Poco has launched two new X-Series smartphones- Poco X6 5G and Poco X6 Pro 5G in India. Both the devices will retail via Flipkart soon. The Pro variant has been launched with a new Dimensity 8300 Ultra chipset. Poco X6 Pro is the first smartphone in India with this new flagship-level processor. Apart from the chipset, X6 Pro comes with a 1.5K display, 64MP camera, 5000mAh battery, 67W fast charging support, and more features. The device comes with Xiaomi HyperOS software which brings various new features to the smartphone.
The specs on paper seem impressive but how does the phone actually perform in reality? Is it a reliable smartphone that can be used in everyday life or not? During our usage over the last few days, we tried to find answers to these questions. Now, we are here to answer these questions via our review of the Poco X6 Pro 5G. So, let’s begin.
Poco X6 Pro 5G Review Snapshot
Editor’s rating: 3.7/5
Design
Display
Software
Performance
Camera
Battery
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Pros
- Impressive 1.5K display
- Smooth performance
- HyperOS loaded
- Long battery life
Cons
- No IP Rating
- Bloatware
- Average secondary camera
Poco X6 Pro 5G Price & Availability
Poco X6 Pro 5G comes in the following storage models in India-
- 8GB RAM+256GB storage- Rs. 26, 999
- 12GB RAM+512GB storage- Rs. 28,999
It comes in 3 colors- Poco Yellow, Black, and Racing Grey. It will retail via Flipkart starting 16th January 2024. Pre-orders begin today at 8 PM IST.
Poco X6 Pro 5G Review: Design and Build
Poco X6 Pro 5G looks good at first glance. We received it in a grey color variant and liked it more than the Poco yellow shade. It has been launched in grey, yellow, and black shades overall. The grey and black color variants have a glassy look for the back panel. The yellow color variant, which Poco calls Poco Yellow has a leather back. Although color choices are subjective from person to person we didn’t really like the yellow variant with leather finish. The grey variant is impressive but due to its glossy back, it catches fingerprints and smudges very easily. It feels slippery in hand too, but both these issues can be resolved by using the protective cover given inside the box.
The topside of the rear panel of the Poco X6 Pro has a large camera module in a dark grey shade. It includes four black cutouts, out of which three are camera sensors and one is LED flash. Alongside the cutouts is Poco branding.
At the front is a flat 6.7-inch display with a punch-hole selfie camera. Joining the rear and front panels is an aluminum frame in the middle which houses volume rockers and a power button on the right side (the left side being vacant). At the bottom is a sim tray, microphone, Type-C port, and speaker grille. The top edge includes a secondary speaker which is pretty rare for a mid-range device. This dual-speaker setup makes the Poco X6 Pro better than other mid-rangers in terms of audio quality. There is also an IR blaster and a secondary microphone on the top side.
All in all, the design of the Poco X6 Pro 5G is good and it feels comfortable to hold in hand. Although it is slightly heavier than some of its competitors the device doesn’t feel bulky when used. The only niggle is the absence of an IP rating as its predecessor Poco X5 Pro came with an IP52 rating.
Poc0 X6 Pro 5G Review: Display
Poco X6 Pro 5G sports a big 6.67-inch OLED display. It comes with 1.5K resolution. This 120Hz refresh rate panel also features 1800 nits peak brightness. It is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and also includes adaptive HDR support and Dolby Vision support.
We used this device for some days. This is Poco’s first smartphone that comes with a 1.5K display and with this resolution, the visuals on the screen have sharp details and look beautiful. 120Hz refresh rate has made the display very smooth as well. The thing we liked most about the display is that in comparison to other devices in the segment, it comes with high 1800 nits brightness which makes it completely visible in outdoor conditions under harsh sunlight. Even the smallest of text is legible.
Talking about colors, HyperOS has added various color profiles to the device. These include Original Color Pro, Vivid, Saturated, and Advanced Settings including Original, P3, and sRGB. We used it in Advanced Settings- Original mode. Vivid and Saturated have some blue tone elements but these can be adjusted using custom options given at the bottom of the screen. With the Original color profile, the colors on the display looked beautiful and the visuals were sharp.
This OLED panel comes with HDR support as well which means you can consume content on Netflix and YouTube in HDR. Although HDR’s effect is rarely felt on the small display of a smartphone Poco is the first to offer this tech at this price point which makes it a lucrative option.
ALSO READ: itel P55 5G Review: Fulfilling 5G Expectations of Every Indian
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Poco X6 Pro 5G Review: Performance
Poco X6 Pro 5G is powered by a 4nm MediaTek Dimensity 8300 Ultra chipset which has a primary core clocked at 3.35GHz speed. The predecessor Poco X5 Pro was powered by Snapdragon 778 which had an AnTuTu score of 600850 points. In comparison, the AnTuTu score of Dimensity 8300 Ultra is 156328 points. According to AnTuTu scores, the Dimensity chipset is a huge upgrade over the Snapdragon one. However, using the phone in daily life tells more about its performance. Paired with the chipset are LPDDR5x RAM and UFS 4.1 storage which make the performance even better.
We used Poco X6 Pro for a while and the device was smooth during multitasking. With a 120Hz refresh rate, there were no lags while using any apps. Apps like Instagram, WhatsApp, Gmail, Settings, and Camera ran simultaneously but there were no lags or hang-ups. Games like COD also ran without any hindrances.
To test the performance, we ran some benchmarking tests. Here are the results-
Talking about software, it is Poco’s first device that runs HyperOS. It is based on Android 14 but Redmi, Poco, and Xiaomi phones launching alongside it come with various new features. The control panel has been changed as it now looks like the iPhone’s control panel and now has a new music playback tab as well. The Lockscreen can be customized by holding it down and there are various new Lockscreen wallpapers available as well. Along with the AI tab in the camera, there are options like Remove Object, Remove People, and Background Change.
Along with cool features, there is loads of bloatware too on this device as it is filled with various pre-installed apps. These include various gaming apps, Opera browser, Phone Pe, Netflix, Linkedin, Facebook, Amazon and more. These can be uninstalled if not needed.
POCO X6 Pro 5G Review: Cameras
Poco X6 Pro 5G features a triple camera setup at the back. The primary sensor is an OV64B 64MP camera that comes with OIS as well as EIS. There is a secondary 8MP ultrawide camera and a 2MP macro sensor as well. For selfies, there is a 16MP punch-hole snapper at the front.
The primary camera clicks very good shots. The photos have beautiful colors and are full of details. In the shot below, there are various shades of green and the image clicked is almost natural. Night time performance of the sensor is decent as well, but detailing is a little lost in low-light shots. AI and image processing make low-light photography better.
Talking about the wide-angle camera gives average results. The shots have ample detailing but the colors look different than actual. However, considering the price not much can be expected from this ultrawide camera. Low-light performance is slightly underwhelming as well.
Poco X6 Pro comes with various cool features like changing backgrounds, object erasing, and more. In background change, there are various options available and you can also use any image from the internet. Following shots are an example.
For those of you who love to keep the social media game strong with selfies in different poses, there is a 16MP snapper at the front. There are various filters and HDR support available for selfie cameras. Even in default mode, it beautifies the faces a bit which was not liked by me. The colors are natural and every detail of faces is captured well by the sensor.
Poco X6 Pro 5G Review: Battery Life and Charging
Poco X6 Pro 5G packs a 5000mAh battery with 67W wired fast charging capability. The battery has not been upgraded from Poco X5 Pro and a faster charging speed would have been more desirable. However, battery backup is decent. We used the device with a 120Hz refresh rate. Usage included watching videos on YouTube for 2 hours and 10 minutes after which the battery drained by just 12%. We did a lot of YouTube streaming on this one apart from calling and multitasking, still, it lasted for almost 1.5 days.
There are various battery modes as well which increase the battery life a bit. These include Performance, Balanced, Battery Saver, and Ultra Battery Saver. The 67W adapter is bundled inside the box which charges the battery from 0 to 100% in about 45 minutes.
Review Verdict: Should you buy Poco X6 Pro 5G?
Poco X6 Pro 5G is basically a rebranded Redmi Note 13 which is priced aggressively. To compete with these opponents, Poco has equipped X6 Pro with a new and flagship-level SoC that gives fast and efficient performance. Apart from the chipset, Poco has given various other upgrades as well like the first X-Series to have an in-display fingerprint sensor, the first 1.5K resolution display in the segment, and more. This is the first smartphone in India that comes with HyperOS pre-installed. There is LPDDR5x RAM and UFS 4.1 storage as well that give a boost to the performance. In terms of gaming as well, the Poco X6 Pro is a strong claimant and its battery life is long too.
Like all smartphones, this one too has slight niggles along with upgrades. The secondary camera gives an underwhelming performance. With the new OS, the device has loads of bloatware. Also, with various upgrades, Poco has still kept the battery and charging similar to X5 Pro. Moreover, there is no IP Rating for protection against dust and water, which is also a downer.
Reasons to buy
- Impressive 1.5K display
- Smooth performance
- HyperOS loaded
- Long battery life
Reasons to not buy
- No IP Rating
- Bloatware
- Average secondary camera
