Poco F6 Pro review: premium power and visuals on a budget, with a few key pitfalls

Poco F6 Pro review: Two-minute review

Chinese tech giant Xiaomi has sub-brands, with Redmi already having built a strong reputation, but you should also start to take notice of Poco. The latter originally launched as Poco by Xiaomi, though it soon spun off as its own independent brand while remaining under the Xiaomi umbrella.

Poco aims to provide customers with “everything you need, nothing you don’t” – delivering devices for those on strict budgets, promising to offer near-premium smartphones for less. The Poco F6 Pro is its most high-end offering, calling it an “all-around flagship that closes the gap on high-end performance phones,” and in many ways, it succeeds.

The pricing and model availability of the Poco F6 Pro can be a little tricky to pin down. It comes in three models: 12GB RAM and 256GB/512GB storage and the 16GB RAM/1TB model that I’ve reviewed here. While the UK get all three models, only the 512GB F6 Pro is available in Australia, priced at £549 / AU$999.

The Poco F6 Pro isn’t officially available in the USA but, similarly to the 256GB and 1TB versions in Australia, international models can be purchased through AliExpress (as well as Amazon and Kogan in Australia).

I’m not a hardcore mobile gamer, but across casual titles like Marvel Snap, Hearthstone and Clash Royale, as well as more demanding games like Fortnite, Rocket League, and PUBG Mobile, the Poco F6 Pro ran flawlessly with a steady 60FPS at high graphics settings.

It boasts a large, bright 6.67-inch WQHD+ display with sharp, vibrant colors. The 120Hz refresh rate makes gaming smooth and, combined with the 3200 x 1440 resolution, I found myself – a movie snob who desires the best possible viewing experience – genuinely enjoying watching movies and TV shows on the Poco F6 Pro. Perhaps most impressive is its 4000-nit peak brightness, just short of the OnePlus 12’s 4500-nit display.

With a 50MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide lens and a 2MP macro camera, the Poco F6 Pro offers a solid setup for casual photographers. While it doesn’t quite match the vibrancy or feature set of the best camera phones – or the best budget camera phone – it produces sharp, well-defined images, even in incredibly dark environments, where it’s assisted by AI to restore details and deliver clear images.

One feature I personally enjoyed – but might not be for everyone – is the iOS-like interface, specifically regarding the iPhone’s swipe-down control center that HyperOS almost completely copies. As an iPhone user in my daily life, it made for an easier transition compared to something like Samsung’s One UI.

Now, for the bad – bloatware, and lots of it. Right out of the box, the Poco F6 Pro comes loaded with an abundance of applications, from duplicates with the Google suite to random games (Bubble Shooter, really?) and third-party apps that clutter the app drawer. Worse yet, you can’t mass-delete them, forcing you to hold down each one individually and drag them to the bin.

Worse yet, ads appear within system apps like Themes. While they can be disabled, the fact that customers would have to traverse ads on a phone they’ve paid for is baffling, if not insulting. Despite enjoying my experience once I’d removed (most) ads, the sour taste they left was hard to forget.

In the budget phone market where high-quality UX is offered by Samsung, Google, Motorola, and now Apple with the iPhone 16e, it’s a relatively small drawback that stops the Poco F6 Pro from sitting in the upper echelon of cheap phones.

Still, once beyond the initial setup pains, you’re left with a stunning display, powerful performance and all-day battery life within a premium build. Poco even includes a 120W Type C pin charger (in certain countries), USB-C cable and a surprisingly high-quality phone case in the box.

Whether you’re a gamer, casual photographer, or someone who just wants a fast, reliable phone for streaming, scrolling and playing, the Poco F6 Pro delivers exceptional value.

Poco F6 Pro review: price and availability

• Released in May 2024 for £549 / AU$999 (12GB/512GB model)
• Not always available from reputable retailers
• 16GB/1TB model is only available in certain countries

The easiest way to purchase the Poco F6 Pro in the UK and Australia is through the Xiaomi online store. In Australia it is also available via independent retailers: Amazon, Kogan and AliExpress. Amazon and AliExpress reliably stock it for the UK too, while the latter is your only easy option in the US, where you could get it for a discounted price at around the $400 mark.

While the F6 Pro launched in May 2024, it didn’t hit the Australian market until August 2024. It comes in three configurations: the 12GB/512GB model is priced at £549 / AU$999, a 256GB storage variant is also available, currently available for approximately £499, though it’s only available in select markets. The 16GB/1TB model is priced at £599, but is available in even fewer markets.

When I first got my hands on the Poco F6 Pro, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It’s a lesser-known brand – at least in Australia where this phone was tested – claiming to offer impressive value even among the best budget phones. Yet, after testing it, I found it mostly delivered on its promise of flagship visuals and performance at a more accessible price.

Adding even more value, the Poco F6 Pro includes a 120W charger and a Europlug CEE 7/16 wall plug (in compatible countries), a USB-C cable, and a protective case – a rarity in an era where many brands are cutting back on in-box accessories.

Despite some minor drawbacks, the Poco F6 Pro consistently impressed me with its price-to-performance ratio. While the newer and cheaper Poco X7 Pro might be a better pick for those purely seeking ultra-budget gaming power, the Poco F6 Pro stands out as an excellent all-rounder with a gaming focus in the mid-range market.

Poco F6 Pro review: specs

Given the nomenclature, it’s seems obvious that the Poco F6 Pro would be the more expensive handset compared to the standard Poco F6, but the story isn’t so simple. The Poco F6 Pro is a gaming-focused all-rounder in the mid-range market, but its regular sibling actually outperforms the Pro in some areas, which a much more dedicated focus on speed.

The F6 Pro sports the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, while the Poco F6 sports the newer Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. The Poco F6 Pro is also beaten in durability, with the IP64 durability rating and Gorilla Glass Invictus protection of the Poco F6 beating the Gorilla Glass 5 and IP54 of its Pro sibling.

Worth highlighting in the specs list is the F6 Pro’s 6.67-inch display (3200 x 1440 resolution), 50/8/2MP rear camera trio, and 5,000mAh battery with 120W wired charging.

Poco F6 Pro review: design

• Smooth quad-curved glass back
• IP54 durability rating
• Two color options

Much like the all-new iPhone 16e, the Poco F6 Pro sticks to just black and white options, ditching the more vibrant yellow seen on many other Poco phones. The result is a premium, albeit slightly boring-looking smartphone.

Unlike the plastic design of the F6, the Poco F6 Pro features an aluminum frame and marbled, smooth quad-curved glass back, giving it a high-end feel that exceeds expectations for its price.

My review unit was the white model, and while I usually prefer the more understated black, I quickly warmed to the color – especially since I had the option to cover the device with the included black case anyway.

Speaking of the included rubber phone case, it actually feels substantial, more like something you’d buy off Amazon than a flimsy throwaway addition.

However, the case won’t protect your F6 Pro from its biggest design flaw – an IP54 dust- and water-resistance rating. This means the Poco F6 Pro offers limited protection against dust ingress and water sprays, and compared to other phones in its class that offer a minimum IP67 rating, it simply falls short.

This could be a deal breaker for those who work in dusty environments or need their phone in inclement weather.

The only part of the Poco F6 Pro that (literally) sticks out when using the case – besides the (thankfully) minimal Poco branding – is its camera array. Three large lenses and a flash dominate the top of the rear of the device, which avoid the all-too-common table wobble.

Attractive from any angle you look at it, comfortable to hold with either one or two hands and going without the Poco yellow, the design of the F6 Pro would be one of my favourite features… if it wasn’t more impressive in other areas.

Poco F6 Pro review: display

• 6.67-inch display (3200 x 1440) with 120Hz refresh rate
• 4000-nit peak brightness
• Visible Gorilla Glass 5 protector

Alongside its gaming prowess, the Poco F6 Pro’s display is one of its standout features – and one of the best you’ll find at this price visually.

As someone who previously loved the compact iPhone 12 mini, I’ve had to adjust to using larger smartphones and, while bigger isn’t always better, the 6.67-inch screen on the Poco F6 Pro hits the sweet spot between usability and immersive viewing.

Not all screens are built the same. In the past I’ve struggled with the long and narrow 6.7-inch Motorola Edge 50 Pro, whereas the 6.6-inch Samsung Galaxy A55 feels much more comfortable to hold. It’s worth noting that I have larger hands, but the Poco F6 Pro sits closer to the Samsung in terms of usability, with an excellent in-hand feel.

Beyond size, the Poco F6 Pro impresses with its 3200 x 1440 resolution, 120Hz refresh rate (which you’ll need to activate in settings, with a 60Hz base), and 4000-nit peak brightness. Whether I was reading, gaming, or watching videos, the display looked fantastic – even outside under the bright Australian summer sun.

Unfortunately, one of the Poco F6 Pro’s biggest weaknesses is its durability. Strangely, the cheaper Poco F6 is actually tougher as it features Gorilla Glass Victus, while the F6 Pro is stuck with older Gorilla Glass 5.

Usually, I’d hope not to have to test the toughness of the screen, but my Poco F6 Pro took a tumble off my bathroom sink onto the tiled floor, coming away with some minor damage. I also found that it’s quite easy to scratch up, coming away with a few marks just from sitting in my pocket and bag. My biggest problem, though, is that the glass is visibly sitting on top of the main screen, taking away from the F6 Pro’s display.

The Poco F6 has an excellently bright, responsive display that is a joy to both watch and play on, but phones at this price, and considerably cheaper – it’s non-pro sibling a prime example – offer stronger displays without a visually obtrusive protector.

Poco F6 Pro review: software

• Ads in system apps and suffocating bloatware
• HyperOS on top of Android 15
• 3 years of OS updates and 4 of security patches

One of the best things about a new phone is the naked, fresh interface and the Poco F6 Pro felt like it came wearing seven hats, three watches, and nine pairs of socks.

The software of the Poco F6 Pro is perhaps its weakest attribute. Pre-installed apps on Android phones never quite match up with the clean feeling of setting up a new iPhone. Typically, this includes useful essentials like the Google Suite, along with perhaps a few duplicate system apps such as a gallery and Google Photos.

This was my first time using a Xiaomi phone, and the Poco F6 Pro took my experience with bloatware to another level. I’ve never had to delete so many apps just to clear my home screen and keep only the ones I actually use.

Two app stores, the App Vault, Facebook, TikTok, Farm Frenzy, Booking.com, Bubble Shooter, LinkedIn, Mi Mover, Mi Remote, Mi Video, Gallery, Google Photos, Poco Community – you get the point. And that’s far from the full list.

Note that I made things worse for myself by quickly rushing through the setup process and choosing to download several games right at the start. However, even when denying that, you’ll still get far too many pre-downloaded, unwanted applications.

Once I cleared out the clutter, Poco’s HyperOS became a straightforward Android experience that I enjoyed.

On the customization front, the Poco F6 Pro offers a wealth of options. You can personalize your lock screen style, icons, fonts, notification effects, and even fingerprint unlock animation. The phone also supports themes that allow you to change multiple elements at once for a cohesive look.

For those who enjoy AI-powered features, the Poco F6 Pro offers plenty. Google Gemini is integrated and activates when holding the power button, allowing you to ask about what’s on the screen, issue voice commands or type requests. You also get Google’s Circle to Search functionality.

Beyond that, AI features extend into Notes, Gallery and Recorder, enabling AI summaries, proofreading, translation, image expansion, editing, transcribing, speaker recognition, summary generation, and more. There’s even an AI Interpreter for real-time translation during conversations or phone calls, as well as AI subtitles for translated video playback.

Overall, I enjoyed Poco’s HyperOS experience, and while the three years of software updates isn’t the most generous I’ve seen, it’s acceptable. However, that positive experience is heavily tarnished by built-in ads and an overwhelming amount of bloatware upon setup.

Poco F6 Pro review: cameras

• 50MP main camera, 8MP ultra-wide
• 2MP macro, 16MP front camera
• Dull coloring

The ability to snap great photos on a cheap smartphone is one of the key needs for budget buyers. Sure, you want to save money by avoiding bank-breaking flagship devices, but you don’t want to struggle to take family photos, or be left with blurry results when you snap a selfie at the end of your hike.

That’s why, right next to battery life, camera performance is one of the top qualities of many of the best cheap phones, from the Motorola Edge 50 Pro, to the Edge 50 Fusion, Galaxy A55, Pixel 8a and more. That’s not the case for the Poco F6 Pro – it makes no apologies for focusing on gaming power and all-day battery. However, it still does well enough for most users to be happy with their results, especially if it’s a secondary need to gaming.

It is not the best camera I have used while testing the other budget phones, but it was satisfactory across the board. From the 50MP main camera, to the 8MP ultra-wide, 2MP macro and 16MP selfie camera, the Poco F6 Pro lets you take any photo you want.

It’s not as feature-rich as other phone cameras in this market – there’s not a ton of photo types or filters – and I did struggle to get the phone to focus in macro mode, but it performed well once in position and the subject wasn’t moving.

The Poco F6 Pro has a few modes like document scanner and long exposure that allow you to do more than just take regular photos and videos. While the Poco F6 Pro claims to excel in night photography – and it certainly is impressive at pulling some detail from near pitch-black environments, I found it performed inconsistently in low-light environments like dimly lit restaurants.

The Poco F6 Pro isn’t one of the best camera phones on the market, and the Motorola Edge 50 Pro, Samsung Galaxy A55 and the Samsung Galaxy A56 surpass it in the budget category. Still though, if you just want a decent enough camera setup for snapping the family, your pets or weekly hike, the Poco F6 Pro is more than up to the task.

Poco F6 Pro review: performance

• Handles strenuous loads
• Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform
• Stereo audio, no headphone jack

Ranking smartphone processors isn’t always straightforward – some excel in speed, others in gaming, battery efficiency, or specific tasks. Still, the Poco F6 Pro runs on one of the better mobile chipsets available today in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.

It delivers excellent, well-rounded performance and particularly stands out in gaming power and battery life. It even outperforms the Dimensity 8400 chip found in the newer Poco X7 Pro.

I reviewed the 1TB/16GB RAM model, and I was impressed by how cool it stayed under pressure. Many budget phones I’ve tested tend to heat up even during basic tasks, and even my personal iPhone 15 seems to get warm when I take a few seconds too long to select a podcast.

The Poco F6 Pro remained cool throughout my testing – even while gaming and charging simultaneously.

Its real-world performance translated well to benchmarks, too. In Geekbench tests, which measure CPU performance, the Poco F6 Pro’s multi-core score (4,733) outperformed the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, Nothing Phone 2, and Motorola Razr 50 Ultra. Its single-core score, however, placed it alongside mid-range devices like the Pixel 7a, Poco F5 Pro, and Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Turbo.

When it comes to 3D Mark gaming benchmarks, the Poco F6 Pro dominates budget and mid-range rivals and even approaches flagship-level performance:

As you can see, in nearly every benchmark test, the Poco F6 Pro significantly outperforms two of the best cheap phones on the market. And from my own experience, I can confidently say it felt just as powerful in everyday use.

As for its audio quality, the Poco F6 Pro connected to my Samsung Galaxy Buds 3, Apple AirPods 4 and Sony WH-1000XM5 very easily. Its dual stereo speakers offer Dolby Atmos where it can, and provided a completely enjoyable sound experience the rare times I wasn’t using headphones.

Poco F6 Pro review: battery

• 20% in 5 minutes, full-charge in around 30 minutes (67W charger)
• Easily handles hours of gaming
• 120W charger included (in certain countries)

You might think that a smartphone that promises power, should have the battery to go with it. But, while that is not always the case, the Poco F6 Pro is certainly in line with that rule.

With a 5,000mAh battery, the Poco F6 Pro’s battery capacity matches up to that of some of the best phones, not just the best cheap phones it’s competing against. Battery capacity isn’t everything, but even phones like the Google Pixel 9 Pro (4,700mAh) falls short in comparison to the Poco F6 Pro, which matches the battery capacities of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Like I said, battery capacity isn’t everything, and it’s actually the enhanced power efficiency of the F6 Pro, thanks to its LiquidCool Technology 4.0 with lce Loop system that makes it feel as good in use as its battery looks on the specs sheet.

The Poco F6 Pro only ever gets slightly warm when running games on low battery. And, as such, it has no issue lasting all day. So, while it varied depending on my use that day, I found myself with about 20% battery by the time I got home at 6pm after being up and using my phone from 5am.

With the included 120W charger – that’s not compatible with Australian sockets – Poco promises a HyperCharge speed that will get you to 100% in just 19 minutes. Though of course you can purchase your own 120W charger to get those speeds.

With the Xiaomi 67W GaN wall charger – which can be purchased from the Xiaomi store – the Poco F6 Pro increased by 22% in just 5 minutes, while 15 minutes would get you around 70%, and it would sit at about 85% after 30.

Playing Fortnite Mobile on the Poco F6 Pro was a blast, and it lasted a touch more than 3.5 hours of continuous, nonstop 60FPS gameplay at high graphics settings and around 80% brightness.

Speaking of, after a day of strenuous testing, the Poco F6 pro was sitting at only 10% battery as I got onto the bus after work, but I still needed some entertainment for my commute. Luckily, six games of Marvel Snap (around 15 minutes), starting with the phone on just 8%, took the F6 Pro to just 2% battery, which the phone stated would last about half an hour if you stopped using it and saved it for emergencies.

For both regular use and heavy gamers, the Poco F6 Pro is an excellent choice in the budget space.

Should you buy the Poco F6 Pro ?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Poco F6 Pro review: also consider

How I tested the Poco F6 Pro

• Review test period = 3 weeks (had the device for much longer)
• Testing included = Everyday usage, including web browsing, social media, photography, video calling, gaming, streaming video, music playback
• Tools used = Geekbench 6, 3D Mark, native Android stats

I received the Poco F6 Pro in October 2024, but due to a combination of reviewing other devices, the Black Friday rush, and the busy Christmas period, I didn’t get around to properly testing it until the new year. However, when I first received the device, I did use it as my main device for about a week and carried it with me to work, testing it intermittently during that time.

When I finally dedicated myself to the Poco F6 Pro review, I used it as my primary device for a three full weeks. During this time, I tested its capabilities with regular tasks like texting, video calling, and scrolling through social media for hours, along with gaming and streaming content from the best services.

The only out-of-the-ordinary activity I indulged in was playing mobile games like Fortnite and PUBG – as the device is gaming focused and I’m not much of a mobile gamer. I quickly found myself enjoying it quite a bit, especially when I paired my mobile gaming sessions with my PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller.

To ensure accurate performance results, I ran 3D Mark and Geekbench tests several times throughout my review period, factoring in battery performance and daily usage conditions at the time of testing to get the most applicable numbers.

Read more about how we test

[First reviewed March 2025]