Smartphone prices have skyrocketed. And the problem is not that a high-end price goes above 1,000 euros, the problem is that if we want to go for a phone in the 500 euro range, the processors usually fall too low. The Pixel 8A is a great exception, and in its analysis I highlighted how important it is to have high-quality processors in relatively low-cost phones.
Xiaomi has just introduced the POCO F6, a phone that has a better processor than the POCO F6 Pro (in some aspects) Beyond the curiosity, the important thing is that this phone brings back the sweet aroma of POCOPHONE. F1. It’s the most balanced power-value phone on the market, and a real dart in the high range.
This is what he wanted in 2024, nothing more and nothing less
A mobile phone for under 500 euros that can last for years. That’s what I asked the creators in 2024. I particularly emphasize power for several reasons. Without going into too much detail, the gist is this We tend to underestimate the processors we will need on a mobile phone.
In the first months of use, everything is pleasant: memory full of applications and multimedia, with the degradation of components over time and various updates that the device has to move, things change.
Paying for a top-class chip isn’t just about raw power: these SoCs are usually paired with high-speed memory, which will endure better over time.
In the case of the POCO F6, we’re talking about a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, with UFS 4.0 memory (the highest at the moment) and LPDDR5X. In other words, for less than half the cost of a high-end, we have the best of a high-end.
The processor issue is also quite interesting. The POCO F6 Pro mounts a Snapdragon 8s Gen 2. The POCO F6 mounts a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3. Which one is better?
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is a minor modification of the 8 Gen 3, Qualcomm’s latest processor. That’s why, at the CPU level, it has newer and more efficient cores (each of them single), although Qualcomm has trimmed its GPU to make Gen 2 more powerful. Specifically, we’re talking about an Adreno 735 GPU in the Gen 2 of the 8s Gen 3 versus the Adreno 740.
Benchmarks give us similar data between one and the other, with the 8s Gen 3 winning tests like AnTuTu 10 or GeekBench. In short: there’s absolutely nothing to envy in terms of power over the Pro model, and in fact, It has a more modern processor.
90W fast charging, OIS, liquid cooling, Gorilla Glass Victus… Yes, Xiaomi is always more aggressive with margins, but these are the specifications we would expect in a phone between 800 and 1,000 euros (high-end “non-premium” ).
This is not a message for POCO F6. In fact, it seems to me that the price of a phone in this range should be. It’s a reflection of how offerings like the 8s Gen 3 can bring back devices with plenty of power for the day at an affordable price… As long as the manufacturer is willing.
Picture | bit
In BDtechsupport | POCO F5 Pro, Analysis: The crown jewel of the POCO family shines not only for its raw power