I have generally had good experiences when it comes to smartphone reviews. There have been a couple of less-than-stellar performers, but on the whole, it seems like it’s hard to make a truly bad modern smartphone. The POCO X6 Pro came across my desk recently, and having never used one of their devices before, I thought now is as good a time as ever to expand my horizons and see what’s what.
Beginning, as always, with the unboxing, The POCO X6 Pro comes with the phone itself and a basic case, the quick start manuals, a USB-C to USB-C charging cable, and a 67W charging block that is in the European region configuration. As I am based in Canada, I needed to utilize the charging block that I already had from a previous device, so I was unable to determine the charging efficiency of that. However, using my existing charger, the X6 Pro charged fully quickly, fairly equal to what my Pixel 8 does.
The POCO X6 Pro is available in two different configurations: 128 GB storage with 8 GB RAM and 512 GB storage with 12 GB RAM, which is more than enough to store all the photos and videos you’ll likely be taking and all the apps you can dream of. There is even a Micro SD card slot on the SIM tray, so expand the storage for the device. At no point did I come close to running out of storage space, despite putting all of my regular apps on the device as well as downloading my entire Spotify liked songs playlist.
Gaming and taking photos/videos are some of the most popular things to do with your smartphone, so you need a device that can handle them. The POCO X6 Pro is such a device, with a new Dimensity 8300-ultra chipset, as well as an AnTuTu benchmark that is more than double that of the POCO X6, coming in at 1,464,228. Just for reference, the iQOO 12 Premium, with its new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, achieved a 2,073,660, so for a budget smartphone, the X6 Pro is doing pretty well. What this means for the consumer is that the POCO X6 Pro delivers exceptional gaming performance for a mid-range X-series smartphone.
“…the POCO X6 Pro takes some exceptional photos.”
On the topic of gaming, the POCO X6 Pro also comes with the upgraded Wildboost Optimization 2.0. This integration allows for “faster loading, smooth gameplay and instant accurate reactions for users”. I put this to the test with games like Vampire Survivors, Pokémon Go, and Genshin Impact, and I was not disappointed in the slightest. I experienced very few slowdowns or performance issues, and when I did, it was because I had become swarmed by enemies in Vampire Survivors.
None of this matters if the screen doesn’t look good, and I’m happy to report that the POCO X6 Pro’s screen is stunning. It really stole the show for me, and it’s easy to see why. The 6.67-inch AMOLED screen boasts a 94% screen-to-body ratio, making it incredible for gaming or catching up on videos from your favourite YouTube creator. I watched more YouTube videos on the phone than on my laptop while testing the POCO X6 Pro, and it was all down to the screen. The screen is rounded off by a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, perfect for enjoying games the way they were meant to be played.
POCO clearly knows how important it is to take photos and videos with a smartphone, and the X6 Pro manages to produce some exceptional results. Featuring a 64MP triple camera setup, POCO has included what they are calling a “flagship-level OIS” (Optical Image Stabilization) that can reduce image shake and give your photos that professional look that we all crave. The three cameras on the back are a 64MP main camera that controls the OIS, an 8MP ultra-wide, and a 2MP macro, and the front-facing camera is your standard 16MP camera for the highest quality selfies you can take.
“…the POCO X6 Pro delivers some extraordinary gaming performance for what is considered to be a mid-range X-series smartphone.”
This is all well and good, but I did have a few hiccups during my time with the POCO X6 Pro, and the most egregious of these was battery life. It is well known that a mid-range phone should have brilliant battery life, so I had high expectations for this phone. I wasn’t hoping for a two-day battery, but I’d like it to make it to the end of the day without worrying about running out of power if I use it too much. Unfortunately, I found that if I used the phone too much during the day, I had to ration my use later in the evening.
Generally, I wake up at 7:30 AM and get the kids ready for school, so my phone is with me pretty early and stays with me pretty late into the night, sometimes until 1 or 2 AM. I found that after around 12 hours of being off the charger, the battery would have around 30-35% remaining, and that would be with moderate usage.
At that point, I still had 5-6 hours left in my day, so battery rationing was the name of the game. I will say that the battery held up exceptionally well whilst gaming. Vampire Survivors took all I could throw at it for an hour here and there and did not result in a significant drop in charge level.
I had a software gripe with the POCO X6 Pro, chiefly related to the Always-On Display. On my Google Pixel 8, I have the Always-On Display set to be on at all times except for when Do Not Disturb is on. This resulted in the clock showing when the phone was locked, as intended. I could see if I had a notification or check the time without having to touch the device.
The Always-On Display for the X6 Pro does not do that. I still have to touch the device to get the screen to light up, regardless of the display settings. I know this is a small gripe, but it’s a big quality-of-life feature that could be easily remedied.
Overall, my time with the POCO X6 Pro was pretty average. It’s a good smartphone, especially for a mid-range flagship (that sounds like an oxymoron to me). Its gaming performance and display are exceptional, but I just wish the battery and software experience were a bit more refined.
