If only the Poco X3 Pro wasn’t good enough already, it has gotten a little better. The affordable Poco smartphone, which was designed keeping gamers in mind, was launched at Rs 18,999 for the 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage variant. The headline here was the Qualcomm Snapdragon 860 SoC. At a time when the world was facing a global chip shortage and smartphones were getting expensive, Poco managed to come up with a Snapdragon 8-series smartphone and still priced it under Rs 20,000.

Now, during the Flipkart Big Billion Days sale, the Poco X3 Pro will be available at Rs 16,999 for the base 6GB RAM variant. Honestly, this is a deal too good to miss out on. Flipkart’s microsite for the sale has already gone live, and you can see the new price for Poco X3 Pro reflecting there.

The customers will be able to get better value by exchanging their old smartphones and clubbing the purchase with bank offers. Flipkart has partnered with Axis Bank and ICICI Bank for the Big Billion Days sale.

Who should buy Poco X3 Pro?

The Poco X3 Pro crushes competition when it comes to performance. It seamlessly runs games like Call of Duty: Mobile and Asphalt 9. In fact, a more expensive Poco F3 GT restricted graphics and frame rates but, Poco X3 Pro allows you to enjoy heavy gaming titles at best possible settings. The only downside of the processor is the absence of 5G support. I don’t expect the commercial rollout for another 18 months, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

The Poco X3 Pro features 6.67-inch IPS LCD panel with 2400 x 1080 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. It has good viewing angles, vibrant colours and decent contrast levels. You can feel the difference while using the phone at 120Hz refresh rate.

The smartphone packs a 5160mAh battery which is more than enough for daily usage. It easily lasts for a day on medium usage. The Poco X3 Pro comes with a 33W fast charger which can charge the phone from 0 to 100 per cent in about an hour. It’s good to see the smartphone maker packing a fast charger with the phone.

Who can still skip?

While the Poco X3 Pro is probably one of the best smartphones under Rs 20,000, it does have a few shortcomings too. First of all, it’s big and bulky. Then, the camera isn’t that impressive. The Poco X3 Pro is equipped with a 48-megapixel primary Sony IMX582 lens, an 8-megapixel wide-angle lens, a 2-megapixel macro lens and a 2-megapixel portrait lens. On the front, you get a 20-megapixel selfie shooter.

The camera produces passable results in daylight but isn’t too impressive. In fact, both Redmi Note 10 Pro Max and Realme 8 Pro are miles ahead in this department. The image quality takes a dip with the ultra-wide-angle lens. The images lack detail, and the dynamic range isn’t that great either.

If clicking pictures is not your priority, and you want a daily driver that can handle games without lags, the Poco X3 Pro is the phone to check out this festive season.