Again when the POCO F6 and F6 Professional launched, I centered 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 approach to India and most Southeast Asian areas. As an alternative, POCO supplied the F6 because the default choice in these international locations.
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 assessment, I known as it top-of-the-line value-focused telephones of the 12 months, and that is right down to how reasonably priced it’s in India, the place it retails for simply ₹27,999 ($336). That stated, POCO does not fairly supply the identical worth in different areas; the F6 is out there for £359 ($457) within the U.Okay., and that is not almost as attractive.
Fortunately, there’s a greater choice accessible: the F6 Professional. The cellphone is now right down to £449 ($572), and that makes it worthy of consideration in the event you’re serious 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 appreciate 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 colour variant particularly appears to be like hanging. I do not often choose telephones with flat sides, however POCO added beveled edges, and that makes an enormous distinction in every day use. The glass window across the rear digicam housing has been a mainstay on POCO telephones going again 4 years now, and it finally ends up wanting elegant.
POCO did not shortchange customers with materials selections both; the F6 Professional makes use of an aluminum body that is sandwiched between panes of glass, and it appears to be like simply as premium because the Xiaomi 14 — if something, I like POCO’s design extra. The one disadvantage on this space is that the cellphone has IP54 ingress safety, and that is not enough; even the common F6 will get an IP64 score, so I am probably not certain what POCO was pondering.
Aside from that and an in-screen module that sits just a little too low on the display, there’s nothing to complain concerning the design; the F6 Professional has supreme weight distribution, and the textured sample beneath the glass appears to be like incredible. There’s loads 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 does not get fairly as brilliant as different mid-rangers I used this 12 months — the 12R is noticeably brighter open air — however it’s nonetheless a powerful exhibiting. On that be aware, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is totally the appropriate name; Qualcomm’s 2024 chipset nonetheless has loads to supply, and it’s simply as quick in every day use.
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Contemplating that the 12R can 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 cellphone as my every day driver, and it handles demanding video games with ease; the one tangible achieve you may see with the 8 Gen 3 is healthier battery life.
It is a related story with the cameras; the F6 Professional manages to take higher photographs than the F6 in nearly each state of affairs, and it holds up extremely properly 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 situation with the cameras is that the auxiliary 8MP wide-angle lens is not anyplace nearly as good as the principle digicam, and I nonetheless do not perceive why POCO cannot ship two usable sensors on the again. That is true of the 12R as properly, and solely Google manages to ship a mid-ranger with a wide-angle digicam that is really first rate.
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 does 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.
General, the F6 Professional is without doubt one of the finest telephones at present accessible within the mid-range phase. POCO’s determination to not launch the gadget in most world markets is puzzling; it’s the supreme various to the OnePlus 12R and Galaxy A55, and with the producer setting lofty targets this 12 months, wider availability of the F6 Professional would have highlighted the model’s ambition on this phase.
The F6 Professional has an incredible design, the very best AMOLED panel POCO used up so far, dependable {hardware}, and a terrific digicam on the again. If you happen to’ve used Xiaomi telephones previously and desire a mid-ranger that has an excellent worth, the F6 Professional brings loads to the desk.