Despite imperfections, Poco F1 can beat OnePlus and Asus on their own turf

The Poco F1 offers top-of-the-line innards at a starting price of a mid-range budget device, challenging the popularity of OnePlus and Asus in the mid-range flagship segment.

Poco, a sub-brand of Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi, seems to be redefining the mid-range flagship segment with the launch of the Poco F1. The smartphone offers top-of-the-line innards at a starting price of a budget mid-range device, challenging the dominance of OnePlus in its own game, and almost killing the budding new names in mid-range flagship segment, such as Asus.

A smartphone is more than just the sum of its components. This is true of every smartphone, be it one from OnePlus or Samsung, Apple, Asus or Xiaomi. 

Like a camera, which is more than just the megapixels, a lot more than just a processor defines a smartphone. A powerful processor, coupled with an optimised operating system, proper RAM management, healthy battery, capable camera units with software-based image enhancements algorithms, etc, are a few things that complete a smartphone.

Here is a look at the key players in the mid-range segment and how they stack up against one another:

OnePlus 6:

The OnePlus 6 smartphone is a result of experience that the company gathered over years. It boasts a top-notch hardware, best-in-class Android-based operating system and a premium glass-metal-glass body. Importantly, the consistent software upgrade cycles and a healthy community group that shares regular feedback to the company make this device even better with time.

Poco F1

The Poco F1 is a fresh new experience. It also boasts premium innards but cuts corners on design, camera and some other features to keep the cost in check.

It is important to note that the Poco brand is part of Xiaomi, which has been a dominant player in the country with its value-for-money phones. However, the company’s last flagships did not make an impact in India’s price-conscious smartphone market due to irregular launches and uncanny price tags. Compared to OnePlus, Poco has had a similar start with the F1, which is not perfect, but sets the benchmark for future Poco-branded smartphones.

Asus Zenfone 5Z:

The Asus Zenfone 5z, which is also a capable mid-range smartphone that could be considered the only alternative to the mighty OnePlus 6. The Poco F1 not only takes the cheapest Qualcomm Snapdragon 845-based smartphone title from it, but also makes it look overpriced. However, Asus has so far been consistent with the support, providing regular software upgrades that continue to make the Zenfone 5z even better. However, with rising competition, it remains to be seen if Asus continues to be a relevant player in this segment.

But one thing is clear: A segment that has long been dominated by OnePlus is finally seeing some competition. With rising competition among brands, the consumer is sure to be the real winner.

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Asus Zenfone 5Z launch set for June 15: Still a modern flagship smartphone?

The Zenfone 5Z has 90 per cent screen-to-body ratio, thanks to its 6.2-inch notch-based fullHD+ screen covering almost the entire front.

Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Asus was the first smartphone maker to announce Google Android-based devices – the Zenfone 5Z and Zenfone 5 -- with iPhone X-inspired notch-based screens at the Mobile World Congress held in February. Now, after almost four months, the company is gearing up to launch the Zenfone 5Z on June 15, according to a tweet shared by company through its official Japan handle.


Earlier this year, when Asus showcased the Zenfone 5-series, the adoption of artificial intelligence technology in smartphones was in early stages and Asus showcased its different use cases, such as automatic scene selection and setting optimisations in camera, auto ringtone adjustments and optimal battery utilisation, etc. Though the Zenfone 5-series smartphones were claimed to bring system-wide AI-based optimisations, a lot has changed since MWC and most mobile phone manufacturers now integrate an iteration of AI, which Asus then called advanced. This is what happens when you showcase innovative products and take months to roll those out to markets.


Speaking of the Zenfone 5Z features and specifications, the phone has 90 per cent screen-to-body ratio, thanks to its 6.2-inch fullHD+ screen covering almost the entire front.


The 19:9 aspect ratio leaves just a small notch on top to accommodate an 8-megapixel camera, earpiece and sensors. In terms of imaging, the smartphone sports a dual-camera set-up, which features 12MP and 8MP shooters. The primary 12MP sensor boasts f/1.8 aperture and the 8MP sensor features a 120-degree wide-angle lens. Both front and rear cameras are backed by AI for automatic scene selection and portrait photography, and machine learning to improve the output by learning usage patterns.


The Zenfone 5z sports a 2.5D curved glass on the front and back, supported by a metal chassis that holds them together seamlessly. The Zenfone 5z houses Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 system-on-chip (SoC), paired with 6GB RAM and host of storage options starting from 64GB.