Xiaomi Poco F6 vs. Poco X6 Pro
With Xiaomi supporting so many smartphone lineups, it's easy to get lost in the portfolio. Not to mention, many of the handsets are very similar to each other - spec-wise and feature-wise. And that's exactly the case with this comparison - Poco F6 vs. Poco X6 Pro.
Although the two handsets belong to two different price categories, they offer largely the same user experience. The Poco X6 Pro sits below the F6 and is priced at about €100 less than the F6, making it a very enticing choice. Then again, the Poco F6 shows superiority in some aspects
So without further ado, let's get right into the comparison itself.
Table of Contents:
For starters, you can compare the complete specs sheets or directly continue with our editor's assessment in the following video or in the following text.
Size comparison
There's little difference between the Poco F6 and X6 Pro in terms of size and weight. The F6 is marginally more compact, but we are talking about differences within a fraction of a millimeter or a couple of grams.
However, some may find the X6 Pro's vegan leather options rather fresh. But there's no denying that the F6 features a better build overall. It has IP64 ingress protection (the X6 Pro settles for IP54) and offers Gorilla Glass Victus (a step up from the Gorilla Glass 5 on the X6 Pro).
Display comparison
Although Xiaomi advertises the two panels differently (the F6 is supposed to reach higher peak brightness levels when displaying HDR content), the F6 and X6 Pro have the exact same displays, for all intents and purposes.
Besides the matching diagonal, feature set (both support Dolby Vision and HDR10+), refresh rate and resolution, the two OLED screens offer the same brightness in auto and manual modes. Both got up to 1,100-1,200 nits, which is enough for a comfortable outdoor experience.
Battery life
The two handsets get to use the same 5,000 mAh battery, but the X6 Pro pulls ahead with a higher Active Use Score. The difference isn't big, but the X6 Pro seems to provide a tad longer web browsing and video playback runtimes, while the 4G talk time is significantly better.
Given that both devices share the same 6.67-inch OLED panel and HyperOS/Android 14 software, the reason for the F6's shorter battery life is likely the chipset. It has a more powerful Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC, but also less efficient. The Dimensity 8300 chip proves to be less power-hungry.
Charging speed
Even though the Poco F6's charging capability is rated at 90W, while the X6 Pro settles for a 67W charging solution, the difference isn't as striking. In a real-world charging test, the F6 is ever so slightly faster than the X6 Pro.
The first 15 minutes of the charging cycle seem most notable, with the F6 charging considerably faster. However, as the charging cycle progresses, the gap narrows. In the end, the F6 completes its charging cycle only 6 minutes faster than the X6 Pro. One would expect more from a 90W vs. 67W in a head-to-head comparison.
Speaker test
This one is pretty easy - the Poco F6 undoubtedly has the better speaker setup. Sure, the X6 Pro scores higher in our loudness test with -24.3 LUFS, but the vanilla F6 isn't falling behind by much with -25.2 LUFS. Rather negligible difference.
Quality-wise, though, the F6 is the clear winner. Music tracks sound livelier, fuller and a lot nicer at higher volume. There's more bass to the F6, while the X6 Pro sounds dull and tinny in comparison
Performance
Naturally, the more expensive device has the upper hand in the performance department. The Poco F6 runs on Qualcomm's brand new Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset, while the X6 Pro features the Dimensity 8300 Ultra. It is still a very capable chip, but not on the SD8s Gen 3 level.
The default memory options are the same - 8GB/256GB with UFS 4.0. However, the X6 Pro has one extra variant with 12GB of RAM, but this one hardly makes any difference in day-to-day usage. The top-tier options in both cases are 12GB/512GB. No microSD card support for either of them.
Benchmark performance
As you can see, the benchmarks show a somewhat small difference in the CPU-heavy and combined workloads. The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3's CPU outperforms the Dimensity 8300 by just 4% in the CPU-intensive Geekbench 6 and widens the gap with about 7% in the combined AnTuTu 10 benchmark test.
The GPU-specific 3DMark Wild Life test is where the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 shines. In our 3D Mark, it scored a 37% higher result than the Dimensity 8200.
Having this in mind, we recommend getting the Poco F6 if you plan on gaming, but for everyday tasks, the Poco X6 Pro would do just fine. It has roughly the same CPU performance while drawing less power, as evidenced by the battery test.
Camera comparison
The Poco F6 and X6 Pro have very similar camera setups, but the F6 is supposed to be better, at least on paper. It has a better ISP, and the main camera features a more modern sensor. However, the actual specs are not all that different.
The Poco F6's main unit uses a 50MP 1/1.95" sensor with f/1.6 aperture while the X6 Pro has a 64MP 1/2.0" unit with f/1.7 aperture. Both solutions are optically stabilized. The secondary ultrawide camera is identical - 8MP f/2.2. However, the F6 has a nicer 20MP f/2.2 selfie camera, as opposed to the 16MP f/2.4 on the X6 Pro.
Notably, the X6 Pro also has a dedicated macro shooter, but this one barely brings any useful utility.
Image quality
As far as image quality goes, the two smartphones capture similar photos with their two cameras. There are a few notable differences in the post-processing, though. For instance, the F6's ultrawide photos look nicer due to the wider dynamic range, better contrast and better exposure metering. Colors are also livelier, while the X6 Pro's ultrawide samples just look dull.
Poco F6: 0.6x • 1x • 2x
Poco X6 Pro: 0.6x • 1x • 2x
And while dynamic range is still better on the F6's main camera, the X6 Pro's photos will probably appeal to a wider audience. The F6 goes for more natural color reproduction without being too aggressive with the sharpening. On the other hand, the X6 Pro's photos are punchier with more saturated colors, and the additional sharpness helps fine detail really pop.
The 2x zoom samples are almost identical. The X6 Pro has a warmer hue, while the F6 retains a more natural look. Sharpness and detail are mostly on the same level.
Poco F6: 0.6x • 1x • 2x
Poco X6 Pro: 0.6x • 1x • 2x
Taking the two for a spin after dusk produces different results. The F6 is the clear winner in our books as it offers a more natural look, better contrast, nicer colors and wider dynamic range. It's as if the X6 Pro relies solely on post-processing sharpness, resulting in an artificial look. Not to mention, the difference between the ultrawide cameras is night and day. No pun intended.
Video quality
One could make the same arguments about the videos. The F6 produces generally more natural footage with a wider dynamic range, while the X6 Pro has punchier colors and a touch of artificial sharpness to make up for the somewhat soft-looking 4K videos. The opposite is true for the ultrawide camera, where the X6 Pro shows much nicer-looking footage.
Poco F6: 0.6x • 1x
Poco X6 Pro: 0.6x • 1x
Verdict
As you can see, the tech specs can be deceiving. Even though the two devices are very close siblings and offer largely the same feature set, the F6 has a slight advantage. And that slight advantage is adequately reflected by the price difference.
For about €100 more, the F6 gives you a better camera experience, a faster chipset, a tad faster charging, better-sounding speakers and Xiaomi promises to bring its AI-powered features to the Poco F6 family but hasn't confirmed the same for the X6 series. On the other hand, the X6 Pro has marginally better battery life.
- The slightly faster charging.
- The better speakers.
- The better overall camera experience.
- The better performance.
- The more capable software (AI features coming soon).
Get the Xiaomi Poco F6 for:
- The slightly longer battery life.
- The lower price tag.
Get the Xiaomi Poco X6 Pro for:
Related
Reader comments
- User. Hi.
- 02 Aug 2024
- mFd
Fanboy 💀
- jellydaemon
- 15 Jul 2024
- Jv7
After a week of use I can tell you that the F6 has better battery life. I get about 6.5-7 hours of actual SoT vs my 4.5 hours on my X6 Pro. If you can afford it you should go for the F6 but the X6 Pro is a very good choice too. I love them both...
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