POCO X6 is a Reliable Mid-range Performer

The Poco X6 is a fantastic new addition to the renowned Poco X series, with numerous improvements over the already popular Poco X5. Furthermore, it has to be one of the cheapest phones with a Dolby Vision display.

So, the Poco X6 features a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with 1220p resolution and a refresh rate of 120Hz. It supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+, and it has 1920Hz PWM dimming when necessary. The screen is mounted on top of a very typical Poco design, which is now IP54-rated for dust and splash resistance. The Poco X6’s heart is the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 processor, which, despite its confusing name, is not as fast as the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2. The Poco X6’s base storage choice is 8GB RAM and 256GB UFS 2.2 storage, which is fairly considerable. The rear configuration has a higher-resolution 64MP primary camera with OIS, as well as an 8MP ultrawide and 2MP macro imagers. The selfie camera is 16 megapixels. There is now an option for capturing 4K video, which is a welcome improvement.

Overall, the Poco X6 improves on the screen, CPU, camera, and quick charging, as well as providing improved ingress protection. We consider this a proper yearly update.

Price when reviewed: €284.00 | Check price at Amazon

KEY FEATURES

The Poco X6 is a terrific all-rounder with a stunning display, a great camera, and a nice design at a very appealing price. Its achievements, however, are overshadowed by the X6 Pro, a significantly superior performance available for a modest premium. The Poco X6 boasts a fantastic OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, strong brightness output, and excellent color accuracy. The Poco X6 looks like a more expensive phone and feels wonderful in the hand. If you prefer a flat display, you’ll enjoy this phone. The primary and selfie cameras may capture some beautiful shots, especially in daylight. Just avoid the ultrawide and macro lenses, as they are significantly less striking.

POCO X6 UNBOXING

The X series is packaged in black cartons with yellow labeling. The Poco X6 retail packaging includes a 67W charger, a USB-A-to-C connection, and a black silicone case. The Poco X6 comes with a thin protective layer put to its display, so if you are concerned about scratching the Gorilla Glass Victus, you may want to preserve it. We pulled it off since it is an absolute smear magnet.

CAMERA

The POCO X6 5G is equipped with a 64MP primary camera with f/1.79 aperture, an 8MP ultra-wide camera with f/2.2 aperture, and a 2MP macro camera with f/2.4 aperture. The phone also has a 16MP front camera with an f/2.45 aperture. While the company promises that the full refactoring of the camera architecture, as well as the integration of hardware and software, produce a new POCO image engine for incredible camera performance, I found the camera on this phone to be inconsistent.

When the lighting was right, it was able to capture details beautifully and make some fantastic shots. However, in the absence of optimal lighting, the photographs lacked detail, and color reproduction worsened to some extent. This issue arose again in low light and at night, and the photographs appeared grainy to me. Have a look at the camera samples I took with the phone to get a better sense.

The phone’s selfie camera did an excellent job of capturing face characteristics and skin tone. One of the areas where the phone’s cameras performed well was edge detection in portrait photos.

The POCO X6 5G rear camera can shoot videos in 4K quality (3,840 × 2,160 pixels) at 30fps, 1080p (1,920 × 1,080 pixels) at 30fps/60fps, and 720p (1,280 ×720 pixels) at 30fps. The front camera can capture 1080p films at 60/30fps and 720p videos at 30fps. Even at 4K resolution, the visual quality is adequate but not very impressive. However, with the combination of OIS and EIS, the handset produced impressively stable movies, even when I was recording with only my hand and no stabilization equipment.

DESIGN AND SCREEN

The Poco X6 is available in three colors, black, blue, and white. The black and blue models have a consistent gloss surface on the back, however, the white model has a wavy, almost marble-like pattern throughout the back panel. The screen is protected with Gorilla Glass Victus, while the frame and back panel are constructed of plastic. Despite its build, the phone feels very sturdy in the hand, and at first glance, it could be mistaken for a flagship handset.

The Poco X6 features the same display as the Pro model. This panel wowed me at a higher price point, so seeing it employed here is much more impressive. The 6.67-inch display has an FHD+ resolution (2712×1220) and a pixel density of 446 PPI.

In regular operation, it will produce up to 1200 nits and can reach 1800 nits at its peak. This means you’ll be able to view it clearly on bright sunny days, and HDR video from apps like Netflix looks fantastic. The display includes an adjustable refresh rate that automatically switches between 60Hz and 120Hz. When you’re swiping across the OS, it looks very smooth, but when you’re looking at a static page, it switches to a reduced refresh rate to save battery life.

It covers the entire DCI-P3 color spectrum, and MIUI gives you more control over the color rendition than most Android skins. There are three changeable presets, as well as an advanced menu that allows you to choose between sRGB and DCI-P3, with gamma, saturation, and contrast sliders for each.

HOW’S THE PERFORMANCE?

The Poco X6 is the first smartphone to feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 CPU, which is based on 4nm process technology and is somewhat quicker than the Snapdragon 6 Generation 1. This platform is less powerful than the 7+ Gen 2 or the original 7 Gen 1. However, it is a boost above the Snapdragon 695 found within the Poco X5.

The Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 has an octa-core processor with four Cortex-A78 at 2.4GHz and four Cortex-A55 at 1.95GHz. There is no Prime, and the main design is older (2020). The SD7sG2 incorporates the Adreno 710 GPU, which debuted on the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 SoC. It is listed as supporting FHD+ resolution at 144 Hz. The FastConnect 6700 connectivity platform is a step down from the 6900 on the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2, with a peak DL speed of only 2.9 Gbps and Bluetooth support limited to 5.2, which still supports low-energy audio. The Spectra ISP is compatible with smartphones that have a single camera with a resolution of up to 200 MP and can capture 4K video at 30 frames per second. Memory is LPDRR5 at 3200 MHz, and additional features include USB-C 3.1 and Quick Charge 4+. The Poco X6 comes in three RAM configurations: LPDDR4X + UFS2. Two storage options: 8GB + 256GB, 12GB + 256GB, and 12GB + 512GB (ours). Now it’s time to perform some benchmarks. The GFXBench was prohibited on our Poco X6, thus you won’t see the typical charts.

Overall, the Poco X6 5G is well-equipped for the inexpensive mid-range segment, providing excellent performance and stability for the price.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The POCO X6 is a no-nonsense, performance-oriented phone that’s great for gaming, viewing videos, and multitasking. With 67W fast-charging capabilities, the phone recharges quickly and is ready to go again, and its 5,100mAh battery can easily keep the lights on for more than a day. The phone also takes decent images, however, it has some consistency concerns in this area. While I enjoy the phone’s appearance, if you dislike using phone cases, you’ll have a problem here because the protruding camera sensors create swaying when the phone is placed on a flat surface.

Buy it if...

• The phone provides decent performance across the board.
• The display looks beautiful and feels snappy due to the 120Hz refresh rate.
• 67W fast-charging support is quite useful.

Don't buy it if...

• The camera’s performance is inconsistent.
• Protruding camera sensors make it difficult to use without a case.

Full Specification