POCO F9 Ultra Review: Incremental Upgrades and Flagship Ambitions
The POCO F9 Ultra arrives with a massive 6.9-inch display, a larger 8,050 mAh battery, and a 200-megapixel main camera, though it retains the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor from its predecessor.
Smartphone manufacturers have found it increasingly difficult to introduce genuine innovations in recent years, a sentiment reinforced by recent device reviews. Now comes the POCO F9 Ultra, Xiaomi's latest model, which highlights this exact trend. When compared to the Pixel 11 and iPhone 18 Pro—both of which feature identical exterior designs to their predecessors—the POCO F9 Ultra brings only minor adjustments to the table.
Design and Build: Standard Form Factor Without Last Year's Gimmick
The physical dimensions of the F9 Ultra differ only by fractions of a millimeter compared to the F8 Ultra, making them virtually identical. The device remains large, featuring a 6.9-inch display comparable to the iPhone Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy Ultra, and weighs in at a hefty 235 grams. This weight is immediately noticeable, and the device has actually gained a few grams over last year's model. Another notable shift is the rear panel finish: while Xiaomi previously offered the smartphone in black or blue with a denim-like texture, this year's iteration sticks to standard black alongside a plain red option, doing away with the special tactile finish.
The included protective case has also shifted from an opaque black cover that hid the denim texture to a transparent case, though there is no longer a special design element that requires showcasing. Durability remains standard with an IP68 certification, ensuring dust resistance and survival in up to 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes. However, the protective glass has been swapped from Xiaomi's proprietary solution to Gorilla Glass 7i, a material typically targeted at mid-range devices.
Hardware and Performance: Incremental Upgrades
Hardware upgrades are usually an automatic expectation in new releases, but the F9 Ultra surprisingly retains the exact same processor as its predecessor: the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, paired with 16GB of RAM. While this configuration was praised as flagship-grade last year, it remains equally capable today. The device handles daily tasks effortlessly, runs heavy games smoothly, and maintains stable thermal performance. Additional features include eSIM support and NFC for mobile payments.
The display received a bump in refresh rate and peak brightness, delivering exceptional visual quality. Meanwhile, the audio system retains a unique gimmick developed in collaboration with BOSE: an integrated subwoofer on the back panel alongside standard speakers. This setup genuinely enhances sound quality beyond standard smartphones, though it still falls short of a dedicated external speaker.
Battery capacity saw a substantial upgrade, jumping from 6,500 mAh last year to 8,050 mAh. This improvement translates into easily lasting two full days on a single charge. While the device supports 100W fast charging, the review kit included only a 65W charger, resulting in slower replenishment times. Recharging from 15% to 50% took approximately 25 minutes, while a full charge required over an hour.
Software and AI Capabilities
The software suite features no major overhauls. The F9 Ultra runs on Android 16—despite newer Android 17 devices already existing in the market—layered with Xiaomi's HyperOS 3 interface, mirroring the F8 from the previous year. Taking a cue from Apple, Xiaomi incorporates a notification display near the selfie camera resembling the Dynamic Island. However, the implementation utilizes a minimal punch-hole camera while housing a compact Spotify player, timers, and calendar reminders.
Various AI tools are built into the system, including text summarization for articles and websites within the native browser, with translation options into multiple languages including Hebrew. Audio transcription is available, though Hebrew is not yet supported. Photo editing tools round out the package, allowing users to erase unwanted objects, alter sky colors, expand images, and upscale resolution.
Camera System and Photography
The camera array sees a notable hardware upgrade: while the previous generation utilized three 50-megapixel sensors, the F9 Ultra introduces a 200-megapixel main sensor. Focal lengths have been adjusted while the 5x optical zoom remains unchanged. Image quality is consistently high in both daylight and low-light conditions, with the sensor capturing substantial ambient light to brighten night scenes without requiring the flash.
A dedicated moon photography mode leverages AI when utilizing 20x digital zoom. While a 10x zoom produces a blurry, blown-out light source resembling a street lamp, stepping up to 20x clearly resolves the lunar surface in sharp detail.
Conclusion
Priced at approximately 3,800 NIS, the POCO F9 Ultra positions itself as a slightly more affordable alternative to flagship heavyweights from Samsung and Apple, offering a massive screen and robust specifications. At the same time, it could easily have been marketed as an incremental refresh dubbed the F8 Ultra S. Given that core components like the processor remain identical to the previous generation, budget-conscious buyers might find compelling value in purchasing the discounted older model instead.
