POCO M6 Pro 5G review: same wine, different bottle

The POCO M6 Pro 5G is the Redmi 12 5G in disguise.

• By Ashish Kumar -
Published On: August 24, 2023

POCO recently unveiled its new smartphone M6 Pro in India, with specifications that look quite familiar. Equipped with the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chipset, the phone boasts a 6.79-inch FHD+ display with an impressive 90Hz refresh rate. Its camera arrangement comprises a 50MP dual rear camera, and the phone houses a robust 5,000mAh battery complemented by an 18W fast charging solution. Notably, these specifications align perfectly with what you can find in the Redmi 12 5G (review) smartphone.

So, what's different about the POCO M6 Pro 5G and who should buy the smartphone? Read this review to find out.

Verdict

Regardless of its similarities with the Redmi 12 5G, the POCO M6 Pro proves itself as a capable device. The handset's dual-tone design is noteworthy and adds to its appeal. Furthermore, the phone offers dependable performance for essential tasks and maintains reliable battery life. While the primary camera performs admirably in daylight, the auxiliary camera and charging speeds fall short of expectations.

Design and display

• While the difference may be subtle, the design of the POCO M6 Pro distinguishes it from its similarly-specced cousin, the Redmi 12 5G. Instead of a single-tone design, the POCO M6 Pro features a dual-tone finish, with a rectangular camera bar that extends across the top of the flat back surface. The handset comes in a couple of colour options: Forest Green and Power Black. The variant I received for review is the Power Black, which exhibits a greyish hue on the rectangular bar. This certainly contributes to the phone's overall appeal.

• That's the only notable difference between the two devices. Like the Redmi 12 5G, the M6 Pro also features a glass back, with two camera rings and an LED flash ring. The handset is IP53 splash resistant, has a plastic frame, and sports a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, which is quick to unlock the device. Additionally, there is a speaker grille along with a USB Type-C port on the bottom edge, while the top edge houses a 3.5mm headphone jack and an IR blaster. The POCO M6 Pro does not feature a dedicated slot for a microSD card. However, you can still insert one in place of the secondary SIM card slot.
• As for the viewing experience, the POCO M6 Pro 5G sports a 6.71-inch FHD+ 90Hz refresh rate display with a centred punch-hole camera for the selfie camera. The display looks good both indoors and outdoors. It supports 550 nits of peak brightness, which seems respectable for the price. Since it is an LCD panel, the viewing angles are somewhat limited. However, the panel holds Widevine L1 certification, allowing compatibility with full HD resolution content from streaming platforms like Netflix and others.

Cameras

• Camera-wise, the POCO M6 Pro is equipped with a 50MP primary sensor paired with a 2MP depth sensor at the back. For selfies and video calling, the handset boasts an 8MP selfie camera. In a nutshell, the camera system performs admirably when exposed to favourable lighting conditions, such as during daylight. The primary camera excels in capturing intricate details, along with a satisfactory level of dynamic range and fairly accurate colours.

• However, it's important to acknowledge that the phone's portrait mode does encounter challenges with edge detection. Additionally, the performance of the 8MP selfie camera falls within the average spectrum. Should you desire a more detailed analysis, I recommend perusing our comprehensive review of the Redmi 12 5G.

Performance and software

• The new Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 makes the POCO M6 Pro a capable performer for everyday use. The handset adapts to casual browsing, social media scrolling, streaming, and messaging quite seamlessly. While multitasking and gaming performance might not be particularly outstanding on the device, it successfully runs games like BGMI without any noticeable lags or issues. Be that as it may, the phone might face challenges when subjected to heavy loads, as evidenced by the CPU Throttle test results.

• As for the RAM and storage configurations, the POCO M6 Pro is available in two options: 4GB + 64GB and 6GB + 128GB. The system can expand RAM virtually by 2GB on both variants, while the storage is user-expandable up to 1TB using a microSD card. Unlike the Redmi 12 5G, there is no 8GB RAM + 256GB storage variant here.
• Here's the 5G speed test done on POCO M6 Pro using the Airtel 5G Plus network in Dwarka, Delhi:

• Coming to the software, the M6 Pro runs Android 13-based MIUI 14 out of the box. While the inclusion of the POCO launcher gives the UI a subtle differentiation from the Redmi 12 5G, the core essence and features are essentially the same. While I won't be going into details, it is worth mentioning that the phone comes pre-loaded with various third-party apps and bothersome push notifications. Additionally, POCO has not yet made any official announcements regarding future software updates for the device.

Battery and charging speeds

• The POCO M6 Pro offers a terrific battery life. It packs a 5,000mAh battery, which can last you for an entire day without needing to recharge it again with regular usage. A slightly heavy usage might get you looking for a charger by the end of the day.
• When it comes to charging, the handset takes over two hours for a full charge from zero, which appears somewhat slower compared to its competitors. Although a 22.5W charger is included in the box, it's worth noting that the POCO M6 Pro supports an 18W charging solution.

Final verdict

Editor's rating: 8 / 10

Reasons to buy

• The phone features a dual-tone design, which is quite appealing.
• The handset is a capable performer for everyday use.
• The battery life is terrific on the POCO M6 Pro.
• The cameras capture good images in favourable lighting conditions.

Reasons not to buy

• The phone comes pre-loaded with various third-party apps.
• The handset takes over two hours for a full charge from zero.
• The POCO M6 Pro is essentially the same as the Redmi 12 5G.