Poco F6 Pro in the test: Xiaomi’s new price-performance champion?

After the M and X series in January, Poco is now updating its F series with the Poco F6 and the F6 Pro. This is one of the most popular model series of the Xiaomi subsidiary, as it is in direct tradition with the original Pocophone F1. In 2018, the phone offered high-end hardware for just 349 euros, which you could only find in devices twice as expensive from other manufacturers, and established the reputation of the Poco devices as price-performance winners.

Poco’s current top model, the Poco F6 Pro, is no longer quite as cheap. Xiaomi is asking 579.90 euros for the version with 256 gigabytes of storage and 12 gigabytes of RAM. The 512 gigabyte model costs 629.90 euros and the 1 terabyte version costs 699.90 euros. However, Xiaomi traditionally offers the Poco devices more often.

To celebrate the market launch, the individual variants were up to 100 euros cheaper for a short time. Nevertheless, the price for a Poco phone is high; you can find out below whether the F6 Pro can justify it.

Design and workmanship

Visually, the Poco F6 Pro looks great, especially in the white color variant that we had as a test device. Here, the matte glass back has a grain that plays with the incoming light. This makes the F6 Pro look very classy, ​​but the grain doesn’t give the phone any more grip. The back is very slippery, so you’d better protect the device against falls with a case.

For the first time on a Poco phone, the frame is made of metal rather than plastic. This makes it look very solid and robust. Unfortunately, the casing only has an IP54 certification, so you shouldn’t submerge the Poco F6 Pro or drop it in water. Given the price, we would have liked a higher IP certification. The Google Pixel 8a, for example, has an IP67 rating.

Picture series of the POCO F6 Pro

This is what the POCO F6 Pro looks like in pictures

With a screen diagonal of 6.67 inches, the 209 gram Poco F6 Pro is not a small phone. However, Xiaomi has built the XXL screen into a comparatively compact design. The phone measures 160.86 x 74.95 x 8.21 millimeters and is therefore smaller than some mid-range competitors such as the Samsung Galaxy A55. The compact design is made possible by the fact that Xiaomi has reduced the edges around the display to a minimum.

In addition to the white color variant we have, Xiaomi also offers the phone in black. There are no more colorful color options. These are reserved for the Poco F6.

Display

A highlight of the Poco F6 Pro is the 6.67-inch AMOLED display. In the test, it not only impressed with its sharp display and rich but still realistic colors, but also with its brightness. Even in direct sunlight, content was mostly easy to read. Xiaomi specifies the maximum screen brightness as 1,200 nits.

The maximum resolution is 3,200 x 1,440 pixels, also known as WQHD+. However, it is set to Full HD+ by default, probably to save battery life. We would advise you to leave the settings as they are, because even in this mode, no individual pixels can be seen, even if you press your nose against the screen.

The maximum refresh rate is 120 Hertz. However, the phone works with adaptive technology ex works. This means that the refresh rate is increased or decreased depending on the content. The lower limit is 60 Hertz. Unlike more expensive top smartphones, the Poco F6 Pro does not offer an LTPO screen that can even reduce the refresh rate to as low as 1 Hertz.

Processor and memory

The processor in the Pro model is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. It was used in all top Android-based smartphones in 2023 and still offers more than enough computing power in 2024. Ironically, the cheaper base model (from 449.90 euros) with the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 offers an almost equally fast and newer chipset. Apart from that, no smartphone in the mid-range can currently hold a candle to the Poco F6 Pro – as a benchmark comparison shows.

A notice: The benchmark tools Geekbench and AnTuTu measure the performance of a cell phone’s CPU, memory and graphics unit. Higher values ​​mean better results in all three tests. The more tests a device wins, the higher its ranking in the table.

As mentioned at the beginning, the smartphone is available in three memory versions. You have to decide in advance how much memory you need. The memory cannot be expanded later. Instead of a microSD slot, the Poco F6 Pro only offers space for two nano-SIM cards. In our opinion, 256 gigabytes of memory should be enough for most of you. Unfortunately, the phone does not support eSIMs. But that is not a given in this price range.

Battery life

The Poco F6 Pro draws power from a 5,000 milliampere hour battery. In the PCMark test, the phone achieves runtimes of between 10 and 12 hours – depending on the settings selected. This is a rather average value. You should typically get by for one to one and a half days on one battery charge. So the Poco F6 Pro is not a long-distance runner.

The Poco F6 Pro can only be charged from a power outlet. Unlike its predecessor, the Poco F5 Pro, wireless charging is no longer supported. However, the phone does not have to stay plugged in for long. Thanks to the included 120-watt power adapter, it was charged from 0 to 100 percent in less than 30 minutes in the test.

camera

For photo and video recordings, the Poco F6 Pro now offers a 50-megapixel camera on the back instead of a 64-megapixel camera. In addition, Xiaomi has again installed an 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle and a 2-megapixel macro camera. In everyday life, you will take most of your photos with the main camera and can generally look forward to good results. Because even if on paper it looks as if the Xiaomi phone has gotten worse here, the opposite is the case.

The 50-megapixel camera is based on the new Sony Light Fusion 800 sensor. The little brother of the Light Fusion 900, which is used in Xiaomi’s top smartphones Xiaomi 14 and Xiaomi 14 Ultra. The sensor is significantly larger than the OV64B from Omnivision used in the predecessor, which means that the individual pixels can capture more light. In addition, the camera has an even larger aperture of f/1.6, which also allows more light to reach the sensor. All of this means that the Poco F6 Pro delivers better results, especially in difficult lighting conditions.

Poco F6 Pro in pictures

You can take pictures like these with the Poco F6 Pro.

You’ll have to do without a telephoto lens, but the high sensor resolution means you can zoom in on an image two times without any loss. Beyond that, the quality drops significantly. The built-in ultra-wide-angle camera delivers usable images during the day, but contours quickly become blurred in the dark. The macro camera delivered rather average shots in the test, which didn’t really impress us.

Thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, the Poco F6 Pro is also able to perform AI functions. However, you will only find simple image editing features out of the box, such as the ability to replace the sky in an image. However, more advanced functions will soon be added, such as the ability to enhance images using AI or to translate language in real time. However, these features will initially only be available in a beta version for selected users. Poco has not yet revealed when they will be available to everyone via an update.

software

The Poco F6 Pro is delivered with Android 14. Xiaomi has not yet given any information on how long the devices will be provided with updates. We assume two Android updates (Android 15 and 16) and three to four years of security patches. Incidentally, the Poco F6 Pro already uses the new Xiaomi system HyperOS instead of MIUI as the user interface, which is much more powerful.

Alternatives

A good alternative to the Poco F6 Pro is the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE. Although it has less computing power, it does have a telephoto lens, AI functions, wireless charging and eSIM support. If you are looking for a model that is as compact as possible, you will be happy with the Google Pixel 8a. Here, too, eSIM support, wireless charging and AI image processing functions are on board. The basic model Poco F6 also offers a lot of computing power for little money. Here, however, you have to make compromises in terms of workmanship, but the device also costs significantly less.

Poco F6 (Pro)

Editorial rating 7.2 Reader ratings

37 reviews

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Transparency note: The test device was loaned to netzwelt by Xiaomi for 3 weeks and then returned.

Poco F6 (Pro): The best alternatives

Not to your liking? Are you looking for suitable alternatives? Below you will find the best Poco F6 Pro alternatives.

We also recommend that you take a look at our smartphone best lists. You can find comparable products, for example, in the best list “Comparison of mid-range cell phones (2024): The 10 best cell phones around 500 euros in the test”