Due to a deepening RAM crisis—driven by demand from data centers—devices in the affordable or value-for-money segment are now facing the threat of extinction. On average, device prices this year have risen by RM400, even though changes to specifications have been minimal. In fact, some models now come with less RAM and storage, a move made solely to keep prices in check.
Poco built its reputation in the Malaysian market as a brand that offers great value—delivering high-end specifications at an accessible price point. The era when Poco offered "powerful" performance at "dirt-cheap" prices has come to an end. With the Poco F9 Ultra, the brand presents a device with flagship-level specifications, yet at a more reasonable price. But in such a highly competitive market, is it still a worthwhile purchase? Specifications
Poco F9 Ultra
Screen: 6.9″ AMOLED, 185Hz
Dolby Vision, 4500 nits
Processor: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3nm)
Chip: 2x 4.6 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix L
6x 3.62 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix M
Graphics Chip: Adreno 840
RAM: 12/16GB LPDDR5X
Internal Storage: 256/512/1000 GB UFS 4.0
Main Camera: 200MP f/1.7, OIS (Wide-angle)
50MP f/2.4 (Ultra-wide)
50MP f/3.0, OIS (5X Telephoto)
Selfie Camera: 32MP f/2.2
Battery: 8050 mAh
Wired: 100W
Wireless: 50W
Reverse Wireless: 22.5W
SIM/Telephony: Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, eSIM), 5G
NFC: Yes
Audio: Stereo with Bose
Water Resistance: IP68
Authentication System: Under-display fingerprint scanner (Ultrasonic)
Retail Price: RM 3599 (12/256GB)
RM 3999 (16/512GB)
RM 4799 (16/1000GB)
SCREEN and DESIGN
Featuring a 6.9″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X 185Hz display, the F9 Ultra boasts the fastest screen on any phone I have reviewed to date. However, it does not utilize a variable refresh rate system that switches between 60, 90, 120, and 185 Hz depending on the application. Throughout my review, I never observed the frame rate reaching 185Hz.
The screen features uniform, thin bezels and a flat surface. Touch input is highly responsive, with a sampling rate of 4800Hz, and color reproduction is vibrant, complete with support for HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. Dolby Vision content from platforms like Netflix and HBO Max plays without any issues. Viewing angles and screen legibility in bright environments are also excellent.
The ultrasonic fingerprint scanner is positioned under the display and is easily accessible. It is highly effective, capable of quickly scanning a finger even when wet. The facial recognition system is also fast, provided it is used in a well-lit environment.
The device’s boxy aesthetic—currently an industry trend—makes it comfortable to hold. The frame is crafted from metal, while the back panel is made of polycarbonate. The panel features a metallic-looking finish that gives it a premium feel, while also enabling wireless charging and reverse wireless charging. The surface is resistant to smudges and dirt.
The boxy camera bump from last year’s F8 Ultra returns; it is large and flat. When placed on a table, the F9 Ultra remains stable, with no wobbling or tipping when the screen is pressed. Housed within this large, flat module are three camera lenses, alongside an additional Bose speaker that delivers loud audio.
This year’s camera system is impressive, featuring a 200MP wide-angle lens with OIS, a 50MP ultra-wide lens, and a 50MP 5x telephoto lens. There is no additional co-branded camera system. On the front, a 32MP camera is housed within a small punch-hole cutout.
The power button and volume controls, both made of metal, are located on the right side. At the bottom, you will find a USB-C charging port, flanked by the SIM tray and an opening for one of the stereo speakers. The tray supports two physical SIM cards. The device also supports up to two eSIMs. An additional speaker is positioned at the top, completing a stereo system that fires towards the sides.
The 8050 mAh battery is substantial for a flagship device, though it ranks as moderate in a market where devices with 11,000 mAh batteries are already available. It supports 100W wired charging, 50W wireless charging, and 22.5W reverse charging. As you can see above, the specifications of the F9 Ultra are more than just decent.
USAGE AND SOFTWARE
The HyperOS 3.0.309 operating system I used is based on Android 16. At the time of writing, no update to Android 17 has been released. The interface is smooth and responsive, aided by the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, 16GB of LPDDR5x RAM, and fast 512GB UFS 4.1 storage. Installing and launching applications is also extremely quick.
The HyperOS 3 interface appears clean and aligns with the design of stock Android, incorporating several Xiaomi-specific enhancements. The era of unappealing interfaces on Chinese devices ended more than five years ago. In fact, it could be argued that Chinese manufacturers like Xiaomi are now leading the way, offering various aesthetic features—such as lock-screen videos that change based on the time of day—along with a wide range of useful widgets.
An interesting feature in HyperOS 3 is "HyperIsland," which is similar to the Dynamic Island found on iOS. The HyperIsland mini-window displays information such as currently playing music, charging speed, earbud battery levels, live activities, and more. HyperIsland can show two activities simultaneously: one in an oval-shaped window and another in a circular one.
There is also "Memory Extension," which adds up to 16GB of RAM when needed; users have the option to disable this feature.
The device includes support for "Circle to Search" and Google Gemini. Additionally, "Xiaomi HyperAI" offers real-time translation, image editing, image upscaling, document summarization, transcription of recorded audio, and automatic subtitle generation for videos.
A drawback is that more premium features—such as Google Personal Intelligence and Gemini Intelligence—remain exclusive to Google and Samsung devices. Furthermore, accessing the full suite of these advanced AI capabilities requires a Google AI subscription. Advertisements also appear within some of Poco’s native apps, and the process to disable them is somewhat cumbersome.
Integration with the Apple ecosystem—including iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks—is supported via "Xiaomi Interconnectivity," while cross-platform file transfers are facilitated by "Xiaomi Share." However, the Poco F9 Ultra does not yet support Android’s native "Quick Share" (which utilizes the AirDrop protocol).
The Poco F9 Ultra comes with a commitment of 4 Android version updates and 6 years of security patches—a shorter support window compared to flagship devices from Xiaomi, Samsung, Google, Honor, and Oppo.
BENCHMARKS
Below are the benchmark scores for the F9 Ultra, compared against several other flagship-class devices available in the Malaysian market. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip8 – Exynos 2600
Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold – Tensor G6
Oppo Find X9 Ultra – Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra – Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy
Vivo X300 Pro – Dimensity 9500
Apple iPhone 17 Pro – A19 Pro
Apple iPhone 18 Pro – A20 Pro
Antutu 3D
Score Device
Poco F9 Ultra 4,077,407
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip8 2,463,934
Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold 1,212,510
Oppo Find X9 Ultra 4,120,640
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 3,136,285
Vivo X300 Pro 3,507,869
Apple iPhone 17 Pro 2,634,345
Apple iPhone 18 Pro 3,517,879
Geekbench 6
Single Core Multi Core Device
Poco F9 Ultra 2037 7914
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip8 1923 5091
Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold 1764 4688
Oppo Find X9 Ultra 3505 10277
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 3651 10819
Vivo X300 Pro 3507 10469
Apple iPhone 17 Pro 3560 8835
Apple iPhone 18 Pro 3999 11338
3DMark Wildlife Extreme
Chip Score
Poco F9 Ultra 7353
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip8 4099
Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold 3318
Oppo Find X9 Ultra 7391
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 7375
Vivo X300 Pro 7075
Apple iPhone 17 Pro 5873
Apple iPhone 18 Pro 7843
Performance when running everyday apps and flagship-tier games is excellent. This comes as no surprise, given the powerful chip paired with fast memory and storage. However, running graphically demanding games like *COD Mobile* and *Zenless Zone Zero* causes the device to heat up, even though it is equipped with a vapor chamber for cooling.
During the AnTuTu 3D benchmark, the device became so hot that it was difficult to hold. While the score reached 4 million, the device’s temperature felt as if it were 4 million degrees Fahrenheit! This issue does not occur when using standard apps or less graphically intensive games.
CAMERA
The main camera setup consists of a 200MP wide-angle lens, a 50MP ultra-wide lens, and a 50MP 5x optical telephoto lens. There is also a 32MP front-facing selfie camera. It is a highly capable camera configuration for a flagship smartphone. Although it lacks Leica branding or a Leica-engineered photography system, the photos captured are, in my opinion, quite satisfying.
Images appear sharp, and the colors are vibrant in all scenarios. The camera system is remarkably powerful, especially considering this device is offered under one of Xiaomi’s more affordable sub-brands. The camera is also fast; the only issue I noticed is that the device tends to heat up slightly when taking a large number of photos in quick succession.
Below are images captured at 1x, 3x, 5x, 10x, and 30x zoom settings. Image quality remains good up to 10x zoom—which is truly impressive, even at night. The colors do not fade, though the images begin to appear slightly soft. Images are effectively unusable at the 30x zoom setting.
1x
3x
5x
10x
30x
AUDIO
Two side-firing stereo speakers are paired with a subwoofer located on the camera bump, all tuned by Bose. Audio quality is excellent, with no distortion even at high volume levels. Speaker performance is particularly strong in terms of bass reproduction, thanks to the inclusion of a subwoofer. Poco has also incorporated a notification light feature on the subwoofer, which can be set to flash in sync with the rhythm of the audio being played.
BATTERY
The 8050 mAh battery supports 100W wired charging and 50W wireless charging. With moderate usage, the battery can last for more than a day. A screen-on time (SOT) of up to 13–14 hours is typical, thanks to the large battery capacity. Recharging takes only about 55 minutes, which is exceptionally fast.
A 100W charger is included in the box, featuring a USB-A to USB-C cable. This specific charger is required to enable the fastest charging mode, as third-party fast chargers—such as those from Anker or Ugreen—do not support this proprietary "HyperCharge" format.
IN THE BOX
Here is what you get in the box with your purchase:
1x Poco F9 Ultra
1x USB-A to USB-C charging cable
1x 100W Xiaomi HyperCharge USB-A charger
Plastic case
1x Manual
1x SIM ejector pin
CONCLUSION
The Poco F9 Ultra is a device I would categorize as a worthwhile "affordable flagship." It offers excellent performance, solid build quality, an impressive display, a large battery with fast charging support, a good audio system, and a capable camera—all starting at RM 3,599 for the 12GB/256GB model. While this might seem expensive, other devices in this class are priced significantly higher due to the ongoing global RAM crisis.
The drawbacks are minor: the presence of advertisements, the fact that it still runs on Android 16, and a software support policy of 4+6 years—compared to other devices in this category that offer 7 years of support.
Pros
Sleek and premium design.
Powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip.
IP68 water resistance.
Versatile camera system for various scenarios.
Good audio system.
Large battery with ultra-fast 100W charging.
Cons
Tends to get quite warm when running graphically intensive games.
Advertisements present in some Xiaomi applications.
Software support limited to 4+6 years.
Still running Android 16.
