Poco M6 Pro in the test: Xiaomi’s new price-performance hit?

Poco M6 Pro in the test

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Chic budget smartphone

You don’t necessarily notice the low price of the Poco M6 Pro and you hardly notice it in everyday life. In terms of camera, memory and battery life, the device even stands out in its price range. The biggest drawback is the lack of 5G support.

We liked that

• chic design
• Good camera for the price range
• long battery life
• large and even expandable memory

We didn’t like that

• no 5G
• no Android 14 and Hyper OS at launch
• Cell phone is very big

current news

The M series is the cheapest model series from the Xiaomi subsidiary Poco. The latest model is the Poco M6 Pro, which was presented in January 2024 together with the Poco X6 (299.90 dollars) and the Poco X6 Pro (349.90 dollars). With a recommended retail price of 229.90 dollars, the cell phone is significantly cheaper than the X models.

Design and workmanship

You don’t necessarily notice the low price of the Poco M6 Pro. While the display on competing models like the Samsung Galaxy A15 is still surrounded by a wide frame, the display edges on the Poco M6 Pro are wafer-thin. As with more expensive models, the front camera is embedded in the screen using a punch hole, a significantly more space-saving solution than the notch on the Samsung cell phone.

The back also looks stylish with its two-tone design, which is somewhat reminiscent of Google’s Pixel 3. Unfortunately, the plastic back is very susceptible to fingerprints and other dirt, so the stylish look quickly disappears after unpacking.

At 7.98 millimeters, the Poco M6 Pro is anything but thick. If you’re looking for a compact cell phone, you’ve come to the wrong place. With dimensions of 161.1 x 74.95 millimeters, we are on the same level as an iPhone 15 Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

At least the power switch and volume rocker are well placed on the right edge of the case, so that they can be easily reached with your thumb and index finger. The fingerprint sensor integrated into the screen, however, is placed a little too low at the bottom of the screen in our opinion. The cell phone does not offer IP certification, which would be a surprise in this price range.

The Poco M6 Pro is available in black, blue and purple.

Display

When you turn on the Poco M6 Pro, the 6.67-inch screen lights up. This is an AMOLED panel with a resolution of 2,400 x 1,080 pixels and a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hertz. There is nothing to complain about in terms of color reproduction and sharpness, and the viewing angles are also large.

Processor and memory

The new MediaTek chip Helio G99 Ultra acts as the processor in the Poco M6 Pro. This delivers solid performance in everyday life, but its computing power puts it at the lower end of this price range – as the following benchmark comparison shows. Higher scores in the individual tests always mean a better result. Unfortunately, the new chip is not 5G-capable.

However, the cell phone is way ahead when it comes to storage. In Germany you can get it with either 256 or 512 gigabytes. If necessary, the storage of the Poco M6 Pro can also be expanded using a microSD card. Other manufacturers offer their models in this price range with a maximum of 256 gigabytes, but the standard is more like 64 or 128 gigabytes.

The size of the main memory (RAM) also depends on the memory size selected. The 256 gigabyte variant offers 8 gigabytes of RAM and the 512 gigabyte model offers 12 gigabytes of RAM.

battery pack

The Poco M6 Pro draws energy from a 5,000 milliamp hour battery. In the test, one charge lasted for 16 hours and 28 minutes. Depending on the intensity of use, you should be able to go up to two days without recharging in everyday life. If the battery is empty, this is not a problem. With the included 67-watt power adapter, you can quickly recharge your cell phone from a power outlet. A complete charging process takes just under 45 minutes.

Camera

The Poco M6 Pro has a triple camera on the back for photo and video recordings. This consists of a 64-megapixel main sensor, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera and a 2-megapixel macro lens. The camera module is very similar to that of the Poco X6 and actually delivers similar results. The image quality is definitely okay for the price range – even in low light conditions, the Poco M6 Pro doesn’t have to stay in your pocket.

Poco M6 Pro: Kamera-Samples

These pictures were taken with the Poco M6 Pro.

This is something else we noticed

• The Poco M6 Pro offers a number of features that are rare these days. These include, for example, an infrared transmitter and a headphone jack.
• The Poco M6 Pro is still delivered with Android 13 and MIUI 14. An update to the current Android 14 and the new Xiaomi user interface HyperOS will probably be available this year.

Alternatives

If you can do without an AMOLED display and prefer a little more computing power and 5G, you should take a look at the Motorola Moto G54 5G. The cell phone with 256 gigabytes of memory is available for under 200 dollars. If your budget is not strictly limited, the Poco X6 is also a useful 5G-capable alternative with an AMOLED display.

Poco M6 Pro

Editorial rating 7,5 Reader Rating

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Transparency note: The test device was loaned to Netzwelt by Xiaomi for 4 weeks and then sent back.

Poco M6 Pro: The best alternatives

Don’t agree? Are you looking for suitable alternatives? Below you will find the best Poco M6 Pro alternatives. You can find an even more extensive list in our smartphone overview.

Poco M6 Pro: data sheet

Here you can find the technical data for Poco M6 Pro. You can easily compare size, weight and other properties with other products.

processor	MediaTek Helio G99 (MT6789)
GPU	ARM Mali-G57 MC2
RAM	8, 12 GB
Battery capacity	5000 mAh
Fast charging	✘ No
Interchangeable	✘ No
Wireless Charging	✘ No
Reverse Charging	✘ No
Device memory	256, 512 GB
Expandable storage	microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC
Main camera (back)	64 MP
Main camera resolution	9280 x 6920 Pixel
Video recording	1920 x 1080 Pixel
Second image sensor	2 MP
Third image sensor	8 MP
Autofocus	✔ And
Digital zoom	✔ And
Flash light	Dual-LED
Height	161,11 mm
Width	74,95 mm
depth	7,98 mm
Weight	179 g
Display resolution	1080 x 2400 Pixel
Display-Diagonale	6.67 inches
Display pixel density	395 ppi
Display-Typ	AMOLED
SIM/memory card format, number of slots	Nano-SIM (4FF – Fourth Form Factor-Karte, seit 2012, 12.30 x 8.80 x 0.67 mm), Nano-SIM / microSD
Dual-SIM	✔ And
Bluetooth	5.2
WiFi	802.11a (IEEE 802.11a-1999), 802.11b (IEEE 802.11b-1999), 802.11g (IEEE 802.11g-2003), 802.11n (IEEE 802.11n-2009), 802.11n 5GHz, 802.11ac (IEEE 802.11ac), Dual band, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Display
LTE	LTE-FDD 850 (B5), LTE-FDD 900 (B8), LTE-FDD 1800 (B3), LTE-FDD 2100 (B1), 1900 (B39), 2000 (B34), 2300 (B40), 2500 (B41), 2600 (B38) MHz
5G	✘ No
GPRS	✔ And
HSDPA	42 Mbit
HSUPA	42 Mbit
EDGE	✔ And
GSM	850 (B5), 900 (B8), 1800 (B3) MHz
IrDA	✔ And
USB	USB Type-C
Headphone jack	✔ And
Fingerprint scanner	✔ And
NFC	✔ And
GPS	✔ And
Glonass	✔ And
Beidou	✘ No
Compass	✔ And
Radio	✔ And
Accelerometer	✔ And
Proximity sensor	✔ And
Ambient light sensor	✔ And

View all technical data❯

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