The Poco F9 Ultra has emerged as the clear favorite over its F9 Pro sibling in a reader poll, though respondents made one thing plain: both phones feel too expensive at their launch prices, and buyers are waiting for the discounts that typically follow.

The Ultra pulls ahead

Poll feedback suggested the F9 Ultra is already finding buyers, with some commenters saying they had picked one up. The F9 Pro performed respectably but sat firmly in the Ultra's shadow.

Pricing is the main sticking point. The F9 Ultra's early-bird starting price of $730/€830 struck many as too high. However, the Poco F series has a track record of frequent promotions and discounts, and there is little reason to expect the F9 generation to behave differently. Sentiment is likely to warm as those deals appear.

How the F9 Ultra compares to the F8 Ultra

One notable takeaway was that very few respondents said they would consider the older Poco F8 Ultra instead. On paper the upgrades are modest: both the F8 Ultra and F9 Ultra run the same Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, so raw performance should be identical.

What tipped opinion toward the newer model was hardware beyond the processor. The F9 Ultra packs a larger 8,050mAh battery, up from 6,500mAh, and a 200MP main camera in place of the 50MP sensor on the F8 Ultra. Those two changes appear to have swayed decisions.

The F9 Pro's uphill battle

The F9 Pro made a weaker first impression, in part because of its $650/€740 early-bird price. As with the Ultra, poll respondents indicated their view would improve once price cuts arrive.

The Pro is not without merit. It gains a solid chipset upgrade to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 V Series and adopts the same 200MP main camera. The drawbacks that hold it back are a relatively weak 2.5x/60mm 50MP telephoto camera and a smaller 6,330mAh battery.

In-house competition

The rivalry is not confined to the two F9 models. The Xiaomi 17T and 17T Pro were flagged as interesting alternatives that could draw shoppers away from their Poco cousins, adding another layer of internal competition within the wider Xiaomi lineup.

Current listings give a sense of where street prices sit. The Poco F9 Ultra appears at around €899.90/£709 for the 512GB, 16GB RAM configuration, rising to €1,199.90/£1,029 for the 1TB, 16GB RAM version. The F9 Pro is listed from about €739.90/£639 for 256GB with 12GB of RAM, and €799.90/£689 for the 512GB, 12GB RAM model.

Why it matters

Poco has built its reputation on aggressive value, so pricing perception is central to how these phones land. The poll suggests the F9 Ultra's spec bump is compelling enough to justify a step up from the previous generation, while both models are likely to become far more attractive once the inevitable discounts begin. Buyers weighing a purchase may benefit from waiting for the first round of promotions.