POCO F9 Pro and F9 Ultra Launch With Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and 185Hz Screens

POCO is pushing its latest flagship phones into higher-end territory with the launch of the F9 Ultra and F9 Pro. Both models combine Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset with 185Hz AMOLED displays and 200MP main cameras, while the F9 Ultra adds an 8,050mAh battery, 5x periscope camera, and a Bose-developed 2.1-channel speaker system.

The new phones are global versions of the Redmi K100 Pro Max and Redmi K100 Pro launched in China. POCO is also introducing them earlier in its release cycle than the previous F8 generation. The F9 Ultra starts at $799, while the F9 Pro starts at $699 in the US, putting both models directly into a competitive flagship segment.

The display is one of the biggest changes. The POCO F9 Ultra features a 6.9-inch HyperRGB AMOLED panel with a 185Hz refresh rate, while the F9 Pro uses a smaller 6.59-inch AMOLED display with the same 185Hz refresh rate. POCO claims peak brightness of up to 4,500 nits for normal use and up to 10,000 nits for HDR content. The high refresh rate is also being used for gaming, with supported titles reaching up to 185 frames per second through the company’s VisionBoost D8 graphics chipset.

Both smartphones use the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 V Series platform. POCO pairs the Qualcomm chipset with its VisionBoost D8 dedicated graphics processor, which handles frame interpolation and other gaming-related tasks. POCO says more than 20 games have native support for the 185FPS mode, while additional titles can use frame-rate interpolation. The F9 Ultra reportedly reached 4,165,108 points in POCO’s internal AnTuTu testing.

Photography also gets an upgrade across the F9 lineup. Both phones feature a 200MP main camera with optical image stabilization, marking the first 200MP main sensor used in a POCO flagship. The F9 Ultra pairs it with a 50MP 5x periscope telephoto camera, while the F9 Pro uses a 50MP 2.5x floating telephoto camera. Both models have 32MP front-facing cameras.

Battery capacity is where the Ultra has a clear advantage. The F9 Ultra carries an 8,050mAh battery, while the F9 Pro uses a 6,330mAh cell. Both support 100W wired charging and 50W wireless charging. POCO is not include a charger with the global versions; however, buyers may need an existing compatible adapter or purchase one separately.

The global models also have smaller batteries than their Chinese counterparts. The Redmi K100 Pro Max has a 9,070mAh battery in China, compared with 8,050mAh for the F9 Ultra internationally. The Redmi K100 Pro similarly carries a larger 8,580mAh battery than the 6,330mAh unit used in the global F9 Pro.

POCO is also giving the F9 Ultra a more elaborate audio system. The phone uses a 2.1-channel setup developed with Bose, combining stereo speakers with a dedicated subwoofer. The F9 Pro keeps stereo speakers but does not have the additional subwoofer. The Ultra also includes a white LED ring around the subwoofer that can be used for notifications and calls.

The POCO F9 Ultra starts at $799 for 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The 16GB/512GB model costs $949, while the 16GB/1TB version reaches $1,199. Early-bird pricing brings the base model down to $729.

The POCO F9 Pro starts at $699 with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, while the 12GB/512GB model costs $769. Early pricing drops those models to $649 and $699, respectively. Regional pricing varies, with Malaysia, for example, starting at RM3,299 for the F9 Pro and RM3,599 for the F9 Ultra before launch discounts.

With the F9 Ultra and F9 Pro, POCO is putting more emphasis on high-refresh-rate gaming, camera hardware, and large batteries. The Ultra is the more capable model, but the Pro keeps the same Snapdragon platform, 185Hz display technology, and 200MP main camera while lowering the price. That makes the two phones aimed at different buyers without moving too far apart on core performance.

POCO F9 Ultra vs POCO F9 Pro Specifications