There’s a dual-SIM and microSD card slot on the left side. The right side presents a clicky volume rocker with a power button-fingerprint scanner hybrid below it. On the top is an IR blaster and a microphone. On the bottom is a speaker, a USB-C port, a 3.5mm headphone port, and a microphone. The side-positioned fingerprint scanner is easy to find, very responsive, and accurate. It’s even easier to find it when you use the included case which has a taper where the fingerprint scanner is.
You can definitely feel that the rear panel is made of plastic. It flexes upon pressure and doesn’t get as cold as a glass back. That said, plastic is far less prone to cracking on impact, so it’s not all doom and gloom. At 215g, the phone feels big and hefty in the hand. I didn’t experience any rattles or creaks with our Poco X3 review unit. It felt tight and well made.
The surprisingly crips haptics add to the experience. In budget phones like this one, haptics are usually hollow and loose. This might not sound all that important, but poor haptics can make a phone feel cheaper. Xiaomi has done well here with a tight-feeling vibration motor.
The Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC is IP53-rated, meaning that it’s mostly protected against dust and sprays of water. Don’t expect the device to survive a swim or an extended period in heavy rain. That said, we don’t often see budget devices with IP ratings, so IP53 is a nice touch.