted away from its experimental and hyper-focused mindset and has – once again – successfully created a mid-range smartphone for the masses.

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Display

The Motorola One Fusion+ is equipped with a 6.5-inch Full HD+ LCD panel. This is a notchless display complemented by a pop-up camera. While the topic of notches has been debated ad nauseum, it’s hard to argue against the fact that notchless displays offer a better viewing experience. Despite its notchless design, though, the Motorola One Fusion+ has a screen-to-body ratio of only 84%. This is because of the thick forehead and even thicker chin padding the LCD. But considering you’re getting the full real estate of the display, this may not concern most people looking at the Motorola One Fusion+ as their next smartphone purchase.

The display supports the DCI-P3 color gamut, which in theory is 25% wider than the standard sRGB gamut. However, support for the DCI-P3 gamut does not solely guarantee a vivid viewing experience. Motorola does not specify the percentage of the gamut covered by the display, so I can only offer my subjective judgment on the display quality. In practical use, the display that Motorola uses on the One Fusion+ appears well-calibrated.

It is unlikely to beat an AMOLED display in terms of saturation, but you can choose one of the three preset modes – Natural, Boosted, or Saturated – to reap its full potential. Unfortunately, you cannot tweak settings such as the color temperature, but I doubt you would need to since Motorola has already done a remarkable job with the presets.

Another attribute that adds to the quality of this display is HDR10 certification. HDR10, however, does not add much value apart from being able to play HDR videos on YouTube. You’re still limited to only Full HD and not HDR content on Netflix. The Motorola One Fusion+ is Widevine L1 certified, allowing you to watch video content in Full HD resolution on a wide range of OTT apps. However, it doesn’t meet Netflix’s HDR certification.

The display on the Motorola One Fusion+ shines in comparison to the Redmi Note 9 Pro (AKA the Redmi Note 9S) in terms of brightness and is comparable to the POCO X2. Daylight readability is not an issue for the display but colors do seem washed out. We wish that Motorola had opted for a panel with a higher refresh rate than the standard 60Hz. There are a few other options in the same price bracket that offer this feature – including the Realme 6 and the Realme 6 Pro with 90Hz panels and the POCO X2 with a 120Hz panel.

Just like with other Motorola devices, the Motorola One Fusion+ also gets Peek Display, also called Moto Display. The setting wakes up the screen when you receive any notification. This is not exactly an always-on display – since such a feature on an LCD would increase battery consumption significantly – but it serves the intended purpose of an AOD very well. The screen wakes when you lift the phone to show you the current time, weather, and battery level. In the lower half of the display, notifications are shown by their app icons. You can simply tap on the icons to take a brief look at the notification or drag the icons to expand notifications.

Overall, the display is sharp and matches up to my expectations of a phone in this price segment. Motorola has traded a higher refresh rate in favor of better screen clarity, brightness, and responsiveness, all of which together lead to a brilliant viewing experience. On top of that, the unobstructed view without any notches or cutouts makes the display even more appealing for those who spend a lot of time watching content online. Besides the display, what makes the Motorola One Fusion+ an excellent device for binge-watching is the massive 5,000mAh battery, which we talk about more in the next section.

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Battery

The Motorola One Fusion+ features a massive 5000mAh battery. While the battery is one of the culprits behind the phone’s heaviness, it allows for long-lasting battery life. The massive battery easily powers the phone for two days with basic usage and over a day with demanding tasks including streaming online videos continuously and gaming for hours.

The battery on the Motorola One Fusion+ is a champ and allows for hours of entertainment.

On top of that, Motorola has barely enforced any hard-and-fast rules for killing background apps. We checked for any aggressive app killing on the Motorola One Fusion+ using a benchmarking app called DontKillMyApp and were surprised to find negligible app terminations.

Motorola has added support for 18W “Turbo” charging on the device, and it takes about 2 hours and 30 minutes to charge the One Fusion+ from 10% to full capacity. The long duration for recharging the phone makes sense given the large battery, so it would ideal to charge the phone at night. In fact, that is the reason Motorola has been using to defend not providing faster charging.

The battery life of the Motorola One Fusion+ is incredible. It is in fact on par with the Redmi Note 9 Pro (Note 9S) we reviewed in March earlier this year. What’s better about the Motorola One Fusion+ is that it provides similar battery backup without aggressively killing background apps and activities.

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Performance

Good performance is one of the demands for users in the price segment that Motorola is trying to conquer with the One Fusion+, and the smartphone delivers. The phone comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 mobile platform globally and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G in the Indian variant. The chipset also powers some of the most compelling choices in the sub-Rs. 20,000 (~$270) segment including the Redmi K20, POCO X2, and my favorite mid-ranger from 2019 – the Realme X2.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 is an 8nm chipset with an octa-core CPU. The CPU architecture consists of two Kryo 470 Gold cores based on Arm’s Cortex A76 design clocked at 2.2GHz and six Kryo 470 Silver cores based on Arm’s Cortex A55 design with a clock speed of 1.8GHz. It also features an Adreno 618 GPU at 500MHz frequency. While the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G shares the same CPU configuration as the non-G model, the GPU on the chipset has been overclocked to 575MHz for higher graphics performance. Furthermore, Motorola claims to have unlocked the graphics potential of the chipset even further by overclocking the GPU to 700MHz.

We expect the Motorola One Fusion to perform on par with other Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G devices we’ve tested in the past. We’ll also be including devices running on the more recent Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G mobile platform that was launched only earlier this year but is on par with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G in terms of performance.

Synthetic Benchmarks

We ran a series of synthetic benchmarks to compare the performance of the Motorola One Fusion+ to similarly priced devices. Our comparison includes the Redmi Note 9 Pro and the Realme 6 Pro powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G as well as the POCO X2 and the Realme X2 running on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G chipset. The two mobile platforms share an almost identical microarchitecture but their performance in synthetic benchmarks may also vary with the level of software tuning, physical heat dissipation mechanisms, amounts of RAM, etc.

Geekbench 5

Starting with Geekbench 5, all five of the devices score similarly in our test run. Out of the bunch, the Motorola One Fusion+ does have the lowest score but only lags behind the highest performance in the group – the Redmi Note 9 Pro – by approximately 4% in the single-core and 2.5% in multi-core scores. In real life, that difference may not translate to any noticeable impact on performance.

Geekbench 5 (Free, Google Play) →

CPU Throttling Test

Next, we take a look at the amount of throttling the CPU undergoes when the same task is repeated multiple times over a period of 15 to 30 minutes. Many manufacturers and chip makers resort to CPU throttling algorithms to restrict the performance of the CPU if it starts generating heat. This throttling causes the CPU to cool down and thus avoids any potential damage due to overheating of the silicon. However, it comes with a drop in performance that can be felt especially during performance-intensive tasks and gaming. We tested the Motorola One Fusion+ for throttling in three different scenarios – first running the test for a duration of 15 minutes, then 30 minutes, and finally, when charging.

In all three cases, there is a major drop in the performance of the Motorola One Fusion+ within the first ten minutes of the test. As you can see in the images above, the performance of the smartphone is throttled to 78% of its peak performance during the 15 minutes test and decreased further during the 30 minutes run. Meanwhile, charging also has similar effects on the performance, causing it to be throttled to 80% of the peak output. This suggests that the Motorola Oe Fusion+ may actually disappoint by throttling the performance if you intend to use it for prolonged periods of gaming.

CPU Throttling Test (Free, Google Play) →

PCMark Work 2.0

Next, we test the different phones on PCMark Work 2.0, a synthetic benchmark that emulates day-to-day tasks like web browsing, photo or video editing, word processing, or data handling, and grades the different devices on the basis of their performance in these tasks. Unlike the neck-to-neck CPU performance in Geekbench 5, the devices vary significantly here, and that definitely speaks about the level of software optimization and ease of use. In our test, the Motorola One Fusion+ lags behind all the other contenders in four out of six tasks, scoring about 21% less than the peak performer, the Realme 6 Pro, in the overall score. The difference may simply be because of the fact that the Redmi Note 9 Pro and the Motorola One Fusion+ feature 6GB of RAM compared to the rest that come with 8GB of RAM.

PCMark for Android Benchmark (Free, Google Play) →

3DMark Sling Shot Extreme

When it comes to tasks that demand more performance of the GPU, the Motorola One Fusion+ is slightly behind the Redmi Note 9 Pro and the Realme 6 Pro but is far better than the Realme X2. Meanwhile, the POCO X2 is not part of this comparison as 3DMark fails to load on our review unit. Notably, even though all of these devices feature the same Adreno 618 GPU, the GPU is clocked at different frequencies in all devices. Motorola claims that the Adreno 618 is clocked at 700MHz as compared to the other devices on which the GPU has a clock speed of only 575MHz.

Despite a supposedly overclocked GPU, Motorola One Fusion+ lags behind the other two devices running on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 720G mobile platform by a margin of nearly 10% in tests relying on OpenGL and Vulkan APIs. The culprit behind this may be the poor heat management on the smartphone.

3DMark - The Gamer's Benchmark (Free, Google Play) →

Androbench Storage

Lastly, we move on to Androbench to test the data transfer rates supported by the Motorola device. All of these phones come with UFS 2.1 storage chips, and we don’t see much deviance from the average in the sequential read and write tests. In random read and write tests, the Motorola One Fusion+ is among the highest scorers despite its lower RAM. This may indicate good storage optimization on the Motorola One Fusion+.

Androbench (Storage Benchmark) (Free, Google Play) →

Adaptive performance

Motorola has included an Adaptive Performance feature on the device that is suggested to improve the performance and battery backup by optimizing the allocation of resources.

I did not notice any difference with the feature turned on. It is likely that the feature requires more time and data to understand your preferences in order to improve the performance.

Gaming

On paper, the Motorola One Fusion+ appears to be an excellent device for gaming – and it rightly feels so during the initial minutes of running any power-hungry title like Call of Duty: Mobile, PUBG Mobile, or Shadowgun Legends. However, the throttling issue we saw above starts to lower the performance, resulting in frequent frame rate drops and consequentially, lagging. Of all the mid-rangers we included in our comparison above, the Motorola One Fusion+ appears to have the poorest response to performance-hungry games.

The Motorola One Fusion+ also comes with the Moto Gametime app that prevents notifications from bothering you when you’re inside a game, blocks Moto Actions, and disables automatic brightness controls. You can also use the feature to block calls either completely or selectively by adding exceptions. Unlike game modes from other brands, Moto Gametime does not have any real impact on gaming performance or battery consumption.

Audio

The single loudspeaker on the Motorola One Fusion+ is pretty loud and the audio coming out of it is easily audible despite ambient noise. The smartphone also comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack and is claimed to relay Hi-Fi music over this port. In our review, however, the audio output from both the mono loudspeaker and the headphone jack was limited to a maximum sampling rate of 16-bit as opposed to 24-bit output on some competitors including the POCO X2.

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Camera

Motorola has stepped up its photography game by using a quad-camera setup on the back of the Motorola One Fusion+. The array includes a 64MP primary camera featuring the Samsung ISOCELL Bright GW1 sensor and an f/1.8 aperture lens. The Samsung sensor in the primary camera has a pixel size of 0.8μm and supports 4-in-1 pixel binning. This results in a pixel size of 1.6μm for the resulting 16MP images. The auxiliary cameras include an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera with an f/2.2 aperture lens and a pixel size of 1.12μm resulting in 118º wide images, a 5MP macro camera with an f/2.4 aperture lens and PDAF, and lastly, a 2MP depth camera.

Had Motorola also included its peculiar action camera from the Motorola One Action, the Motorola One Fusion+ would have been the ultimate combination of all of Motorola’s prior experiments of different camera configurations in 2019. But, I have no qualms here as the action camera would have also potentially increased the price of the smartphone.

When it comes to video, the Motorola One Fusion+ can capture up to 4K UHD videos at 30fps and 1080p Full HD videos at 60fps using the primary camera. The ultra-wide-angle and the macro cameras can also capture videos but at Full HD resolution and 30fps frame rate as the highest settings. Videos from all three cameras can be stabilized using EIS.

Among other features, the Motorola One Fusion+ supports Manual mode and RAW photography on each of the three cameras, allowing creative users to get the best color and optimal lighting in all images. Besides the regular 16MP mode, you can also shoot in the high-res 64MP mode. In addition, the camera app on the Motorola One Fusion+ comes with interesting features such as Spot Color, Cinemagraph for making partially moving stills, Night mode, Cutout for removing backgrounds from images after capturing, and a whole lot of live filters.

Here are some of the images taken with the Motorola One Fusion+ in different modes. We’re refraining from a more comprehensive camera review due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in India.

Primary

16MP vs 64MP

Night Mode

Ultra-wide angle

Selfies

Here’s a Flickr gallery with full resolution images taken with the Motorola One Fusion+.

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Connectivity

The Motorola One Fusion+ is limited to 4G LTE connectivity. Besides LTE, the Motorola One Fusion+ supports Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac with support for both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands as well as Bluetooth 5.0. For positioning, the phone supports GPS, A-GPS, LTEPP, SUPL, GLONASS, and Galileo, but lacks support India’s NavIC. In addition, the phone also lacks dual-frequency GNSS that is supported on devices with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G.

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User Interface

Even though Motorola is continuing with the “One” branding, the Motorola One Fusion+ is not part of the Android One program. Despite that, the Motorola One Fusion+ sports a clean Android UI just like most of Motorola’s Android phones. It runs on top of Android 10 out-of-the-box. Even though there aren’t a lot of visual additions on top, Motorola likes to call this “My UX.” The pre-installed Moto My UX app allows you to change the icon shapes, accent colors, and system fonts with an interface identical to the Pixel Themes app introduced with Android 10 on Google’s Pixel devices.

In addition, you can also find the company’s characteristic Moto Gestures, including the chop chop gesture for flashlight or wrist flick for quick-launching the camera and switching between the front and the rear cameras. Motorola has also included features like “Flip for DND” and “Pick up to silence” ringer for further convenience.

The current Android security patch level on the Motorola One Fusion+ is May 1st, 2020, and that may irk some users cautious about security. Motorola ensures they will release at least one major OS update, ie Android 11, for the phone. Even though previous Motorola One phones like the One Power have received up to two OS updates, the company is shying away from making any solid claims that it may not be able to fulfill.

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Motorola One Fusion+: The price makes it exceptional

The Motorola One Fusion+ feels like a complete bundle of everything that you essentially need to make a good mid-range smartphone. It looks like a success story from the surface. With all that packed in a well-specced phone that costs just ₹17,499 (~$235) in India and €300 (~$350) in Europe, the Motorola is an easy choice for people looking for well-rounded performance. It has a powerful processor, a large display with an uninterrupted viewing area, a 5,000mAh battery that breezes through two days of usage, and a decent quad-camera setup with a 64MP primary sensor.

But it’s not all perfect, and one can easily see some corners being cut in terms of the build quality and internal heat management. On top of that, the 18W charger cannot really be considered fast by today’s standards. So, while the Motorola One Fusion+ will appease the majority of users, it will fail to entice tech enthusiasts who want to squeeze the maximum performance from their smartphone. In that respect, the POCO X2 is a better option for buyers in India, even though it is slightly more expensive. For the extra ₹1,000 that you pay for the POCO mid-ranger, you get a better 120Hz display, Gorilla Glass 5 protection on the front and back, 27W fast charging, and a very well-tuned 64MP camera sensor from Sony.

If you’re someone who is more concerned about entertainment than gaming, want a (seemingly) eternal battery life, and stock Android experience without any unwanted bloatware, then the Motorola One Fusion+ is for you.

Motorola One Fusion+ XDA Forums
Buy the Motorola One Fusion+ from Flipkart (₹17,499) ||| Motorola One Fusion+ Product Page in Europe

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Sony Xperia 10 II gets official support for bootloader unlocking

The Sony Xperia 10 II (pronounced as Xperia 10 “Mark 2”) is the latest mid-range smartphone from the Japanese OEM. The smartphone offers Sony’s signature 21:9 aspect ratio and a triple rear camera setup with dedicated ultra-wide angle as well as telephoto sensor, but a somewhat dated Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 SoC might be a disappointing factor for potential buyers. Sony has already published the kernel source code corresponding to this phone and added it to their Open Devices Program in a bid to promote third-party development. And now, the OEM is adding official support for unlocking the bootloader of the Sony Xperia 10 II.

Sony Xperia 10 II XDA Forums

Sony provides AOSP build guides through the Open Devices program wherein experienced developers can utilize the device tree as a base to port popular custom ROMs like LineageOS to the Xperia 10 II. You can’t boot a custom ROM or even a GSI without having an unlocked bootloader, which means the arrival of official bootloader unlocking support should help kickstart true aftermarket development on the device.

As usual, you can head over to Sony’s online bootloader unlocking portal and follow the required steps to get the bootloader unlocked. In case you can’t locate the exact model, no need to worry—Sony mistakenly lists it as the “Xperia X10 II”.

It is worth mentioning that unlocking the bootloader of Sony Xperia devices wipes out the trim area (TA) partition that contains the DRM keys. You can’t access Sony’s proprietary audio and video features without those unique keys, but at least Sony doesn’t break the camera functionality anymore. On the other hand, some carrier variants of the Xperia 10 II may not be qualified for bootloader unlocking. You can verify that from the service menu by dialing *#*#7378423#*#* in the default dialer app and checking the eligibility under Service info > Configuration > Rooting Status.

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Use a Keyboard and Mouse for Gaming on Android with this Bluetooth Controller

When it comes to Bluetooth controllers, Android is able to read inputs from your standard dual joystick configuring. Some games require button mapping apps while others work without additional configuration. For the most part, your standard Xbox-style controller will work well with Android. The area where Android has always differed from a PC, is the way it reads a mouse input. If you’ve ever tried gaming with a mouse on Android, you’ve known the struggle of having to click and drag across your screen, to replicate a touch-based aiming system. This issue has rendered keyboard and mouse gaming inputs useless for the longest time. Flydigi has created a solution called the Scorpion, which makes it our favorite Bluetooth gaming controller.

The Flydigi Scorpion is a WASD gaming keyboard. This keyboard consists of the left half of your standard keyboard, including the spacebar and four customizable keys. The keyboard is backlit with RGB LEDs that can change colors and lighting patterns based on your preference. The keyboard features blue mechanical switches with the ability to replace your keycaps.

Build and Design

Clearly a great deal of thought was put into the Flydigi controller. There aren’t many missing features that you’d want out of a mechanical keyboard. On the surface, it might look like another basic mobile gaming accessory, but in reality, it has everything you’d find in a high-end mechanical keyboard.

USB-C charging port and USB mouse input.

Bluetooth and lighting controls.

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Powered by a long battery life, the Flydigi Scorpion uses a Bluetooth signal to link to your phone. A USB-C port is available for charging the controller, with another full-sized USB port for your wired mouse input. A rubber palm rest extends past the bottom of the keyboard, making a surprisingly comfortable situation for gaming. Along the left side of the keyboard, you’ll find the Bluetooth toggle, lighting toggle, and wired/Bluetooth input switch.

The one feature that I found the keyboard to be missing, was a Bluetooth input for PC use. In order to use this with your computer, you are limited to a wired connection with the USB-C port. It would have been nice to use the Bluetooth connection to use with a PC. However, the Scorpion only acts as a keyboard input when using a USB connection.

Functionality

So how does the Flydigi solve the mouse input issue? The keyboard converts keyboard and mouse activity to controller inputs. This means that WASD is converted into left joystick, and mouse movements are converted into right joystick. Since Android has the ability to read gaming controller inputs, this means the Flydigi Scorpion acts as a natural keyboard/mouse setup with PC-style behaviors. No more clicking and dragging across your screen to aim in a first-person shooter game. Now you simply move your mouse and click to fire, just like you would on your computer.

The Flydigi Scorpion can be used with a USB mouse input.

The Flydigi Scorpion keys are backlit with RGB LEDs, with additional lighting bars on the side and top.

The results are a totally natural keyboard and mouse gaming setup. The mouse moves and accelerates exactly as you’d expect it to, while the keyboard acts as a comfortable WASD input. For games that don’t have universal controller support, you can use the Flydigi Game Center app to map your controls. The app also offers firmware updates. Since I have started using the Flydigi Scorpion, my keyboard has received two updates. This is always a promising sign, as it shows that the company behind it is actively supporting its product.

At $58.99 on Amazon, the Flydigi Scorpion is one of the more expensive gaming accessories you can get for your phone. However, it is the best keyboard and mouse solution you’ll find. So if you want to buy one today, use the link below.

Get the Flydigi Scorpion on Amazon

 

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Why the OnePlus Nord is so familiar, yet so unique: In conversation with Shawn Liu, Head of Product

The OnePlus Nord takes on a different meaning for everyone aware of its existence. For OnePlus, the Nord is a rerun towards its former territory of affordable yet powerful smartphones. For OnePlus fans, Nord is a premium mid-ranger that can beat any other in its category thanks to its rich array of features. For current or former OnePlus owners, the Nord is an excellent opportunity to relive the OnePlus experience once again, even without burning a hole in their pockets. OnePlus Nord, most importantly, is the culmination of the expectations of anyone who has ever used – and enjoyed — a OnePlus smartphone. Nord has also been conceived from the same principles as early devices from the company and offers compelling specifications at a great price.

While that is how we see Nord from the outside, we spoke to Mr. Shawn Liu, Head of Product of OnePlus Nord, to get insights about what led to the inception of this new mid-range device from a brand that has been devotedly making flagships. We also spoke about whether we can expect to see more phones with the Nord branding, and most importantly, what does Nord mean. And some more about what makes Nord a special phone.

Hands-on with the OnePlus Nord: The true OnePlus X successor
OnePlus Nord XDA Forums

How is OnePlus Nord positioned in the market alongside other OnePlus devices?

Before its launch, the device was known by several different names, and each one added to its personality in its own way. Not too long after the official unveiling of the OnePlus 7T series last year, the company’s prospective mid-range smartphone leaked online as the OnePlus 8 Lite. Eventually, the leakers’ community dug up evidence for the name OnePlus Z – a generational leap from the OnePlus X, which was the OG mid-ranger from OnePlus. Later we also heard about the device being referred to as “Avicii,” which actually happens to be the codename for this device – supposedly named after the deceased Swedish DJ.

While these names had some familiarity with previously launched devices, “Nord” is outrightly distinct. More importantly, the word Nord holds little importance for Indians as compared to European users. So the first question that arises in our minds is about the logic behind this brand new christening – and Mr. Liu shares OnePlus’ narrative.

The word Nord comes from the concept of true north… This product line reminds us to always search for our true north, and we hope it will keep reminding our users of their own.

While we are adapting our business strategy for more sustainable growth, our philosophy remains the same: We are focused on creating the best in class experiences for our users.

Beyond its geographical denotation and significance for the Scandinavian region, Nord represents OnePlus’ quest to soar and be at the top (of its market) and also inspire the users to follow the same route.

Another question that arises in our minds is about OnePlus’ strategy about Nord’s positioning among other devices, especially as the introduction of the Nord pushes the OnePlus 8 (review) in a complicated and somewhat awkward position. The Nord comes with more diverse camera setups on both — the front and back — as compared to the OnePlus 8. The OnePlus 8 Pro (review), on the other hand, can be visualized as the more flavorful flagship, meant to achieve parity with premium smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus. Meanwhile, last year’s flagship OnePlus 7T (review) continues to exist alongside the OnePlus 8 series as well as the Nord.

Mr. Liu helps draw a line between the Nord and the other devices. The OnePlus 8 series caters to the segment of users who are aware of the latest trends and are in search of the latest and the best technologies on their smartphones. OnePlus Nord, on the other hand, is “aimed to extend the OnePlus experience in more affordable price segments,” he tells us. For enthusiasts and new users, the OnePlus Nord clearly serves as the “entry path” to the OnePlus experience.

Will there be more Nords?

Despite competition from its siblings, the OnePlus Nord sits in a very comfortable position in terms of its pricing. This is reinforced by the reputation that OnePlus has built for itself in global markets on the back of first-class products — something that wasn’t really around at the time the OnePlus X was introduced. So will we see the company advance with more mid-range devices, presumably under the Nord branding?

Mr. Liu has an assuring answer to this question as he sees a definite scope for more devices that align with the Nord’s philosophy. He says:

While we are adapting our business strategy for more sustainable growth, our philosophy remains the same: We are focused on creating the best in class experiences for our users.

In addition, OnePlus has grown and flourished, and we have a better understanding of what our consumers want. Our R&D capabilities, resources and expertise have greatly improved since we launched OnePlus X.

OnePlus Nord as product

Mr. Liu also addressed some of our questions about the product itself, including our concerns about the lack of the headphone jack. OnePlus purged the headphone jack out of its ecosystem, starting with the OnePlus 6T in favor of its Bluetooth headset. Along with the Nord, OnePlus also launched its first pair of TWS earphones — the OnePlus Buds that fare well in our review.

For the users seeking choices in the mid-range segment, especially in India, the headphone jack is a vital feature to have. Yet, it has been skipped from the Nord — and Mr. Liu explains why. According to him, critical aspects such as “a flagship camera, smooth experience, and maintaining the OnePlus quality” have a higher priority. Accepting that the decision between keeping and removing the 3.5mm headphone jack from the Nord was tough, he tells us the choice for the latter option is backed by the company’s confidence in this decision.

The OnePlus Nord is easily seen as the spiritual successor to the OnePlux X (review) but with a few key differences, especially in performance. The OnePlus X was powered by a previous-generation flagship processor while the OnePlus Nord comes with the Snapdragon 765G that caters to the sub-premium rather than the flagship segment. Naturally, the OnePlus Nord does not fit the same cadre as the other recently launched smartphones when it comes to performance and gaming — even though the brand has always been hailed for its fast and smooth smartphones. On our question about gaming capabilities of the OnePlus Nord, Mr. Liu says, “One single feature cannot drive the overall functionality of a smartphone.”

He goes on to assert:

Every smartphone built by OnePlus is made to perform with the promise of a fast and smooth experience, inherently making the OnePlus Nord a gaming phone.

On the matter of e-sports partnerships, he adds:

Our community which involves hardcore gamers have always appreciated our gaming initiatives via their participation and we will continue to explore opportunities in the future with brands which share our vision.

Lastly, Nord’s mid-range configuration means it does not come with any IP ratings or protection against water damage. Interestingly, OnePlus phones until the OnePlus 8 Pro have lacked official IP ratings even though the phones have featured seals and gaskets to seal off the inlet of water into the phone. Addressing this, Mr. Liu says,

Our devices have always been equipped with the necessary components required to protect the hardware from water damage, regardless of an IP rating, which in most cases increases the cost of the device.

Mr. Liu also mentions that while Nord can survive being submerged 30cm under (presumably fresh) water for 30 seconds, it is not recommended to abuse this. More importantly, water damage is not covered under warranty, even in the case of phones that do come with IP ratings. He notes,

The OnePlus Nord can be submerged in 30cm of water for 30 seconds, but like all smartphones in the market today, it is not advisable to do so. Your warranty doesn’t cover water damage, and this is the case even with IP certified devices.

This unadvertised ability of the Nord is likely to let it remain safe in case of accidental, light splashes only, and we reiterate that users should not treat this as a stamp of water resistance.

OxygenOS – is it the best OnePlus Nord feature?

Mr. Liu says OnePlus is confident of producing more devices that approach the mid-tier with “refined user experience.” At the heart of this rich experience lies OxygenOS that has come to be one of the most preferred Android overlay skins for the smooth experience it offers. Mr. Liu affirms,

We look forward to bringing this experience to a larger audience through this product line and are excited to see what the future holds.

OnePlus’ OxygenOS has been heralded as one of the best choices for user experience by many seasoned Android users, including many experienced writers and editors on the XDA Developers Portal team. OnePlus has always been appreciative of the contribution made to OxygenOS by the community of users, and the same has been utilized for the OnePlus Nord.

1500 days of OxygenOS: Talking to OnePlus about custom ROMs, Open Ears, Android 10, and more

One example of this community-driven effort is the optimization of the camera experience on the OnePlus Nord based on the feedback shared by community users. OnePlus invited several community members with a knack for professional photography to software trials to improve the image quality and the overall Camera experience.

Besides, the OnePlus Nord comes with special features including Work-Life Balance, Shot on OnePlus (SOOP) app, and more specially designed for the users in India by the software R&D team in OnePlus’ new R&D center in Hyderabad, India. The R&D team in India has also contributed to maintaining the same smooth scrolling experience on the Nord’s 90Hz displays on the OnePlus 7 Pro/7T or the newer OnePlus 8 series by optimizing the GPU rendering.

When it comes to other features unique to the OnePlus Nord, it comes with a set of wallpapers inspired by elements common to the Nordic or Scandinavian region such as snow, sand, glacier, and stone. We have also ported out these wallpapers for you, including four live wallpapers that can be installed on any other OnePlus device. The brand has also created new ringtones for the OnePlus Nord ” inspired by the renowned electronic vibes from the Scandinavian region.”

Download the OnePlus Nord wallpapers and live wallpapers

Besides software, the Indian team has also had significant contributions to the hardware of the OnePlus Nord. The team collaborated with the global R&D team in Taipei to produce new design formats and helped achieve the optimal design quality. Additionally, they worked with carriers from around the world to optimize 5G compatibility besides the stability of VoLTE and VoWiFi services on the device.

India as OnePlus’ global base

OnePlus believes that its R&D facility in India is bound to evolve as a global R&D base for the brand and especially owing to its contribution to software development. Mr. Liu tells us,

India is set to become the largest global software development base for OnePlus by 2022. India not only represents a very important market for OnePlus but equally represents a very impactful market of talent and resources that are impacting what we do globally.

Our team not only showcases the company’s state-of-the-art technology and innovations but also drives software innovations for global markets as well as India. We presently have over 300 employees and aim to have 1000 employees in the next two years.

OnePlus is undeniably one of the most sought after brands in the sub-premium segment. But despite the brilliance portrayed in the products, OnePlus has also been caught in the outrage and agitation against brands of Chinese origin following political tension and border escalations between India and China. Addressing this, Mr. Liu says,

We have always been and always will continue to focus on creating the best products out there and hope that our product speaks for us.

Our bond with our Indian community is extremely strong. We are humbled and overwhelmed at the same time to witness the kind of loyalty and support they have bestowed on us over the years.

OnePlus Nord is different!

OnePlus has been offering a hardcore and unleashed smartphone experience to smartphone users. OnePlus One – the first phone that the brand produced instantly became to be known as a flagship killer among in the community for its potential to replace significantly more expensive premium smartphones dominating the market back in the day. As opposed to the early set of phones with barebones specifications, OnePlus has been focussing on improving the quality of user experience since the OnePlus 3. With each increment to the product line, OnePlus phones have gotten slightly better than the previous model. But, the cost of these improvements (literally) has translated to a pronounced increase in prices of the newer phones.

The OnePlus Nord is different, yet former and existing OnePlus users should feel right at home with it!

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POCO M2 Pro Review – A Better Redmi Note 9 Pro

Xiaomi’s spin-off smartphone brand POCO recently expanded its portfolio with a new entry in India earlier this month. Unlike previous POCO smartphones that targeted the affordable flagship and mid-range spaces, the POCO M2 Pro is targeting the budget segment this time around. Not that there aren’t already enough contenders swarming the budget space, thus adding to the buyer’s dilemma, but POCO would like to sell you its own vision of an ideal budget smartphone. The hardware package of the POCO M2 Pro isn’t as groundbreaking as the POCO F1 or POCO X2 Pro. For example, there’s no high refresh rate panel or top-of-the-line chipset. But considering the price segment the POCO M2 Pro is targeting, the hardware on offer is still very competitive. I have been using the POCO M2 Pro for the last three weeks, and here’s how I feel about the phone.

Note: POCO India sent me a review unit of the POCO M2 Pro on July 1st. I received the “Two Shades of Black” model in its 6GB/64GB configuration. POCO did not have any inputs into the content of this article. 

POCO M2 Pro XDA Forums

POCO M2 Pro: Specifications

Specification	POCO M2 Pro
Dimensions and Weight	165.7 x 76.6 x 8.8 mm Gorilla Glass 5 front & back Plastic frame 209g
Display	6.67″ FHD+ (2400 x 1080) IPS LCD; Center-weighted punch-hole display HDR10 support
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G: 2x Kryo 465 Gold (Cortex-A76-based) cores @ 2.3GHz 6x Kryo 465 Silver Cortex-A76-based cores @ 1.8GHz Adreno 618
RAM and Storage	6GB RAM LPDDR4 64GB/128GB UFS 2.1
Battery & Charging	5,000 mAh battery 33W fast charger (inside the box)
Rear Camera	Primary: 48, f/1.8, 0.8μ Secondary: 8MP wide-angle, f/2.2, 119° Tertiary: 5MP Super Macro with autofocus Quaternary: 2MP Depth Sensor, f/2.4
Front Camera	16MP selfie shooter
Other Features	3.5mm headphone jack Bluetooth 5.0 Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) Dual-frequency GPS Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac USB Type-C, USB 2.0 Side-mounted fingerprint scanner IR blaster
Android Version	Android 10 with MIUI 11 for POCO

Design

From the outside, the POCO M2 Pro is profoundly similar to the Redmi Note 9 Pro/Max. POCO has made some small changes so as not to repeat the exact look of its counterpart, though. For example, the camera module is slightly different, while the backplate also gets a new paint job and a striped pattern that covers the two-thirds of the bottom half. The fact that the POCO M2 Pro’s design resembles that of the Redmi Note 9 Pro isn’t necessarily a bad thing. When we reviewed the Redmi Note 9 Pro earlier this year, we had many good things to say about its design, and the same holds true for the POCO M2 Pro. It’s one of the better-looking phones in this particular price range. Our Two Shades of Black variant reminds of the first-gen Google Pixel and is thus a refreshing departure from the usual color-shifting gradient backs that we are used to seeing in this segment.

The plastic middle frame is sandwiched between the two panels of Gorilla Glass 5 that protect the rear and front. The back is shiny and highly reflective — almost like a mirror. It’s a task to keep fingerprints and smudges away. The back is gently curved on its sides, which helps the phone wrap nicely into your palm. On the right side of the frame lies the fingerprint scanner which also doubles as the power button. The fingerprint scanner area is recessed and positioned as such so your thumb naturally falls onto it. On the flip side, the volume keys are placed way too high up and are thus quite difficult to reach while holding the phone in one hand.

The POCO M2 Pro features a 6.67-inch full HD+ LCD panel with a centered hole-punch cutout. The display supports HDR10 playback as well as Wideline L1 support for full HD playback on video streaming apps such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Watching HDR content is a pleasure on the POCO M2 Pro. It’s not the first device to offer an HDR panel in this price range — the Motorola One Fusion+ and the POCO X2 also support HDR — but it’s always welcome to have it present on a budget smartphone.

The maximum brightness is rated for 450nits — fairly standard for an LCD in this price range — and offers acceptable outdoor visibility. The lowest brightness level is comfortable for browsing before bedtime. As Tushar noted in his Redmi Note 9 Pro review, viewing content under strong lighting conditions seems to trigger a hidden sunlight mode, which ramps up the saturation and contrast. Although this does make the display seem brighter, it takes a toll on the color reproduction and makes everything on the screen look kind of unnatural, especially when previewing photos or playing games. Unfortunately, there is no way to disable this sunlight mode, and it seems to kick in regardless of which color profile you’ve selected.

MIUI for POCO

The POCO M2 Pro runs MIUI 11 (for POCO) based on Android 10. This is a slightly modified version of MIUI than what we usually get on Redmi and Mi phones. MIUI for POCO swaps the standard MIUI system launcher for its own POCO launcher. Most of the visual changes are thus centered around the home screen experience. POCO Launcher is among the most versatile and feature-rich stock launchers out there. There’s an app drawer, Google Feed integration, support for icon packs, layout customization, ability to hide apps, double-tap to lock screen, and a whole lot more. It’s worth noting that the POCO Launcher is available on the Google Play Store and can thus be installed on any modern smartphone.

Another perk of MIUI for POCO is an ad-free software experience. This is one area where MIUI has been repeatedly criticized by users for displaying advertisements in its first-party apps, as many felt it resulted in a sub-par software experience. Thankfully, on the POCO M2 Pro, you’ll not see any kind of ads in the notification bar or in pre-installed apps.

Apart from the differences mentioned above, though, the rest of the POCO M2 Pro’s software experience is all too familiar. That means all the standard MIUI 11 features are here, including full-screen navigation gestures, three-finger screenshots, Second Space, Dual apps, Game Turbo, system-wide dark mode, etc. The bloatware and app recommendations also stay, but many of them can be easily uninstalled and/or opted out of/turned off.

POCO M2 Pro Performance Impressions

The POCO M2 Pro packs the Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G octa-core SoC coupled with 6GB of RAM and 64GB/128GB of UFS 2.1 flash storage. Thankfully, the performance doesn’t disappoint. Compared to last year’s Motorola Moto G8 Plus and Redmi Note 8 with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 and eMMC 5.1 storage combo, the POCO M2 Pro feels snappier and much more responsive. The app installation times are also noticeably shorter, and apps like Google Chrome, PUBG Mobile, and Gmail take less time to load up. Apart from some occasional stuttering when scrolling through Gmail entries and transitioning between menus, the overall UI performance feels smooth and fluid.

Memory management has performed as expected, and we didn’t notice any unexpected killing of background apps.

Although not specifically a gaming phone, the POCO M2 Pro packs a solid graphics punch and can handle many modern graphics-intensive games on medium to high settings without an issue. Call of Duty Mobile and PUBG defaulted to medium settings as the recommended settings. We were able to dial things up a notch to High graphics settings without introducing any significant thermal throttling.

POCO M2 Pro Camera Impressions

The story of the POCO M2 Pro’s camera performance moves along a familiar pattern that’s typical of budget smartphones. It offers decent daylight performance but struggles in low-light conditions. The camera hardware itself is unchanged from the Redmi Note 9 Pro including the 48MP Samsung ISOCELL GM2 image sensor.

As is seemingly standard on many budget and mid-range phones, there’s an 8MP ultra-wide camera to help you shoot wider perspectives. Detail retention is relatively average compared to the primary camera, but the wide-angle camera does get the job done so long as you’re shooting under sufficient lighting.

You also get a 5MP Macro sensor that allows you to capture some spectacular detail in flowers, foliage, bugs, and fine textures. From the perspective of an average consumer, though, this is something that will mostly be left unused once the novelty factor wears off. POCO has hidden the Macro mode toggle inside a hamburger menu, which in our opinion, seriously discourages its use. Placing it in the top grid or alongside the other camera modes in the bottom tray would have made more sense.

The bottom line is that the camera performance is good but not best-in-class. There are alternatives to consider in the form of the POCO X2 and Motorola One Fusion+ that offer better low-light performance — albeit at a higher price point.

Battery Life & Charging

The POCO M2 Pro offers exceptional battery life, and that shouldn’t come as a surprise with the device packing a large 5,000 mAh capacity battery. But perhaps the more exciting part about the battery life is the inclusion of a 33W fast charger in the box. A massive battery often comes with a penalty of prolonged charging sessions — which is especially true for budget devices where you don’t normally see chargers above 18W included. We have already seen this on the Samsung Galaxy M31, which packs a gigantic 6,000 mAh battery and takes up to 3 hours to fully charge with its included 15W charger.

 

On the POCO M2 Pro, you get the best of both worlds with the giant battery offering a marathon battery life and the 33W fast charger ensuring you spend less time refueling the empty tank. The device takes 1 hour and 35 minutes to go from 0% to 100%, which is commendable when taking into account the size of the battery.

I was comfortably managing a full two days of battery life with a heavy dose of social media apps such as Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit, binge-watching videos on YouTube, listening to Spotify and Pocket Casts in the background, and generous use of Google Chrome. Even on days when I played long sessions of Call of Duty Mobile, the POCO M2 Pro powered through into the next day with still 10-15% juice left in the tank. The average Screen on Time (SoT) clocked in at 8 to 9 hours.

Conclusion

The POCO M2 Pro marks a shift in POCO’s strategy as the brand prepares to dip its toe in the budget segment. It’s also a message that the brand is not going to limit itself to a niche audience and will be expanding its presence across different price segments.

The POCO M2 Pro is an amalgamation of the Redmi Note 9 Pro and Redmi Note 9 Pro Max. We are aware that other POCO phones, such as the POCO X2 and POCO F2 Pro, are rebranded versions of Redmi phones. The key difference this time is that at least with previous POCO phones, they never competed against their Redmi counterparts in India. They didn’t coexist. That’s unfortunately not the case with the POCO M2 Pro, however, as it will be competing with the very device that’s the basis of its existence. Not to mention, this hurts POCO’s efforts to maintain a safe distance from its sister brands and assert its position as an independent brand.

It’s difficult to talk about the POCO M2 Pro without also addressing the Redmi Note 9 Pro. The lack of awareness of POCO was noticeable when talking to less tech-savvy people. Most people appeared suspicious when I suggested that if they were going to buy the Redmi Note 9 Pro anyway, they should consider getting the POCO M2 Pro instead as it offers better value-for-money. I had to educate them about POCO’s connection to Xiaomi and, more importantly, how the POCO M2 Pro is similar to the Redmi Note 9 Pro in most areas while offering better value at the same price point.

Yet from the perspective of a potential buyer, none of the above facts matters that much. The POCO M2 Pro mirrors everything great about the Redmi Note 9 Pro while also offering a less intrusive software experience and faster charging support. In doing so, it even displaces the Redmi Note 9 Pro from its current position to emerge as a new champion of the budget segment. More importantly, it adds these improvements while maintaining the same price point.  It would be wrong to regard the POCO M2 Pro only as a carbon copy of the Redmi Note 9 Pro. The POCO M2 Pro clearly differs in its software experience, camera module design, and charging speeds. But whether these differences are enough to build a new smartphone around is something we’re not too sure about.

When viewed in a vacuum, it’s hard to argue against what the POCO M2 Pro brings to the table at its offer price. For anyone looking for a good-looking phone with stellar battery performance, capable cameras, and a highly capable software experience for under ₹15,000, the POCO M2 Pro is one of the best value-for-money smartphones.

POCO M2 Pro XDA Forums

If you’re still not entirely sold on POCO’s attempt at a budget smartphone, there is no shortage of alternatives. The Realme 6 is the closest rival and offers a higher refresh rate screen (90Hz), the MediaTek Helio G90T SoC, a better primary camera, and a 4,300 mAh battery with 30W fast charging support at a starting price of ₹15,000. The recently released Motorola One Fusion+ is another great option that offers a cleaner software experience, a slightly more powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G SoC, and a 5,000 mAh battery with an 18W fast charger. However, it only comes in one variant (6GB / 128GB) and costs a bit higher at ₹17,500. Finally, the POCO X2 can also be considered if you are interested in a gaming-centric phone and have a knack for custom ROMs and mods.

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