Last year’s beloved mid-range models, the Poco F5 and F5 Pro, gained attention for their stellar performance and display quality, delivering great value for money despite a few flaws. Now, Xiaomi is unveiling the F6 duo, aiming to refine and enhance the aspects where the F5 series may have lacked, promising an even better experience for users.
Poco F6 Unveiled: The Next Evolution in Performance and Value
The Xiaomi Poco F6 boasts a top-tier Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset, crafted on a cutting-edge 4nm TSMC process. With the inclusion of the latest Cortex-X4 and Adreno 725, it offers a substantial performance boost compared to the F5’s 7+ Gen 2 chip.
The base memory setup remains consistent at 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. However, this year, Xiaomi introduces an optional upgrade to 12GB RAM and 512GB storage, showcasing LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage for enhanced performance and efficiency.
The F5 display was known for its vibrant colors, and although the 1080p+ resolution was satisfactory, the F6 elevates the experience with a 1.5K display (approximately 1200p+). Sporting a 6.67” OLED panel with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, it covers 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and supports Dolby Vision. The display achieves up to 1,200 nits in high brightness mode, peaking at an impressive 2,400 nits. Additionally, it employs 1,920Hz high-frequency PWM dimming for optimal visual clarity.
While the F5 offered decent durability, it didn’t quite stand out. The Poco F6 steps up its game with notable upgrades, featuring an IP64 rating (up from IP53) and Gorilla Glass Victus (up from GG5) for enhanced protection against water, dust, and scratches.
One aspect that often flew under the radar was the camera setup. The primary module now houses a Sony IMX882 sensor, packing a punch with a 50MP resolution and 0.7µm pixels, similar to the pixel size of the 64MP sensor in the previous model. However, it maintains OIS functionality, ensuring steady shots. The 8MP camera sees minimal changes from last year. On the front, there’s a slight upgrade to the selfie camera, now equipped with a 20MP sensor compared to the previous 16MP, promising sharper and more detailed selfies.
Additionally, while the F5 boasts a sturdy 5,000 mAh battery and 67W charging capability, the F6 elevates the experience with even faster charging at 90W, albeit still limited to wired charging.
The Poco F6 is priced starting at $380 and offers color options including Black, Titanium, and Green.
Poco F6 Pro Unveiled: Redefining Flagship Excellence
The Poco F6 Pro emerges as a more upscale variant, boasting several distinct advantages over its standard counterpart. Primarily, it harnesses the power of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. Although a generation older than the 8s, it excels in GPU performance and ensures competitive CPU performance with its higher clock speeds. This represents a notable generational leap compared to the F5 Pro, which relied on the older 8+ Gen 1 chipset.
Memory configurations for the Poco F6 Pro offer choices between 12 GB RAM with either 256 GB or 512 GB storage, with a further option of a 16 GB RAM and 1 TB storage variant, albeit exclusively available in select markets. As before, LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage are utilized, ensuring swift performance and ample storage capacity.
Another notable improvement compared to the F6 is the upgraded 6.67-inch 1440p+ display, which features a higher peak brightness of 4,000 nits (while maintaining high brightness mode at 1,200 nits) and faster 3,840Hz PWM dimming. Notably, this display employs a 12-bit OLED panel, promising superior visual clarity and vibrant colors.
The camera on the new model has definitely seen some improvements, although it’s not being marketed as a specialized camera phone. The main camera now boasts a 50MP sensor with larger 1.0µm pixels, an upgrade from the previous 64MP sensor with smaller 0.7µm pixels, and a brighter f/1.6 aperture compared to f/1.8. It also comes with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) for steadier shots. However, the ultra-wide camera remains an 8MP unit, and there’s no telephoto module included. The selfie camera still sports a 16MP sensor as well.
This year, Xiaomi has made significant changes to the battery setup. The F6 Pro now packs a 5,000mAh battery and supports lightning-fast 120W charging. With the included charger in the box, it reaches a full charge in a mere 19 minutes. However, the option for wireless charging has been left out. To compare, the F5 Pro had a slightly larger 5,160mAh battery but slower charging speeds at 67W wired and 30W wireless charging.
The Poco F6 Pro comes in at a starting price of $500 and offers color choices in black and white.
