Is the POCO F3 256GB storage / 8GB RAM a decent upgrade to a OnePlus 6?

Cromulent · 26 Dec 2021 at 08:05

I was looking for a new phone and wondered if I would notice a decent improvement in performance if I upgraded my OnePlus 6 to a POCO F3 with 256GB storage and 8GB of RAM?

Since I've never owned a POCO phone before, can anyone tell me how many Android upgrades they tend to release? I like to keep the Android version the latest version for as long as possible, so knowing what their policy is on Android updates and security patches is vital to me.

I'll want to play games on the phone and use it to learn how to make Android phone apps, and the fact it supports 5G is handy as well. I want to know if people think it is worth upgrading to it or whether I should keep my OnePlus 6?

biron_w · 26 Dec 2021 at 10:13

I've owned a POCO phone before and got rid of it because of MIUI. It's easily the worst Android skin I've ever used.

Cromulent · 26 Dec 2021 at 12:43

biron_w said:
I've owned a POCO phone before and got rid of it because of MIUI. It's easily the worst Android skin I've ever used.

That is a shame. I was hoping to get a new phone but I don't know what to get. I'd rather not spend £500+ on one.

Orcvader · 26 Dec 2021 at 12:43

In terms of raw processing power it's a step up (SD870 vs SD845).

However updates on Xiaomi phones are usually more random and delayed compared to OP, even with OP's current update track. Don't expect it to be updated on the latest security patch that fast. If this is really vital to you, the Pixel 6 is another option.

A2Z · 26 Dec 2021 at 16:01

Cromulent said:
That is a shame. I was hoping to get a new phone but I don't know what to get. I'd rather not spend £500+ on one.

Why not? Considering how much time we spend on our phones, and what we can do on them, basically a mini pc, investing in a better quality and spec phone is a better choice than saving a few ££.

Cromulent · 26 Dec 2021 at 20:31

A2Z said:
Why not? Considering how much time we spend on our phones, and what we can do on them, basically a mini pc, investing in a better quality and spec phone is a better choice than saving a few ££.

OK. Seeing as I don't know much about phones what would you recommend? A Pixel 6? I see a lot of people saying it is a decent phone.

Orcvader · 26 Dec 2021 at 22:10

If especially you want to use it to develop and test apps, it's one of the best since it's one of the rare Android phone lines that properly follows standard RAM/battery behaviour. Other OEMs tends to have more aggressive management which can unexpectedly kill apps and could cause a little more headaches getting around them. More info can be found here: https://dontkillmyapp.com/

As for gaming, heaviest game I've tried is Genshin Impact and I have no issues, I have dialled the game settings to medium + 60fps however since max settings doesn't really give any major visual improvements. I've also tried Dolphin emulator which runs with no problems.

biron_w · 27 Dec 2021 at 10:20

Cromulent said:
OK. Seeing as I don't know much about phones what would you recommend? A Pixel 6? I see a lot of people saying it is a decent phone.

I'd definitely recommend a Pixel 6 as it's excellent. I have the regular 6 and it's one of the best phones I've owned. For £600 it's a bargain.

Cromulent · 27 Dec 2021 at 17:46

biron_w said:
I'd definitely recommend a Pixel 6 as it's excellent. I have the regular 6 and it's one of the best phones I've owned. For £600 it's a bargain.

I guess if I'm going to buy an expensive phone I might as well go all in and get a Pixel 6 Pro.

kona786 · 27 Dec 2021 at 17:50

Cromulent said:
I guess if I'm going to buy an expensive phone I might as well go all in and get a Pixel 6 Pro.

Only if the telephoto is something you want. The extra specs don't warrant all the extra money making the regular 6 a bit of a bargain.

Cromulent · 27 Dec 2021 at 17:58

kona786 said:
Only if the telephoto is something you want. The extra specs don't warrant all the extra money making the regular 6 a bit of a bargain.

The only thing for me is that I want a large phone which is why I was looking at the Pixel 6 Pro.

varkanoid · 27 Dec 2021 at 20:30

Cromulent said:
I was looking for a new phone and wondered if I would notice a decent improvement in performance if I upgraded my OnePlus 6 to a POCO F3 with 256GB storage and 8GB of RAM?

Since I've never owned a POCO phone before, can anyone tell me how many Android upgrades they tend to release? I like to keep the Android version the latest version for as long as possible, so knowing what their policy is on Android updates and security patches is vital to me.

I'll want to play games on the phone and use it to learn how to make Android phone apps, and the fact it supports 5G is handy as well. I want to know if people think it is worth upgrading to it or whether I should keep my OnePlus 6?

I got the Poco F3 256gb June 21 and its probably one of the best phones I have used. 8gb Ram 3.2ghz CPU.

Last Android 11 security update is 01/11/2021. Probably get one every 3/4 months.
Cost me £299. Dont really believe in spending more than £300 or so on a phone and this was the best spec at the time I could find for the money and they were offering a discount at the time. One of the reasons I went for it was the 120hz refresh rate for the price point it was a no brainer.

kona786 · 27 Dec 2021 at 23:04

Cromulent said:
The only thing for me is that I want a large phone which is why I was looking at the Pixel 6 Pro.

The difference in screen size is almost negligible.

If money is no object then the Pro it is.

cjgardens · 28 Dec 2021 at 05:39

Ive got the f3 I can't see the skin when I'm using a app. All my apps are on the front screen so do see any skin.

Plus it's half the price of a pixel.

biron_w · 28 Dec 2021 at 08:29

Cromulent said:
I guess if I'm going to buy an expensive phone I might as well go all in and get a Pixel 6 Pro.

I looked at the Pro and didn't think the extra features were worth the extra £250. You get the telephoto lens, a better selfie cam (I never take selfies) and a 120hz screen with better resolution but it's curved rather than flat.