Technology

IIE Digital Desk: Poco’s X series has consistently impressed over the years, striking the perfect balance between affordability and quality.

These phones offer robust performance and sleek designs, all at prices that don’t break the bank.

Now, for 2024, the Poco X6 Pro is following in those footsteps. It’s got some sweet upgrades, like a higher resolution display, a flagship level processor and even a spanking new operating system, all under 30,000 Rupees.

POCO X6 PRO SOFTWARE

Let's start with perhaps the most significant change in the Poco X6 Pro – the software.

It's the first phone in India to come with Xiaomi's brand new HyperOS, based on Android 14, straight out of the box.

It replaces the well known MiUI, but you don’t have concerned about adapting to this new version.

The user experience remains largely familiar, but HyperOS definitely improves on functionality and fluidity compared to MIUI.

You'll now find enhanced lock screen customization options, a more streamlined control centre, and a redesigned camera app.

Hyper OS is a pretty slick Android skin for the most part but it has some quirks too. For instance, when you swipe up to access the app drawer, it automatically activates the search app feature by default, which is both irritating and a bit redundant, especially when there's a search bar at the bottom of the app drawer.

Fortunately, you can disable this in the app settings, so I'm quite happy about that. The other and perhaps more significant issue is the large amount of bloatware on this

phone.

I know that it's somewhat expected, given it's a Poco device, but I was hoping to see some improvement on this front with the new Hyper OS.

Sadly, this isn't the case, and while you have the option to uninstall most of these pre-installed apps, the initial quantity you're presented with can be quite excessive.

On the plus side, Poco has extended its software policy by promising 3 years of Android updates and 4 years of security updates for the X6 Pro.

POCO X6 PRO DESIGN

Poco certainly knows how to make its phones stand out, and the X6 Pro is no exception.

I have the Vegan leather variant, which instantly grabs attention with its bright yellow back. It's a bold choice and won't suit everyone, so for those preferring something subtler, there are two other options: Spectre Black and Racing Grey.

Personally, I'm a fan of Poco's signature yellow colour. It gives the phone a unique appearance, setting it apart from the competition, and the color-matched power button is a nice detail too.

Plus, the vegan leather back feels great in my hand, and the best part is it resists fingerprints and scratches.

My only concern is how well this vibrant color will endure regular wear and tear, like stains.

Poco attempts to mitigate this issue by providing a rubber case in the box, but this solution has the downside of obscuring the phone's attractive color.

The back of the phone also features a sizable rectangular camera module that dominates the top part of the phone.

It houses three lenses and an LED flash on the left side. On the right, you’ll find the Poco logo alongside a distinctive pattern that lends the module an elegant, marble-like look, adding a touch of sophistication to the phone’s design.

Despite its bold look, Poco has kept the phone quite sleek. This vegan leather model measures around 9.1mm in thickness and feels reasonably light at about 186.5g.

As for the screen, it's flat, not like those fancy curved ones, but honestly, that's probably better for people who game a lot. Plus, the bezels are quite thin, which helps in giving the phone a very generous 94 percent screen to body ratio.

Besides that, the X6 Pro comes with a bunch of handy features like IP54 splash-proof protection, dual stereo speakers, IR blaster and dual sim support.

You do miss out on stuff like expandable storage and a headphone jack, but to be honest, those aren't really deal-breakers these days.

One thing to note though is that this model introduces an in-display fingerprint sensor for the first time in Poco’s lineup, a feature not even present in the flagship Poco F5, making it a very welcome addition.

POCO X6 PRO DISPLAY

The Poco X6 Pro’s display gets a couple of upgrades this time around. It retains the same 6.67-inch AMOLED screen size as last year's model, but this latest version steps up with a sharper 1.5K or 1220x2712 resolution, replacing the previous Full HD+ screen. Although the difference might not be starkly visible to the naked eye, it does render content with noticeably improved sharpness.

Furthermore, the display supports both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision standards, guaranteeing bright, vibrant images with true-to-life colors, particularly when watching content from services like Netflix.

Additionally, the screen retains its 120 Hz dynamic refresh rate, contributing to better battery life.

The peak brightness on the Poco X6 Pro sees a significant improvement – it's been doubled to 1800 NITS from the 900 NITS of the X5 Pro, and I had no issues using the phone outdoors in bright light.

POCO X6 PRO PERFORMANCE

The Poco X6 Pro is the first phone in India to feature the 4 nanometer MediaTek Dimensity 8300 Ultra chip. This is a significant upgrade from the X5 Pro's 6nm Snapdragon 778G processor and the older Dimensity 8200.

Poco says that the new chipset delivers a 54% improvement in CPU performance and an astonishing 248% boost in GPU performance compared to the previous generation.

And that's not all – it boasts up to 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. It's got a crazy high AnTutu score as well!

Safe to say, performance from the Poco X6 is top-notch. You won't notice any slowdowns, stutters, or lag, regardless of the task.

The 120Hz screen refresh rate and 480Hz touch sampling rate contribute greatly to the overall smoothness of the user experience as well.

Gaming, especially on titles like Call of Duty Mobile, is a breeze. I played it on Very high Graphic settings with Max Framerate and experienced no frame drops or any heating issues at all, which I'm guessing is the work of that large Vapor Chamber Cooling System that Poco has fitted on this device.

POCO X6 PRO BATTERY

The Poco X6 Pro carries over the same 5,000mAh battery capacity from last year, along with the 67W charging technology. However, thanks to the more efficient Dimensity 8300 Ultra chipset, the phone sees a slight improvement in battery life.

It comfortably lasted over a day on a full charge, even with heavy usage, ensuring I wasn't left without power before the day ended.

The included 67W charger is capable of charging the battery in 45 minutes, but to maximize charging speed, remember to activate the Boost charging mode in the phone settings. Impressively, the phone reaches 20% battery in just five minutes and climbs to 90% in about 35 minutes.

POCO X6 PRO CAMERAS

There's a triple rear camera setup on the Poco X6 Pro, which includes a 64MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultrawide sensor and a 2MP macro sensor.

Interestingly, the main sensor is actually a step down from the X5 Pro's 108MP.

However, for the first time in the Poco X series, the X6 Pro's primary sensor includes Optical Image Stabilisation, so you no longer need to worry about clicking blurry shots.

Photos taken in well-lit settings turn out quite nicely with the main sensor offering good dynamic range and vibrant colours. The images are crisp and detailed, making good use of that 64MP sensor. However, HDR and image processing can be hit or miss, sometimes rendering the sky too artificially blue.

For Night time shots, the X6 Pro is a bit of a mixed bag. While its camera software works hard to boost exposure, it does face challenges in brightening up darker areas. It's not the best in its price range for low-light photography, but it's more than capable for the price.

The ultrawide sensor isn't as impressive as the main one, with noticeable edge distortion and graininess in indoor shots. Also, I feel Poco could have swapped the 2MP macro sensor for a telephoto lens, or at least improved its resolution, as I often got better close-ups using the 2X zoom on the main sensor.

Video-wise, the phone handles up to 4K HDR at 30fps with the rear camera, and up to 1080p HDR at 60fps with the front camera. The main camera records crisp videos, but note that it drops to 1080p if you use the stabilization mode.

The 16-megapixel front camera captures good details and skin tones, but its portrait mode's edge detection isn't always accurate.

POCO X6 PRO REVIEW

I know that Poco might not be the most well known brand out there, but with the X6 Pro, they're definitely proving they know how to make a well balanced mid range phone.

That’s not to say that the Poco X6 Pro isn’t without any flaws- the camera system can be inconsistent and the software is full of bloatware.

But, these hiccups are pretty minor overall. If top-notch performance on a budget is what you’re after, this phone is definitely one of the top picks to consider.