- Great performance
- Lovely display
- 512GB of storage
- Missing premium trimmings
- Bloatware, ads in system apps
- Buggy
The Poco F6 Pro punches above its $999 price tag in terms of pure performance, but you pay for it in other ways. While you're getting surprisingly high-end hardware for less than you might expect to pay, the Poco F6 Pro is saddled with bloatware, buggy software, and even ads.
The problems started shortly after I unboxed the phone. During setup, the Poco F6 Pro threatened to install around a dozen games unless I explicitly told it not to. This required unticking every single one, with no option to simply skip the step or deselect them all with one tap. While this only took a minute or so, it left a bad taste in my mouth.
Following setup, I was shocked by the sheer amount of bloatware on the phone. While many Android phones come with a few extra apps installed out of the box - presumably due to commercial relationships - the Poco F6 Pro had at least ten. These included Amazon Shopping, Block Puzzle, Booking.com. Bubble Shooter, Crazy Juicer, Dust Settle, Jewels Blast, Snake Zone.io, Tile Fun, and Word Trip.
On top of this, you get a lot of double-up; instances where both the Google version and Xiaomi's own version of an app are installed out of the box. There are two calculators, two file managers, two browsers, two photo apps, and two app stores.
All of these apps - bloatware or otherwise - can be deleted, but it creates a lot of friction when setting up the phone. This kind of behaviour was pretty common on Android phones back in the day, but most manufacturers have reigned it in. This makes the Poco F6 Pro stand out, and not in a good way.
For me, the final straw was advertising in the theme app. I was trying to swap out the default icons, and after I applied the settings, I was treated to a pop-up crypto ad. Maybe this wouldn't bother anyone, but a full-on display ad in a system app is pretty egregious behaviour. It turns out you can switch advertising off, but it shouldn't even be on by default.
All of the above is a shame, cause the Poco F6 Pro hardware itself is quite good.
The big drawcard is that the Poco F6 Pro is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which is last year's flagship chipset. This is the same processor that’s found in phones like the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which still sell for over $1,500 - despite being close to two years old.
Unsurprisingly, this means the Poco F6 Pro is very snappy. You get a silky smooth day-to-day experience with plenty of headroom for more demanding apps like games. Diablo Immortal ran flawlessly at very high settings at 60 FPS.
The Poco F6 Pro also ships with 512GB storage, which is double what you'd usually get for $999. You'll typically pay a $200 premium to take a 256GB Samsung flagship to 512GB, so 512GB as a standard could be a bonus for anyone stuffing their phone with data. OPPO's Reno 12 Pro is the only other phone where you'll currently get 512GB of storage for under $1,000 in Australia, so this is a pretty unique perk.
In terms of battery, you can expect around five hours of screen time per charge. That's not bad, but nothing special either. Expect a full day of moderate usage with a slight buffer at the end.
When it comes to the phone itself, it has a nice, solid build. There's a good heft to it, and it feels premium in the hand. The faux marble finish on the back won't be for everyone, but you can always cover it with a case. Similarly, the display is lovely! It's 6.67-inch with a 120Hz refresh rate, and is bright enough for use in direct sunlight.
While there are plenty of positives, this isn't to say the rest of the experience is perfect.
You can get nice photos in good lighting, but outside of that, results can be bit mid. The Poco F6 Pro can struggle with moving subjects, and there's a clear drop-off in quality in darker environments. These issues impact the ultra-wide lens too, but in a more pronounced way.
Mixed camera configurations aren't unexpected at this price point, but the Google Pixel 8a and the OPPO Reno 12 Pro both offer a more consistent photography experience.
Xiaomi Poco F6 Pro camera samples
Check out these camera samples taken on the Poco F6 Pro. Click or tap on any photo to see a larger version.
The Poco F6 Pro is also missing some of the premium trimmings you'd expect at this price point. There's no wireless charging or eSIM support, and it's splash-proof, but not water-resistant. These features are pretty much the standard on other $1,000 or so phones.
Software updates don't quite match the price point either. Xiaomi is only promising two major operating system updates and three years of security updates for the Poco F6 Pro. Cheaper devices like Samsung's Galaxy A35 get four years of operating system updates and five years of security, while Google's Pixel 8a gets seven years of both. Most other phones in this price bracket get at least three years of operating system updates.
There are also a few software niggles worth noting. Xiaomi's take on Android can feel a little unintuitive compared to other manufacturers. The big adjustment for me has been grappling with how the notification and quick settings menus have been split into two panes.
Pulling down from the left of the screen opens notifications, and from the right opens quick settings. Swiping moves you between the two, but I found this out by accident when trying to dismiss a notification. It's the type of change you can learn to live with, but there's no way to go back to the more traditional Android interface where you get your quick settings and notifications in the same interface.
One other constant issue was the lack of ability to copy a link from the sharing pane. There are two different printing options, and three sharing app options - Quick Share, Xiaomi Share, ShareMe - but no way to just copy a link to the clipboard. This is something you can do on pretty much every other Android phone. While there are other ways to copy a link, I constantly found myself frustrated by this decision.
I also experienced a bit of bugginess. I had a few apps crash constantly when I was first trying to log in, including Spotify and Telegram. I've also had random crashes from Instagram, and sometimes the app just dims after looking at a story. The only way to get back to normal brightness is to force quit and restart it. While it's possible there's an issue with the apps themselves, I've not seen this kind of behaviour on other Android phones I've tested.
Digital Wellbeing's screen time tracking also seems broken. One day it told me I used the settings app for two hours. On another, it told me I only used the phone for two minutes, despite having been on it all day. This isn't the kind of thing you'd notice in day-to-day use, but could potentially be an issue if you're giving the Poco F6 Pro to a kid and want to limit their usage.
Xiaomi Poco F6 Pro - Final Thoughts
It's hard to argue with the raw specs offered by the Poco F6 Pro, but the user experience lets the overall product down. Maybe you're okay with taking the time to debloat your phone, but you shouldn't have to - especially not when you're paying almost $1,000.
The Poco F6 Pro could still be worth it if you want a powerful handset without spending silly money. It outclasses pretty much any other phone in this price bracket in terms of pure performance, and 512GB of storage is also a very welcome inclusion.
And look, I think there's room in the world for a phone that's subsidised by integrated advertising or preloaded software. The manufacturer just has to be upfront about it so the customer is aware of what it is they're buying. But when you sell a premium product and the experience is this hostile out of the box, that can sour the whole thing.
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Alex Choros
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