Xiaomi has been offering smartphones with a great price-performance ratio for several years under the Poco brand. The F series models focus on as much performance as possible at a low price. Fast processors are usually used within easily processed plastic housings, and the displays are usually more than impressive.
The Poco F6 runs on the powerful Snapdragon 8s Gen 3. It has a 6.67-inch display with OLED panel and 120Hz as well as a 90W power supply and a 50MP camera. It looks great for the price 377 euros?This test report clarifies if there are any irregularities.
Design: Is the Poco F6 waterproof?
The Poco F6 looks extremely stylish and is slim (7.8 mm) and lightweight (179 grams). The two large lenses, which look like a surprised emoji, along with the LED flash are very attractive. The workmanship is neat, but the device feels a bit cheap as both the frame and the back are made of plastic. The huge cell phone fits well and does not slip in the hand, but it cannot be operated with one hand. The surface is also pleasantly resistant to fingerprints. Water and bar protection is IP64. This means that it is protected against water splashes, but is not waterproof.
Display: How many inches is the Poco F6?
The Poco F6’s OLED display measures 6.67 inches diagonally – just like the Poco X6 (test report) or Poco X6 Pro (test report). The resolution is very high at 2712 × 1220 pixels and results in a razor-sharp image display at a high 446 ppi (pixels per inch). Image quality is impressive, with clear contrasts and rich, yet natural colours. The 120Hz refresh rate ensures a smooth picture. When it comes to the display alone, the Poco F6 performs at a premium level. The screen is also superbly bright, so you can easily read the display even in sunlight.
Photos: How good is the Poco F6 camera?
The setup is quite simple: the dual camera offers a main lens with 50 megapixels, optical image stabilizer (OIS) and f/1.59 as well as a wide-angle lens with 8 megapixels and f/2.2. Xiaomi saves us from an unnecessary macro lens. The front camera is 20 megapixels.
By default, the main lens combines four pixels into one to increase light sensitivity. So the images obtained with the main lens have a resolution of 12.5 pixels. Optionally you can access the full 50 megapixels. During the day, the Poco F6 takes really good, sharp shots with distinct image detail. However, the dynamic range could be a little higher, so images in bad weather appear a bit dull and colorless.
Night mode is available for taking photos in the dark, but you should keep the cell phone as still as possible. These brighten up photos remarkably – as long as there is enough light left. If it’s too dark, the photos will still have a lot of image noise. Thanks to the powerful processor, the Poco F6 also films in 4K at 60 FPS. The clips appear to be efficiently stabilized by OIS.
Wide-angle shots have very little difference in colour from the main lens. However, due to the lower resolution, image details are noticeably less clear. We liked the selfies a lot. In portrait mode they produce clean bokeh around the profile. With the selfie camera, the Poco F6 films in Full HD at a maximum of 60 fps.
The camera app on Hyper OS also offers various filters, a beauty mode for people, slow motion and time lapse, as well as a short movie and a panorama mode. There are also alternative profiles for longer exposures when taking photos.
Poco F6 – Original Shots
Poco F6 – Original Shots
Features: How fast is the Poco F6?
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is used as the drive. This is a stripped-down version of Qualcomm’s high-end processor. It is roughly equivalent to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and slightly stronger than the Dimensity 8300 in the Poco X6 Pro. It doesn’t matter whether for games, simple applications or surfing: the performance reserves are enormous, the cell phone always works smoothly. This is also proven by the strong results in benchmarks (15,000 points in PCMark, 3100 points in Wild Life Extreme).
The memory is very generous: the younger version already offers 256 GB and 8 GB of RAM, and there is also a version with 512 GB and 12 GB of RAM. The fast UFS 4.0 standard is used. However, there is no slot for a memory card. The interfaces also include Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi 6E, 5G, NFC and an infrared port. The location is quite accurate at 3 meters according to GPS tests and is carried out via A-GPS, Beidou, GLONASS, Galileo and QZSS.
The fingerprint scanner in the power button works fast and reliably. The stereo speakers deliver clear and full sound, but rattle a bit at high volumes.
Poco F6 – Photo Gallery
Poco F6 – Photo Gallery
Software: How long are updates available?
The operating system used is Android 14 with Hyper OS user interface. As usual, Poco has a lot of bloatware. At the time of testing, the security patch was from May and is no longer fully up to date. Xiaomi has promised three updates up to Android 17. There are also security updates for four years.
Battery: How long does the Poco F6 last on a single charge?
Despite the slim housing, a large 5000mAh battery has been used. However, this shows that there is room for improvement in the efficiency of the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3. According to the PCMark battery test, 11 hours of battery life is good, but not very long. The Poco F6 can last well over a day.
It charges quickly thanks to its 90-watt power output with the proprietary power adapter (included). A completely empty F6 can be charged in 45 minutes; charging from 20 to 100 percent takes about half an hour. But there’s no wireless charging.
Price and variants: How much does the Poco F6 cost?
The RRP is 450 euros for the 8/256 GB model, 500 euros for the 12/512 GB variant. However, these devices are available for much cheaper on street sales. The 8/256 GB black model is already available 377 euros. Larger version included 419 euros.It is available in black, green and titanium (silver).
conclusion
The Poco F6 is the Poco X6 Pro (Review) on steroids. The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 offers a lot of power for the price, and the bright display is also impressive across the board. The camera delivers good shots for the price, but it can’t stand out from the competition here. The mid-range smartphone offers good battery life and charges very fast at 90 watts. However, the Poco F6 doesn’t look particularly high quality and is only protected against dripping water. If you want as much power and great performance for as little money as possible, this is the right place for you.
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