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Poco, a subsidiary of Xiaomi, recently introduced the Poco F6 5G in India. We have been using the smartphone for over a week as our everyday driver. A point to note here is that it is one of the first smartphones to come with the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset. Given that it starts at Rs 27,999, it can compete with its rival in this price bracket and has some of the greatest specs available on the market right now. Furthermore, Poco F6 5G has a 5,000mAh battery with support for 90W fast charging, a 50-megapixel dual rear camera configuration, a 20-megapixel OV20B front camera, and a 1.5K OLED display with a refresh rate of 120Hz, among many other features. It is recommended that you read this review before purchasing since we took into account both positive and not-so-great experiences.
Poco F6 5G Review: Design and Display
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The Poco F6 5G is available in titanium and black colour options. We have the gorgeous-looking titanium colour option for this review. Fingerprints and smudges are not attracted to the matte finish. However, the plastic rear panel and the black frame don’t feel particularly high-end. We wish Poco had chosen glass or metal, but the advantage of the polycarbonate is how light in weight the device is. It is also incredibly ergonomic and feels feathery in the hands. The phone’s dual camera arrangement is located on its back; each camera has huge rings around it and the array is accompanied by a flash.
The smartphone has an IR blaster and a speaker on top of the frame. Power and volume rockers are on the right side. Then, a SIM tray, a USB Type C port, a microphone, and a secondary down-firing speaker are located at the bottom. The slot can accommodate two nano SIM cards; unfortunately, SD card expansion is not supported, thus if at all possible, we strongly advise choosing the larger memory option. The best part is that 256GB of storage is included with even the most basic phone model. Well done, Poco.
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It should be noted that the Poco F6 5G lacks the 3.5mm audio connector and triple rear camera system found on the Poco F5(Review).
The phone is also certified IP64, meaning it is resistant to dust and water. With a slightly thicker chin, the front panel’s bezels are generally very narrow.
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A 6.67-inch 1.5K AMOLED display with 1,220×2,712 pixel resolution is included with the Poco F6 5G. The panel can support 446 ppi pixel density and a refresh rate of 120Hz out of the box. It has a 100% DCIP3 colour gamut and can produce 68 billion colours. The screen supports Widevine L1, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and a maximum brightness of 2,400 nits. Additionally, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus Protection is included, which is a fairly reliable way to guard against unintentional damages like cracking and scratching.
The user experience is exceptionally fluid because of the 120 Hz refresh rate. It is incredibly user-friendly and highly optimised. Although the phone has a max brightness of 2,400 nits, we tested it outdoors as well, and it is not as bright as we would like it to be. Though functional and passable, we still wish it had been a bit brighter.
Next, it has an in-display fingerprint sensor, which is accurate and dependable but, again, we won’t say it is the fastest because it takes a few extra mili-seconds to unlock.
It is a complete joy to watch TV shows and movies with hardly any side bezels obstructing the view. The content is cutting-edge and visually stunning. It also has Dolby Vision compatibility, so you can watch high-definition content on Netflix and Prime Video without any issues. The content also looks amazing because HDR support is there. The brightness of the panel is at its best here. Everything appears amazing.
The audio quality is fantastic, and the two stereo speaker setup supports Dolby Atmos. The audio quality is very clear and loud even at super high volumes. You can enjoy a surround sound experience when watching movies thanks to Dolby Atmos support.
Also Read: iQOO Z9x 5G Review: The budget beast
Poco F6 5G Review: Performance and Cameras
Getting to the performance now. The Poco F6 5G is the nation’s first smartphone equipped with a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 CPU. It’s been great so far in the few days we’ve used it. One of the most potent phones in its class, the chipset takes its architectural cues from the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC, which is far more powerful. In terms of daily use, it is extremely responsive.
The device we have has 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage and 12GB of LPPDDR5x RAM. It makes it easier to launch apps almost swiftly; multitasking is a delight, and the performance is wonderfully smooth.
In terms of gaming performance, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is exceptional. We played BGMI on this and at roughly 90 frames per second, it performed incredibly well. Every action and movement was extremely flawless. Also, remember to activate Game Turbo from the sidebar menu. This will significantly improve your gaming experience.
The phone did heat up on some counts. However, the liquid cool tech 4.0—basically, good thermals—ensures that it doesn’t get too hot and doesn’t have any throttling problems. As soon as you shut down the game or app, the phone cools down rapidly.
The phone is expected to come with three years of software upgrades and four years of security fixes. It ships with HyperOS with Android 14. Everything is quick and responsive on HyperOS since it is so well optimised. The Mi UI dialer lets you record calls without making any announcements and you have plenty of lock screen settings. However, the app launch is crammed with bloatware games and apps as usual, giving the impression that it is extremely congested. The good news is that you can get rid of any apps you don’t require by simply uninstalling.
The IR blaster lets you control your smart home devices directly from the Mi remote app, including AC, TV, lights, etc.
Poco has also improved the camera configuration. Poco claims that even though there is now one less back camera, the two that are available are superior to its predecessor Poco F5. The Poco F6 thus has two cameras on its back: an 8-megapixel Sony IMX355 ultra-wide-angle camera with a 119-degree field of view and a 50-megapixel 1/1.9-inch Sony IMX882 sensor with OIS and EIS capability. For selfies and making video calls, there is a 20-megapixel OV20B front-facing camera.
OIS support helped to produce sharp photos, which is why the primary sensor’s images looked so beautiful. This phone can take some really good pictures when the lighting is right. The images feature crisp details in the shadows and a great dynamic range. The photographs look amazing, even though the colour tones are warmer than usual. We also shot a few photos in low light and indoor lighting. Without using the night mode, we found that the OIS’s photos had enough details and a balanced exposure, which proves that it has been a useful tool for low-light shooting.
Then, there are numerous preset filters available. We are very happy with the ultra-wide photos. The detail levels and colour reproductions are generally good. This has a very clear dynamic range with good clarity.
The 20-megapixel front camera produces clear selfies with good colour reproduction. It is ideal for group selfies because it can capture wide images. The portraits had room for improvement. The edge detection is accurate, though.
With the back camera, 4K videos may be recorded at 30 frames per second. The videos are stable and of an acceptable standard because of the outstanding work of the OIS. It kept an adequate amount of dynamic range and detail as well. Video recording in Full HD at 30 frames per second is possible with the front camera. We were hoping for a 4K video recording feature, but alas, none exists. That being said, the FHD@30fps recording is also fairly nice.
Also Read: Vivo V30e Review: The best camera phone under Rs 30,000?
When it comes to the battery, we have a 5,000mAh one that will easily last you through a full day of intensive use. It’s great that a 120W charger is included with the Poco F6 5G, but it is limited to 90W and takes 35 to 40 minutes to fully charge, which is great if you are in a rush and want full charge in a jiffy. Saying that, having support for full 120W charging would have been the icing on the cake. We are not whining, but 90-watt charging proves useful to all of us.
Verdict
We can assure you that this Poco F-series phone will live up to the hype when it comes to gaming. Incredible experience playing games! Everything you could desire in a premium flagship phone is included in the Poco F6 5G. Whether it comes to games, cameras, displays, designs, ergonomics, or just being flawless, the device is excellent in every area. But toughness could have been achieved with slightly better-built material. Though its absence can be attributed to the competitive pricing, an aluminium frame would have improved things significantly.
In terms of camera quality, we often don’t suggest Poco phones, but the Poco F6 does a good job.
If we were forced to pick faults, we would prefer if 4K video recording was supported by the front camera. Despite its few shortcomings, the Poco F6 5G is a fantastic device considering its pricing.
Buying link
Poco F6 Pros
- Excellent display
- Good audio quality
- long battery life
- amazing gaming experience
Poco F6 Cons
- Screen brightness is an issue when outdoors
- The front camera lacks 4K video
- Loaded with bloatware
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