POCO F6 is a smartphone that many have said is practically a best buy or almost. I will talk to you about it in this review eliminating any influence from other reviews, which I personally have not seen, telling you about it and bringing my impressions as a common user. Having said that, let's start with the review of Poco F6.
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CONSTRUCTION, DESIGN AND SOUND
Let's start by saying that Poco F6 is a very comfortable smartphone even if we are not talking about a compact smartphone (dimensions 160,5 x 74,4 x 7,8 mm) but all things considered it has a weight of 179 grams, which makes it truly portable in any condition and damn comfortable to use. This is because the slightly elongated shape and indeed the fairly low weight compared to what we find on the market, allows us to handle it and use it even with a single hand. Of course we give up Premium materials as it is built entirely of polycarbonate but all things considered we have better usability, also because the use of glass would be slippery, while here the plastic helps the grip further increased through the cover supplied.
Yes, the equipment of this smartphone is ultra complete because in addition to the aforementioned cover we find the charging and data transfer cable, we find a powerful 90W charger, pin for removing the SIM tray, manuals but also a pre-applied film, which it means that we can start using this smartphone without hunting down additional Euros so, once you've done the purchase shopping, you take it out of the box and start using it. Tell me today which are those smartphones that offer you all the package necessary for use without having to shell out additional money. Furthermore, the use of non-Premium materials makes this smartphone far from the fear of breaking it as soon as you look at it, relying on decidedly long-lasting and excellently made plastic. The back cover is pleasant to the touch and gives a sense of a product that is not cheap.
We then find everything necessary for practical use in everyday life, in fact in the upper profile we find the infrared transmitter, secondary microphone for reducing hiss during calls and we find the second speaker which, combined with the main one, positioned on the lower side, gives stereo sound . Also on the lower side we find the USB Type-C input with OTG support but unfortunately no video output and then a SIM slot capable of hosting 2 SIMs in nano format with 5G connectivity, but the memory expansion as well as the E-SIM. However minimal, we find the IP64 certification.
I was talking about 5G connectivity which guarantees us a decidedly top browsing speed even if I personally haven't used this technology as due to the mobile operator and the area where I live, I have always surfed in 4G+ and believe me, this smartphone flies in every way. everything, not only for navigation but also in terms of general performance. Returning for a moment to the question of usability, it is also convenient for unlocking, not only via Unlock Face which recognizes your face even in practically low light conditions but above all unlocking via fingerprints, with a biometric sensor inserted under the display, was convenient due to its positioning but also quick and reliable. Furthermore, at a software level you have the possibility of adding animations for unlocking the fingerprint in order to make this experience even more unique and satisfying.
As I was saying, Poco F6 has excellent stereo sound, although I found a slight imbalance in volume between the upper and lower speakers, but all things considered, the sound is decidedly beautiful, fluid and full-bodied, with plenty of bass and, above all, you can also use it in hands-free mode, for example when driving, without any problems, because you will hear very well, just as your interlocutor will hear very well, thanks to the integrated microphones, which I personally consider the best I have tried on a mid-range smartphone.
The left profile is completely smooth while the right one houses the on and off buttons. Excellent sensations even when writing thanks to an excellent vibration, dry and sufficiently powerful which at the software level can be customized but we also find the possibility of recording calls, but everything goes through the Google dialer and therefore you will always have that annoying little voice that warns your interlocutor that you are recording. No problem even with regards to calls and listening to voice notes as the proximity sensor although it is virtual and not physical, here on Poco F6 works decidedly well, with the display that always turned off when I brought the smartphone close to my ear.
HARDWARE AND PERFORMANCE
Poco F6 is a real lightning bolt, a real rocket, a firecracker. Think that on AnTuTu it totals about 1,4 million points and as much as the various Benchmarks want to say everything and I don't want to say anything, here the 4 nanometer processor is the Snapdragon® 8s Gen 3, octacore solution at 3 GHz in addition to 12 GB of RAM.
LPDDR 5X and 256 GB of internal UFS 4.0 storage make the Poco F6 super responsive in all circumstances. I have never noticed any uncertainty and if we consider that for less than € 400 we have performances that will make you feel at ease for years, declaring this smartphone a best buy is on the tip of the tongue. All everyday operations are carried out with ease but you can also embrace worlds that are generally unknown on mid-range smartphones, such as gaming, in fact at the software level we find the WildBoost 3.0 optimization. You can take every operation home without any problem and above all without any overheating, as the Liquid Cool 4.0 technology with IceLoop is used.
AUTONOMY
But many performances you will think that they affect the autonomy but no, because POCO F6 with a 5000 mAh battery can practically guarantee you a full day of use with a good 30/35% residual charge. So with a little more basic use you can take home two full days. Personally, starting at 7:30 in the morning, I practically reached about 40% of residual charge with about 3 hours and 40 minutes of active screen. This smartphone is not a battery phone but considering the performance, it is a guarantee for all users, but if you really worry about autonomy, know that you have a super fast 90W charge available which charges the device to 35% in just 100 minutes. % and then at the software level you will find many modes to extend your working day, for example the Hibernation mode which, even with only 1% battery charge, allows the smartphone to work in standby for 2,5 hours and carry out a 33 minute call.
DISPLAY
Super satisfying display, a 6,67″ CrystalRes 1.5K FLOW Amoled unit (resolution 2712 x 1220 pixels) with a refresh rate that reaches 120 Hz and a PWM dimming at 1920 Hz. The very small frames make this display seem even larger, moreover we find a protection by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. Very bright, with a peak of 2400 nits, values that we know are not real precisely because they refer to a peak and not of the entire display, but I can assure you that under direct sunlight this display offers us excellent readability of the contents on the screen. The Poco F6 panel is super defined and seeing multimedia content on this display is truly a pleasure. We can count on HDR AI improvements at the software level and on the super resolution function that in a certain sense will put the CPU under pressure a bit, but the videos will be seen in a truly fabulous way. We then find Widevine L1 support, HDR10 +, 3% DCI-P100 color profile and triple TÜV certification. AOD is present but limited to 10 seconds, but you can unlock the entire functionality by acting in the developer settings.
SOFTWARE, UPDATES AND CONNECTIVITY
Poco F6 runs on Android 14 and patches updated to July 2024 while the graphic interface is entrusted to HyperOS. The company promises 3 years of major updates and 4 years of security patches with a release approximately every two or three months. I don't want to go too much into the software because HyperOS is practically a copy of MIUI which in some aspects gives greater fluidity but from other points of view instead we have some "uncertainties". Overall I can say that the software is always fluid and stable while the only strong criticism that I feel like making is the presence of the many pre-installed bloatware. For lovers of customization you can do it in every minimum term, even graphic by taking advantage of the various themes, wallpapers, fonts etc.. Always at the software level then we find some goodies, such as the active visual perception function that practically keeps the display on while you stare at it.
Connectivity is also good, which on Poco F6 consists of WiFi 6, Dual 5G SIM module, GPS, Bluetooth 5.4 and NFC for payments. As mentioned earlier, we do not find E-SIM and there is also no FM radio. Operation guaranteed with Android Auto.
PHOTO AND VIDEO PERFORMANCE
Another surprise of this Poco F6 is the photographic compartment that allows during the day photos comparable to the various top of the range. Here we have a primary sensor of 50 MP, the Sony IMX882, f / 1.59 that gives us excellent details and a rendering of natural colors in addition to a very precise focus. A few limits come out during the night due to the sensor and the software but nothing dramatic, also because here to the rescue comes the GCam, installable with a simple exploiting its optimizations that in fact give you photos and videos of even higher quality than the basic software. However, I was saying that during the day the shots are above all expectations, thanks to the integrated RAW algorithm that ensures masterpieces with richer contrasts, more defined details and even sharper portraits. I was also amazed by the speed of the shot, useful for immortalizing the fleeting moment.
Another surprise was the 20 MP selfie sensor, the OmniVision OV20B f/2.2, which offers excellent skin tone and above all an excellent natural blur effect. We then have the possibility of shooting stabilized videos at 1080p 60 FPS with the selfie camera while with the main camera we can even shoot videos in 4K 60 FPS and HDR10+, with a higher dynamic range for a more realistic presentation of bright details and shadows, definitely stabilized. A little more disappointing is the ultra wide camera that uses a Sony IMX355 sensor, as the final result is slightly less bright and with unrealistic colors.
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CONCLUSIONS AND PRICES
Poco F6 is a smartphone that I highly recommend to you because with it you will definitely not regret the purchase and above all the money spent on it is really well spent. You take home a smartphone with good battery life, excellent construction, excellent daily performance but also with regards to the photographic sector. In short, an all-purpose smartphone that is guaranteed for several years at the software level and therefore for at least 3/4 years you will certainly be safe and then at worst if the official updates do not arrive, in general the smartphones of the brand are always followed by a community of enthusiasts, who release ad hoc Custom ROMs that often improve the performance of the device itself even more. Don't let it get away before it goes up in price. At the moment the lowest price to start from is less than 290 euros, an insane price.
