Our Verdict
The Poco F6 is a reliable mid-ranger that may shock you with its digicam and efficiency high quality, to not point out its implausible show. Sadly, some software program and bloatware annoyances, plus a barely disappointing battery life and bland design, maintain it again from being the apparent stand out of the mid-range value level.
- Unbelievable show
- Spectacular important digicam
- Nice gaming efficiency
- Speedy charging
- An excessive amount of bloatware
- Uninspiring design
- Mediocre battery life
With regards to price range and mid-range telephone manufacturers, few ship fairly like Poco. Whereas this shouldn’t come as a lot of a shock, contemplating the standard of Poco’s older sister model’s Xiaomi gadgets, each time I get one thing new from the Android producer, it at all times impresses me. The identical is true of the Poco F6, the newest inexpensive mid-ranger from the Chinese language tech agency.
As ought to turn into clear on this evaluation, the Poco F6 isn’t going to blow your thoughts. Nonetheless, a stable smartphone doesn’t have to vary your life, it simply has to do all these belongings you anticipate a smartphone to do, out of your day-to-day like messaging and web looking to a little bit of pictures and gaming, and do it nicely. So, how does the F6 evaluate to the remainder of the ever-expanding enviornment of mid-range telephones on this regard? Let’s discover out.
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Value and availability
The Poco F6 is on the market now by way of impartial retailers like Amazon, AliExpress, Walmart, and others within the US or from the official Xiaomi website within the UK. It’s accessible with both 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, for £399, or 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for £449. Costs range within the US relying on the retailer you go for, however we’ve seen the 8+256GB model for as little as $400 and the 12+256GB model for round $450-500.
There are three colorways to select from: Inexperienced, Black, and Titanium. For this evaluation, we got the Black model.
Specs
Options and software program
The Poco F6 runs on Android 14, utilizing the newest model of the Xiaomi HyperOS Android pores and skin. Whereas HyperOS is significantly better than Xiaomi’s much-maligned OS pores and skin predecessor, MIUI, it’s nonetheless not fairly up there with the likes of Samsung’s One UI or Apple’s trendsetting iOS software program, however it will get the job finished. It’s simply needlessly sophisticated typically, like with the abundance of icons within the swipe-down management middle menu, however it doesn’t take too lengthy to regulate.
Whereas there’s lots to love about Poco telephones, there’s one recurring challenge within the software program division that tends to tug my opinion down each time I get my palms on one. There’s simply a lot bloatware.
For many who don’t know, bloatware is the stuff that comes pre-installed on the telephone. The Poco F6 has a great deal of it, from repeat offender Reserving.com – critically, on each telephone I get, that one app is the one which at all times comes pre-installed – to a bunch of what are basically knock-off variations of basic cell video games, and a few extras in addition. I are likely to delete all these items after I begin testing, and it takes longer than I’d like every time I get a Poco.
Design
I’ll be clear from the off; the Poco F6’s design isn’t going to blow any minds. To name it boring could be a bit harsh. Bland could be extra apt. Nonetheless, it’s lots sensible and feels good and light-weight within the hand, which is stunning provided that it’s 179g, which is barely heavier than the likes of the iPhone 15 and Samsung Galaxy S24. Both means, it’s comfy to carry, which, as an avid cell gamer, is one thing I’m at all times pleased about. No person needs a strained wrist from half an hour of Diablo Immortal.
It additionally appears fairly sturdy – I say appears, as I’m not prepared to throw the factor to the ground to seek out out – and its IP64 ranking implies that whereas it could actually’t survive correct submersion, its mud proofing is high tier, and it ought to be capable to deal with a downpour or splash of water with none concern of long run injury. Nonetheless, the most important win when it comes to sturdiness is the Gorilla Glass Victus display screen, which is bound to maintain your show from shattering if the factor ever occurs to fall out of your pocket.
Show
One of many highlights of the Poco F6 is its superb show. This factor’s 6.67-inch AMOLED HDR display screen is pretty much as good as I’ve seen on a telephone below $500, and with a peak brightness of 1,200 nits, it’s simply as simple to make use of in direct daylight as it’s at midnight with all of the lights out. Mix these specs with a 120Hz refresh fee, one thing we’re changing into increasingly more accustomed to seeing on mid-rangers due to manufacturers like Poco, and the Gorilla Glass Victus safety we talked about earlier, and it’d simply be the most effective show accessible on the below $500 value level.
There’s the slimmest of bezels wrapped across the edges of the display screen, however it’s a lot much less noticeable than that of the Google Pixel 8a, providing you loads of display screen retail property. If, like me, you spend a number of time on the street watching Netflix or Amazon Prime in your smartphone, this crystal clear and sizeable show makes for a major promoting level, particularly in comparison with mid-range options just like the aforementioned Pixel 8a or OnePlus 12R.
Cameras
The Poco F6 comes with two cameras on the again, a 50MP important and 8MP ultrawide, with a 20MP large selfie snapper on the entrance. For the value level, it is a fairly stable providing, particularly the 50MP important, which isn’t far off the standard of the first cameras I’ve seen on some flagship telephones, each on paper and in motion. After all, it’s nonetheless not a contact on the unbelievable pictures set-up of the Xiaomi 14, or the much more flabbergasting 14 Extremely, however it’s completely able to capturing some high-quality photos in each low mild and preferrred settings.
For an instance of the standard of the F6’s important digicam, simply try the image of my canine beneath. Not solely is he my mannequin as a result of he’s a beautiful fluffy boy, however as a result of I take a photograph of him on every telephone I evaluation to check and distinction. Actually, this is without doubt one of the higher photographs I’ve received of him, there’s an actual sharpness to the picture, and the depth of shade in his coat is clear, whereas different telephones from the identical value bracket can lack this stage of definition.
Merely put, the principle digicam is stellar, supplied you’re not searching for one thing that may compete with semi-professional digital cameras like each the Honor Magic6 Professional and Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely flagships can. The portrait mode can also be stable, although it’s price saying the bokeh impact goes slightly too onerous, obscuring nearly all of my pup’s tail as a part of the background. It’s not fairly as dangerous with human topics, however it’s under no circumstances delicate.
The selfie digicam additionally isn’t dangerous in any respect I used to be fairly impressed with the few selfies I took on the F6 – don’t fear, you don’t have to have a look at them, simply belief me on this one. It isn’t probably the most dynamic, and I think about it’d battle with vivid hair colours or vibrant make-up, however the outcomes are fairly sensible representations nonetheless. There are additionally the sweetness settings on selfie mode, that are much less pervasive than others I’ve tried out, just like the choices I examined in my RedMagic 9S Professional evaluation that made me seem like another person completely, however nonetheless gave off a barely uncanny valley vibe during which I seem like an AI-manifestation quite than an actual particular person. Although I’ve seen Westworld, in order that may very well be true anyway.
Efficiency
Whereas I by no means actually anticipate a efficiency beast from a mid-ranger just like the Poco F6, this factor is without doubt one of the extra spectacular choices for its value level. Lots of that has to do with the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset, one of many newest choices from the tech model that powers numerous gadgets from completely different manufacturers. What which means is that day-to-day efficiency, whether or not or not it’s web looking or utilizing the digicam, is splendidly easy, equaling out the typically irritating working system.
The F6 can also be one thing of a gaming marvel, one thing I hadn’t anticipated when first trying out the telephone. Whether or not it’s an informal sport like Sweet Crush or one thing a bit extra demanding like Zenless Zone Zero or PUBG Cell, this factor is completely content material operating at medium-to-high settings. On condition that Poco hasn’t marketed the telephone particularly towards players, it simply may very well be.
Even whereas operating at excessive settings, the F6 not often will get hotter than mildly toasty on my telephone heat-o-meter, which is fairly miraculous contemplating there’s no complicated cooling system such as you would possibly see in some costlier and area of interest gaming telephones. The one actual drawback with efficiency is, as I discussed earlier, the battery drain. Nonetheless, even with that in thoughts, I can simply see this gadget ending up on our checklist of the best gaming phones.
Battery
This section is a bit of a mixed bag, as while the charging speed of the Poco F6 is pretty impressive, which I’ve come to expect from any device associated with the Xiaomi name, the 5,000mAh battery life is mediocre at best. It’s not so bad with sporadic use, lasting at least a day if you’re just using it for messages, internet browsing, and the odd spot of Candy Crush, but if you’re a gamer, it’s hard to recommend. In just one hour of Zenless Zone Zero, 40% of the battery drained, offering you roughly two and a half hours of gameplay before shutting down. That’s not at all ideal if you’re gaming on the go.
So, battery life isn’t the best, but as I mentioned, a fantastic charging rate of 100% from flat in just over thirty minutes certainly alleviates some concerns you might have with the battery life. Better still, you get a charger in the box, which is more than I can say of all mid-rangers – yes, again, I’m looking at you, Google Pixel 8a. However, unlike the 8a, the F6 doesn’t offer wireless charging, which while not a deal breaker, is a little disappointing.
Should you buy the Poco F6?
If you’re looking for a phone with a no-frills design, quality display, impressive performance, and a camera capable of taking some social media-worthy shots, the Poco F6 is worth checking out. It’s a solid all-rounder, and while you might not get that ‘wow’ moment other more expensive smartphones have to offer, an affordable and reliable piece of kit for less than half the price of a new iPhone is something to celebrate. Nice work, Poco.
Alternatively, if you’re looking for something a little less generic design-wise, offers wireless charging, or doesn’t come with a bucket load of bloatware, you might want to look elsewhere. I’m not exactly sure where, as many of the phones in the mid-range section are similarly a touch bland in terms of design and not all of them offer wireless charging, but there are at least a couple that buck that trend.
Alternatives
If this Poco F6 review hasn’t sold you on the Xiaomi mid-ranger, check out some of our alternative suggestions below.
Google Pixel 8a
If you afford to stretch your budget around $100 further than the asking price for the Poco F6, the Pixel 8a is a fantastic alternative. While it’s not as quick to charge as the F6, the Pixel 8a has slightly better cameras, in our opinion, and also offers some exciting AI tools like Magic Eraser for photo editing and Circle to Search. Both are great devices, but it comes down to what you value more in your phone. For more on this one, check out our Google Pixel 8a review.
OnePlus 12R
Of 2024’s mid-range phones, the OnePlus 12R is one of the more impressive. It’s got a much flashier design than the Poco F6 and is similarly impressive in terms of performance and charging speeds. The difference between the two is that the OnePlus 12R holds its charge a little longer than the Poco, but for that benefit, you’re getting a device with no IP rating, which might not be the best idea if you’re not also planning on picking up a case. If you want the full lowdown, check out our OnePlus 12R review.