POCO has come a long way with its flagship F series. It has previously impressed across the board, especially with the performance it packs under the hood at an accessible price point. Its biggest strengths continue to lie in gaming, photography, and day-to-day performance.
That said, with the launch of the F9 series, what does POCO have in store for its top-of-the-line F9 Ultra? Does it have what it takes to impress once again? Find out in our full review.
Design and build
The POCO F9 Ultra dons a sleek, fuss-free design that hints at its performance-focused nature. It comes in Dark Cherry and Black, with the latter being the variant we’re testing. One way to differentiate the Black Ultra from the Pro is the Ultra’s red power button.
In true flagship fashion, it comes with some heft, weighing 235g and measuring 8.74mm thick. It’s a fair trade-off for everything the device packs under the hood. More on that later.
Its understated design is backed by durability features, featuring a metal frame and fiberglass back panel. Up front, the display is protected by the Corning Gorilla Glass 7i, while the IP68 water and dust resistance provides dust protection and water resistance.
Display
On the flip side, the F9 Ultra boasts a 6.9-inch AMOLED display with 1.5K resolution and up to 185Hz refresh rate. All of these contribute to an immersive viewing experience with crisp details and rich colors. Gamers and binge-watchers alike can enjoy the F9 Ultra’s visuals with support for both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision.
Complementing the experience is Sound by Bose, which this time around features a symmetrical stereo speaker system with an independent subwoofer. The result is full-bodied audio with minimal distortion, even at high volume levels, which I put to the test myself while jamming to music on Spotify.
Outdoor viewing should also be easier thanks to its high brightness, reaching 4,500nits across 25% of the display, and up to 10,000nits for HDR highlights across 1% of the display area. Even on rainy days, with the help of the Wet Touch Display 2.0, the screen remains responsive to touch.
Just as important, the F9 Ultra comes with several eye comfort features to make extended screen time more comfortable. These include DC dimming, Xiaomi Vision Care, and TUV Rheinland Certifications, covering low blue light, flicker-free viewing, and circadian friendliness.
Camera
Going back to the rear, the POCO F9 Ultra sports a triple-camera system headlined by an upgraded 200MP main camera with optical image stabilization (OIS), alongside a 50MP periscope telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom and a 50MP ultrawide shooter. It’s a versatile setup that accommodates different shooting scenarios, from everyday shots and distant subjects to wider landscapes.
The main camera received a major upgrade — from 50MP on its predecessor to 200MP. This allows users to capture finer details and retain the quality of images when cropping. At the same time, OIS helps counter camera shake, especially when taking photos in low-light conditions or with unsteady hands.
I’ve been drawn to taking close-up shots of distant subjects — be it an aesthetic shot of a cup of coffee or the interiors of a cafe. The dedicated 5x periscope telephoto camera gives me the flexibility to frame my shots according to my liking without losing detail or relying solely on digital zoom. The same is true of the ultrawide camera, which manages to capture a good amount of detail and proves useful when traveling and capturing landscapes and architecture.
When it comes to shooting in different lighting scenarios, I was genuinely impressed by the camera’s performance, as it delivered sharp details and natural colors without making the image processing feel overdone.
Overall, with its high-resolution main sensor and dedicated telephoto and ultrawide lenses, the POCO F9 Ultra has the hardware to make a strong case for itself as a promising flagship when it comes to photography.
Performance
POCO continues its streak of putting performance front and center with the F9 Ultra. Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and paired with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, it appears, on paper, to pack the power to handle demanding tasks, from multitasking to heavy mobile gaming.
In my day-to-day use, the device felt smooth and responsive as I switched between apps, multitasked, browsed through social media, and edited photos and videos. I was confident it could handle heavier workloads, even though I had yet to fully push its performance to the limit. There’s clearly plenty of headroom for it to do more.
Gaming is where the F9 Ultra aims to excel, and it does so impressively. With its powerful chipset, high-refresh-rate display, and dedicated graphics support courtesy of the VisionBoost D8 chip, expectations are high for its performance across different titles. From fast-paced games like Mobile Legends, which require quick inputs, to graphically demanding titles like Genshin Impact, the F9 Ultra is able to hold its own without any noticeable hitches.
Battery and charging
Even at flagship level, some devices come with a few compromises, and battery capacity is usually one of them. Fortunately, the POCO F9 Ultra doesn’t miss as it packs a large 8,050mAh silicon-carbon battery, which is a significant jump from its predecessor.
Given my usage that involves shooting content, scrolling through social media, responding to emails, and a bit of streaming on Netflix, I get to maximize the device for more than a day.
Users can charge with a 100W power adapter, which can quickly power up the device in less than an hour. It also supports 50W wireless charging, as well as 27W wired and 22.5W wireless reverse charging to power up other devices when needed.
Verdict
POCO made thoughtful upgrades to the F9 Ultra with a focus on smoother gaming, longer battery life, and improved imaging. These refinements build on an already highly capable smartphone, making it an even more compelling flagship at PHP 59,999 for the 12GB + 512GB variant. It’s a solid choice for those looking for a well-rounded device that truly lives up to the Ultra name.
