We\u2019ve come a long way since the days of the Pocophone F1. The Xiaomi sub-brand is still going strong, with the launch of the Poco F9 Pro <\/b>and F9 Ultra<\/b>, the brand\u2019s 2026 flagship phones.<\/p>\n
Compared with the previous Poco F8 series, the new F9 phones show iterative improvements this year. The design stayed similar, bringing back a large camera island and Bose stereo speakers.<\/p>\n
So what\u2019s new with Poco F9 Ultra and Poco F9 Pro?<\/h2>\n![\"Poco](\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/hardwarezone\/28bebf0089a12d372464138da755fc5d95e681d92f9fdad4c1474ae6b4a70ad5?w=660&q=85\")
\nThe camera lens sees a major upgrade to 200MP on both the F9 Pro and F9 Ultra.<\/p>\n
Image: Poco<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The main camera lens received its long overdue upgrade. Poco swapped the main camera from a 50MP sensor to a 200MP sensor<\/b> on both models.<\/p>\n
The 200MP sensor also supports 16-in-1 pixel binning for improved light capture across each 2\u03bcm-sized pixel. It also has an f\/1.68 aperture and comes with OIS.<\/p>\n
The F9 Pro also sees a chipset upgrade from the F8 Pro in the form of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 V Series chipset<\/b>. Despite the \u2018V Series\u2019 moniker, this version actually has one fewer Adreno GPU core than the standard Gen 5.<\/p>\n
The display also got upgraded with Poco HyperRGB AMOLED panels and heightened luminous efficiency (20% more). This means that the F9 phones have brighter displays than their predecessors \u2013 typical brightness on both phones sits at 850 nits<\/b>, and goes up to 2,200 nits<\/b> (High Brightness Mode).<\/p>\n
For gamers, the phones also now feature 185Hz refresh rate, much higher than the industry-standard 120Hz for flagship phones.<\/p>\n
However, it comes with a caveat. The 185Hz compatibility currently works only on 24 mobile games. Notable entries include:<\/p>\n
\n- Brawl Stars<\/li>\n
- Blood Strike<\/li>\n
- CrossFire: Legends<\/li>\n
- Hearthstone<\/li>\n
- Subway Surfers<\/li>\n
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (up to 165Hz)<\/li>\n
- Call of Duty: Mobile (up to 165Hz)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Generally, games have hard-capped frame rates set by their developers, so we expect the list to grow.<\/p>\n![\"Poco](\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/hardwarezone\/36163833721ce010a5d9de0fbf10d03f6830e0a30ab30498772a692fb45e3dc1?w=660&q=85\")
\nThe F9 phones also feature 480Hz 10-point touch sampling, and an instant touch sampling rate of 4,800Hz.<\/p>\n
Image: Poco<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The boost to 185Hz can be accessed from the Poco F9 series\u2019 WildBoost<\/b> suite of game enhancements. The WildBoost engine also adds colour enhancement, 4,800Hz instant touch sampling (an increase from 2,560Hz before).<\/p>\n
Then, there\u2019s clearer directional audio for FPS games, courtesy of sound tuning by Bose<\/b>, which marks the second year of partnership between Poco and Bose.<\/p>\n
The battery also sees an outsized boost. The F9 Pro\u2019s 6,330mAh seems modest increase, but the Poco F9 Ultra gets a big jump with a 8,050mAh <\/b>cell. Both have silicon-carbon blends.<\/p>\n
To keep up with their sizes, both F9 variants support 100W wired and 50W wireless charging.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s stayed the same?<\/h2>\n![\"Poco](\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/hardwarezone\/55d17a73c1b9042a4b3efc7b607f84f75c23cdc6aaa1f55bb30cad8da45b7216?w=660&q=85\")
\nLike their predecessors, the F9 series features IP68 dust and water resistance.<\/p>\n
Image: Poco<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Because the previous Poco F8 Ultra was one of the first Android phones to use the\u00a0Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 mobile platform<\/b>, the Poco F9 Ultra uses the same chipset, as Qualcomm has yet to launch its next-generation flagship piece.<\/p>\n
Both the F9 Pro and Ultra have an extra VisionBoost D8 <\/b>chipset for graphics enhancements. Some perks were carried over from the F8 Ultra, including Game HDR and AI Super Resolution (for select titles like Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail).<\/p>\n
Other hardware features, including IP68 water and dust resistance, an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor and NFC, stayed. The dual-SIM configuration options are the same as the F8 phones: 2 nano-SIMs or 2 eSIMs, with the option of 1 nano-SIM and 1 eSIM.<\/p>\n
What else is different between the F9 Pro and F9 Ultra?<\/h2>\n![\"Poco](\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/hardwarezone\/2012b1bbbddb41d0c6ec5a11652a93ff74aafe4e8311fe46644c37abeb7a94eb?w=660&q=85\")
\nThe Poco F9 Ultra features a 2.1ch speaker setup with a rear-facing subwoofer, which the F9 Pro does not have.<\/p>\n
Image: Poco<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Apart from the chipset and battery differences we\u2019ve previously mentioned, the F9 Ultra touts an ultrawide camera that\u2019s higher in resolution than its Pro sibling \u2013 a 50MP ultrawide sensor compared to the 8MP one in the F9 Pro.<\/p>\n
The telephoto sensor on the F9 phones also differs slightly. The Poco F9 Pro features a floating telephoto lens with a\u00a060mm\u00a0<\/b>equivalent focal length (assuming a standard 23mm main camera, that’s approximately 3x optical zoom).<\/p>\n
For the Poco F9 Ultra, it has a persicope telephoto lens<\/b> that\u2019s capable of 5x optical zoom<\/b>, (120mm equivalent focal length). Both are 50MP and have OIS packed in for stability.<\/p>\n
The F9 Pro also sports a smaller display compared to the Ultra at 6.59-inch<\/b> (F9 Ultra is 6.9-inch). Despite that, pixel density is nearly the same on both (419 PPI on the Pro, 416 PPI on the Ultra).<\/p>\n
It\u2019s worth noting that Poco F9 Pro does not have the dedicated Bose-tuned subwoofer<\/b> seen on the Poco F9 Ultra.<\/p>\nAvailability and Pricing<\/h2>\n
Poco F9 Ultra<\/u><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n\nRAM + Storage<\/th>\n Official retail price<\/th>\n Early Bird price<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n\n12GB RAM + 256GB<\/td>\n S$1,119<\/td>\n S$1,099<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n16GB RAM + 516GB<\/td>\n S$1,399<\/td>\n S$1,299<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n16GB RAM + 1TB<\/td>\n S$1,699<\/td>\n S$1,599<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\nPoco F9 Pro<\/u><\/b><\/p>\n\n
The camera lens sees a major upgrade to 200MP on both the F9 Pro and F9 Ultra.<\/p>\n
Image: Poco<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The main camera lens received its long overdue upgrade. Poco swapped the main camera from a 50MP sensor to a 200MP sensor<\/b> on both models.<\/p>\n
The 200MP sensor also supports 16-in-1 pixel binning for improved light capture across each 2\u03bcm-sized pixel. It also has an f\/1.68 aperture and comes with OIS.<\/p>\n
The F9 Pro also sees a chipset upgrade from the F8 Pro in the form of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 V Series chipset<\/b>. Despite the \u2018V Series\u2019 moniker, this version actually has one fewer Adreno GPU core than the standard Gen 5.<\/p>\n
The display also got upgraded with Poco HyperRGB AMOLED panels and heightened luminous efficiency (20% more). This means that the F9 phones have brighter displays than their predecessors \u2013 typical brightness on both phones sits at 850 nits<\/b>, and goes up to 2,200 nits<\/b> (High Brightness Mode).<\/p>\n
For gamers, the phones also now feature 185Hz refresh rate, much higher than the industry-standard 120Hz for flagship phones.<\/p>\n
However, it comes with a caveat. The 185Hz compatibility currently works only on 24 mobile games. Notable entries include:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Brawl Stars<\/li>\n
- Blood Strike<\/li>\n
- CrossFire: Legends<\/li>\n
- Hearthstone<\/li>\n
- Subway Surfers<\/li>\n
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (up to 165Hz)<\/li>\n
- Call of Duty: Mobile (up to 165Hz)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Generally, games have hard-capped frame rates set by their developers, so we expect the list to grow.<\/p>\n
\n The F9 phones also feature 480Hz 10-point touch sampling, and an instant touch sampling rate of 4,800Hz.<\/p>\n
Image: Poco<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The boost to 185Hz can be accessed from the Poco F9 series\u2019 WildBoost<\/b> suite of game enhancements. The WildBoost engine also adds colour enhancement, 4,800Hz instant touch sampling (an increase from 2,560Hz before).<\/p>\n
Then, there\u2019s clearer directional audio for FPS games, courtesy of sound tuning by Bose<\/b>, which marks the second year of partnership between Poco and Bose.<\/p>\n
The battery also sees an outsized boost. The F9 Pro\u2019s 6,330mAh seems modest increase, but the Poco F9 Ultra gets a big jump with a 8,050mAh <\/b>cell. Both have silicon-carbon blends.<\/p>\n
To keep up with their sizes, both F9 variants support 100W wired and 50W wireless charging.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s stayed the same?<\/h2>\n
\n Like their predecessors, the F9 series features IP68 dust and water resistance.<\/p>\n
Image: Poco<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Because the previous Poco F8 Ultra was one of the first Android phones to use the\u00a0Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 mobile platform<\/b>, the Poco F9 Ultra uses the same chipset, as Qualcomm has yet to launch its next-generation flagship piece.<\/p>\n
Both the F9 Pro and Ultra have an extra VisionBoost D8 <\/b>chipset for graphics enhancements. Some perks were carried over from the F8 Ultra, including Game HDR and AI Super Resolution (for select titles like Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail).<\/p>\n
Other hardware features, including IP68 water and dust resistance, an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor and NFC, stayed. The dual-SIM configuration options are the same as the F8 phones: 2 nano-SIMs or 2 eSIMs, with the option of 1 nano-SIM and 1 eSIM.<\/p>\n
What else is different between the F9 Pro and F9 Ultra?<\/h2>\n
\n The Poco F9 Ultra features a 2.1ch speaker setup with a rear-facing subwoofer, which the F9 Pro does not have.<\/p>\n
Image: Poco<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Apart from the chipset and battery differences we\u2019ve previously mentioned, the F9 Ultra touts an ultrawide camera that\u2019s higher in resolution than its Pro sibling \u2013 a 50MP ultrawide sensor compared to the 8MP one in the F9 Pro.<\/p>\n
The telephoto sensor on the F9 phones also differs slightly. The Poco F9 Pro features a floating telephoto lens with a\u00a060mm\u00a0<\/b>equivalent focal length (assuming a standard 23mm main camera, that’s approximately 3x optical zoom).<\/p>\n
For the Poco F9 Ultra, it has a persicope telephoto lens<\/b> that\u2019s capable of 5x optical zoom<\/b>, (120mm equivalent focal length). Both are 50MP and have OIS packed in for stability.<\/p>\n
The F9 Pro also sports a smaller display compared to the Ultra at 6.59-inch<\/b> (F9 Ultra is 6.9-inch). Despite that, pixel density is nearly the same on both (419 PPI on the Pro, 416 PPI on the Ultra).<\/p>\n
It\u2019s worth noting that Poco F9 Pro does not have the dedicated Bose-tuned subwoofer<\/b> seen on the Poco F9 Ultra.<\/p>\n
Availability and Pricing<\/h2>\n
Poco F9 Ultra<\/u><\/b><\/p>\n
\n\n\n
\n \nRAM + Storage<\/th>\n Official retail price<\/th>\n Early Bird price<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n 12GB RAM + 256GB<\/td>\n S$1,119<\/td>\n S$1,099<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 16GB RAM + 516GB<\/td>\n S$1,399<\/td>\n S$1,299<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 16GB RAM + 1TB<\/td>\n S$1,699<\/td>\n S$1,599<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Poco F9 Pro<\/u><\/b><\/p>\n
\n