Alright, Xiaomi has been really busy releasing smartphones in 2021 with the Mi, Redmi and POCO series. The latest POCO X3 GT offering in Malaysia is an interesting one as well because it packs quite good specs on paper. But should you be getting it?
So, let’s find out more about the device in the Experience It article at below. By the way, there is a video experience review for this device you can watch above so check it out for gaming and camera in action.
Design
The X3 GT design is nearly similar to other Xiaomi devices but that’s not a bad thing. The phone feels premium to hold as well thanks to its 163.3 x 75.9 x 8.9 mm body size. The review unit’s colour I have received is the Stargaze Black which feature a cool two tone Black and Silver (you can noticed it when light shone on it) with metallic flakes.
For the phone, you get the IR blaster with one of the speaker grill on the top, while at the bottom, you have the USB Type-C port and the speaker grill. On the left is the sim slot while the right side is volume rocker and power button/fingerprint scanner. Despite the body is made from plastic but the display is protected with the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus and the phone has IP53 rating for dust and splash protection.
Overall, X3 GT design does looks like a premium flagship smartphone, so its ideal for those who really needs a smartphone that has class.
Performance
The X3 GT review unit I have received is powered by Mediatek Dimensity 1100 and paired with 8GB RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage. The specs is really sufficient as it is almost equivalent to a 2020 flagship smartphone. You can run any demanding task you can throw at it and it can handles heavy graphic game title without any problem. By the way, the Dimensity 1100 is 5G ready as well.
At TrendGrnd, we don’t believe to much on benchmark numbers as most users aren’t going to push the device to the limit everyday. With that said, the performance side for the X3 GT is seriously value for money.
Display
While Xiaomi has elected to use a 6.6 inches IPS LCD for the POCO X3 GT, it makes up by adding other features like 120Hz fast refresh rate, HDR10, and a brightness of 450 nits. So, you can forgive Xiaomi for not putting an OLED screen here.
The viewing experience is good and immersive thanks to the 1080 x 2400 resolution. You can watch video contents or play games with the display without any issues. With 120hz fast refresh rate, scrolling your social media has never felt that fast.
Colours on the display is too vivid to my liking so I would suggest to use the Standard colour option if you’re doing editing for pictures or videos. Nonetheless, Xiaomi has really nailed the IPS LCD here for the X3 GT owners.
Speakers
You get a stereo dual speaker setup on the POCO X3 GT. They are sufficiently loud enough but if you compare with a flagship smartphone side by side, you noticed the loudness is a bit lacking. It also suffers lack of bass as well.
Oh, by the way, this phone doesn’t have 3.5mm headphone jack. If you need to use headphones, then you need a wireless one.
Camera
Main Camera without AI and HDR 
Main Camera with AI on 
Main Camera with HDR on 
Main Camera with AI and HDR on 
Ultrawide Camera without AI and HDR 
Ultrawide Camera with AI on 
Ultrawide Camera with HDR on 
Ultrawide Camera with AI and HDR on 
Main Camera without AI and HDR 
Main Camera with AI on 
Main Camera with HDR on 
Main Camera with AI and HDR on 
Ultrawide Camera without AI and HDR 
Ultrawide Camera with AI on 
Ultrawide Camera with HDR on 
Ultrawide Camera with AI and HDR on 
Main Camera lowlight 
Main Camera lowlight with night mode 
Main Camera lowlight with flash 
Ultrawide Camera lowlight 
Ultrawide Camera lowlight with night mode 
Macro camera photo
On the rear, it has a triple camera setup which consist of 64 MP main camera, 8 MP ultrawide camera and a 2 MP macro camera. The photos on the main camera looks good but it feels over-processed. Zooming is via digital through the main cam but I suggest to keep on 2x zoom as anything way beyond that will result photos looking oil painting. The ultrawide is serviceable for landscape shots while the macro camera is the weakest link here as you might as well use the main camera photo to crop into the subject. For low light conditions, I highly recommend you to use the night mode or flash to take better photos.
Selfie without AI and HDR 
Selfie with AI 
Selfie with HDR 
Selfie with AI and HDR 
Selfie lowlight 
Selfie lowlight with night mode 
Selfie lowlight with external lighting device
For the selfie camera, 16 MP selfie shooter also suffer some over-processed which at times give an artificial vibes. However, the selfie supports night mode feature which is really good if you want to snap yourself during low light condition. Both rear and front cameras has AI feature and HDR but I only recommend to fully turn “ON” the HDR (there is Auto, ON or off for HDR). I felt the AI feature mostly saturating the photos and brings no real benefit unless you really need saturated photos.
In terms for videos, the main camera can shoot up to 4K 30 fps but the ultrawide and selfie camera is maxed out at 1080p 30fps. The main camera takes really good videos and suit for those who needs a strong main camera for the vlogs or social media content upload. The ultrawide camera takes good video quality but the lack of 4K does felt a missed opportunity for vloggers to use it.
HDR is available in video mode for both front and rear cameras and I highly recommend to fully turn it on as gives clearer video quality. Macro camera can take videos too but it maxed out at 720p and the quality is not that good so you can avoid using it.
One surprising thing for this phone is the capabilities to shoot LOG video format. You can only accessed Log mode through the Pro Video mode and its for the main camera only. The LOG footage looks great when unedited so you can expect great footage when you colour grade your footages.
Battery
You will get a 5000 mAh battery and supports 67W fast charging for the X3 GT. Battery life is great as it is sufficient enough to last you till end of the day but it also depends on your usage as well. While Xiaomi claimed the 67W fast charging can bring the battery form 0-100% in 42 min, I think that anything required less than an hour to fully charge your phone is really great.
Final verdict
The price for the POCO X3 GT in Malaysia starts from RM1299. It seriously offers a great value for money thanks to the performance, battery and display. Despite the camera and speakers is lacking a bit, it still doesn’t hindered much for your everyday use. You should get this POCO X3 GT if you’re on the hunt for smartphone with a budget of RM1500 in 2021. You can even put it in your consideration for your ‘Phones to Buy in 2021’. You definitely won’t go wrong with mid range smartphone by POCO.
*This POCO X3 GT loan review unit is provided by Xiaomi Malaysia without any compensation. Therefore, there is no final approval nor creative input by Xiaomi or Xiaomi Malaysia. Everything is based on 2 weeks of usage hence the experience may differ with software updates provided by Xiaomi to the users. TrendGrnd will remained committed for non-biased in the review contents and has no affiliation regardless of any brands.