As Xiaomi's budget brand that aims to provide performance at an affordable price, you would naturally expect Poco to cut a few corners in order to achieve this. These days, the line between premium and affordable flagships isn't as clean cut as it used to be, and the new Poco F9 Pro and F9 Ultra blur the distinction even further. Poco has officially launched the F9 Ultra and F9 Pro globally, and the spec sheet reads like something that more expensive brands only dream about.
What's new
Both phones get a 200MP main camera with OIS, Poco's first time putting that sensor on either model. The Ultra pairs it with a 50MP 5x periscope telephoto offering 10x lossless zoom and 20x AI Ultra Zoom, while the Pro swaps in a 50MP 2.5x floating telephoto that focuses from as close as 10cm. Neither phone gets a dedicated ultrawide, which is a genuine omission given that even the Redmi models they're based on carry one.
Displays are 185Hz AMOLED panels on both, 6.9 inches on the Ultra and 6.59 inches on the Pro, hitting up to 4,500 nits peak brightness (10,000 nits for HDR) and covered in Gorilla Glass 7i. A dedicated VisionBoost D8 graphics chip pushes native 185FPS in more than 20 supported games, with frame interpolation covering a handful more.
Why it matters
The Ultra's 8,050mAh battery with 100W wired and 50W wireless HyperCharge is the number that'll actually change how people use this phone day to day. That's flagship-crushing capacity in a phone that undercuts most flagships on price, and it's paired with Bose-tuned dual stereo speakers and a dedicated subwoofer, a 2.1-channel setup that's unusual at this price point.
Both phones are IP69 rated, meaning they survive high-pressure, high-temperature water jets rather than just splashes. That's a tougher standard than the IP68 most phones twice the price carry.
Key details
- Chipsets: F9 Ultra runs Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (AnTuTu score of 4,165,108 per Poco's internal testing); F9 Pro runs the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 V-series variant
- Battery: Ultra at 8,050mAh, Pro at 6,330mAh; both support 100W wired and 50W wireless HyperCharge, plus 27W wired and 22.5W wireless reverse charging
- Storage: Ultra configurable up to 16GB RAM and 1TB storage; Pro tops out at 12GB RAM and 512GB
- Colors: Ultra in Dark Cherry (with an LED ring around the camera module) and Black; Pro in Black, White, and Aurora Green, the last with a full-panel luminous rear
Pricing:
- F9 Pro starts at $699/€899.9 for 12GB/256GB ($649/€739.9 early bird), rising to $769/€999.9 for 12GB/512GB ($699/€799.9 early bird).
- F9 Ultra starts at $799/€1,099.9 for 12GB/256GB ($729/€829.9 early bird), rising to $949/€1,199.9 for 16GB/512GB ($799/€899.9 early bird) and $1,199/€1,399.9 for 16GB/1TB ($1,059/€1,199.9 early bird)
Takeaway
The F9 Ultra and F9 Pro are rebadged Redmi K100 Pro and K100 Pro Max hardware, and Poco isn't hiding it. What Poco is selling here is the same flagship silicon and camera hardware other brands charge a premium for, wrapped in Poco's usual value pricing.
Buy the Ultra if battery life and zoom range matter more to you than a compact frame. The Pro makes more sense if you want the same core experience in a smaller, lighter phone and don't mind giving up some telephoto reach. Either way, skip both if a proper ultrawide camera is non-negotiable for you, because neither phone has one.
