Poco X6 Pro review

Xiaomi’s Poco sub-brand has led the way in which in providing robust efficiency at a vastly aggressive worth. Whereas the Poco F-series is all about sticking it to the flagships, the Poco X-series goals to undercut the aspiring mid-range brigade.

The Poco X6 Professional is right here to steer the most recent assault on the Google Pixel 7a, the Samsung Galaxy A54 and co. With a worth of £369, it’s definitely a compelling worth proposition, although it additionally seems to be relatively much like final 12 months’s Poco X5 Professional at first look.

Nonetheless, with a brighter, sharper show and quicker efficiency, it appears as if there have been appreciable inside enhancements. Let’s check out whether or not Xiaomi has gotten the steadiness proper with its newest reasonably priced barnstormer.

Design & Construct

• Lowered bezel measurement
• Nonetheless very plastic
• Upgraded to IP54
• Fingerprint sensor now in-display

For the Poco X6 Professional, Xiaomi has subtly advanced the design language used within the Poco X5 Professional, which itself wasn’t one million miles away from the X3 Professional.

The again of the telephone is that this time dominated by a big slab-like digital camera platform that spans a lot of the width of the telephone. This 12 months’s mannequin additionally raises all three digital camera lenses, in addition to the flash, in identically proportioned rings, organized in a sq. configuration.

My mannequin is available in black, and as soon as once more it makes use of an unpleasant, smudgey, reflective plastic materials that neither seems to be nor feels particularly good. After only a few minutes of dealing with, I discovered it to be coated in greasy paw prints.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

The Poco sub-brand has all the time had a approach with yellow, and as soon as once more the garish yellow vegan leather-based mannequin appears to be the way in which to go right here. With that stated, this signature mannequin is marginally thicker (8.35mm vs 8.25mm) and heavier (190g vs 186g) than the plastic mannequin I’ve been testing right here.

Apart from these measurements being increased, the Poco X6 Professional has a barely smaller footprint than final 12 months’s Poco X5 Professional. This may be attributed to the smaller bezel across the show, which is all the time a great way to make your telephone appear extra premium. It marks a fairly important transfer from an 86.8% screen-to-body ratio within the X5 Professional to a 94% one.

Speaking of being extra premium, Xiaomi has bumped up the water resistance score from IP53 to IP54, which means it’s now proof against water spray from any course. Provided that the Motorola Edge 40 Neo is providing IP68 for much less cash, that’s not a lot to shout about.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

The refined however quietly important design enhancements proceed with the swap from a side-mounted fingerprint sensor to an under-display one. Once more, it makes the Poco X6 Professional really feel simply that little bit classier than its predecessors.

Xiaomi telephones usually stand out from rivals with their implementation of an IR blaster, and the X6 Professional isn’t any totally different. As soon as once more, you need to use the preinstalled Mi Distant app to manage your Hello-Fi system or TV.

Display screen & Audio system

• 6.67in AMOLED
• 120Hz refresh charge
• Sharper ‘1.5K’ decision

Xiaomi has provided a familiar-sounding 6.67in 120Hz AMOLED show right here. Nonetheless, look a bit nearer and there are some notable enhancements.

Most notably, Xiaomi has bumped up the decision to 2712 x 1220. The corporate calls it a CrystalRes show, and in addition refers back to the decision as ‘1.5K’ – or half approach between Full HD+ and Quad HD+ (aka 2K). It definitely makes for a pleasant crisp image, although the distinction over good Full HD+ screens isn’t precisely evening and day.

Xiaomi has additionally bumped up the brightness, not less than in excessive brightness mode. Stray outdoors on a vivid day with auto-brightness switched on, and it will possibly get to 1300 nits relatively than the X5 Professional’s 900 nits.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

These with lengthy reminiscences and a head for specs will realise that Xiaomi is actually heading again to the highest brightness of the X3 Professional after dropping it down with final 12 months’s mannequin. Nonetheless, it’s progress of a form.

In common utilization, the Xiaomi X6 Professional will nonetheless hit round 518 nits, based on my measurements, which is about the identical because the X4 Professional. It’s additionally extraordinarily color correct – or not less than, it may be when you delve into the Show settings and mess around a bit.

With a zippy 2,160Hz contact sampling charge, it’s additionally a remarkably responsive show for aggressive avid gamers on a funds, which actually is the core demographic right here.

Xiaomi has carried out twin audio system, similar to final 12 months. And as soon as once more, they’re extraordinarily crisp and clear for such an reasonably priced telephone.

Specs & Efficiency

• Dimensity 8300-Extremely chip
• As much as 12GB LPDDR5X RAM
• As much as 512GB storage

As we’ve simply talked about, Xiaomi has all the time positioned its Poco telephones as funds gaming specialists. The inner set-up of the X6 Professional definitely continues that robust heritage.

It utilises a brand new MediaTek Dimensity 8300-Extremely chip backed by 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM. Regardless of sitting a rung beneath MediaTek’s flagship Dimensity 9300 chip, it’s nonetheless a mighty performer.

Whereas the worldwide mannequin begins from 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, the UK mannequin (just like the one I’m testing) will get 12/512GB – all for a similar worth because the entry-level X5 Professional. That’s excellent worth.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

As is often the case with these Xiaomi sub-brands, I used to be unable to run our typical GPU benchmark instruments forward of launch, which is profoundly irritating. All I can say is that the telephone is able to working Genshin Influence fairly easily on the ‘Highest’ graphical settings and 60fps, which most sub-£400 (and lots of dearer) telephones would battle to attain.

In CPU phrases, the Geekbench outcomes are in, they usually’re fairly darned spectacular. A mean Geekbench 5 multi-core rating of 4221 obliterates final 12 months’s Poco X5 Professional 5G, in addition to newer – and costly – mid-range telephones just like the Pixel 7a and the Galaxy A54. In the meantime, the Geekbench 6 scores are much like these I now get from the Pixel 8, which it ought to be famous are a lot increased than these we obtained throughout our overview interval. That’s a flagship telephone that prices a number of hundred kilos extra.

That is additionally a chip that may assist on-device Generative AI, just like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and certainly the aforementioned Dimensity 9300. If that is all coming throughout as distinctly flagship-esque, nicely, that’s precisely the way it feels.

Poco X6 Professional benchmarks

Cameras

• 64Mp fundamental
• 8Mp ultrawide
• 2Mp macro
• 16Mp selfie

With the Poco X6 Professional’s digital camera system, Xiaomi has combined issues up in fairly an fascinating approach. Out goes the headline-grabbing 108Mp 1/1.52-inch fundamental sensor of the Poco X5 Professional and the Poco X4 Professional, and in comes a smaller and fewer pixel-packed 1/2-inch 64Mp fundamental sensor.

It’s ostensibly a rollback then, however Xiaomi appears to be calculating that the availability of OIS (optical picture stabilisation), along with a extra superior processor with enhanced AI capabilities, will lead to superior pictures.

Has that calculation paid off? On steadiness, sure, however it’s removed from a house run.

Getting the Poco X5 Professional out and taking pictures facet by facet, there’s a pronounced distinction in tone, with the Poco X6 Professional capturing a barely extra pure palette because the X5 Professional tended to pump up the blues on a transparent day. I additionally observed extra visible artefacts with the older telephone when zooming in on panorama photographs.

Conversely, the Poco X6 Professional snaps have been softer and suffered a bit extra from overexposure.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Given the dearth of a devoted telephoto, the X6 Professional as soon as once more crops in on that fundamental sensor, however after all it doesn’t have the identical variety of pixels to play with as its predecessors. The outcomes stay moderately clear, nevertheless – not less than at 2x.

The place the X6 Professional digital camera is notably improved is in its low gentle efficiency, with OIS working arduous to maintain the telephone regular throughout the needed prolonged shutter occasions. That’s partially offset by a smaller sensor, after all, however an identical side-by-side Night time mode photographs highlighted superior element on the X6 Professional, even when it’s nonetheless in need of one of the best mid-rangers.

The ultrawide digital camera seems to make use of the identical element as earlier than, although variations in picture processing and efforts to match the tone of the principle sensor imply that they give the impression of being fairly totally different when positioned side-by-side. Selfie photographs from what seems to be the identical 16Mp entrance digital camera appeared broadly comparable too – that’s, not too shabby for a less expensive telephone.

All in all, the Poco X5 Professional provides an enough digital camera system for the value, with worthwhile progress made in low gentle efficiency. Even so, it’s evidently not the place Xiaomi’s priorities lie for the Poco line.

Battery Life & Charging

• 5000mAh battery
• 67W charging
• No wi-fi charging

As has grow to be the norm with the vary, the Poco X6 Professional packs in a 5000mAh battery and speedy 67W wired charging. There’s no wi-fi charging facility, which isn’t too shocking at lower than £400.

In reality, the dearth of motion on these specs isn’t a difficulty. Earlier Poco X telephones had robust stamina and nippy charging speeds, and so does the X6 Professional.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

You’ll nonetheless be capable to get by a full day of pretty heavy utilization on a single cost, whereas lighter utilization will get you deep right into a second day.

The PCMark Work 3.0 battery check resulted in a rating of 11 minutes 2 minutes which is a couple of minutes longer (however broadly consistent with) the Samsung Galaxy A54 and the Google Pixel 7a, and a number of other hours forward of the Motorola Edge 40 Neo.

Charging speeds are stronger than all however the latter rival, racing from empty to 46% in quarter-hour, and to 81% in half-hour. You possibly can anticipate an entire cost in 45 minutes – and all this with a 67W charger that comes bundled within the field which is a bonus.

Software program & Apps

• Ships with Android 14
• New Xiaomi HyperOS, however similar to MIUI
• Three OS upgrades and 4 years of safety

Historically, the one widespread weak spot you may depend on throughout the broader Xiaomi vary has been its ugly MIUI software program. For this 12 months, Xiaomi has scrapped that and dropped at bear its new HyperOS.

Besides, it hasn’t actually. To all intents and functions, HyperOS seems to be a rebranding train and understandably so given MIUI’s dangerous press. Virtually talking, it’s very a lot a continuation of the MIUI aesthetic.

Holding the Poco X6 Professional working on Android 14 and HyperOS 1.0 alongside the Poco X5 Professional working on Android 13 and MIUI 14 (which is oddly what the common Poco X6 is on), the 2 are clearly minimize from the identical fabric.

The house display screen is nigh-on an identical, with the identical widget, primary structure, font and app icons. The app tray seems to be the identical, whereas there’s the identical iOS-indebted (and relatively convoluted) break up notification menu.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

There are some refined structure variations with the latter, particularly in the case of the Management Centre-like display screen with its shortcut toggles, however not all are for the higher. I appreciated Xiaomi becoming extra toggles (or certainly the entire toggles) onto this display screen, however I didn’t recognize the elimination of the Settings shortcut.

You get the identical suite of bespoke Xiaomi apps, just a few Poco-specific apps, a folder-full of garbage video games, and an unwelcome bundle of preinstalled third-party apps. Would you like Journey.com, AliExpress, or Reserving.com in your telephone? They’re all right here, in addition to three – sure, three – internet browser apps.

As earlier than, you may customise your own home display screen by the Themes retailer, and a few of these themes are even fairly tasteful.

In higher information, you’ll get three new generations of Android OS upgrades in addition to 4 years of safety patches which is respectable, if not market main.

Worth & Availability

The Poco X6 Professional retails for £369, similar to the Poco X5 Professional earlier than it. That is for the only real mannequin (within the UK) with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of inside storage, which is significantly spectacular.

Should you’re fast, you may get it for the early hen worth of £349 Poco web site till 17 Jan.

At simply south of £400, Xiaomi is undercutting mid-range mainstays just like the Pixel 7a, the Samsung Galaxy A54, and the Honor 90, all of which price £449. They’re classier, extra rounded telephones every person, with superior digital camera programs, although they’ll’t match the Poco X6 Professional for uncooked efficiency – and naturally they price a good bit extra.

Maybe extra problematic for the Poco is in case you head in the other way, the place you’ll encounter the glossy and composed Motorola Edge 40 Neo. That telephone provides a far superior design, an honest fundamental digital camera, and cleaner software program for simply £299 – albeit once more, with out the identical stage of efficiency.

The freshly launched Honor Magic 6 Lite can be price a glance with a trendy design and lengthy battery life. It prices £349.

Try our rating of the greatest mid-range telephones for extra choices.

Do you have to purchase the Poco X6 Professional?

The Poco X6 Professional makes a variety of small however doubtlessly significant tweaks to a well-recognized components, with a tighter design, an improved show, and a fundamental digital camera that takes higher photographs in low lighting.

In the meantime, the brand new Dimensity 8300-Extremely processor provides almighty efficiency for such an inexpensive telephone, and the telephone’s stamina and wired charging provision stays extraordinarily aggressive.

It ought to be famous that Xiaomi’s funds efficiency model finds itself surrounded by classier, better-rounded opponents nowadays. For a bit extra money you may get the flagship-troubling delights of the Pixel 7a, whereas those that wish to spend much less can seize the startlingly full Motorola Edge 40 Neo. Each provide a a lot nicer software program surroundings, too.

Nonetheless, the Poco X6 Professional earns its elevated place on the mid-range market, notably for gaming followers on a funds. It’s extra of a devoted specialist relatively than a proficient all-rounder, however it does what it does very nicely certainly.

Specs

• Android 14 with HyperOS
• 6.67in, 1.5K, OLED, 120Hz, flat show
• In-display fingerprint sensor
• Mediatek Dimensity 8300-Extremely
• 8/12GB LPDDR5X RAM
• 256/512GB storage
• 64Mp fundamental digital camera
• 8Mp ultra-wide digital camera
• 2Mp macro digital camera
• As much as 4K @ 30fps rear video
• 16Mp front-facing digital camera
• Stereo audio system
• Twin-SIM
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6
• Bluetooth 5.4
• 5000mAh battery
• 120W charging
• 160.45mm x 74.34 x 8.25mm
• 186g
• Launch colors: Black, Yellow, Gray