Again when the POCO F6 and F6 Professional launched, I targeted my consideration on the common mannequin. POCO determined to restrict the F6 Professional to just some world markets, and the gadget did not make its option to India and most Southeast Asian areas. As a substitute, POCO provided the F6 because the default possibility in these nations.
Hardwired
In Hardwired, AC Senior Editor Harish Jonnalagadda delves into all issues {hardware}, together with telephones, audio merchandise, storage servers, and routers.
In my POCO F6 evaluation, I known as it probably the greatest value-focused telephones of the 12 months, and that is right down to how inexpensive it’s in India, the place it retails for simply ₹27,999 ($336). That stated, POCO would not fairly provide the identical worth in different areas; the F6 is obtainable for £359 ($457) within the U.Okay., and that is not almost as attractive.
Fortunately, there’s a greater possibility out there: the F6 Professional. The telephone is now right down to £449 ($572), and that makes it worthy of consideration when you’re desirous about a brand new mid-ranger. I did not use the F6 Professional when it got here out, however I switched to it after utilizing the OnePlus 12R Sundown Dune version; it did not take lengthy to comprehend that POCO is onto one thing particular with its 2024 flagship.
The F6 Professional has a significantly better design than the usual mannequin, and the white shade variant specifically seems hanging. I do not often choose telephones with flat sides, however POCO added beveled edges, and that makes a giant distinction in every day use. The glass window across the rear digital camera housing has been a mainstay on POCO telephones going again 4 years now, and it finally ends up trying elegant.
POCO did not shortchange customers with materials decisions both; the F6 Professional makes use of an aluminum body that is sandwiched between panes of glass, and it seems simply as premium because the Xiaomi 14 — if something, I like POCO’s design extra. The one downside on this space is that the telephone has IP54 ingress safety, and that is not satisfactory; even the common F6 will get an IP64 score, so I am probably not positive what POCO was pondering.
Aside from that and an in-screen module that sits a bit of too low on the display, there’s nothing to complain concerning the design; the F6 Professional has very best weight distribution, and the textured sample beneath the glass seems implausible. There’s so much to love concerning the panel too; POCO went with a 120Hz AMOLED panel with QHD+ decision, and it’s simply the very best display of any of its units to this point.
The panel would not get fairly as vivid as different mid-rangers I used this 12 months — the 12R is noticeably brighter outside — however it’s nonetheless a powerful exhibiting. On that notice, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is totally the precise name; Qualcomm’s 2024 chipset nonetheless has so much to supply, and it’s simply as quick in every day use.
Contemplating that the 12R can also be powered by the identical silicon, the F6 Professional is on an equal footing. I did not see any points within the week I used the telephone as my every day driver, and it handles demanding video games with ease; the one tangible acquire you will see with the 8 Gen 3 is best battery life.
It is a related story with the cameras; the F6 Professional manages to take higher photographs than the F6 in nearly each scenario, and it holds up extremely nicely in low-light eventualities. The 12R has a slender edge on this space, however on the entire, the F6 Professional is not far behind.
That stated, the most important problem with the cameras is that the auxiliary 8MP wide-angle lens is not anyplace pretty much as good as the primary digital camera, and I nonetheless do not perceive why POCO cannot ship two usable sensors on the again. That is true of the 12R as nicely, and solely Google manages to ship a mid-ranger with a wide-angle digital camera that is truly respectable.
POCO did not change any software program options from the usual F6, and whereas I nonetheless imagine that the software program is in want of a visible overhaul, it’s significantly better optimized this 12 months. The interface is fluid, there is a good quantity of customizability, and it would not have any annoying bugs. There’s nonetheless numerous bloatware out of the field, and POCO is not good at delivering updates on time — these are issues it must actively change.
Total, the F6 Professional is among the finest telephones at the moment out there within the mid-range section. POCO’s determination to not launch the gadget in most world markets is puzzling; it’s the very best various to the OnePlus 12R and Galaxy A55, and with the producer setting lofty objectives this 12 months, wider availability of the F6 Professional would have highlighted the model’s ambition on this section.
The F6 Professional has an ideal design, the very best AMOLED panel POCO used up so far, dependable {hardware}, and a terrific digital camera on the again. Should you’ve used Xiaomi telephones prior to now and need a mid-ranger that has worth, the F6 Professional brings so much to the desk.