The POCO F6 has been the talk of the town as of late. The smartphone certainly has “flagship killer” vibes, boasting a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, a 120Hz 1.5K AMOLED display, and 90W fast charging for only PHP 21,999.
With all that, however, is it too good to be true? Can it claim flagship killer status? And how does it compare to similar spec’d devices? Let’s find out in this review.
Display and Design
The POCO F6 is built around a vibrant 6.67-inch CrystalRes 1.5K Flow AMOLED DotDisplay, which features a 2712×1220 resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a peak brightness of 2400 nits, surrounded by narrow bezels with Gorilla Glass Victus protection.
The screen boasts 68 billion colors and a 100% DCI-P3 wide color gamut and offers 1920Hz PWM dimming to reduce eye strain and a peak sampling rate of up to 2160Hz for faster response during gaming.
The display also includes support for Dolby Vision and HDR10+, which, by the way, also works on Netflix.
As for the design, the POCO F6 has a plastic frame and a plastic back panel with gentle curves and a fingerprint-proof surface. It has two huge cameras and a circular flash right beside them.
My review unit is in green, which looks classy and premium. The volume and power buttons are on the right.
At the bottom is the SIM tray, the primary microphone, a USB-C port, and the speaker. The top side has a second speaker, an IR port, and a secondary microphone.
Cameras
The POCO F6 has a dual camera system at the back with a 50MP main camera and an 8MP ultra-wide. The main camera is backed by a powerful Sony IMX882 sensor and a bright f/1.59 lens. Meanwhile, there’s a 20MP selfie camera at the front with an OV20B sensor.
The rear cameras have good image quality in bright lighting conditions. They’re not flagship quality, but they are pleasant. Outdoor and indoor shots have a good amount of detail and dynamic range. The colors look accurate and natural. Noise is controlled as well.
Low-light shots are okay. It was able to lighten up the photos and retain good detail but lost some sharpness and punch in the colors. On the other hand, night mode performed well.
Selfies, on the other hand, are okay. It has good skin tones and background separation in portrait mode.
Check out the sample photos below.
Sample Photos
Low Light
Zoom
Night Mode
Selfie
Performance
The POCO F6 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset with 8GB+256GB and 12GB+512GB configurations. It runs on HyperOS based on Android 14.
For those not familiar, HyperOS is Xiaomi’s latest operating system which looks and feels like MIUI, but with improved optimization and security.
You can minimize third party apps and bloatware by simply unchecking the recommended apps during the initial setup. Then uninstall or disable what you don’t need per usual.
One issue I have with the software is that there are ads in some of POCO’s own apps. I don’t like it and I find them irritating. Some of those apps you don’t always use (such as the file manager), but it’s something some might forgive given the price.
Swiping down from the top left brings down the notifications while swiping from the top right gives you the quick settings. Icon labels are disabled by default, which makes the icons confusing. You can, however, turn on the labels in the settings.
As for the performance itself, I found the phone to be fast and responsive. The OS is butter smooth and snappy. There’s no lag or stutter to complain about.
The in-display fingerprint scanner is also fast. The dual speakers sound decent with good volume. However, they lack depth, which is common in the mid-range segment. But I have heard worse from more expensive phones, and these are certainly more acceptable than most.
Gaming performance is good. You can play almost any game at high graphics settings with minimal issues. It does get warm during extended sessions, but nothing alarming.
Here are the benchmark scores:
- AnTuTu – 1,427,201
- Geekbench 6 – 1855 (single), 4716 (multi)
- 3D Mark Wild Life – Maxed Out!
Battery Life and Charging
The POCO F6 has a 5000mAh battery and 90W wired fast charging support. During the review, I got a whole day with moderate to heavy usage, including watching YouTube videos, streaming Netflix, taking photographs, and browsing the web. But you do need to charge it at night.
In my tests, charging using the included 90W charger took around 50 minutes.
Final Remarks
With a starting price of only PHP 21,999 for the 8GB+256GB model, there’s little to complain about the POCO F6. It offers fantastic value with a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 processor, decent cameras, and 90W fast charging. It performs admirably in gaming and everyday tasks as well.
There are some things you have to live with should you choose this phone. The software, while fast and snappy, does have its issues. One of them is ads inside POCO apps. Another is bloatware, should you fail to stop them during the initial setup.
Overall, the POCO F6 stands out, especially when compared with other Snapdragon 8s Gen 3-equipped devices. This should be on your radar if you’re looking for an all-around performer on a limited budget.
The POCO F6 is available in Black, Green, and Titanium colors, exclusively on Shopee and Lazada. The 8GB+256GB variant is priced at PHP 21,999, while the 12GB+512GB variant retails for PHP 24,999.
POCO F6 specs
| Display | 6.67-inch CrystalRes 1.5K Flow AMOLED DotDisplay, 2712×1220, 120Hz refresh rate, 2400 nits, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, TÜV Rheinland eye-care certification, Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, 4nm |
| RAM/Storage | 8GB+256GB 12GB+512GB |
| Rear Camera | 50MP main, Sony IMX882 8MP ultra-wide LED flash |
| Front Camera | 20MP, OV20B sensor |
| Network | 5G, 4G LTE, Dual SIM |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, GPS, NFC, IR port |
| Others | In-display fingerprint sensor, face unlock, USB-C, Dolby Atmos stereo speakers, hi-res audio, IP64 dust and water resistance |
| OS | HyperOS |
| Colors | Black, Green, Titanium |
| Battery | 5000mAh Battery, 90W fast charging |
