[Xiaomi Poco F1 Questions & Answers] Heronicola:
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So these are the steps I took in attempting the QPST method.

1. Upon receiving the phone, I immediately linked it to my MIUI account and associated the phone with Mi Cloud, turning on sync and find my phone as well. (My account is 3 years old, but this should not make a difference due to the limit Xiaomi has imposed on bootloader unlocking wait.)

2. An hour later, I then accessed my Windows machine and used Mi Flash Unlock, specifically version 3.3.525.23 which is available here. https://www.mediafire.com/file/ykvjawchrhtekwc/MiFlashUnlock_3.3.525.23.zip

I powered off and held power and volume down to enter fastboot mode, and connected the phone to the computer. If the flash unlock tool does not already install the drivers, click on (from within the tool) Settings Gear Icon -> "Check" button (next to the sentence: "Click the button to install the drive.")

I was met with an error at 99% which told me to wait another 71 hours, and henceforth I waited the 3 days which Xiaomi now imposes on Pocophone owners before the bootloader can be unlocked.

3. As promised on the third day, I hit the unlock button and the bootloader unlocked. In order to enter Diagnostic Mode, I needed root access, and since I wanted a cleaner ROM I installed the Project Treble GSI through a modified TWRP using this guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4oV9OOT5q8.

I enabled root access by flashing Magisk through TWRP.

Make sure to backup not only your system/data, but also the "EFS" partition which contains the NV variables which we mess with in QXDM. This can be done through TWRP.

4. At this point I decided to try the QPST method, and so I downloaded QPST 2.7 Build 411 and QXDM Professional 03.12.714 (Both of which are readily available around the internet and easy to obtain).

5. I enabled USB debugging and plugged the Pocophone into the Windows machine, and opened up an ADB shell. I gained root access through

su

and set the USB mode to debugging using

setprop sys.usb.config diag,adb

At this point, I opened up Device Manager and was met with the following device

which meant that the correct Qualcomm drivers were already installed as the following shows

However, if Windows does not automatically install the drivers for you, I tested the Xiaomi Mi5 diagnostic drivers which are available over at https://xdaforums.com/mi-5/development/xiaomi-mi5-qualcomm-diagnostic-drivers-t3336200 and seem to work just fine with the Pocophone on my end.

6. I then opened QPST Configuration (which can be accessed from Start Menu), and was met with the Pocophone in the list of connected devices

If not, then you need to make sure the Qualcomm diagnostic driver is properly installed, and the device shows in Device Manager in the same fashion it did for me.

Click on "Ports" in the QPST Configuration, and check to see if the port on which the device is connected is enabled

If not, then click on "Add New Port" and type the connected COM port + number, as well as a label:

7. At this point, I followed the standard procedure and kept QPST open while opening up QXDM, and added the target port by accessing "Options" -> "Communications" from within QXDM, and setting the Target Port option, followed by OK.

It was at this point where upon selecting "NV Browser" in View and attempting to read the LTE band configurations, I received "NV Status Error Received: Item Inactive."