Xiaomi has expanded its Poco lineup with the F9 Pro, a performance-focused handset headlined by Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 V Series chipset. The phone arrives earlier than its predecessor, which reached shelves in November, and leans on a familiar formula of flagship-adjacent specs at an aggressive price. It starts at £639 (€739.90) for the 256GB configuration with 12GB of RAM, with a 512GB option listed at £689 (€799.90).

A cheaper take on flagship silicon

The most notable change is the chipset. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 V Series is a scaled-back version of Qualcomm's full Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. According to Qualcomm and Xiaomi, it delivers performance that is nearly indistinguishable from the flagship part while carrying a lower cost, which fits the Poco brand's value-first positioning. The chip is built on a 3nm process and is paired with up to 16GB of RAM and UFS 4.1 storage across several configurations.

The F9 Pro ships with Android 16 and Xiaomi's HyperOS 3 skin out of the box.

Display, cameras and battery

The 6.59-inch AMOLED panel carries over from the previous generation, offering a 185Hz refresh rate, 1156x2510 resolution and support for Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and HDR Vivid. Xiaomi advertises a higher peak brightness of 4,500 nits this year.

Camera hardware is largely unchanged. The rear system centers on a 200MP main sensor with optical stabilization, backed by a 50MP 2.5x telephoto and an 8MP ultrawide. The telephoto now gains the ability to focus at close distances, adding some macro flexibility. A 32MP front camera handles selfies, and the phone records 4K video from both the rear and front cameras.

Battery specifications vary in the source material, which cites both an 8,580mAh cell and a 6,330mAh figure. Regardless, the F9 Pro retains 100W wired charging and adds 50W wireless charging, a feature previously reserved for more premium Xiaomi devices. It also supports reverse wired and wireless charging.

Durability and connectivity

The F9 Pro is rated IP68 and IP69 for dust and water resistance, meaning it can withstand high-pressure water jets and immersion up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes. The frame is aluminum, the front uses Gorilla Glass 7i, and the back is glass fiber-reinforced plastic. The phone weighs 218 grams.

Connectivity is up to date, with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, an infrared port and 5G. An ultrasonic under-display fingerprint reader and stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos round out the package.

What's in the box

Inside the retail packaging, buyers get the usual documentation, a USB-A to USB-C cable and a protective case. Notably, there is no 100W charger included, so anyone wanting the full charging speed will need to purchase one separately.

With flagship-class silicon, a high-refresh AMOLED display and a 200MP camera at a sub-£700 price, the Poco F9 Pro continues the brand's strategy of undercutting mainstream flagships. The addition of fast wireless charging and the cost-optimized Qualcomm chip are the clearest signs of where Xiaomi sees value in this segment.