Poco M6 Pro 5G Review: Same Wine in a Different Bottle or Different from Redmi 12 5G?

Poco M6 Pro 5G Review Summary:

Editor’s rating: 3.8/5

Xiaomi’s sub-brand Poco has launched a budget smartphone to make 5G accessible to all Indians. The Poco M6 Pro 5G has arrived in the country with the title of being the cheapest 5G smartphone in India at the moment. Priced at 11k, Poco M6 Pro beats out the Redmi 12 5G (that launched recently), narrowly to claim the title. When you look at the specs on paper, the Poco M6 Pro is a replica of the Redmi 12 5G with the same display, chipset, OS, and camera setup. The only difference lies in design, storage variants, and pricing.

Rebranded or not, Poco M6 Pro has been making waves ever since it arrived in the market. Packed with Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chipset, 90Hz display, 5000mAh battery, and 50MP camera, this inexpensive smartphone looks very lucrative on paper. However, the question arises if this same wine in a new bottle is worth spending on your money on. Let us read the review to find out.

Jump To..

• Unboxing
• Price and availability
• Design
• Display
• Performance
• Camera
• Battery
• Should you buy Poco M6 Pro 5G?

Poco M6 Pro 5G: Price & Availability In India

The Poco M6 Pro 5G is available in the following storage models-

• 4GB RAM+64GB storage- Rs. 10,999
• 6GB RAM+128GB storage- Rs. 12,999

It can be bought via Amazon in Power Black and Forest Green shades.  

Poco M6 Pro 5G Specs

Specs	Poco M6 Pro+ 5G
Software	Android 13 with MIUI 14
Display	6.79-inch FHD+ IPS LCD panel with 90Hz refresh rate
SoC	Snapdragon 4 Gen 2
RAM	up to 6GB
Storage	up to 128GB
Rear cameras	50MP+2MP
Front Camera	8MP
Battery	5000mAh
Charging	18W
Thickness	8.17mm
Weight	199 grams
Connectivity	USB Type-C, Bluetooth, 5G, 4G LTE, WiFi, and more

Poco M6 Pro 5G Unboxing

The Poco M6 Pro 5G comes in a yellow cardboard box. It consists of-

• Poco M6 Pro 5G handset
• USB Type-C cable
• SIM ejector tool
• Quick guide
• Safety guide
• TPU cover
• 18W Adapter

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Poco M6 Pro 5G Review: Design

Poco M6 Pro 5G might share many of its specs with the Redmi 12 5G, but design surely isn’t one of them. In terms of appearance, the Poco M6 Pro follows the Poco design language from head to toe. The smartphone is available in Forest Green and Power Black shades, out of which I was loaned the latter for review purposes. This color is more on the sober side, but if you want something that stands out, go for the green color.

At first look, I was impressed by the design of its back panel. The Poco M6 Pro has a glossy glass back design that looks and feels premium. The back panel has a rectangular block in the same color at the top that includes the Poco branding and the dual-lens setup along with the flashlight unit. There is a metallic frame that feels good to hold in hand but it is slippery sometimes. The smartphone is 8.17mm thick and weighs 199 grams only so it feels sleek and lightweight when held in hand. The back panel does catch smudges but these can be easily wiped off with a cloth or a napkin.

Talking about the functionality, the right edge has the power button as well as the volume rockers while the left edge has the SIM tray. The bottom edge houses the speaker grille and a USB Type-C port while the top edge has a 3.5mm headphone jack and an IR blaster. The Poco M6 Pro is IP53 rated for splash and dust resistance which is very rare for a phone in the 10k segment.

The front has a 6.79-inch display with a punch hole notch for a selfie camera, narrow bezels but a noticeable chin. The show is Gorilla Glass 3 protected. I had absolutely no complaints about the design and build of the Poco M6 Pro 5G.

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Poco M6 Pro 5G Review: Display

In terms of display and audio specs, Poco M6 Pro is completely similar to Redmi 12 5G. The smartphone sports a large 6.79-inch IPS LCD display panel with FHD+ resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. Although it is an LCD screen but good resolution made content consumption a decent experience on the smartphone. There is a Widevine L1 certification so one can watch HD videos on OTT platforms. The colors are vibrant and the image production is rich and color accurate.

90Hz refresh rate allows smooth scrolling though it is nowhere when compared to a display with a 120Hz refresh rate. I used the device with a refresh rate set to 90Hz all the time and since it is not adaptive, it doesn’t change itself to 60Hz while YouTube browsing. There is a 240Hz touch sampling rate which feels just fine while gaming and other activities.

The only major issue is the inadequate screen brightness in outdoor conditions. The display of the Poco M6 Pro reached 410 nits of maximum brightness which feels ok when indoors but outdoors, under direct sunlight, it becomes very difficult to view the screen even when brightness levels are set at maximum. A slight improvement to this would have made the experience better. Otherwise, the screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass so I didn’t have to worry about it getting scratched or dented easily.

Talking about the audio experience, there is a single internal speaker and the audio from it is just about ok. There is no bass and the audio sounds shallow with no depth or character. Maximizing the volume to the highest level makes it even more cacophonous.

Poco M6 Pro 5G Review: Camera

The Poco M6 Pro 5G has a dual camera setup at the back. It includes a 50MP primary and a 2MP depth sensor. At the front is an 8MP selfie camera.

Let us talk about the primary 50MP lens first. The images from the primary camera show good detailing in daylight. However, the dynamic range could have been better as the highlights look overblown.

In low light, the camera sensor clicks images with very less detail. Switching on the Night Mode does make the images slightly better and using the 50MP mode shows considerable improvement for the same scene. Look at these 3 similar shots clicked in 3 different modes.

Now, let us talk about the performance of the primary camera in indoor artificial light settings. The sensor clicks crisp, vivid, and detailed images in indoor settings. Look at these shots of inside a mall decked with independence day decorations. On zooming in each and every detail is clearly visible.

The National Flag with flickering lights was also captured well and the subjects in the frame even in far-away shots look good. The colors in these indoor shots are accurate, bright, and pleasing to the eyes. All in all, the 50MP sensor can be considered one of the best in the market in this price range.

The 2MP depth sensor clicks just about ok close-up shots but the images don’t have much detailing. There is no autofocus and edge detection is also mediocre. Colors are mostly accurate, in both day and night shots, which is pretty decent for a 2MP lens. The samples below illustrate what I said clearly.

The 8MP selfie camera at the front does its job well as it clicks selfies with natural skin tones and soft details. The subject is kept in focus with the background being blurred out. The images from this 8MP sensor are good enough for social media usage. Overall I wasn’t disappointed with this lens but there is nothing to hype either.

The Poco M6 Pro 5G can record 1080p videos at 30fps for both rear and front cameras.

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Poco M6 Pro 5G Review: Performance

The Poco M6 Pro 5G is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chipset fabricated on a 4nm process. The chipset was last used in Redmi 12 5G which shares most of its specs with the Poco M6 Pro. The SoC has been found to be quite powerful for budget smartphones and supports up to 6GB LPDDR4X RAM and up to 128GB UFS 2.2 storage. The storage can be expanded up to 1TB which is rare for smartphones priced at 10-11k.

The chipset and RAM ensure that the device is fast and efficient. Apps open and load quickly and multiple apps run seamlessly in the background at once. My daily usage included browsing articles, social media browsing, gaming, listening to music, attending video calls, playing light games, and more, and the Poco M6 Pro never slowed down even when all these apps were simultaneously running in the background. 128GB storage ensured ample space to store whatever was important. As for gaming, light to moderate games run smoothly but heavier games can be played with low graphic settings only. Here are the results of some benchmark tests I ran.

In terms of software, the smartphone runs Android 13 with MIUI 14 on top. The MIUI 14 is loaded with customizations that allow you to make it more personal. The only downside is that the smartphone is also loaded with bloatware. Apps like Moj, Snapchat, Linkedin, and a bunch of games come pre-installed and make it an extremely crowded experience. Some of these can be removed but Poco M6 Pro is not for you if you are fond of a clean UI experience.

Calling on the smartphone was decent as the voices could be heard clearly and there were no hang-ups or underground parking issues. It supports 5G connectivity which is a rarity at this price point.

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Poco M6 Pro 5G Review: Battery

The Poco M6 Pro packs a 5000mAh battery under the hood. The battery easily gives a full day’s backup for a light or a moderate user. My daily usage included social media browsing, watching videos, playing games, listening to music, and even using Google Maps while traveling and despite all these tasks, there was around 30% battery at the end of the day.

Talking about charging, it comes with a 22.5W charger inside the box that gives a maximum charging wattage of 18W. The charger takes over 2 hours to recharge the battery from 2 to 100% which is pretty slow by 2023 standards. However, we can’t expect everything in a smartphone priced at around 10,000.

Poco M6 Pro 5G Review Verdict: Should you buy it?

Poco has taken a bold step by launching a 5G capable smartphone for under 12,000 in the Indian market. The Poco M6 Pro 5G mostly delivers whatever it promises. The smartphone has an attractive design, lightweight body, IP53 rating, Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chipset, and a good 50MP sensor. Moreover, it is 5G capable which allows it to democratize the latest tech for the masses in the country. Although it comes with tons of bloatware, inadequate brightness for display, and very slow charging speed, all this can be forgiven for the kind of overall package Poco is giving with Poco M6 Pro 5G.