POCO X4 GT Review after 1 Year: Dimensity 810 Still Powerful, 144Hz Display Smooth but Needs Optimization, 8 Hours of Continuous Battery Usage

In today's smartphone market, POCO stands out as a brand highly praised and trusted by many. POCO phones are known for their powerful specifications, affordable prices, and the POCO X4 GT is no exception. So, how does the POCO X4 GT fare after a year? Is the POCO X4 GT's performance still impressive? How long does the POCO X4 GT battery last? To answer these questions, let's dive into the review of the POCO X4 GT after 1 year.

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How is the user experience with POCO X4 GT after 1 year?

Throughout 1 year of using POCO X4 GT, this phone has performed admirably, meeting nearly all my basic and advanced needs without much difficulty. Commonly used apps like Facebook, Google Chrome, Line, Zalo, Messenger, YouTube, TikTok, all run smoothly with quick responsiveness. However, a downside that I dislike in Xiaomi phones, including the POCO X4 GT, is the delayed notifications. In comparison to all the phones I own, POCO X4 GT and Xiaomi phones, in general, are about 30 seconds to 1 minute slower in receiving notifications.

The delayed notification issue is indeed annoying, but as I've become accustomed to it, I can only hope for a new operating system update to address this. This seems entirely feasible, as recent rumors suggest that MIUI 15 will optimize compatibility with third-party apps, thereby improving existing glitches, especially the delayed notification problem. For more details, you can check out my recent article on what's new in MIUI 15.

One thing I appreciate about POCO X4 GT is the rounded chat bubbles of Messenger, Zalo, etc., which are familiar and comforting. In contrast, other Xiaomi phone models usually feature square chat bubbles. This doesn't significantly impact my user experience, but the rounded iconography feels more visually pleasing.

As for gaming capabilities, POCO X4 GT handles popular games exceptionally well, encountering minimal issues. I'll provide a detailed description of the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G's performance in the section below.

It's somewhat regrettable that despite being equipped with a 144 Hz refresh rate display, the user experience on POCO X4 GT still doesn't feel exceptionally smooth. The touch gestures have a slight hesitation, making it hard to believe this is a high refresh rate screen. Moreover, many popular games currently can't display FPS beyond 120, with some even capped at 60 FPS, rendering the 144 Hz screen underutilized. Hence, I hope app developers can customize their applications to better match high refresh rate screens for a more immersive user experience.

During usage, I also configured additional Gesture shortcuts in the Additional Settings section to enhance the convenience and seamlessness of working on POCO X4 GT. The device offers two customization options: back touch and double tap fingerprint sensor.

The back double-tap sensor on POCO X4 GT offers two options: Back Double Tap and Triple Tap Back. Among them, I frequently use the Back Double Tap for the screenshot feature. This helps me avoid changing hand gestures to simultaneously press the volume down and power buttons while browsing through news feeds. However, the stability is somewhat limited; there's a delay of about 1-2 seconds after double-tapping before capturing, sometimes even longer. Therefore, I suggest Xiaomi improve the back sensor for quicker responsiveness.

As for the double-tap fingerprint sensor on POCO X4 GT, I configured the Notification Shade to quickly pull down the app notification shade for reading new notifications. This makes it more convenient while browsing social media and messaging without using my hand to pull down the notification shade.

Certainly, both customization types can be interchanged based on individual preferences.

After 1 year, the Dimensity 8100 chip on POCO X4 GT still delivers impressive performance

Before delving into details, let's summarize the specifications of POCO X4 GT for easy understanding:

• Display: 6.6-inch size, IPS LCD panel, Full HD+ resolution, 144 Hz refresh rate.
• CPU: Dimensity 8100.
• RAM: 8 GB.
• Internal storage: 128 GB or 256 GB.
• Rear cameras: 64 MP + 8 MP + 2 MP.
• Front camera: 16 MP.
• Battery capacity: 5,080 mAh, supports 67 W fast charging.

As noticed above, the POCO X4 GT is equipped with the Dimensity 8100 chip by MediaTek. For those who might have forgotten, the Dimensity 8100 boasts a high clock speed, even surpassing the Dimensity 9000. However, this chip still relies on the older ARM architecture and is manufactured on the 5nm process, rather than the latest 4nm process. Nevertheless, after a year of use, I assess this as a commendable chip for mid-range devices, offering excellent stability for gaming and efficiently handling personal tasks.

• Performance scoring of POCO X4 GT after 1 year

To provide a clearer perspective on the Dimensity 8100's performance on the POCO X4 GT at the current moment, I will conduct benchmark tests using specialized software such as Geekbench 6, 3DMark, AnTuTu Benchmark, under specific conditions as follows:

• The device's battery must be between 90 - 100% (battery below 90% will impact the device's performance and results).
• Do not charge the battery while benchmarking.
• Conduct 3 consecutive benchmarks and take the average result after 3 rounds.

Firstly, in the GeekBench 6 and PCMark software section, the results of the POCO X4 GT are excellent, if not significantly better than some recently launched products. Referring to some reviews of the POCO X4 GT from a year ago, the scores below show minimal differences, indicating that Xiaomi has optimized the Dimensity 8100 chip very efficiently.

- GeekBench 6 Score:

• GPU Compute (graphics score): 3,798 points.
• Single/Multi-core Score: 1,097 points / 3,317 points.

- PCMark Score: 11,203 points.

The next test is 3DMark Wild Life Extreme used to assess the device's light graphics processing capability after 1 year. As you can see in the image below, POCO X4 GT achieved a total score of 1,590 and an average frame rate of 9.50 FPS in this test. These are impressive scores for a device that has been in use for a year, something that many devices from the same period might have declined significantly.

Finally, the most demanding test in this scoring section is the 3DMark Wild Life Stress Test. For those who don't know, this test will automatically repeat 20 times to assess the phone's stability when performing heavy tasks such as video editing, gaming, etc. You can see the results below and pay attention to the Stability category!

For the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test, the result achieved by POCO X4 GT is also impressive with a stability rating of 65.7%. This is evident in the difference between the highest loop score (Best loop score) and the lowest loop score (Lowest loop score) being 512 points (1,493 - 981 = 512 points). Additionally, the battery life of POCO X4 GT decreased by 6% (from 94% to 88%), and the temperature increased slightly by 4 degrees Celsius (41 degrees Celsius - 45 degrees Celsius).

Overall, the scores achieved by POCO X4 GT are still impressive after a year of release. This indicates that the product remains highly usable at the current time, despite the recent introduction of many new products. Now, what about the gaming capabilities of the device? Let's find out below!

• Gaming Experience on POCO X4 GT after 1 year

In this section, I have tested four familiar games suitable for POCO X4 GT: Arena of Valor, League of Legends: Wild Rift, PUBG Mobile, and Honkai: Star Rails. For each game, I have set the graphics settings to the highest level and used the Perfdog software to measure FPS during gameplay. I will provide all relevant results for your reference here.

Take a look at the settings and gameplay videos below!

• Arena of Valor

• League of Legends: Speed ​​War

• PUBG Mobile

• Honkai: Star Rails

Overall, POCO X4 GT handles all these games smoothly and stably, including Honkai: Star Rails. However, as mentioned earlier, no game fully utilizes the 144 Hz display of POCO X4 GT.

This can be considered a regrettable waste because a high refresh rate screen provides an extremely smooth touch and movement experience while gaming, giving users a certain advantage. Therefore, I hope app developers and phone manufacturers can collaborate more closely to fully utilize the increasingly high refresh rate screens available today.

POCO X4 GT battery after 1 year: Does it last long-term?

Before starting the POCO X4 GT battery test, I want to note that the results below are for reference only. After an extended period of phone usage, each person will have different tasks, settings, and usage conditions, so the battery status may differ from the initial period. To provide you with a more comprehensive view of the POCO X4 GT battery life after 1 year, I will conduct a battery test (following the standards of The Gioi Di Dong) with specific conditions as follows:

• Experience 4 rotating tasks: Play Liên Quân Mobile (graphics settings as shown below), watch YouTube, scroll Facebook, and use Google Chrome.

• Each task runs for 1 hour.
• Screen brightness 100%, refresh rate 144 Hz.
• External speaker on with 50% volume.
• WiFi and social media notifications enabled.
• Battery saver, adaptive brightness, GPS, and Bluetooth off.
• Test conducted from 100% to 0%.

Here are the results I obtained:

At present, the POCO X4 GT can achieve 8 hours and 5 minutes in the rigorous test mentioned above. Unfortunately, I don't have a reference chart from the device's initial release. However, based on experience with devices featuring a battery capacity of 5,000 mAh and above, I conclude that this is a good battery level, ensuring your usage needs for 1 - 1.5 days depending on individual tasks.

This is evident through the POCO X4 GT's battery activity chart, demonstrating its ability to last throughout the day with tasks such as browsing Facebook, YouTube, taking photos, gaming, etc., requiring only a single charge.

Just a reminder for everyone that these are the usage benchmarks after 1 year with the POCO X4 GT, so the battery life has slightly diminished. It highlights Xiaomi's excellent software and hardware optimization, assuring you can continue using it for an extended period without major concerns about battery depletion.

If we compare it to the initial 8 hours and 59 minutes of battery life at launch, the difference is almost negligible. As mentioned earlier, the Xiaomi 13's battery life isn't as long as it was initially because I've been using the device for over 3 months with diverse tasks.

POCO X4 GT's design remains contemporary even after 1 year of release.

POCO X4 GT stands out as one of the few phones that provides a comfortable grip from various angles since its initial release. Even now, the feel of holding the POCO X4 GT is remarkably pleasant. This is achieved through a slightly square, lightweight frame, refined edges, and soft, rounded corners. Combining these elements with the subtly curved back creates a comfortable, ergonomic feel. Furthermore, with overall dimensions of 163.6 x 74.3 x 8.9 mm and a weight of 200 grams, it's ideal for comfortable one-handed use over extended periods without causing fatigue.

The back of the POCO X4 GT is crafted from premium plastic, exhibiting excellent finishing and a reasonable level of texture to prevent excessive slipperiness when hands get sweaty. However, if your hands tend to sweat, the back of the POCO X4 GT can become quite sticky, requiring regular cleaning. To address this, I recommend using the provided phone case to minimize such issues. Additionally, using a phone case helps protect the device from unexpected damage, as I accidentally caused a corner to chip when the phone fell to the floor.

On the front side, the POCO X4 GT features a screen size of up to 6.6 inches, Full HD+ resolution, and operates on an IPS LCD panel. Some might feel a bit disappointed at first, considering many devices in the same range are equipped with premium AMOLED or OLED displays for a more authentic visual experience. However, after some usage, I found that the POCO X4 GT's screen delivers beautiful display quality, with vibrant and bright colors that make images always vivid and eye-catching.

Notably, POCO has equipped the POCO X4 GT with a refresh rate of up to 144 Hz, delivering a smooth and seamless touch experience. Content displayed on the screen is incredibly fluid and slick. This is also one of the factors that helps the POCO X4 GT outshine many competitors in the same segment. However, as mentioned earlier, the 144 Hz display is not fully utilized, so the user experience is not entirely optimized.

The main 64 MP camera of POCO X4 GT delivers authentic photos

Before diving into details, let's summarize the POCO X4 GT camera specifications for easy understanding!

• Main Camera: 64 MP resolution.
• Ultra-Wide Camera: 8 MP resolution.
• Macro Camera: 2 MP resolution.
• Selfie Camera: 16 MP resolution.

Personally, I rate the camera of POCO X4 GT as good, ensuring authentic and vibrant photos in well-lit conditions. The main camera processes colors quite naturally, although it lacks strong contrast, providing sharp details. Noise is present but challenging to notice.

As for Macro shots, the focusing capability is not exceptional. It takes about 2 - 3 seconds or manual adjustment for POCO X4 GT to focus on the subject and blur the background. While the Macro camera has good focusing, it sometimes slightly blends into the subject. The colors remain vibrant, fresh, and good contrast adds depth to the image.

Portrait photos captured by POCO X4 GT exhibit excellent quality, outshining some products in the same range. However, due to software-based background blur (lacking a telephoto camera), some images have background blur that is not precisely executed.

In low-light conditions or dim lighting, POCO X4 GT still demonstrates good processing capabilities. Image sharpness and noise are handled well by the noise reduction algorithm, but in many cases, the colors of the photo may appear slightly shifted compared to reality.

Final Verdict

Overall, POCO X4 GT remains a worthwhile mid-range smartphone from Xiaomi. Its user-friendly design, coupled with robust performance, makes it adept at handling current gaming titles. While there are some software drawbacks, I believe these will be addressed with future updates, including the anticipated MIUI 15 release.

What's your evaluation of the POCO X4 GT? Feel free to share your thoughts below! Thank you for reading through the entire article.

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