Recently, budget smartphones have been gaining popularity as their performance improves. This has led many people to choose affordable smartphones as their primary devices, rather than flagship models.
Check out on Amazon
The Poco X6 Pro 5G model can be purchased for around $300 on Amazon. When I first bought the Poco F1 few years ago, it was in the mid $300 range, so this feels like a good deal. Poco, a budget brand under Xiaomi, aims to provide high value for money. Let’s dive into the unboxing.
Unboxing and Initial Impressions
The packaging is reminiscent of older Xiaomi phones, with a sturdy and straightforward design. Inside, there’s a TPU case, which, although inexpensive, serves its purpose. The phone comes in gray color and vibrant yellow.
The build quality is impressive for the price. The back panel feels like glass, though it’s actually high-quality plastic, and the frame, which appears to be aluminum, adds a premium touch. The camera module is significant, with a design that emphasizes the lenses.
One interesting feature is the inclusion of an IR sensor, something not commonly found in modern smartphones. This allows the phone to double as a remote control, which is a nice touch.
Display
The Poco X6 Pro boasts a 6.67-inch display with thin bezels on the sides, though the top and bottom bezels are slightly thicker, giving it a somewhat unbalanced look. The display is an AMOLED panel with a resolution described as “1.5K,” which is between Full HD and QHD. The display is bright, with a peak brightness of 1600 nits, and supports 120Hz refresh rate, making it smooth for everyday use.
However, the display’s color uniformity isn’t as good as flagship models, with some color shifting at extreme angles. Despite this, the overall display quality is quite good for the price.
Performance
Under the hood, the Poco X6 Pro is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8300 Ultra processor. This chipset is comparable to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra). The phone comes in two configurations: 8GB RAM with 256GB storage, and 12GB RAM with 512GB storage.
In benchmarks, the Poco X6 Pro performs well. The CPU’s single-core performance is slightly lower than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, but its multi-core performance is impressive. The GPU performance is also solid, handling games like Genshin Impact smoothly at high settings.
The phone features a 5000mm² vapor chamber for cooling, which helps manage heat effectively during intensive tasks.
Camera
The Poco X6 Pro is equipped with a 64MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide camera, and a 2MP macro camera. The main camera produces decent photos with good color accuracy and detail. However, the ultra-wide and macro cameras are less impressive, offering lower quality images.
Video recording is capped at 4K 30fps, which is a bit disappointing, but acceptable for the price range. Overall, the camera system is functional but not exceptional.
Battery and Other Features
The phone includes a 67W charger in the box, which is a pleasant surprise, as many flagship models have stopped including chargers. The battery life is solid, thanks to the large 5000mAh battery, and the fast charging is very convenient.
Other notable features include stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos support, and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. The inclusion of a 3.5mm headphone jack and an IR blaster adds to its appeal.
Conclusion
The Xiaomi Poco X6 Pro offers an excellent balance of performance, features, and price. While it doesn’t quite match the build quality or camera capabilities of flagship models, it delivers solid performance and a good display. For around $300, it’s a compelling choice for those looking for a budget-friendly smartphone with high-end features.