Poco started out by making phones that delivered flagship-level performance without flagship-level prices. The new Poco F9 Ultra and F9 Pro show just how much that formula has changed, with both phones now sitting firmly in premium territory.
Poco has launched the two phones for global markets, including Europe, but neither is officially coming to the U.S. That is unfortunate because the F9 Ultra in particular has some hardware that is unusual even among expensive Android flagships.
The Poco F9 Ultra uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, while the F9 Pro gets the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 V Series. Both pair their processors with a separate VisionBoost D8 chip that handles features such as AI Super Resolution and frame interpolation, allowing supported games to reach up to 185fps.
The Ultra gets an enormous battery and a built-in subwoofer
The F9 Ultra has a 6.9-inch 185Hz AMOLED display, while the F9 Pro shrinks that slightly to 6.59 inches without sacrificing the refresh rate. Both use Poco’s HyperRGB panel technology and support a claimed 4,500 nits of peak brightness across larger screen areas.
The company has added a little personality to the designs as well. The F9 Ultra gets a dynamic light on the back for incoming calls, notifications, games, and music, while the Aurora Green F9 Pro has a full-panel luminous back that glows after exposure to light.
Battery capacity is where the Ultra really stands out. It packs an 8,050mAh silicon-carbon battery, the largest Poco has ever put in an F-series phone, while the Pro gets a still substantial 6,330mAh cell. Both support 100W wired and 50W wireless charging.
Poco has also continued its partnership with Bose. The F9 Ultra goes further with an independent subwoofer alongside its stereo speakers, creating a 2.1-channel audio setup. The Pro gets Bose-tuned symmetrical stereo speakers instead.
Poco is taking cameras more seriously too
Both phones feature Poco’s first 200MP main camera with OIS, reportedly using a 1/1.56-inch sensor, along with a 32MP selfie camera. The F9 Ultra adds a 50MP 5x periscope telephoto with a 1/2.75-inch sensor and a 50MP ultrawide with a 1/2.88-inch sensor. The F9 Pro instead gets a 50MP 2.5x floating telephoto, also reportedly measuring 1/2.75 inches, which can focus from as close as 10cm, alongside an 8MP ultrawide.
European pricing starts at €899.9 for the F9 Pro, with an early-bird price of €739.9. The F9 Ultra starts at €1,099.9, dropping to €829.9 during the early-bird period. Higher configurations reach 512GB on the Pro and 1TB on the Ultra.
The catch for U.S. buyers is that Poco still does not officially sell its flagship phones in the country. That means anyone tempted by the F9 Ultra’s 8,050mAh battery, 5x camera, or built-in subwoofer would have to go through the hassle of importing one.
