Poco F6 Review: Excellent Performance, Mid-Range Cameras

The F-series is a vital lineup for Poco, because the Poco F1 was the primary telephone from the model to launch in India. A buddy of mine nonetheless has the telephone, and it runs wonderful even right now. The F1 was a real flagship killer with an reasonably priced price ticket. Nevertheless, 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 due to the newest Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset.

I have been utilizing the Poco F6 for the final couple of weeks to seek out out if the brand new telephone remains to be an reasonably priced flagship killer like the unique F1 or only a mid-range higher flagship. Learn on to seek out out.

Poco F6 worth in India

The Poco F6 is offered in three variants. The bottom 8GB RAM + 256GB storage choice is priced at Rs. 29,999, the 12GB RAM + 256GB variant will price you Rs. 31,999, and the 12GB + 512GB choice is priced at Rs. 33,999. What’s spectacular is that the telephone ships with quick LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage.

What’s not spectacular is the color choices. The telephone 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 telephone is capped at 90W

We acquired the top-end variant of the Poco F6 with 12GB RAM and 512GB storage. Within the field, the telephone 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

On the subject of design, the Poco F6 retains issues easy. The design may be very minimal, with a plastic again and body. The rear panel has a easy end, and whereas it may be somewhat slippery, it isn’t liable to fingerprints or smudges. We’ve got the Titanium variant, which is unquestionably the better-looking of the 2 choices. A slight glimmer from the rear panel is seen when gentle hits it at sure angles.

The rear panel has a easy 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 big digicam rings, however I feel some could 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 simple to carry in hand. The telephone feels good in my hand. It weighs simply 179 grams and is 7.8mm thick.

On the entrance, the telephone now will get Gorilla Glass Victus safety on the show. The display screen has slim bezels throughout and presents a screen-to-body ratio of 94.2 %. The Poco F6 has a handsome entrance that may simply be mistaken for a high-end premium telephone. 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 would not get a 3.5mm headphone port

The correct 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 telephone 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 telephone in India to launch with the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 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 8 Gen 3. The chipset is paired with quick LPDDR5x RAM as much as 12GB and UFS 4.0 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 help for the standard set of GPS satellites.

Though positioned very low to my liking, the in-display fingerprint scanner works nicely. I confronted no points with it in the course of the overview interval. It additionally unlocks fairly quick.

The telephone 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 velocity 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 aren’t any Sizzling apps or Sizzling video games, and all of the included video games and apps may be uninstalled. Together with the standard HyperOS options, the telephone additionally will get a few AI options. These embody AI Gesture management, AI Picture Growth, AI Eraser Professional, AI Bokeh, AI Noise Cancellation, AI Community and Connectivity, and Wildboost 3.0.

The AI Gesture management function largely looks like a gimmick, for now

I attempted AI Gesture management and a few AI picture enhancing 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 improve or decrease the quantity, play/pause content material, and ahead/rewind/change music by utilizing hand gestures. It is largely a gimmick, however when it really works, it is type of cool.

The AI picture enhancing instruments are additionally a hit and miss. You possibly can erase objects, take away individuals, 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 acquired first rate outcomes more often than not, generally the AI simply added an object as a substitute of eradicating it.

General, the Poco F6 offered 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 job.

Poco F6 Evaluation: Efficiency

Shifting on to efficiency, the Poco F6 is nearly as good as a mid-range telephone will get. The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is a wonderful chip, and whereas it will not be as highly effective because the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 or Gen 3, it delivers a fantastic stability of efficiency and effectivity. The telephone scored very nicely 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 telephone scored 1,835 factors within the single-core CPU exams and 4,693 within the multi-core take a look at.

In real-world utilization, I didn’t face any efficiency points comparable to lag or stuttering. The animations, scrolling, and general software program have been easy.

The telephone presents HDR10+ and Dolby Imaginative and prescient help

The Poco F6 additionally has show that’s nice for watching every kind of content material. You will have options comparable to HDR mode and AI Tremendous-resolution that make watching issues extra enjoyable. The telephone has a 6.67-inch LTPS AMOLED show with 1.5K decision, as much as 480Hz contact sampling price, and a 120Hz refresh price. You possibly can select between a dynamic refresh price or a show that’s set to both 60 or 120Hz.

The show presents a peak brightness of two,400 nits and helps Dolby Imaginative and prescient HDR 10+. I had no points studying the show indoors and outdoor beneath direct daylight. It is a pretty brilliant show providing three major color modes – Unique Color Professional, Vivid, and Saturated. There’s additionally a customized mode if you wish to fine-tune the show colors. I discovered the Unique Color Professional mode to be one of the best. The panel additionally presents good viewing angles.

Shifting on from the show, the Poco F6 additionally delivers good sound. You get a hybrid speaker setup that’s loud and presents some bass as nicely. The vocals are clear, even at full quantity, and the general sound high quality is kind of good. The decision high quality can also be good, with microphones performing nicely even outdoor.

Most video games run at full settings with ease

Gaming on the telephone is enjoyable. Throw any informal sport at it, and you may by no means face any lag or hiccups. Even graphics-intensive video games run nicely on the Poco F6. I performed BGMI and Genshin Influence on the telephone at their highest settings and confronted no points. Contact sensitivity can also be good; you should use the Recreation Turbo app to enhance gaming efficiency additional.

With gaming comes heating, however I am joyful that the telephone 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 telephone solely will get sizzling when charging.

Speaking about charging, the Poco F6 carried out very nicely in our battery take a look at. The telephone managed to final about 21 hours in our HD video loop take a look at, which is fairly good. On the subject of regular day by day utilization, the telephone constantly lasted greater than a day and a half. Throw in some gaming, YouTube, Netflix, GPS navigation, and digicam utilization, and I nonetheless acquired round 6 hours of display screen time. While you run out of juice, the 90W quick charging can take the telephone from 0 to 100 in about 1 hour 10 minutes.

Poco F6 Evaluation: Cameras

Lastly, let’s discuss concerning the cameras. The Poco F6 has a twin digicam setup, one lower than final 12 months’s F5. There isn’t any 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 telephone is simple to make use of and presents 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 numerous options comparable to 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 situations, and there is not a lot to complain about. The colors, dynamic vary, and white stability are good, solely barely boosted by what your eye sees. The first digicam additionally performs nicely in low gentle in auto and Night time mode. The pictures are generally a lot brighter than they’re, particularly in darker situations, and you may see some grain as nicely. Nevertheless, there are good particulars with managed noise when there are sufficient gentle 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 once you select the 50-megapixel mode. Under are some daylight and lowlight samples.

Photographs shot utilizing the first digicam in daylight and lowlight situations (Faucet to Develop)

With the ultra-wide digicam, the outcomes are good in daylight situations with first rate particulars, however the digicam suffers in low gentle. The color profile differs from the first digicam, and the photographs will not be as brilliant or vibrant. Try some samples from the ultrawide digicam.

Photographs shot utilizing the 8-megapixel ultrawide digicam (Faucet to develop)

Shifting over to the entrance, the 20-megapixel selfie digicam takes first rate pictures in daylight. The main points are good, the color is usually pure, and the beautification options do not intrude when turned off. In low gentle, the selfies do have loads of noise if no flash is used. The digicam does have a superb huge subject of view, although, which is good.

On the subject of video, the Poco F6 can shoot 4K at 60fps utilizing the rear major digicam. Nevertheless, in order for you secure movies with OIS, you will have to change to 1080p at 30fps. The movies shot on the telephone 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. Nevertheless, in 1080p 30fps, the stabilisation is fairly first rate. The first digicam additionally performs nicely in low gentle situations, though with added noise. The ultra-wide digicam can shoot at 1080p 30fps, however the outcomes aren’t that nice, even in daylight situations. You may discover noise and darker shadows within the video.

Poco F6 Evaluation: Verdict

The Poco F6 is a mid-range telephone that competes with the likes of the brand new Realme GT 6T, Vivo V30e, and the Realme 12 Pro+ (Review). There’s additionally the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ (Review), the Nothing Phone 2a (Review), and the Samsung Galaxy A35 (Review). 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 Observe 13 Professional+ does provide an IP69 score, whereas the Realme 12 Professional+ will get a usable third telephoto periscope digicam, which is remarkable on this worth bracket.

I would recommend the Realme 12 Professional+ or the Redmi Observe 13 Professional+ in order for you a greater digicam setup. These searching for a greater or distinctive design ought to have a look at the Realme 12 Professional+, the Galaxy A55, or the Nothing Telephone 2a. The Realme GT 6T presents an analogous digicam setup however bigger battery and quicker charging. If efficiency, show, and gaming are all you care about, then the Poco F6 can be a sensible selection.

So, to reply my query, is the Poco F6 an reasonably priced flagship killer? Nearly. If the cameras have been higher, it will positively be. Nevertheless, it’s nonetheless a superb selection for anybody searching for an all-rounder mid-range champion. The Poco F6 does all the things nicely and will get a straightforward suggestion from us. It nonetheless is great worth for cash.