POCO X3 Pro vs Redmi Note 10 Pro Max: Gaming Or Camera?
POCO X3 Pro vs Redmi Note 10 Pro Max: Gaming Or Camera? If you are looking for phones under Rs 20,000 today, you will be presented with several options. Two of the best known are probably the POCO X3 Pro vs Redmi Note 10 Pro Max. While the former is equipped with a beautiful display and remarkably good cameras, the latter brings a flagship chip to the price segment. But which of them will work best for you? Let me try to break it down:
POCO X3 Pro vs Redmi Note 10 Pro Max Design and appearance
This appears to be one-sided on paper – the premium glass front and back of the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max (pictured above) and an 8.1mm thin and lightweight frame (192g) on one side (with a special bronze color) ) as well as the POCO X3 Pro’s plastic rear and the slightly thicker (9.4mm) and heavier (213g) frame (see below) on the other side. And if you like conventional design, the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max is for you.
The fact is, however, with its massive logo that changes color in the light, the POCO X3 Pro does a little better in the center of a two-tone finish to stand out from the crowd and a slightly spherical camera unit. It looks very polarizing. I’m going for the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max here, but I can see some being tempted by the POCO X3 Pro. While both phones are splash-proof (IP53), the POCO X3 Pro has Gorilla Glass 6 protection on the front, while the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max has Gorilla Glass 5!
Winner: Redmi Note 10 Pro max
POCO X3 Pro vs Redmi Note 10 Pro Max Display
This again seems like a piece of cake on paper. Again, the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max seems to have a clear lead. While both phones have 6.67-inch Full HD + displays with a 120Hz refresh rate, the Note 10 Pro Max has a Super AMOLED display, while the POCO X3 Pro has an LCD. There is the fine print, though – the X3 Pro’s display is a “smart display” whose refresh rate is constantly changing with the content displayed on it, while the Note 10 Pro Max’s refresh rate is set at 120 Hz or 60 Hz. Does this make a big difference in actual usage? Well, I couldn’t say, but when it came to battery life (more on that later), it seemed to count.
The Redmi Note 10 Pro Max’s display also has the classic slightly oversaturated AMOLED look, which makes for bright and trendy, but slightly unrealistic colors that some may not like. I vote again for the bright, super AMOLED of the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max, but the difference is not huge.
Winner: Redmi Note 10 Pro max
POCO X3 Pro vs Redmi Note 10 Pro Max Processor
This is actually a no-brainer. The POCO X3 Pro comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 860 processor, an upgrade from the 855 flagships, and it’s in a very different league from the Snapdragon 732 in the mid-range Redmi Note 10 Pro Max. Yes, that’s 732 a very powerful chip, but it’s like comparing a middleweight boxer to a heavyweight boxer. Just a winner here.
Winner: POCO X3 Pro
POCO X3 Pro vs Redmi Note 10 Pro Max RAM and storage
Both phones have 6 GB / 128 GB and 8 GB / 128 GB RAM, as well as storage variants. The Redmi Note 10 Pro Max adds a 6 GB / 64 GB variant to the mix. While both phones use LPDDR4X RAM, the POCO X3 Pro uses UFS 3.1 storage, which is much faster than the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max’s UFS 2.2.
Both phones have expandable storage via a microSD card slot. Although the Redmi Note has its own slot, you can specify one of the two SIM card slots with the POCO phone. In terms of performance, I’d say the POCO X3 Pro has an edge here thanks to its faster storage, but some people (more mainstream users) may prefer the convenience of a dedicated memory card slot.
Winner: POCO X3 Pro
POCO X3 Pro vs Redmi Note 10 Pro Max Cameras: rear
If the processor fight was one-sided, the camera fight is similar, only with the sides reversed. Both phones have four cameras, but the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max (108 MP main, 8 MP ultra-wide, 5 MP macro, and 2 MP depth) outperforms the POCO X3 Pro models (48 MP main, 8 MP ultra-wide, 2 MP wide, and 2 MP wide (macro). The 48-megapixel camera on the POCO X3 Pro is doing remarkably well, but I felt like the Note 10 Pro Max provided a bit more detail.
Mind you, both were neck and neck in the video department and the X3 Pro actually worked faster than the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max when it came to handling high-resolution recordings. However, the Redmi’s macro sensor is much better than its counterpart on the POCO, although the POCO seemed to do portraits a little better. It’s close, but those megapixels on the main and macro sensors make a difference.
Winner: Redmi Note 10 Pro max
POCO X3 Pro vs Redmi Note 10 Pro Max Cameras: selfie
If the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max has an advantage over the X3 Pro in terms of the rear camera, the X3 Pro is an advantage in selfies. I liked the 16-megapixel selfie camera on the Note 10 Pro Max, but the 20-megapixel camera on the POCO seemed just a little better at handling details and edges (in portraits). The colors of the POCO were also much more realistic than the ones on the note, which insisted on making my skin a little more smooth and bright! I see some people who prefer that, but I vote for the selfie camera which makes me look more like myself.
Winner: POCO X3 Pro
POCO X3 Pro vs Redmi Note 10 Pro Max Gaming
We could almost repeat the processor part here. While the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max is good enough at handling casual games and you can even get through Iron Blade and Asphalt in medium settings, the POCO X3 Pro plays high-end games in maximum settings. The difference is breathtaking. Yes, the Note 10 Pro Max’s screen looks a bit brighter and more colorful, especially when playing games like Crash Test Bandicoot, but it can’t be called a gaming phone. The POCO X3 Pro can. The game is over.
Winner: POCO X3 Pro
POCO X3 Pro vs Redmi Note 10 Pro Max Multimedia And Multitasking
It’s going to be very interesting. Although the processor of the POCO X3 Pro offers a clear speed advantage over the Note 10 Pro Max, this difference is not always immediately apparent. Jump into heavy multitasking or edit videos and photos, and the X3 Pro looks decidedly faster.
However, the Note 10 Pro Max’s brighter and more colorful screen is much better suited for watching videos and movies. Both phones have stereo speakers and while they are largely similar, I found the POCO X3 Pro to have a slight advantage in terms of volume. The processor wins out again here for the POCO X3 Pro, but if you’re a binge-watcher, the Note 10 Pro Max might be a better option.
Winner: POCO X3 Pro
POCO X3 Pro vs Redmi Note 10 Pro Max Software
Both phones run MIUI 12 on Android 11, which shows Xiaomi’s legacy. However, on top of the POCO X3 Pro is the POCO launcher, and it proudly proclaims the lack of ads in the user interface. Xiaomi has also greatly reduced advertising and bloatware, and this is evident in the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max, which user interface you prefer is a matter of taste. I really call this a draw thanks to Xiaomi’s recent UI cleanup.
Winner: Draw
POCO X3 Pro vs Redmi Note 10 Pro Max Battery
The POCO X3 Pro wins this surprisingly easily. Maybe the brighter screen and fixed refresh rate of the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max take a bigger toll on the 5,020 mAh battery, but the fact is that I got a little over a day on the Note 10 Pro Max with a refresh rate of 120 Hz. X3 Pro lasted almost a day and a half with its slightly larger 5,160 mAh battery with the same refresh rate.
Overall, the POCO X3 Pro is perceived by many to be slightly less durable as it is used for heavy gaming – an option not available on the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max. Both phones come with a 33W charger, but interestingly enough, the POCO seemed to charge a little faster (just over an hour) than the Note 10 Pro Max (about an hour and twenty minutes). Another win for the POCO X3 Pro here.
Winner: POCO X3 Pro
POCO X3 Pro vs Redmi Note 10 Pro Max General usage
None of the phones have 5G connectivity, but India doesn’t. In other ways, the phones are largely the same. Call quality seemed a bit better on the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max, and its slightly smaller and lighter frame makes it generally easier to use than the insanely large POCO X3 Pro.
The faster processor of the X3 Pro can be felt during heavier tasks, but there is no noticeable difference between the two phones in routine use. Okay, I mainly rate this for the Note 10 Pro Max because it’s a bit easier to use.
Winner: Redmi Note 10 Pro max
POCO X3 Pro vs Redmi Note 10 Pro Max Price
Price-wise, both phones start at the same price – Rs 18,999. While the POCO X3 Pro comes with a 6 GB / 128 GB variant, the Note 10 Pro Max has a 6 GB / 64 GB variant. The 6 GB / 128 GB variant of the Note 10 Pro Max costs Rs 19,999. The 8 GB / 128 GB variant costs Rs 21,999. The 8 GB / 128 GB variant of the POCO X3 Pro costs Rs 20,999. POCO X3 Pro is a clear winner here.
Winner: POCO X3 Pro
Go POCO or make a NOTE?
So which one should you choose? Well, it’s pretty simple: if gaming and high performance aren’t your things, the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max is the phone for you. It has a display that many will prefer, and I think it is both a better rearview camera and a more conventional design.
Bring games and performance to the room, though, and the Snapdragon 860 on the POCO X3 Pro picks up my voice quite accurately. The fact that the Snapdragon 860 is a much newer processor also gives the phone a slightly longer potential lifespan on paper. It’s a classic choice between beauty and beast. And in most cases, you probably won’t regret the choice!
