POCO F9 Series is now available in the Philippines. The brand has launched new devices in the market, and one of them is the POCO F9 Ultra.
What are its differences compared to the POCO F8 Ultra? Read more to find out.
Both phones have a large 6.9-inch display and an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. However, the POCO F9 Ultra is noticeably heavier and thicker.
The POCO F8 Ultra measures 7.9mm thick for the Black version and weighs 218 grams, while the Denim Blue version is slightly thicker at 8.3mm and weighs 220 grams.
The POCO F9 Ultra measures 8.74mm thick and weighs 235 grams. This is likely due in part to its much larger battery, which we will talk more about later.
With this, the POCO F8 Ultra is thinner and lighter, while the F9 Ultra is bulkier.
Both phones use a 6.9-inch AMOLED display with a 2608 x 1200 resolution.
The POCO F8 Ultra has a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 3500 nits of peak brightness.
The POCO F9 Ultra pushes the refresh rate up to 185Hz. It also has higher brightness figures, reaching up to 4500 nits.
If we are going to look at the display advantage, the POCO F9 Ultra is better, especially for gaming and users who want a smoother display. Still, the F8 Ultra’s 120Hz AMOLED screen is already enough for everyday use.
The two phones have different main cameras but share similar supporting cameras.
POCO F8 Ultra
POCO F9 Ultra
The biggest upgrade is the F9 Ultra’s 200MP main camera. It also gets a slightly longer 120mm equivalent periscope telephoto lens compared to 115mm on the F8 Ultra.
Both phones can record up to 8K video using the rear cameras and 4K video using the front camera.
The F9 Ultra also adds more video features, including Log video recording and 2.8K ShootSteady video.
On paper, the POCO F9 Ultra has the edge, mainly because of its higher-resolution main camera and additional video features. However, keep in mind that megapixel count alone does not automatically guarantee better image quality.
Both the POCO F8 Ultra and POCO F9 Ultra are powered by the same Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile Platform built on a 3nm process.
The main difference is that the F9 Ultra includes an additional VisionBoost D8 dedicated graphics chipset.
This extra chip is designed to handle features such as:
On the other hand, the OPPO F8 Ultra relies on the Snapdragon chipset and Adreno GPU alone.
Both should offer similar flagship-level CPU performance. But the POCO F9 Ultra has an advantage in supported gaming and visual enhancement features because of its dedicated VisionBoost D8 chip.
Both phones use fast LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.1 storage.
To be more specific, the POCO F8 Ultra is available in 12GB + 256GB and 16GB + 512GB configurations, while the POCO F9 Ultra adds a higher-capacity 16GB + 1TB option alongside the same 12GB + 256GB and 16GB + 512GB variants.
The F9 Ultra offers a larger 1TB storage option for users who need more space for games, videos, and files.
Both smartphones run on Xiaomi HyperOS 3.
Since they use the same software version, the overall interface and core software experience should be similar.
However, the POCO F9 Ultra has some exclusive hardware-based features, particularly those related to its VisionBoost D8 graphics chip.
Battery capacity is one of the biggest differences between the two phones.
The POCO F9 Ultra has a larger 8,050mAh battery compared to the POCO F8 Ultra’s 6,500mAh capacity. Both support 100W wired and 50W wireless charging, but the F9 Ultra offers faster 27W wired reverse charging and adds up to 22.5W wireless reverse charging.
Looking at it closely, the F9 Ultra’s 8050mAh battery is 1550mAh larger than the F8 Ultra’s 6500mAh capacity.
Both support the same 100W wired and 50W wireless charging speeds, but the F9 Ultra adds wireless reverse charging and faster wired reverse charging.
POCO F8 Ultra
POCO F9 Ultra
The price difference is significant. The base POCO F9 Ultra costs PHP 16,000 more than the base POCO F8 Ultra.
| Specification | POCO F9 Ultra | POCO F8 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| OS: | Xiaomi HyperOS 3 | Xiaomi HyperOS 3 |
| Network: | Dual SIM | 5G | Dual SIM | 5G |
| Connectivity: | Bluetooth 6.0 | Wi-Fi 7 | NFC | Bluetooth 6.0 | Wi-Fi 7 | NFC |
| Dimensions: | 163.49 × 77.94 × 8.74mm | 163.33 × 77.82 × 7.9mm |
| Weight: | 235g | 218g |
| Resolution: | 2608 × 1200 | 2608 × 1200 |
| Refresh Rate: | Up to 185Hz | Up to 120Hz |
| Screen Size & Display: | 6.9-inch ultra-bright AMOLED display | 6.9-inch eye-care AMOLED display |
| Chipset: | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 |
| Graphics: | Adreno GPU + VisionBoost D8 dedicated graphics chip | Adreno GPU |
| RAM: | 12GB / 16GB LPDDR5X | 12GB / 16GB LPDDR5X |
| Storage: | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB UFS 4.1 | 256GB / 512GB UFS 4.1 |
| Rear Camera: | 200MP main (OIS) + 50MP periscope telephoto (OIS) + 50MP ultra-wide | 50MP main (OIS) + 50MP periscope telephoto (OIS) + 50MP ultra-wide |
| Front Camera: | 32MP | 32MP |
| Battery & Charging: | 8050mAh | 100W wired | 50W wireless | 27W wired reverse | 22.5W wireless reverse | 6500mAh | 100W wired | 50W wireless | 22.5W reverse charging |
| Color/s: | Black, Dark Cherry | Black, Denim Blue |
The POCO F9 Ultra offers clear hardware upgrades over its predecessor. It has a faster 185Hz display, a 200MP main camera, a larger 8050mAh battery, and a dedicated VisionBoost D8 graphics chip.
However, the POCO F8 Ultra remains competitive because it uses the same Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, has a capable triple 50MP camera system, a 6500mAh battery, and 100W charging at a much lower price.
Overall, the POCO F9 Ultra is the more feature-packed device, but the POCO F8 Ultra may offer better value for users who want flagship performance without spending significantly more.
The choice mainly comes down to whether the larger battery, faster display, upgraded camera hardware, and dedicated graphics chip justify the higher price. Which one would you choose?
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