Yes, I am one of those people who are still in love with the custom ROM world in the middle of 2023. I’ve had a POCO F3 for two years, and after trying MIUI 14 (and having some fatigue with the ROM, by the way, let’s all say this), I decided to switch the ROM.

Good geek, my preference on Android is Android Stock, and Google is the best comment on how the native system needs some customization. I installed Pixel Experience ROM and since I have Google Pixel 6 at home, I decided to compare some points that I was curious about. Is the mid-high range two years ago outperforming the Pixel 6 just a year ago? I will not play interesting: Answer Yes.

A few words for Pixel Experience

Wonderful. I have no other description of what the Pixel Experience team has accomplished. For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, it’s a great project that brings life to both current and quite old phones (Xiaomi Redmi Note 7, POCO F1, OnePlus 3 etc.) and this is it. Fully flash Google Pixel’s ROM.

To have this ROM is literally to have the latest Pixels ROM (updated to Android 13) on our phone. I was able to compare it to the Pixel 6’s ROM and actually Pixel Experience has some extra functionality. For example:

• We can choose the usage statistics for 24 hours or the consumption since last upload.
• We can tailor each application to an advanced optimization profile.
• Adding international ROM features (call screen, smart pause, etc.) is easy.

The ROM can be updated via OTA and installation is via recovery from Pixel Experience, not via classic TWRP, at least as far as my POCO F3 is concerned.

This is how a Xiaomi from two years ago performed with this ROM.

I have had no complaints about the performance of my POCO F3. A mobile phone with the Snapdragon 870, which is a revision of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ released in 2019. It’s a processor made with a 7-nanometer process, and the Pixel 6 shouldn’t shine that bright compared to the Google Tensor G1. .

As you can see, the Tensor G1 is a processor with: a more efficient architectureand with the “new” Cortex G1 cores (two) compared to the single A77 core that mounts the Snapdragon 870. The problem here is that this processor is a disaster in sustained performance, especially if we demand it at the current high temperatures.

SMALL F3 and Pixel 6

In the CPU thermal throttling test, the POCO F3 scored higher than the Pixel 6 despite having a single legacy core. Similarly, after a few minutes the Pixel starts to slow down significantly. POCO has fallen more gradually and never in an alarming way.

We also passed the 3D Mark GPU test in unlimited mode. Here we see that Pixel’s peak performance is higher but the stability is zero. Performance does not decrease by less than 60% While POCO is down by barely a %. It is true that it is easier to maintain this level by having a lower peak performance, but the decline of the Pixel with stock ROM is alarming.

Numbers, numbers and the truth is both phones work great. Here, the POCO has a 120Hz panel with Android Stock animations that make it feel even smoother than the Pixel 6. Otherwise, they are two relatively different mobiles (although both are mid-range premium) and this piece is not such a comparison, but an example of how a solvent-equipped phone can be brought back to life thanks to Pixel Experience.

Image | xataka

on Xataka | Bargain mobile is dying. Mid-range is becoming more of an entry-level range