In the smartphone industry, flagships represent the pinnacle of achievement at a given time.  It is what the brand offers as its absolute best.  These phones boast cutting-edge technology.  However, their high price tag makes them out of reach for many consumers.  Hence, top-tier experiences remain elusive for most people.  

The POCO F6 Series launch is a game-changer for those who have been waiting for a powerful phone at a more affordable price.  Since its launch in Dubai, I have been putting the POCO F6 through its paces.  In this review, I will explore the ones that I found exceptional and the ones that I found interesting.  Ready to find out if the features of the POCO F6 could blur the line between mid-range and flagship phones?  

Exceptional features

The POCO F6 packs flagship-level technology at a surprisingly mid-range price.  It is a smartphone that lets you experience the best without draining your wallet.  

Let me begin with the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 processor.  Usually found in flagship phones, the POCO F6 creates quite a stir as this chip strikes a balance between performance and affordability.  The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 sits just a touch under the top-of-the line Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.  This means it is destined to deliver flagship-level performance without having to go overboard on the budget.  

The unit provided for us has 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.  POCO also offers an 8GB RAM and 256 storage option.  What is significant about this is that the higher the RAM, the higher its ability to juggle multiple apps and this I found true with the POCO F6.  Opening one app after another was a breeze.  I experienced no lag and no signs of slowing down.  Overall performance is smooth.  

The POCO F6 is also equipped with the Xiaomi HyperOS operating system.  This is Xiaomi's operating system based on Android 14.  Like a well-oiled machine, the features mentioned above seamlessly worked together in perfect harmony creating a smoother and more optimized user experience. 

Another POCO F6 feature that I personally found amazing is the LiquidCool Technology 4.0 with IceLoop system.   This consists of a stainless steel cooling pump, a one-way heat conduction loop that moves heat away from the phone's core, built-in heat sensors that check the phone's temperature and an efficient heat-dissipating graphite.  The whole cooling system does actually work.  It does the job of keeping the device's temperature down.  In moderate to intense tasks, I never experienced the phone getting too warm to use.  It kept the device comfortable to hold even during long intense use.  

The POCO F6 introduces the CrystalRes display.  It features a 6.67-inch 1.5K AMOLED display that displays clear, sharp and striking images and with a 120Hz refresh rate, scrolling through web pages, social media feeds or other apps has smoother transitions and more fluid visuals.  In challenging environments, like under harsh, bright sunlight, images do not appear washed out.  The screen is still viewable thanks to its peak brightness of 2400 nits.
 

Interesting features

The POCO F6 packs innovative features that promise to take user experience to the next level.  In particular, the Smart sensing AON piqued my interest.  It got me curious about how useful and accurate they perform.  

Smart sensing AON delivers intelligent interactions through features like a smart rotating screen, smart lock detection and, POCO AI air gestures. 

I found air gestures to be quite fascinating.  Imagine controlling the F6 by simply waving your hand in front of the 20MP front camera.  No need to touch the screen.  It's generally responsive, but currently limited to certain apps.  With an outstretched palm, I could draw a circle to answer calls, and while reading documents in Word, waving vertically turned pages.  Even the default music app responded well to double-taps to pause music and horizontal waves to switch songs.  Although I was only able to use it on some apps, POCO says it may support more apps in the future.

The POCO F6 surprised me with its AI features.  Imagine having generative AI capabilities on a phone you can actually afford.  Although currently limited to photo editing.  Still, that's a huge plus for a budget phone!   Accessed when you edit an image from the Gallery app, features like AI (image) Expansion and AI Eraser Pro, which are mostly limited to high-end phones, are present and are quite amusing.  The AI Bokeh feature is also present ready to convert those images to professional-grade portraits.  

Gaming

As a non-gamer myself, I looked to my son, a gaming enthusiast, for advice on the POCO F6.  Surprisingly, he wasn't a fan of mobile gaming due to limitations with his current budget phone.  His current phone isn't powerful enough for a smooth and enjoyable experience, especially when it comes to speed, responsiveness, and battery life.  He simply prefers the superior performance of his PC for serious gaming.

Curious and challenged, he willingly tested the F6 with 3 graphic-intensive games namely:  Genshin Impact, Honkai Star Rail, and Wuthering Waves.   What follows is his take on the mentioned games played on the POCO F6:

Both Honkai Star Rail and Genshin Impact can be run at maximum settings of 60 FPS.  He experienced minimal lag and minimal frame rate drops.  Wuthering Waves involves greater graphics and combat mechanics; hence, the game needs more computing power.  It was able to run at a maximum setting of 60 FPS.  He experienced minimal lag and minimal frame rate drops.

All three games required the Ultimate Mode of Game Turbo to be enabled.  On extended gameplay, he experienced a rise in device temperature but not to the point of being uncomfortable to hold; warmest while playing Wuthering Waves.  

Overall, he had a great gaming experience on the POCO F6.  Genshin Impact, Honkai Star Rail and Wuthering Waves ran smoothly without any lag, thanks to features like Wildboost Optimization 3.0 that optimized performance and Liquid Cool Technology that kept the phone cool.

With a powerful processor, smooth display, and innovative features, the POCO F6 delivers a premium user experience without breaking the bank.  Gamers will be delighted with the phone's capability to handle demanding titles with ease.  Boasting flagship features at a mid-range price, the POCO F6 punches above its weight and emerges as a serious contender in the smartphone market.