In the POCO X6 test – there are no compromises, but they are negligible

ÄŒIf I am comparing the Galaxy A55 and POCO X6 just by comparing the specifications on paper, POCO is the clear winner. I add the Pro version to my list, the victory is even easier. On paper, however, we cannot make out some key features of the #141, such as the camera, battery and operating system. Even if Samsung's candidate is better in these areas, it is also necessary to take into account the fact that POCO is hundreds of thousands cheaper.

At the beginning, before the test, I didn't have a winner, after the test I had one. Guess which one is better?

POCO X6 price in Slovenia?

• POCO X6 8/256GB: €299

It is available in black, blue and white combinations.

POCO X6 – very good middleweight

The appearance has not changed significantly since last generation, only the placement of the cameras has been slightly changed. The lower one is still too big for the size of the sensor itself and could confuse consumers into thinking that the upper and lower cameras are identical. The rest of the elements stayed the same this year. In the past POCO phones had at least one squishy element, I'm glad they got rid of that habit.

The screen is flat and the overall image is also becoming more and more boxy, similar to the iPhone. The screen is made by Corning, and mostly plastic is used, which I don't mind, because we are still in a more modest category. However, Samsung is better in this respect, as it uses aluminum and glass. Black edges around the screen are present, but barely noticeable, even on the chin of the phone.

The POCO X6 has earned an IP54 rating for water and dust resistance, but it's about more basic protection and nothing. radically advanced. Always be careful how you handle it and use the enclosed cover, which works very well for me. More than the usual transparent covers that we get on other phones.

Bright dot display, average performance

The brightness is surprisingly high (1800 nits), the AMOLED panel displays very pleasant colors and it is a pleasure to use it for multimedia and playing games. At 6.67 inches, it is not a small phone, but it is quite light (181g) and relatively slim (8 mm). It refreshes at 120 Hz or dynamically between 60 and 120 Hz. The processor is powerful enough and the operating system is well enough optimized that I didn't notice any stutters or slowdowns when moving through systems and using applications.

They used the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, which I can't exactly sing the praises of, but it's a perfectly adequate choice for this category. There is enough space (256 GB; microSD expansion is not possible), RAM (8 GB) for now as well, maybe in 2-3 years there will be a small deficit, depending on how they will be in the future random applications. They used an older generation (LPDDR4X), which is one of the compromises for a lower price. Will it be known on performance? Not for now, and I doubt that this difference will be noticeable even in the coming years. Depending on the #141;chip, older RAM will also be sufficient. I regret more that they used a UFS 2.2 drive. You could go for the newer version #141, I doubt that there is a huge difference in terms of price.

I didn't notice overheating, but the battery is only average. Considering the performance of the iPhone and the capacity of the battery (5100 mAh), I still expected more. There is enough energy for all-day use, what's more but it runs out. It's good that fast 67-W charging is available, a compatible charger is commendably present in the packaging.

If you haven't been following the developments, then you might not know yet that a few months ago Xiaomi introduced the new HyperOS operating system, which we have been able to test so far on Redmi and Xiaomi 14 phones. POCO X6 is still missing got it, it also hasn't upgraded to Android 14 yet.

MIUI 14 is an old acquaintance, by default some skins are installed in the form of unnecessary games, which you will have to remove manually. I had no problems with optimization, stuttering and other problems appear (if at all) usually after a few months. We have last year's X5 Pro in the household and so far there have been no problems with the software.

During the day, he keeps his photos lying around

First of all, I have to reprimand the low-resolution macro camera, which somehow crept onto the case again. I'd rather see them get rid of it entirely or replace it with a depth sensor on the front camera for better facial recognition. That way you would have a sensor that is at least usable. An ultrawide camera is a very similar story with the exception of some scenarios where you can capture a satisfactory photo with really good conditions.

The main camera (64 MP) is larger during the day. as solid. For this price, I was satisfied with the details in the pictures, the stabilization is not bad either, but a lot of work is lacking in the still photography, where the quality drops by at least two levels. Portraits are fine except in more complex scenarios where the camera doesn't know exactly where the edges of the subject are.

The front camera will be fine for some kind of selfie, but not for anything more serious.

POCO X6 is very good for this price, but …

There is always at least one "but" for low-end phones.

Before I get into them, there are a lot of things I like on the POCO: the screen, the main camera, to some extent the performance and, above all, the price. There aren't many phones in this range that can offer the same value. The closest is the Redmi 13 and Samsung's A55, which is €100 more expensive. In that class, we can still find the POCO X6 Pro and also the Xiaomi 13T, which is light years ahead of both.

We could soon start thinking about extending software support and also offering faster upgrades to new Android versions. They also have to air out the assortment of secondary cameras, which are mostly useless. The battery could also be improved a little, but I won't split hairs here, as there is extremely fast charging available.

The biggest problem is delivery. If I rely on the past, POCO phones will disappear from the offer much faster, especially from operators, where the largest number of phones are sold in Slovenia by leaps and bounds. phones. Here, Samsung has a huge advantage, because they have been in the offer for a longer period of time, and also more often there are promotions around them.

The POCO X6 is objectively on par with the latest Galaxy A55, but it lacks that dot on the i that comes with the Samsung name. I know which one gives me better value, but which would you choose?