9. Poco F9 Ultra Pricing and Availability<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/section>\nPoco F9 Ultra \u2013 Flagship… killer?<\/h2>\n It\u2019s hard to forget Poco\u2019s claim to fame, the Pocophone F1 (S$499, 256GB). That 2018 flagship-killer phone took the mobile world by storm because it was so affordable. Back then, it was up against flagship phones residing in the ~S$1,000 band, making it a true flagship killer.<\/p>\n
A S$1,000 flagship is anachronistic by today\u2019s standards, no thanks to the combined forces of inflation, component shortages, and broader supply-chain turmoil that have driven prices up over the past few years. Today\u2019s affordable, yet powerful phones are not sparred.<\/p>\n
This brings us to the S$1,199 Poco F9 Ultra<\/b>, which faces off against today\u2019s S$1,800+ \u2018Ultra\u2019 class phones (here\u2019s a good summary of what Singapore currently has to offer).<\/p>\n
While this option by Xiaomi\u2019s sub-brand may be more cost-friendly than its peers, it\u2019s still weighed down by pricing creep. What does an alleged killer of flagship rival phones look like in 2026? Here\u2019s what we make of the F9 Ultra\u2019s modus operandi<\/i>.<\/p>\nDesign, display, and audio features of the Poco F9 Ultra<\/h2>\n\nThe F9 Ultra looks pretty similar to the F8 Ultra, with some subtle differences.<\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
If you\u2019ve seen the preceding Poco F8 Ultra, then you\u2019ve basically seen the F9 Ultra. The design is almost identical, with a large camera island on the back. Unlike the F8 Ultra, the new phone\u2019s LED flash now replaces the dummy camera lens. What stayed was the subwoofer, taking the same spot next to the lens array.<\/p>\n
A subtle tweak is the new LED light ring that wraps around the subwoofer unit. You can apply various effects, including a notification LED, audio-reactive responses, or in-game lighting (for PUBG<\/i> and Call of Duty: Mobile<\/i>). The feature set sounds thin, but it exceeds the Google Pixel 11 Pro series\u2019 HiLight LEDs, which have only two use cases.<\/p>\n
For this review, I set the Poco\u2019s backlight as a notification LED because I\u2019m a sucker for seeing previously widespread features get a second wind. Truthfully, it hasn\u2019t been all that useful since I usually leave the phone face-up. I\u2019d imagine it\u2019d be more helpful for someone who needs that privacy.<\/p>\n\nThe subwoofer now sports a LED that can be used for notifications and other lighting effects. Note how the camera lenses are now flush with the camera island.<\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Speaking of face-up placement, it\u2019s made possible because the lenses are flush against the camera island. That\u2019s not like the Poco F8 Ultra, which had protruding lenses in the way. I appreciated this, as I\u2019d imagine the cameras are less likely to be damaged when they touch the desk.<\/p>\n
Other handling perks come through in games. With the phone set on a surface, the phone becomes friendlier to certain rhythm game titles, since there\u2019s less wobbling when you tap the display.<\/p>\n\nThe curved edges on the metal rails are appreciated.<\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Another worthy design feature is the filleted edge (where the metal rail meets the rear matte glass). It\u2019s a common element in smartphone design now (including the iPhone), but that doesn\u2019t make it any less appreciated on the Xiaomi sub-brand\u2019s flagship handset. This grip makes the Poco F9 Ultra easier to hold during long gaming sessions.<\/p>\n
While I\u2019m not a huge fan of large displays (and the F9 Ultra\u2019s\u00a06.9-inch panel <\/b>is no exception), I found its\u00a0163.5 x 77.9 x 8.7mm<\/b>\u00a0dimensions easier to handle than expected. It has a stocky feel, and it significantly cut down the time it took to adjust from a compact phone. When gaming horizontally, my hands weren\u2019t too far apart either. YMMV depending on your hand size, though.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s unavoidable is the phone\u2019s hefty 235g<\/b> body. That\u2019s heavier than some foldables, and you can feel it. The camera block also makes the F9 Ultra feel a bit top-heavy, which takes time to get used to.\u00a0The phone\u2019s weight also comes from its 8,050mAh battery, which I\u2019ll cover later.<\/p>\n
The phone is also rated IP68 <\/b>for\u00a0dust and water resistance, and it has Corning Gorilla Glass 7i on the front. Unfortunately, my editor might drop me if I dropped the phone in water, so I did not.<\/p>\n\nApart from the subwoofer, the rest of the phone looks like a \u2018normal\u2019 2026 phone.<\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Beyond its subwoofer, the phone looks normal in other ways. You get the usual power and volume buttons on the side. Notably, Poco advertises its rear as a \u201cfibreglass back panel,\u201d but it feels like regular matte glass with a mild metallic texture.<\/p>\n
The whole package feels expensive in the hand, but I do find it unfortunate that the unique Denim finish from the F8 series didn\u2019t carry over to the next generation. It was easily the most interesting-looking texture of last year\u2019s phones. At least, we still have a Dark Cherry colourway (our review unit) which looked quite classy. That\u2019s further bolstered by a newly launched, burgundy, Apple-ly phone.<\/p>\n
Poco says the 6.9-inch\u00a0HyperRGB AMOLED<\/b>\u00a0display supports\u00a0up to 185Hz<\/b>, but with a caveat. Poco said 185Hz is available in 20+ select titles, but it did not list them publicly. The usual refresh rate caps out at 120Hz, as verified by the phone\u2019s built-in FPS counter in Developer mode.<\/p>\n
You can, however, set frame rate caps on apps of your choosing, so you don\u2019t have to waste precious battery on an e-reading app or schoolwork. Neat.<\/p>\n\nThe screen remains legible in sunlight, though it is still quite reflective.<\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Poco marketed a peak 10,000-nit brightness figure, but that applies to only 1% of the screen\u2019s surface area. Realistically, the phone\u2019s full-display maximum brightness reaches 850 nits<\/b>, ramping up to 2,200 nits<\/b> in Sunlight Mode. For what it\u2019s worth, I had no legibility problems under direct sunlight, although the glass is still mildly reflective.<\/p>\n
The display’s vividness is nothing to write home about. The colours don\u2019t particularly stand out, even though it\u2019s not washed out or dull. It\u2019s not a ding on the Poco F9 Ultra, as it shows how far phone screens have come these days.<\/p>\n
To aid its visual output, the F9 Ultra has a display enhancement setting called \u201cDual Core Visuals\u201d for video upscaling. Poco said it\u2019s designed specifically for longer videos on Netflix and YouTube. To my eye, however, it doesn\u2019t look like it\u2019s doing much.<\/p>\n\nThe Bose-tuned audio on the F9 Ultra is terrific.<\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
External audio output is a completely different tale here. Truth be told, I was initially sceptical that the subwoofer was reaching its full potential, since subwoofers usually need a bigger enclosure to deliver their intended acoustic performance. As it turns out, Poco F9 Ultra\u2019s overall audio output is terrific to the ears.<\/p>\n
Music in general sounds great (for phones) through the F9 Ultra\u2019s speakers. With the subwoofer, percussion feels front and centre, although it may drown out mid-range instruments at times (including vocals and guitar). The high frequencies tend to come through well without sounding overly harsh or tinny.<\/p>\n
Tiny phone speakers don\u2019t need to be well-balanced; it just needs to feel lively, which the F9 Ultra achieves. It also helps that the F9 Ultra gets really loud.<\/p>\n
HyperOS3: Still Android 16<\/h2>\n\nThe Poco F9 Ultra ships with Android 16, so you\u2019ll find some of Xiaomi\u2019s HyperOS 3 features, like HyperIsland and AI Writing, on the Poco phone.<\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Despite its September 2026 launch, the Poco F9 Ultra still uses the Android 16-based Xiaomi HyperOS 3.0. Android 16 isn\u2019t a deal-breaker because security and performance updates roll in regularly, and many Android 17 add-ons are either cosmetic or irrelevant to the F9 Ultra\u2019s day-to-day use (e.g., foldable gaming mode).<\/p>\n
However, it\u2019s still strange, especially when HyperOS 3.3 (on Android 17) has been publicly available since July 2026. It\u2019s also unfortunate that Xiaomi released the F9 Ultra ahead of the public HyperOS 4; this puts the Poco F9 Ultra slightly behind other flagship rivals, since you\u2019ll likely need a major firmware update as soon as you take it out of the box.<\/p>\n
In any case, we covered HyperOS 3 extensively in our Xiaomi 17 Ultra review. Many past features also made it to the Poco F9 Ultra, and there\u2019s nothing surprising (thankfully) in this regard. That\u2019s also true of its Home Screen and preloaded apps, which had limited bloatware.<\/p>\n
Worth noting: it has a preloaded Xiaomi-owned app store (and constantly sends notifications), and its weather widget clicks through to a secondary weather app with ads (not its default weather app). So, it\u2019s not wholly innocent in this arena, but it\u2019s not game-breaking.<\/p>\n
The main software feature that separates Poco phones from Xiaomi phones, however, is WildBoost gaming optimisations, which we\u2019ll cover under our review\u2019s performance section.<\/p>\n