Poco has always sold itself as the budget-friendly flagship option. The F9 Ultra turns that tale on its head, it's more expensive than any Poco ever was, and it seems to be aware of it. Qualcomm's latest high-end chip is under the hood, and the battery is large enough to power you through two days without a charger to be seen in the vicinity. 

It's not a filler sensor, it's a real zoom lens for the camera, and the Bose-tuned speakers are quite impressive. It's not without its drawbacks: The software is a bit cluttered, and it can get hot if you're playing a long game. Nevertheless, it is one of the most convincing value flagships of 2026. Let's explain why.

An In-Depth Review on Xiaomi Poco F9 Ultra

The Xiaomi Poco F9 Ultra is designed for the user who does not need to pay the price of a flagship. It is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, boasts a huge 8,500mAh battery, and is equipped with a bright 185Hz AMOLED display, a true 5x periscope telephoto camera and Bose-tuned audio. It is reviewed in terms of design, exhibition, performance, camera, battery life, price in Bangladesh and value for all usersl.

Box Content

This is what you get inside the Xiaomi Poco F9 Ultra box:

• Xiaomi Poco F9 Ultra Smartphone
• USB Type-C cable
• Protective case
• SIM ejector tool
• User manual

The Poco F9 Ultra handset along with a USB Type-A to Type-C charging cable, a SIM ejector tool, a quick start guide and warranty documents are all housed within the box. Notably, no power adapter is included, Xiaomi suggests using an official 100W-or-higher power adapter, or any 100W PD-compatible power adapter, sold separately. Not even a bundled case or screen protector either, so if you're looking for protection right away, factor those in.

Design & Build Quality

On the surface, the Poco F9 Ultra does not attempt to disguise itself as being anything more than a large device with a large battery. It is 163.49mm tall, 77.94mm wide and 8.74mm thick, weighing 235 grams. That's definitely not a lightweight offering like you'll find on shelves now and you can tell by holding it in your hands. This isn't a phone you put in your shirt pocket without thinking of it, it's a two-handed phone and it takes some time to get used to using it 1 handed, particularly if it's smaller.

However, weight loss is not a burden. Durability and battery life come before slimness, and that's very evident in this device. It is also covered by Gorilla Glass 7i, which is a decent scratch and drop protection. It features an aluminum frame, offering a robust and premium feel in the hand, and a back made from glass fiber reinforced plastic instead of glass. It's a good compromise for the phone, keeps the phone slightly lighter than all glass, resists fingerprints better and is less likely to break if dropped.

The materials are not the only aspect of durability. The phone is IP68 waterproof and is completely dust-proof as well, meaning that it can be immersed in water up to 1.5 meters deep for as long as 30 minutes. It's truly a great feature for this price range, as a lot of phones in this price range are just basically missing it to save money.

The color choices are limited to Black and Dark Cherry, opting for a more subdued rather than flashy appearance. In all, it's a phone that sacrifices pocket-friendly for toughness and it is a decent trade for the right buyer.

Display

Poco F9 Ultra's screen is the main attraction. It is a 6.9 inch AMOLED display with punch-hole cutout which provides you with a large display area of 91.6% screen to body ratio. The viewing of videos or a scroll of photos is really immersive and with almost no edges to distract you.

Resolution sits at 1200x2608 (FHD+), working out to 416 ppi. There's not the sharpest number around on paper, some of them push into QHD. But in everyday use, it would be difficult to tell the difference, unless you're pixel peeping at close range. Content remains crisp and images are clean and detailed at normal viewing distances.

This display really shines in terms of brightness and smoothness. 4500 is an extreme level and it can make a difference outside, even in the middle of the day when the sun is brightest, the screen remains readable without having to squint or cup your hand over it. Combine that with HDR10+ support and streaming content that supports it will appear nicely vibrant and punchy with great contrast.

There's also the 185Hz refresh rate, which is comparable to the refresh rate of phones today. Scrolling, swiping and gaming is smooth and without the laggy feel you'd get on a standard 60Hz or 90Hz screen. It's worth noting that it runs in an adaptive manner and won't keep it at 185Hz all the time, when the phone doesn't need it, it will adjust to lower speeds, which will help in the battery life department.

It's wrapped in Corning Gorilla Glass 7i, which provides an extra layer of comfort in the case of a drop or scratches from everyday use. Overall, this is a display that is performing well beyond what you'd expect for the resolution number.

Camera

The camera setup on paper looks like it's straight out of a much more expensive phone on the Poco F9 Ultra. It's a true three-camera setup and not just a ploy for additional cameras, the main sensor is a 200MP f/1.68 sensor, followed by a 50MP periscope telephoto sensor and a 50MP ultra-wide sensor. The app includes the basics, Pro mode, Portrait, OIS and Motion Tracking Focus as well as 960fps super slow-motion. The video resolution is 8K with 4K and 1080p up to 60 fps.

Daylight Photo:

This camera system really comes into its own in good lighting. From shooting in a well-lit indoor location to an outdoor or daylight shoot, the cameras will not disappoint and will create sharp, punchy photographs that you will be proud to post. The standout feature is the telephoto lens, which achieves a 10x zoom with true sharpness and is decently sharp, too, beyond that under favorable lighting conditions.

Low-light Photo:

The story will be slightly more towards the main sensor after dark time. The larger main sensor, combined with pixel binning and software processing results in the cleanest low-light shots of the three cameras and minimal noise or blur. The ultra-wide and telephoto lenses also have decent performance, but at nighttime due to smaller sensors, they are more likely to suffer from motion blur, so using the main camera would be a better choice for nighttime photography.

When it comes to real-world use, reviewers noticed that the results are on par with the spec sheet and exceeded that of most phones in this price range. The camera is neither too much nor too little in terms of sharpness and natural appearance, not relying on AI upscaling too much. This isn't to say it's flawless at zoom distances below 30x, but after that point, it begins to strain and above 30x, AI correction begins and the quality is variable. Video, on the other hand, is not far behind, 8K video images will not leave you breathless, but they will still look good, and they provide excellent detail as well as good dynamic range.

It's not about this being a camera system that's looking to topple the very best of the bunch, but it's pretty close for the bang for your buck, particularly with zooming photos.

Performance & Software

The Poco F9 Ultra's under-the-hood specs include Qualcomm's latest mobile platform, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, which features an octa-core processor with an octa-core Oryon V3 (two 4.6GHz "Phoenix L" cores and six 3.62GHz "Phoenix M" cores), and an Adreno 840 GPU that is also new to Qualcomm's mobile lineup. This isn't a diluted “almost flagship” chip, it's just the same grade of silicon as a flagship. It can take on multitasks, run heavy 3D games and goes over the top with an AnTuTu score exceeding 4 million, which is the highest seen in a Poco phone.

But there's more to it than specs, too. A secondary chip, dubbed VisionBoost D8, is accompanying the Snapdragon to increase its frame rates up to 185fps in certain games and enables AI upscaling during real-time. That's a very smart design for the most part of the competition other people don't bother with.

The only caveat is that, even with Poco's cooling system, long gaming sessions could cause the phone to get too hot. This shouldn't be a major factor for those who take a casual approach to gaming, but it would definitely be worth considering for players looking for an hour of competitive play.

Android 16 is enabled with HyperOS 3 on top. While HyperOS offers a lot of customization and features, reviewers have repeatedly noted it's too cluttered with apps, has duplicate apps, too aggressive default settings and an expect "figure out what to turn off" onboarding phase. It's not just this phone, it's a thing that Xiaomi has been doing for a long time. Then on the support side, Poco will be getting four major OS upgrades and six years of security patches, a true offering, albeit Android 16 isn't the latest operating system.

The device is a truly flagship-ready phone, but a little underdone in terms of the software, which needs a bit of a sprucing up.

Battery & Charger

If this is the one spec in this phone that would negate battery anxiety, then it's this one. Poco F9 Ultra features one of the biggest 8050mAh Li-Ion batteries that you'll see on any flagship phone today. In real-life situations, this equates to two full days on one charge for light to moderate use, and a full day comfortably for heavy users, gamers and streamers alike. Interestingly, some independent tests measured the actual capacity a bit higher (about 8500mAh), but Poco's official rating is 8050mAh.

The battery size matches the charging. 100W wired charging, which supports PD3.0, QC3+ and 100W PPS, can refill the phone in approximately 50 minutes, which is certainly quick for a phone with such a big battery. For those who want to go without a cord, there's 50W wireless charging, too, and 27W reverse wired charging to charge accessories, such as earbuds or another phone, in an emergency.

This product does not come with a charger; using a charger with this product that can provide up to 100 watts will allow you to reach these speeds. The battery can't be removed and charging is done via a USB Type-C 3.2 port. In all, it's one of the most potent battery-charging packages to come around for this price.

Xiaomi Poco F9 Ultra Price in Bangladesh

The Xiaomi Poco F9 Ultra unofficial price in Bangladesh is approximately ৳110,000 in the 12GB RAM + 256GB storage configuration. This number may change when the phone is officially released here, as Xiaomi has yet to officially announce a local release. If you're looking at this one, but have not been officially confirmed, it may be worth waiting because the price you see when you're not officially confirmed is usually higher than the actual retail price.

Final Word

The Poco F9 Ultra is not without issues, but it's far from perfect. It offers flagship performance, a battery that lasts longer than most of its competitors, quick charging and a camera system that's better than most of its competitors. Yes, HyperOS could be a bit polished and it can get hot during intense gameplay, but neither is a negative mark. This phone does a valiant job of making a strong honest claim to be a flagship phone without being a flagship phone. It's not about perfection, it's about value and it does pretty well.