The F-series is a crucial lineup for Poco, because the Poco F1 was the primary cellphone from the model to launch in India. A pal of mine nonetheless has the cellphone, and it runs high-quality even immediately. The F1 was a real flagship killer with an inexpensive price ticket. Nonetheless, issues aren’t the identical as they was once, and you will find out why on the finish of the overview. The latest member within the F-series is the Poco F6. Like most F-series telephones, the F6 is promised to ship flagship-level efficiency because of the newest Snapdragon 8s Gen Three chipset.
I have been utilizing the Poco F6 for the final couple of weeks to search out out if the brand new cellphone remains to be an inexpensive flagship killer like the unique F1 or only a mid-range higher flagship. Learn on to search out out.
Poco F6 worth in India
The Poco F6 is accessible in three variants. The bottom 8GB RAM + 256GB storage possibility is priced at Rs. 29,999, the 12GB RAM + 256GB variant will price you Rs. 31,999, and the 12GB + 512GB possibility is priced at Rs. 33,999. What’s spectacular is that the cellphone ships with quick LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.Zero storage.
What’s not spectacular is the color choices. The cellphone is offered in two finishes – Black and Titanium. You get a matte end on the rear panel with each choices.
The field comprises a 120W quick charger, however the cellphone is capped at 90W
We obtained the top-end variant of the Poco F6 with 12GB RAM and 512GB storage. Within the field, the cellphone got here with a soft-touch silicone case, the standard set of paperwork, a SIM ejector instrument, a USB Sort-A to Sort-C cable, and a 120W quick charger.
Poco F6 Evaluation: Design
In relation to design, the Poco F6 retains issues easy. The design may be very minimal, with a plastic again and body. The rear panel has a clean end, and whereas it may be slightly slippery, it isn’t vulnerable to fingerprints or smudges. Now we have the Titanium variant, which is unquestionably the better-looking of the 2 choices. A slight glimmer from the rear panel is seen when mild hits it at sure angles.
The rear panel has a clean end to it
You get two massive round digicam rings that protrude from the again. A round LED flash is positioned proper subsequent to them. I am not an enormous fan of the massive digicam rings, however I feel some might prefer it. As for branding, there is a minimal Poco emblem and a ‘50MP OIS’ etched on the again panel. The again additionally has chamfered edges, making it straightforward to carry in hand. The cellphone feels good in my hand. It weighs simply 179 grams and is 7.8mm thick.
On the entrance, the cellphone now will get Gorilla Glass Victus safety on the show. The display has slim bezels throughout and affords a screen-to-body ratio of 94.2 p.c. The Poco F6 has a handsome entrance that may simply be mistaken for a high-end premium cellphone. You additionally get an in-display fingerprint scanner positioned on the backside and a punch-hole cutout for the selfie digicam on the high centre.
The Poco F6 does not get a 3.5mm headphone port
The suitable body homes the quantity and energy button, the highest homes a microphone, an IR blaster, and a loudspeaker, and the underside will get the USB Sort-C port, one other microphone, and the secondary speaker.
Poco has improved the IP score on the brand new F6, with the cellphone now providing an IP64 score, which is a pleasant bump from the IP53 score on the Poco F5.
Poco F6 Evaluation: Specs and software program
The Poco F6 is the primary cellphone in India to launch with the Snapdragon 8s Gen Three SoC. That is an all-new chipset from Qualcomm that makes use of the identical 4nm fabrication course of because the extra highly effective Snapdragon Eight Gen 3. The chipset is paired with quick LPDDR5x RAM as much as 12GB and UFS 4.Zero storage as much as 512GB. It will get the Adreno 735 GPU.
For connectivity, you get a USB Sort-C port, 5G Twin SIM, dual-band Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, an Infrared blaster, and assist for the standard set of GPS satellites.
Though positioned very low to my liking, the in-display fingerprint scanner works properly. I confronted no points with it through the overview interval. It additionally unlocks fairly quick.
The cellphone comes with as much as 12GB LPDDR5X RAM
Poco has packed a 5,000mAh battery within the F6 that helps 90W quick charging. You do get a 120W charger within the field, however the charging pace is capped at 90W.
The Poco F6 runs Android 14-based HyperOS out-of-the-box and is promised to obtain three main Android updates and 4 years of safety patches. That is fairly good in case you ask me.
When it comes to options, you get all of the goodness of HyperOS however with some pre-installed apps. Fortunately, there are not any Sizzling apps or Sizzling video games, and all of the included video games and apps could be uninstalled. Together with the standard HyperOS options, the cellphone additionally will get a few AI options. These embrace AI Gesture management, AI Picture Enlargement, AI Eraser Professional, AI Bokeh, AI Noise Cancellation, AI Community and Connectivity, and Wildboost 3.0.
The AI Gesture management characteristic principally looks like a gimmick, for now
I attempted AI Gesture management and a few AI picture modifying options on the Poco F6. The AI Gesture management works, however not on a regular basis, and has considerably of a steep studying curve. It additionally presently solely works on Netflix and the inbuilt Music app. You possibly can enhance or decrease the quantity, play/pause content material, and ahead/rewind/change music by utilizing hand gestures. It is principally a gimmick, however when it really works, it is sort of cool.
The AI picture modifying instruments are additionally a hit and miss. You possibly can erase objects, take away folks, add blur, and alter the sky in images. These options do not require an web connection, which is good, however the outcomes aren’t good or nearly as good as among the different related options out there. I attempted to take away an object, and whereas I obtained first rate outcomes more often than not, typically the AI simply added an object as an alternative of eradicating it.
General, the Poco F6 offered a superb software program expertise with loads of options and customisation. Whereas the AI Gesture management is not that helpful, among the AI options, such because the picture eraser, can do a superb job.
Poco F6 Evaluation: Efficiency
Transferring on to efficiency, the Poco F6 is nearly as good as a mid-range cellphone will get. The Snapdragon 8s Gen Three is a superb chip, and whereas it might not be as highly effective because the Snapdragon Eight Gen 2 or Gen 3, it delivers an excellent steadiness of efficiency and effectivity. The cellphone scored very properly in all of the benchmarks I threw at it. In AnTuTu v10, the Poco F6 scored 14,57,491 factors in efficiency mode. On Geekbench 6, the cellphone scored 1,835 factors within the single-core CPU checks and 4,693 within the multi-core check.
In real-world utilization, I didn’t face any efficiency points resembling lag or stuttering. The animations, scrolling, and total software program had been clean.
The cellphone affords HDR10+ and Dolby Imaginative and prescient assist
The Poco F6 additionally has a superb show that’s nice for watching all types of content material. You have got options resembling HDR mode and AI Tremendous-resolution that make watching issues extra enjoyable. The cellphone has a 6.67-inch LTPS AMOLED show with 1.5K decision, as much as 480Hz contact sampling fee, and a 120Hz refresh fee. You possibly can select between a dynamic refresh fee or a show that’s set to both 60 or 120Hz.
The show affords a peak brightness of two,400 nits and helps Dolby Imaginative and prescient HDR 10+. I had no points studying the show indoors and open air below direct daylight. It is a beautiful vibrant show providing three major color modes – Authentic Color Professional, Vivid, and Saturated. There’s additionally a customized mode if you wish to fine-tune the show colors. I discovered the Authentic Color Professional mode to be the very best. The panel additionally affords good viewing angles.
Transferring on from the show, the Poco F6 additionally delivers good sound. You get a hybrid speaker setup that’s loud and affords some bass as properly. The vocals are clear, even at full quantity, and the general sound high quality is sort of good. The decision high quality can be good, with microphones performing properly even open air.
Most video games run at full settings with ease
Gaming on the cellphone is enjoyable. Throw any informal recreation at it, and you will by no means face any lag or hiccups. Even graphics-intensive video games run properly on the Poco F6. I performed BGMI and Genshin Influence on the cellphone at their highest settings and confronted no points. Contact sensitivity can be good; you should use the Sport Turbo app to enhance gaming efficiency additional.
With gaming comes heating, however I am completely satisfied that the cellphone didn’t warmth an excessive amount of when gaming or whereas utilizing the digicam. It did get heat to the contact, however not sufficient to place me off from gaming. The cellphone solely will get scorching when charging.
Speaking about charging, the Poco F6 carried out very properly in our battery check. The cellphone managed to final about 21 hours in our HD video loop check, which is fairly good. In relation to regular each day utilization, the cellphone persistently lasted greater than a day and a half. Throw in some gaming, YouTube, Netflix, GPS navigation, and digicam utilization, and I nonetheless obtained round 6 hours of display time. Once you run out of juice, the 90W quick charging can take the cellphone from Zero to 100 in about 1 hour 10 minutes.
Poco F6 Evaluation: Cameras
Lastly, let’s discuss in regards to the cameras. The Poco F6 has a twin digicam setup, one lower than final 12 months’s F5. There is no 2-megapixel macro digicam this time round. You get a 50-megapixel Sony IMX882 major sensor with f/1.6 aperture and OIS and an 8-megapixel Sony IMX355 ultra-wide unit with a FoV of 119 levels. For selfies, there is a 20-megapixel unit up entrance. The digicam interface on the cellphone is straightforward to make use of and affords loads of options. There is a Professional mode, a Night time mode, and even a 50-megapixel mode. You possibly can swipe down from the highest to toggle varied options resembling Gridlines, AI digicam, Tilt-shift, and Burst mode.
You get a 20-megapixel digicam on the entrance for selfies
Coming to the picture high quality, the first 50-megapixel Sony sensor takes well-detailed images in daylight circumstances, and there is not a lot to complain about. The colors, dynamic vary, and white steadiness are good, solely barely boosted by what your eye sees. The first digicam additionally performs properly in low mild in auto and Night time mode. The photographs are typically a lot brighter than they’re, particularly in darker circumstances, and you will see some grain as properly. Nonetheless, there are good particulars with managed noise when there are sufficient mild sources round. The Poco F6, regardless of turning off Magnificence mode, tends to smoothen and whiten pores and skin tones barely. There’s additionally no main distinction in particulars whenever you select the 50-megapixel mode. Under are some daylight and lowlight samples.
Photographs shot utilizing the first digicam in daylight and lowlight circumstances (Faucet to Increase)
With the ultra-wide digicam, the outcomes are good in daylight circumstances with first rate particulars, however the digicam suffers in low mild. The color profile differs from the first digicam, and the photographs are usually not as vibrant or vibrant. Try some samples from the ultrawide digicam.
Photographs shot utilizing the 8-megapixel ultrawide digicam (Faucet to broaden)
Transferring over to the entrance, the 20-megapixel selfie digicam takes first rate photographs in daylight. The main points are good, the color is generally pure, and the beautification options do not intrude when turned off. In low mild, the selfies do have loads of noise if no flash is used. The digicam does have a superb vast discipline of view, although, which is good.
In relation to video, the Poco F6 can shoot 4K at 60fps utilizing the rear major digicam. Nonetheless, in order for you secure movies with OIS, you will have to modify to 1080p at 30fps. The movies shot on the cellphone at 4k 60fps have loads of element however barely muted colors and shadows. The panning is nice, however in case you attempt to stroll or run, the stabilisation is not that nice. Nonetheless, in 1080p 30fps, the stabilisation is fairly first rate. The first digicam additionally performs properly in low mild circumstances, though with added noise. The ultra-wide digicam can shoot at 1080p 30fps, however the outcomes aren’t that nice, even in daylight circumstances. You may discover noise and darker shadows within the video.
Poco F6 Evaluation: Verdict
The Poco F6 is a mid-range cellphone that competes with the likes of the brand new Realme GT 6T, Vivo V30e, and the Realme 12 Professional+ (Evaluation). There’s additionally the Redmi Word 13 Professional+ (Evaluation), the Nothing Cellphone 2a (Evaluation), and the Samsung Galaxy A35 (Evaluation). Whereas all of those telephones are priced equally, they don’t provide the identical efficiency because the F6. The identical story applies throughout the board concerning battery life. The Redmi Word 13 Professional+ does provide an IP69 score, whereas the Realme 12 Professional+ will get a usable third telephoto periscope digicam, which is unparalleled on this worth bracket.
I would recommend the Realme 12 Professional+ or the Redmi Word 13 Professional+ in order for you a greater digicam setup. These on the lookout for a greater or distinctive design ought to take a look at the Realme 12 Professional+, the Galaxy A55, or the Nothing Cellphone 2a. The Realme GT 6T affords an analogous digicam setup however bigger battery and quicker charging. If efficiency, show, and gaming are all you care about, then the Poco F6 could be a clever selection.
So, to reply my query, is the Poco F6 an inexpensive flagship killer? Virtually. If the cameras had been higher, it will positively be. Nonetheless, it’s nonetheless a superb selection for anybody on the lookout for an all-rounder mid-range champion. The Poco F6 does all the pieces properly and will get a simple advice from us. It nonetheless is superb worth for cash.