Pocophone X2: Specs, release date and price revealed for Poco’s second phone

The Pocophone F1 is one of the best handsets we’ve ever had the pleasure of reviewing. Released at the tail end of 2018, the handset offered core specs to match the best of what Samsung, Sony et al were offering at a fraction of the price. Just £329, to be exact.

The phone is so good that now at a reduced price, it’s significantly better than new budget releases in the same price bracket.

So you might be excited to learn that after a year of silence, Poco is back with a follow-up. Prepare for that excitement to be somewhat muted though, as the Pocophone X2 is a very different beast. Here’s what we know.

Pocophone X2: Everything we know so far

Pocophone X2 features and specs: It’s a mid-ranger, folks

One of the most popular markets for the original Pocophone was India, and it looks like the company is aiming there again with an inexpensive but far less exciting offering. Rather than packing the Snapdragon 855 or 865 as you might hope, Poco has pivoted to a midrange chip: the Snapdragon 730G. That’s the same processor used in the Oppo Reno 2, the Realme X2 and the Xiaomi Mi Note 10. In fact, with 8GB RAM it matches the former two exactly.

That doesn’t exactly make it a slowpoke, but anybody expecting the blazing speeds of the Pocophone F1 will be sorely disappointed. In fact, you’re probably better off buying Poco’s first handset if speed is your main concern:

Of course, a phone is more than just its raw processing grunt, and other key specs include a 4,500mAh battery with 27w fast charging, and up to 256GB of onboard storage. The 6.67in screen is an LCD number with a 1080p resolution, but it packs a 120Hz refresh rate, which is better than you manage on some flagships. In short, everything should feel extremely smooth.

Then there’s the Poco X2’s photography chops, and the handset has an impressive-sounding quad-camera array. This is led by Sony’s brand new 64-megapixel IMX686 sensor, and there are additional lenses for wide-angle photography (8-megapixel), macro shots (2-megapixel) and depth-sensing (also 2-megapixel). The front-facing selfie camera is a 20-megapixel affair, with a secondary 2-megapixel lens for depth sensing. It’s USB-C, has a headphone jack and a fingerprint sensor embedded in the power button.

Pocophone X2 price: How much will it cost?

Poco says the phone will start at 15,999 rupees for the model with 6GB RAM and 64GB of storage, which is around £172. That price rises to 16,999 rupees (~£183) for a version with 128GB of storage, and 19,999 rupees (~£215) for one with 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage.

Poco clearly thinks this puts it in a good position to compete with the Realme X2, as the slightly disingenuous tweet above shows (the Realme X2 has an AMOLED screen – a spec that’s curiously missing from the marketing spreadsheet).

Pocophone X2 release date: When will it launch?

If the constant references to rupees weren’t a clue enough, for now the Pocophone X2 has only been confirmed for India, where it will launch on 11 February. Hopefully, a release date for the rest of the world will follow, but it’s far from guaranteed.