This week brought the Poco F9 Pro and F9 Ultra – the two models are already available and early bird pricing is still in effect. Check the table below for the breakdown:
Configuration
Poco F9 Pro
Poco F9 Ultra
12GB/256GB
$699 (Early Bird: $649)
€899.99 (Early Bird: €739.99)
$799 (Early Bird: $729)
€1,099.99 (Early Bird: €829.99)
12GB/512GB
$769 (Early Bird: $699)
€999.99 (Early Bird: €799.99)
-
16GB/512GB
-
$949 (Early Bird: $799)
€1,199.99 (Early Bird: €899.99)
16GB/1TB
-
$1,199 (Early Bird: $1,059)
€1,399.99 (Early Bird: €1,199.99)
The Poco F9 Ultra focuses on two key upgrades over the F8 Ultra. It brings a new 200MP main camera (replacing the 50MP 1/1.31” module of the old model) to help bridge the gap between 1x and the 5x optical zoom offered by the 50MP periscope.
Poco F9 Ultra highlights
The other major change is that the battery now has 8,050mAh capacity, up from 6,500mAh. Charging is the same as before with 100W wired and 50W wireless. However, the phone remains on the same Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset as last year’s model. Check out our review for detailed results on battery life, performance, camera quality and more.
Poco F9 Ultra with SD 8 Elite Gen 5 • Poco F9 Pro with SD 8 Elite Gen 5 V Series
The Poco F9 Pro does upgrade the chipset – it uses the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 V Series, which is an Elite Gen 5 with a cut down GPU. It’s still a solid upgrade over the original Snapdragon 8 Elite that powered the F8 Pro. We have a test unit in for review, so expect results soon.
Poco F9 Pro highlights
Additional upgrades brought by the F9 Pro include the same 200MP camera as the Ultra. Considering that the F9 Pro kept the 50MP 2.5x telephoto camera of the old model, there isn’t really a zoom gap to bridge here – the 50MP 1/1.55” module of the F8 Pro produced good enough 2x shots and the 2.5x lens took over from there.
The battery capacity upgrade on the Pro is minor – 6,330mAh vs. 6,210mAh on the old model – but the 100W wired charging is now paired with 50W wireless. Last year, wireless was exclusive to the Ultra.
Poco F9 series pricing
What do you think about the Poco F9 Ultra? It’s noticeably pricier than the Poco F8 Ultra, so are the new camera and bigger battery enough to push you towards the new model or would you look at alternatives?
What about the Poco F9 Pro? It gets treated to some Ultra features like a 200MP main camera and wireless charging, but it’s still lacking in some respects (e.g. battery size and longer telephoto lens). Is the F9 Pro the phone for you or would you go with something else?