POCO M6 Pro Review: The Best Mid-Range Contender?

The Poco M6 Pro emerges as a fascinating entrant in the bustling mid-range smartphone market, an increasingly crowded segment that continually demands innovation and value. As a descendant of Xiaomi’s now-independent Poco brand, which has carved a niche for itself by offering power-packed devices at aggressive price points, the M6 Pro has much to live up to. The brand’s philosophy of delivering high-performance hardware and compelling features at a fraction of the cost of flagship phones is well embodied in the M6 Pro.

However, the release of the Poco M6 Pro has not been without its confusion and curiosities, primarily due to the existence of a namesake predecessor—the Poco M6 Pro 5G—tailored exclusively for the Indian market. Unlike its Indian counterpart, the global version of the M6 Pro steers away from 5G connectivity, choosing instead to concentrate on enhancing other core aspects such as display, camera capabilities, and fast charging, thus presenting an interesting proposition to its target audience.

The Poco M6 Pro, with its distinguishing features and specifications, seeks to offer a balanced and immersive user experience. Boasting a high refresh rate AMOLED display, a versatile camera setup with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), and rapid charging capabilities, it aims to cater to the demands of those who are on the lookout for a robust smartphone experience without breaking the bank. As we delve deeper into this review, we’ll explore whether the Poco M6 Pro manages to strike the right balance between performance, features, and price, thereby solidifying its position in the competitive mid-range segment.

Poco M6 Pro Features

Design and Build Quality

When examining the front design of the Poco M6 Pro, it becomes evident that Poco has focused on creating a modern and user-friendly interface that resonates well, and features a large 6.67-inch display, this sizeable screen accounts for an impressive 88.9% screen-to-body ratio, minimizing bezels to provide an immersive viewing experience. The front camera of the M6 Pro is housed in a punch-hole cutout, in the top place to maximize screen real estate while minimizing interruption to the display. Despite being a budget device, it does not compromise on build quality. Additionally, is equipped with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on the front, offering enhanced protection against scratches and minor drops, thereby ensuring the display remains intact and clear.

Crafted with a keen eye for detail, the smartphone presents a sleek profile that is both eye-catching and comfortable to hold. The device’s dimensions and weight are carefully balanced, ensuring it feels substantial without being cumbersome, making it ideal for extended use. The phone boasts a robust build quality, thanks to its use of premium materials. The back panel, crafted from high-quality polycarbonate material, offers a matte finish that not only adds to the visual appeal but also provides practical benefits. This finish ensures the phone is less prone to fingerprints and smudges, keeping it looking pristine throughout the day.

One of the standout design elements of the Poco M6 Pro is its camera module. The rear camera setup is tastefully integrated into the back panel, avoiding the protrusion seen in many contemporary smartphones. This not only enhances the phone’s sleek profile but also protects the camera lenses from direct contact when placed on surfaces. The camera module’s subtle design cues, such as the two-tone color scheme and the distinct Poco branding, add character and identity to the device, making it instantly recognizable.

The design also features a thoughtful arrangement of buttons and ports for ease of use. The volume rocker and power button are strategically placed on the right side of the device, offering tactile feedback and easy accessibility. The hybrid dual SIM card tray is located on the left, allowing users the flexibility to expand storage or use dual SIM cards.

The Poco M6 Pro doesn’t just stop at aesthetics; it also includes practical features like an IP54 rating, offering dust and splash resistance. This addition underscores the phone’s versatility and readiness to withstand everyday challenges, providing users with added peace of mind.

Display Quality

The Poco M6 Pro boasts a 6.67-inch AMOLED display that is a feast for the eyes, particularly for a device within its price bracket. It’s not just the size that impresses; the screen’s specifications contribute to a visually immersive experience that rivals many higher-end smartphones with 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~395 ppi density). AMOLED technology is renowned for its ability to deliver vibrant colors and deep blacks, and the display on the Poco M6 Pro is no exception. Colors pop with vibrancy and richness, making everything from browsing photos to watching videos a more enjoyable experience. The deep blacks enhance contrast, giving depth to images and videos, which is especially noticeable in darker scenes.

While the Poco M6 Pro does not support the highest standards of HDR content, its ability to display enhanced dynamic range content is commendable for its class. This means that when viewing HDR videos on platforms that support it, users can enjoy a broader spectrum of colors and a greater contrast ratio, making for a more immersive viewing experience. With a peak brightness of up to 1300 nits, the Poco M6 Pro’s screen remains readable even under direct sunlight. This high maximum brightness level is crucial for outdoor use, ensuring that texts remain legible and images clear.

One of the standout features of the Poco M6 Pro’s display is its 120Hz refresh rate. This high refresh rate ensures that scrolling through web pages and navigating the UI feels exceptionally smooth. Gaming enthusiasts will particularly appreciate this feature, as it makes supported games look and feel more fluid, providing a competitive edge in fast-paced action.

Software Experience

The Poco M6 Pro operates on a solid foundation provided by Android 13, overlaid with Xiaomi’s custom MIUI 14 interface. Although it doesn’t ship with Xiaomi’s latest HyperOS out of the box, plans for an update to both HyperOS and Android 14 promise to enhance the software experience further. MIUI 14 presents a clean and aesthetically pleasing interface that users can tailor to their preferences. The level of customization is impressive, allowing for changes to themes, icons, and the overall look and feel of the UI. The app drawer, a standard feature in MIUI 14, organizes apps efficiently, making them easily accessible. You can also take advantage of the dynamic wallpapers and always-on display options to personalize your devices further.

MIUI 14 on the Poco M6 Pro is packed with features designed to enhance usability and performance. The split-screen feature, floating windows, and comprehensive gesture navigation system contribute to a highly efficient multitasking experience. Additionally, the Game Turbo mode optimizes gaming performance, ensuring a smooth and immersive experience for mobile gamers.

One of the less appealing aspects of the Poco M6 Pro’s software experience is the presence of pre-installed apps and bloatware. While some of these apps may offer value to certain users, others may find them unnecessary and intrusive. Fortunately, most of these can be uninstalled, allowing users to free up space and streamline their experience.

Performance and Benchmarks

At the heart of the Poco M6 Pro lies the MediaTek Helio G99 Ultra chipset, built on a 6nm process technology. This SoC comprises two high-performance Cortex-A76 cores clocked at up to 2.2 GHz and six power-efficient Cortex-A55 cores, ensuring a balanced mix of speed and energy conservation. The graphics department is handled by the Mali-G57 MC2 GPU, designed to support smooth graphics rendering in games and multimedia applications. The device comes in two variants – one with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, and a higher-end model boasting 12GB RAM and 512GB of internal storage. This setup is complemented by LPDDR54X RAM and UFS 2.2 storage technology, ensuring swift app launches, seamless multitasking, and ample space for all your needs. The lack of a microSD card slot is compensated by the generous onboard storage, making it a non-issue for most users.

In daily tasks, the Poco M6 Pro showcases commendable performance. Whether it’s navigating through the UI, multitasking between apps, or streaming high-definition content, the phone handles operations with minimal lag or stutter. Gaming, too, is a pleasure, with the device managing to run popular titles at medium settings without significant frame drops, thanks to the effective balance between the CPU and GPU.

Gaming Performance

For gamers, the Poco M6 Pro offers a satisfying experience. Lightweight games run flawlessly, while more graphically intensive titles like “Call of Duty: Mobile” and “PUBG Mobile” are playable at adjusted settings, ensuring a smooth gameplay experience without overheating issues. “PUBG Mobile” runs satisfactorily on the Poco M6 Pro. The game is playable in medium settings, offering a smooth experience with only occasional frame drops during intense combat scenarios.

The M6 Pro handles “Call of Duty: Mobile” well, supporting high graphics settings. However, for optimal performance free from frame drops, setting the graphics to medium is advisable.

Given “Genshin Impact”‘s graphical demands, the M6 Pro performs best at low to medium settings. The game is playable, but to achieve a smoother frame rate, graphical settings need to be compromised. Despite these adjustments, the device struggles with occasional stutters during action-packed scenes or in graphically dense environments.

For MOBA enthusiasts, “Mobile Legends: Bang Bang” performs flawlessly on the Poco M6 Pro. The game can be played at the highest graphical settings without any performance issues, highlighting the device’s suitability for less demanding titles.

“Asphalt 9: Legends” showcases the Poco M6 Pro’s capability to deliver a solid gaming experience on racing games. The game runs smoothly on default settings, with the device’s display bringing out vibrant visuals and maintaining stable frame rates even during fast-paced racing moments.

Benchmark Analysis

To quantitatively assess the Poco M6 Pro’s performance, several benchmarks were conducted:

• AnTuTu v10.1.8: The device scores around 426,520 indicating strong overall performance, particularly in CPU and memory operations, reflecting its capability to handle demanding applications and multitask efficiently.
• Geekbench 5: With single-core and multi-core scores of 698 and 1,937 respectively, the Poco M6 Pro showcases its competence in handling both single-threaded and multi-threaded tasks, from basic applications to more complex computing processes.
• PCMark Work 3.0: A score of 10,557 in this test underscores the phone’s adeptness in productivity tasks, including web browsing, writing, and photo editing, mirroring its aptitude for everyday use scenarios.

Thermal Management

Despite its potent performance, the Poco M6 Pro manages thermals effectively. Even under sustained load, such as during long gaming sessions or benchmarks, the device remains comfortably warm, avoiding the overheating that can throttle performance. This thermal efficiency can be attributed to the 6nm process technology of the chipset and the device’s internal heat dissipation mechanisms.

Camera Capabilities

At the heart of its imaging capabilities is a 64MP main sensor equipped with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), ensuring sharp and detailed photos even in challenging lighting conditions. The large sensor size allows for excellent dynamic range, capturing both bright highlights and shadow details with ease. You can expect vibrant colors and great clarity in their shots, making the main camera a reliable tool for everyday photography.

Ultra-wide and Macro Lens Quality

Complementing the primary sensor is an 8MP ultra-wide camera, expanding the photographic possibilities with its broader field of view. Ideal for capturing landscapes, cityscapes, or group photos, the ultra-wide lens maintains good color consistency with the main camera, although it may exhibit some softness towards the edges. Meanwhile, the 2MP macro lens allows for close-up shots, revealing the intricate details of smaller subjects. While it’s a nice addition for creative shots, the macro camera’s lower resolution means it’s best used in well-lit conditions for optimal results.

Selfie Camera Insights

For selfie enthusiasts, the Poco M6 Pro offers a 16MP front-facing camera. It produces clear and detailed selfies, with an emphasis on natural skin tones. The fixed-focus lens manages to capture sufficient detail for social media posts, though may need to be mindful of positioning to ensure the best focus. The camera app provides a range of beautification options, allowing users to tweak their selfies to their preferences.

Video Recording Features

When it comes to video, the Poco M6 Pro supports recording up to 1080p at 60 fps from both the rear and front cameras. While the absence of 4K recording might be noted by some users, the inclusion of OIS for the rear camera aids in capturing stable and smooth footage. The videos exhibit good color accuracy and dynamic range, suitable for capturing memories and everyday moments. The device’s microphones also do a decent job of picking up clear audio, enhancing the overall video recording experience.

Battery Life and Charging

The Poco M6 Pro is equipped with a substantial 5,000mAh battery, positioning it competitively within the mid-range smartphone segment. In real usage, the M6 Pro’s battery life proves to be commendable, easily lasting through a full day of moderate to heavy use. This includes activities such as web browsing, streaming video content, using social media apps, and occasional gaming sessions. The adaptive refresh rate of the display plays a pivotal role in optimizing power consumption, further extending battery life by adjusting the refresh rate based on the content being viewed.

One of the standout features of the Poco M6 Pro is its 67W fast charging capability. This feature significantly reduces the time required to replenish the battery, offering a swift and efficient charging process. According to Xiaomi’s claims, the device can achieve a full charge from 0% to 100% in approximately 44 minutes. The inclusion of the 67W charger in the box is a thoughtful addition by Poco, ensuring users have access to fast charging capabilities without the need for additional purchases.

Audio and Connectivity

The Poco M6 Pro distinguishes itself in the audio department with a hybrid stereo speaker setup, delivering an audio experience that surpasses expectations for a device in its price bracket. The inclusion of a 3.5mm audio jack offers flexibility and convenience for audio consumption. Additionally, the presence of an IR blaster underscores the device’s utility, allowing it to serve as a remote control for various household appliances, a feature that is increasingly rare in modern smartphones.

On the connectivity front, the Poco M6 Pro presents a slight compromise with the absence of 5G support. However, it compensates with robust 4G/LTE capabilities, ensuring reliable and fast mobile data connections. The device supports dual SIM cards, However, it’s worth noting the use of a hybrid SIM slot, which requires one to choose between dual SIM functionality or expanding their storage with a microSD card.

Bluetooth 5.2 technology ensures efficient and stable wireless connections to peripherals and accessories, from headphones and speakers to fitness trackers. Wi-Fi connectivity is competent, with support for dual-band networks. The inclusion of NFC technology enhances the device’s utility, enabling contactless payments and easy pairing with compatible devices.

Final Verdict: A Solid Contender with Room for Improvement

The smartphone market is fiercely competitive, especially in the mid-range segment where balancing features with price is crucial. Xiaomi’s Poco M6 Pro aims to strike this balance, offering a suite of appealing features at a price point that’s hard to ignore. So, what makes the Poco M6 Pro stand out, as well as areas where it could see improvement?

The device doesn’t shy away from delivering in terms of design, with a build quality that feels premium in hand despite its budget-friendly nature. Also, the most compelling feature of the Poco M6 Pro is its 6.67-inch AMOLED display, boasting a 120Hz refresh rate. This screen is a feast for the eyes, offering vibrant colors, deep blacks, and smooth animations that make scrolling and gaming a pleasure. Equipped with a 5000mAh battery, the Poco M6 Pro ensures that users can get through a day of moderate to heavy use without reaching for the charger. When it’s time to recharge, the included 67W fast charger is a boon, significantly cutting down on charging time and getting you back to full power quickly.

The Poco M6 Pro features a triple camera setup with a main sensor that includes OIS, a rarity in this price range. Daylight photos are decent, with good color reproduction and detail. However, the camera struggles in low-light conditions, and video recording is capped at 1080p, which might disappoint those looking for 4K capabilities.

Powered by the MediaTek Helio G99 Ultra chipset, the Poco M6 Pro handles daily tasks and moderate gaming without breaking a sweat. The stereo speakers enhance the audio experience, and additional features like a 3.5mm headphone jack and an IR blaster are welcome additions. However, the lack of 5G connectivity might be a deal-breaker for some, and the hybrid SIM slot forces users to choose between dual SIM functionality and expandable storage.

While the Poco M6 Pro ships with MIUI 14 based on Android 13, it’s marred by bloatware and potential ads within the UI, detracting from the user experience. The absence of Android 14 or HyperOS out of the box is also a downside, though Xiaomi promises an update soon.