I tested the spec-heavy Poco F9 Ultra and found a phone with top-tier performance and zero deal-breaker flaws for hundreds less than the competition

Date:
Tue, 15 Sep 2026 11:47:47 +0000

Description:
The Poco F9 Ultra offers phenomenal performance and battery life for a much lower price than flagship rivals.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Poco F9 Ultra: Two-minute review Pocos latest high-end phone, the Poco F9 Ultra, continues to show you dont have to spend absolute top dollar to get the best performance but a price increase over the previous-generation model is hard to ignore.

The F9 Ultra replaces the Poco F8 Ultra after less than a year, and with the same chipset and design, it doesnt change too much at first glance. But look deeper, and this is a refined upgrade that boasts an enormous battery
bringing multi-day power, a new 200MP main camera sensor, and some of the
best speakers on any phone. The whole package proves you dont have to spend four figures to land a phone with top-of-the-line specs and performance. The base model with 12GB RAM and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset costs $799
/ 899 yes, that's a $70 / 150 increase over the starting price of the F8 Ultra, but Poco did explain to TechRadar that it believes this new price remains "competitive" for the level of specs on offer. And it has a point there are only a handful of phones offering 12GB RAM and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset for less money (one of which is Poco's own F8 Ultra). Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

The F9 Ultra's massive 6.9-inch AMOLED display looks great and is capable of 185Hz refresh rates during compatible games. Gameplay is also boosted with
the unusual addition of a Bose-tuned subwoofer on the back, plus you're getting dual speakers, which makes the F9 Ultra a top choice for hands-free calls and listening to podcasts without headphones (though I still cant condone blasting music from it here are on principle). (Image credit: Future) As mentioned, for those after the latest Snapdragon silicon for as little money as possible, the F9 Ultra is only undercut by Poco's own F8 Ultra, or indeed the Xiaomi 17 , which launched for 899 but is currently on sale for 699. But the F9 Ultra still costs a whopping $500 / 380 less than the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra , and it wipes the floor with the pricier Google Pixel 11
Pro XL when it comes to gaming.

The cherry on top is a mammoth 8,050mAh battery, one of the biggest on a flagship device available in the UK at the time of writing (September 2026). It means the F9 Ultra can last for three days with moderate use, and I found it impossible to kill in a waking day.

And lastly, aside from a slightly stingy four years of Android updates, six years of security patches to see you through to 2032 is good to see on a
phone as well-rounded as this. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Poco F9 Ultra review: Price and availability Starts at 899 / $799 / 1,099.99 A $70 / 150 price increase on the F8 Ultra Not officially available in Australia Still competitive considering the specs The Poco F9 Ultra starts at $799 / 749, though the US price varies depending on the
seller (the phone is not officially available through US carriers, but $799
is Poco's official US price). Official UK availability is good to see, though 749 represents a 150 increase on the F8 Ultras 749 starting price, and at the time of writing, the older model is on sale for 649, which is an absolute steal.

But in being equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, the F9 Ultra undercuts the Galaxy S26 Ultra the only S26 series phone in the UK to run a Qualcomm chipset by an almighty 380, and it's much less than the 1,279 Pixel 11 Pro XL, too, whose Tensor G6 chipset cant hold a candle to the Snapdragon
8 Elite Gen 5 in terms of performance.

In fact, at 899, the F9 Ultra is the same price as the Google Pixel 11, but
it offers superior gaming chops, a more expansive display, and much better battery life. That's why, despite increasing the price, Poco believes the F9 Ultra remains "competitive" in today's market and we're inclined to agree. Value Score 4 / 5 Poco F9 Ultra review: Specs Heres a look at the Poco F9 Ultras key specs: Swipe to scroll horizontally Row 0 - Cell 0

Poco F9 Ultra

Dimensions:

163.5 x 77.9 x 8.7mm

Weight:

235g

Display:

6.9-inch AMOLED

Resolution:

1200 x 2608

Refresh rate:

185Hz

Peak brightness:

10,000 nits

CPU:

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

RAM:

12GB/16GB

Storage:

256GB/512GB/1TB

OS:

HyperOS 3, based on Android 16

Main cameras:

200MP main (f/1.7), 50MP ultra-wide (f/2.4), 50MP 5x telephoto (f/3.0)

Selfie camera:

32MP (f/2.2)

Battery:

8,050mAh

Charging:

100W wired, 50W wireless

Colors:

Dark Cherry, Black Poco F9 Ultra review: Design Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) Image 1 of 3 View Original Image 2 of 3 View Original Image 3 of 3 View Original Similar look
to the iPhone 17 Pro Large but manageable device Sleek dark cherry colour replaces gaudy denim The Poco F9 Ultra I reviewed is the lovely Dark Cherry option, which I prefer over the F8 Ultras bold but gaudy Denim Blue. Despite being a very large phone, the F9 Ultra is very comfortable to hold thanks to subtly curved aluminum side rails and a Glass Fibre composite rear, which should be more resilient than the glass found on most rival flagship devices.

Theres also a black model if you'd prefer a safer option, with a red power button for a pop of color. The Dark Cherry variant hardly shows any fingerprints on its matte surface, and the overall look of the F9 Ultra grew on me in the weeks I was testing it, despite its obvious similarities with
the iPhone 17 Pro and indeed the F8 Ultra.

The phone's four-circle camera design alongside the Bose-branded subwoofer is different enough to me, and manages to look as simplistic as possible. The F9 Ultra also doesnt rock and wobble when used face up on a table, which is a nice touch.

Save for the one-piece volume rocker above the power button on the right
edge, there isn't much else to report besides a USB-C port and speaker
grilles on the top and bottom. When all is said and done, this is quite a conservative design when its not clad in faux denim! Design score: 4 / 5 Poco F9 Ultra review: Display (Image credit: Future) Large, bright 6.9-inch panel Up to 185Hz refresh rate in some games Punch-hole selfie camera The Poco F9 Ultras display is excellent, with great brightness and clarity. It's a 6.9-inch 1200 x 2608 AMOLED panel that Poco claims has a peak brightness of 10,000 nits, much higher than rivals. However, it tames that claim by saying this 10,000-nit figure only applies to 1% of the display area, so a 4,500-nit multi-scenario peak brightness is the real figure here.

This is a good example of a brand obfuscating the real specs when it doesnt need to. The F9 Ultra has a great screen, so Poco should lean into the actual numbers rather than fudging a fake one for marketing purposes. The display is very easy to read in bright sunlight, which is all you need to know.

Poco offers excellent granular control over display and color settings, a nod to the phone's gaming focus under the hood. You'll find Original color PRO or Vivid options in the settings app, which offer full custom control so you can find the right look for you. A dedicated hardware chip can even enhance video quality if you switch the dual-core visuals toggle on. All this really does
is smooth everything out, so I left it off.

The display can refresh at up to 185Hz, which is the highest I have ever tested on a phone. Most modern OLED displays achieve 120Hz with a variable rate, and some gaming phones have pushed to 144Hz or 165Hz. At the time of writing, the F9 Ultra's 185Hz rate is only available in CrossFire: Legends
and Blood Strike, but you'll still get 165Hz in titles like Call of Duty: Mobile and Bang Bang .

So again, what Poco should really say here is that the F9 Ultra has an excellent 120Hz display in most scenarios. That information is hard to come
by in the review documents I was provided with, and most users, most of the time, will never see 185Hz unless they play the two aforementioned games daily.

I personally prefer the Pixel 11 Pro XLs display, which I think handles white balance better and isnt so blinding to look at, but its a close call, and the F9 Ultra certainly has one of the best displays for the price. Its a great choice for a large screen and undercuts, say, the Galaxy S26 Plus by a significant margin, though the F9 Ultra's display has a slightly lower resolution.

With every conceivable display spec under the sun included here, such as HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and TV Rheinland certification for flicker-free viewing and blue light filtration, its hard to criticize the screen on this phone. Display score: 5 / 5 Poco F9 Ultra review: Cameras (Image credit: Future) Strong 200MP main lens Very capable 5x telephoto Ultra-wide is not the best Poco has equipped the F9 Ultra with a pleasingly capable trio of cameras, which is led by a 200MP main lens, an upgrade on the 50MP shooter on the F8 Ultra. Shots are binned down to 12.5MP by default, though 50MP and 200MP settings can be toggled on.

In the default mode, shots look excellent, offering most of the color and
mood I personally like from Xiaomi phones such as the Xiaomi 17 Ultra and 17T Pro , though Poco does not have the same Leica partnership or photo filters here.

Apart from a few times where colors looked wildly oversaturated, I really liked the output from the F9 Ultra. It has an artistic, filmic quality that many phones abandon in 2026 in favor of sharpened, contrast-heavy looks. The main camera is better than that of the regular Galaxy S26 , which retails for $899 / 879, $100 / 20 less than the Poco.

Its great to see a 5x optical zoom lens here too, mirroring what youll find
on the Xiaomi 17T Pro and beating the S26s 3x optical lens handily. Images
are crisp thanks to optical image stabilization (OIS), and shooting in portrait mode at 5x makes for some great street photography. The F9 Ultra is also a phone thatll come in handy when youre sitting up in row Z at your next Harry Styles concert thanks to digital zoom up to 100x, though things look patchy after 30x.

The 50MP ultra-wide lens is the weakest of the three cameras, but thats usually the case on triple-lens phones. In broad daylight, images are very usable, but without OIS, the smaller sensor size shows its limitations in low light, with noise and grain.

The 32MP selfie shooter is solid for solo and group snaps, and works as youd expect for video calls.

Speaking of video, the main lens can record at up to 4K at 60fps, or even 8K at 30fps. 4K 60fps is great to see, though the Snapdragon chipset here is probably capable of 4K 120fps, like youll find on the aforementioned Xiaomi
17 Ultra and the cheaper 17T Pro. This is a case of Poco limiting its hardwares capabilities in software, which is a shame, even if most users wont notice.

That said, the camera app is fully featured and well designed, with an accomplished Pro mode offering the ability to shoot in RAW for those who want to edit images later on their computer. Camera score: 4 / 5 Poco F9 Ultra review: Camera samples Image 1 of 11 (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) Image 1 of 11 View Original Image 2 of 11 View Original Image 3 of 11 View Original Image 4 of 11 View Original Image 5 of 11 View Original Image 6 of 11 View Original Image 7 of 11 View Original Image 8 of 11 View Original Image 9 of 11 View Original Image 10 of 11 View Original Image 11 of 11 View Original Image 1 of 5 (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) Image 1 of 5 View Original Image 2 of
5 View Original Image 3 of 5 View Original Image 4 of 5 View Original Image 5 of 5 View Original Poco F9 Ultra review: Performance (Image credit: Future) Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is still excellent Nothing slows this thing down
Bose audio is fun but not a gamechanger Performance is where Poco phones really shine, and the F9 Ultra is the most performant Poco phone yet. Its flagship-level specs include the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, though
this is the same chipset as you'll find in the F8 Ultra. Poco explained this decision to us , so you can see if you agree with the firm's reasoning, but
it does appear as though the launch of the F9 series was brought forward this year, because Poco has opted to not use the next-generation flagship Snapdragon chipset, which is usually unveiled in October.

The base $799 / 899 F9 Ultra comes with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, though there are also 512GB and 1TB storage options available, each offering 16GB RAM. Poco sent me the latter for review, which retails for 1,199 notably
less than the 12GB/256GB Galaxy S26 Ultra, which is 1,279. So, despite some price rises, Poco is still delivering value here for those after the very
best specs for the money.

Performance follows, too. I could not get the F9 Ultra to stutter, even when playing Genshin Impact with the settings maxed out the Pixel 11 Pro XL, by contrast, cant even load the game.

The impressive thing about the F9 Ultra is its sustained performance under load. Where rival phones can stutter after half an hour or so on Call of Duty : Mobile , the Poco soldiers on (pun intended) without breaking a sweat. The phone didn't overheat once during my time testing it, presumably thanks to
the built-in cooling system that Poco says reduces strain on the CPU.

Audio is great thanks to two stereo speakers and the addition of a subwoofer next to the cameras. This is tuned by Bose thanks to a partnership, and promises deeper bass and a wider soundstage. Compared to the Pixel 11 Pro XL and Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus, the Poco F9 Ultra sounds much fuller when
playing music out loud or listening to gaming audio, though I dont think this is a reason to buy the phone. The Bose partnership improves audio slightly, but you will still want headphones connected via Bluetooth for most things.

Now that you can no longer buy the identically priced OnePlus 15 in the US or UK (RIP), the F9 Ultra would have been your best bet for Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5-level power, but the previous-gen F8 Ultra offers incredibly similar performance and is available at the time of publication for 649. Performance score: 5 / 5 Poco F9 Ultra review: Software (Image credit: Future) HyperOS 3 based on Android 16 at launch Some AI tools require account sign in Four
years of Android updates, six of security The F9 Ultra gets Xiaomis HyperOS 3 Android skin, which at launch is based on Android 16, rather than the latest version, 17. Poco says the phone will get four platform updates, presumably
to Android 20, and six years of security updates to keep buyers going until 2032.

HyperOS changes the look of Android to feel a little more like the iPhones iOS, but thats no bad thing as it is perfectly functional, if a little cluttered at times. Its a shame to see bloatware installed on a phone of this price, with AliExpress, Amazon Music, TikTok, and a few others pre-installed, but they can all be removed.

Going the way of iOS, notifications are a swipe from the left while quick settings are from the right. After Id wrangled the software a bit during setup, I got it looking cleaner with more icons per row and fewer folders
full of apps that are initially presented.

What is thankfully not shoved in your face is AI, even though there is a lot of it on board. Theres a whole section in the settings app called Xiaomi HyperAI, which directs you to Googles built-in Gemini platform, as well as Xiaomis own branded AI tools. (Image credit: Future) AI Dynamic Wallpapers,
AI Writing to generate text, AI Speech Recognition to transcribe audio, AI subtitles for videos AI everything! In the Gallery app, there are some capable AI editing tools, including a beautify mode that works well. But others, such as an Ultra HD toggle or an Expand feature to generate images, require you to sign in to a Xiaomi account within the settings app.

HyperOS is visually quite different to Googles Android flavor on the Pixel or the now-barely-seen stock Android look, but Ive warmed to it in recent
months. Its perfectly functional, and mercifully lets you swipe down on notifications to expand them, unlike on fellow Xiaomi stablemate Redmis phones.

The software is also very responsive on this hardware. Menus flow, and apps open instantly. I saw and felt no difference between the F9 Ultra and other, more expensive Android flagship phones. It feels faster than Samsungs S26 series in many ways, though that could be down to Samsungs slower default animations. Software score: 4 / 5 Poco F9 Ultra review: Battery (Image
credit: Future) Two- to three-day battery life 100W fast charging but no charger in UK box 50W wireless and 27W reverse wired charging The F9 Ultra
has a whopping 8,050mAh silicon-carbon battery. This new tech means phone makers can put higher-density batteries in phones than they could with lithium-ion, resulting in devices of the same physical thickness that last
for much longer. Using the F9 Ultra as my main phone for more than a week, I consistently got two days of use out of it, sometimes stretching into a third days morning.

Thats seriously good longevity, made even more impressive by the phones flagship specs. Its capable of 100W wired charging, but there is
frustratingly no charger in the box for UK buyers. I tested the charging
speed of the F9 Ultra using a Vivo 100W charging brick with the Top Speed charging setting turned on.

The phone went from dead to 100% in 95 minutes, which is impressive for a battery of this size, and it got to 27% in 15 minutes. Youll have to fork out for a compatible fast charger, which is a little galling when youre laying down at least $799 / 899.

The phone also has 50W wireless charging faster than the S26 Ultra can do
via a wired connection (45W) and can even be used as a power bank for other devices thanks to 27W wired reverse charging and 22.5W reverse wireless charging.

A few phones on the market go for longer, like the Redmi Note 17 Pro Max, but the Poco F9 Ultra gets top marks here for stonking battery life paired with top-tier specs.

Here are the phone's charging speed results broken down: In 15 minutes: 27%
In 30 minutes: 46% 0-50%: 33 minutes 0-100%: 95 minutes Battery score: 5 / 5 Should you buy the Poco F9 Ultra? Swipe to scroll horizontally

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

The Poco F9 Ultra offers top specs for a lower price than many of its competitors, but the F8 Ultra has the same chip for less.

4/5

Design

While a refinement on the F8 Ultra, the design is sleek and is as manageable to hold as large phones get.

4/5

Display

A superlative 185Hz display that usually tops out at 120Hz, save for some games. Great peak brightness and extensive customization options.

5/5

Software

HyperOS 3 is a mature and easy to use software skin, though launching on the older Android 16 stings. AI stays out the way if you want it to, which is a win.

4/5

Cameras

Very capable triple cameras led by a 200MP main sensor are a year-over-year upgrade, though they rank a tier below the very best on the market. Still excellent in this price range, though.

4/5

Performance

Incredible performance thanks to Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and up to 16GB RAM. Sustained performance under load is notably great thanks to strong thermal management. An exemplary gaming phone.

5/5

Battery

Some of the best battery life on a phone with flagship specs thanks to enormous silicon-carbon cell and fast charging, though no charger in the box (in the UK).

5/5 Buy it if...

You want the best battery life on a flagship phone Two days of battery life with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 phone is possible with this phone; you may even get three days with careful use. This is the best you can get in the UK with these specs.

You want top gaming performance No game can bring this thing down. If you fire up triple-A mobile games every day, the F9 Ultra should be at the top of your shopping list.

You want a great, large display There arent many better displays on a smartphone. Its best suited to mobile gamers, but the 6.9-inch size is strangely manageable thanks to good handset design. Don't buy it if...

You want to spend as little as possible on these specs Poco sells a very similar product for less in the F8 Ultra, which is still on sale.

You want the best cameras in this price range While very capable, you can
get better cameras on the Xiaomi 17T Pro for less. Poco F9 Ultra review: Also consider The Poco F9 Ultra is a strong phone in its price range, but there
are a couple of similarly priced options worth considering alongside it:

Xiaomi 17T Pro This phone has very similar specs to the Poco and costs 100 less. It lacks the Snapdragon chip, but has better-tuned cameras and longer software support.

Read our full Xiaomi 17T Pro review

Oppo Find X9 Pro A phone with noticeably better cameras and very comparable performance is on sale at the time of writing for 899, the same price as the F9 Ultra.

Read our full Oppo Find X9 Pro review Swipe to scroll horizontally Header Cell - Column 0

Poco F9 Ultra

Xiaomi 17T Pro

Oppo Find X9 Pro

Price:

$799 / 899

799

1,099 (899 on sale)

Display:

6.9-inch OLED

6.83-inch OLED

6.82-inch OLED

Cameras:

200MP main; 50MP ultra-wide; 50MP 5x telephoto

50MP main; 12MP ultra-wide; 50MP 5x telephoto

200MP main; 50MP ultra-wide; 200MP 3x telephoto; 50MP 10x telephoto

Chipset:

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

MediaTek Dimensity 9500

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

Battery:

8,050mAh

7,000mAh

7,050mAh How I tested the Poco F9 Ultra Review test period: Two weeks Testing included: Everyday use with messaging, web browsing, social media, photography, video calling, gaming, streaming video, music streaming Tools used: Geekbench 6, 3DMark Why you can trust TechRadar 100s of smartphones reviewed 15 years of product testing Over 16,000 products reviewed in total
Nearly 200,000 hours testing tech I tested the Poco F9 Ultra over the course of two weeks, using it as my main phone with my main SIM card for a week, and as a secondary phone on other days. I used it to make calls, send WhatsApp messages, take video calls, play mobile games, stream podcasts and music, and take scores of photos.

I tested the performance of the phones display, chipset, cameras, and battery life for this review, comparing results with Pocos claims as well as my
decade of experience reviewing Android smartphones professionally. Ive used many of the most recent Android flagship devices the F9 Ultra is gunning for.

I also ran benchmark tests using the Geekbench 6 and 3DMark apps to qualify
my performance assessments of the phone.

Read more about how we test here. First tested September 2026 POCO F9 Ultra: Price Comparison 999 709 View 999 709 View 709 View voucher gift 709 View voucher gift 709 View Show more We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices powered by



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/phones/poco-phones/poco-f9-ultra-review


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