Poco X6 Neo Review: Truly, deeply, madly value for money

It started out as a Xiaomi sub-brand, but the past year has seen Poco come out from Xiaomi’s (and Redmi’s) shadow and emerge as a full-fledged brand in its own right. In fact, Poco was the fastest-growing smartphone brand in the country in 2023 as per IDC with an annual growth rate in excess of 50 percent. A key reason for this explosive growth has been devices that deliver very good performance and great specs at surprisingly affordable prices, with some funky design (that Poco yellow!) thrown in for good measure.

The brand’s latest phone, the Poco X6 Neo 5G, follows this blueprint. It brings some very good specs, combines them with a ‘made of mad’ eye-catching design, and serves it all up at a price of Rs 15,999, making it a headache for devices priced slightly above and as well as slightly below it!

Poco X6 Neo design and appearance: Truly, deeply, madly, Martian-ly Orange!

It may be the most affordable of the Poxco X6 series, but the Poco X6 Neo is also the most striking of the series as well in terms of appearance. The phone comes with the flat, straight sides and back that are so popular these days and have been seen in the Poco X6 and Poco X6, but it was the Martian Orange shade of our unit that was incredibly eye-catching. It is a very rich custard-like shade, more golden yellow than orange, and in a very neat touch, the sides are of the same shade as well.

The camera unit on the back is rectangular and in the form of a transparent sheet with Poco branding on the upper part of the back. The phone is also available in black and blue, but it is the orange shade that really stands out and is definitely very pleasing to the eye. The front has the classic tall display that is pretty much the rule these days, but in a neat touch, it comes with Gorilla Glass 5 protection, which is relatively rare in this segment. The phone also has IP54 dust and splash resistance, which is handy at this price point.

At 161.1 mm, the Poco X6 Neo is a tall phone, but at 7.69 mm, it is remarkably slim and not too heavy at 175 mm when one considers it has a 5000 mAh battery. The back and sides are plastic, but it is their shade (particularly the orange one) that makes the phone stand out from the crowd.

Poco X6 Neo hardware and specs: Some premium touches at a budget price

The Poco X6 Neo comes with a very solid budget mid-segment spec sheet. One of the highlights of the phone is undoubtedly its bright (for its price) 6.67-inch AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate. Running its show is the very mid-segment MediaTek Dimensity 6080 processor, with RAM and storage variants of 8 GB/ 128 GB and a rather less common 12 GB/ 256 GB, with the option to expand the storage up to 1 TB using a hybrid SIM slot on the device. Another spec plus is a 108-megapixel main sensor, although its sheen is somewhat dimmed by what seems a largely superficial 2-megapixel depth sensor (why even have it?). Selfies are handled by a 16-megapixel camera in front.

Rather surprisingly, there are no stereo speakers on the phone, although you do get a 3.5 mm audio jack. In spite of being so slim, the Poco F6 Neo packs in a 5000 mAh battery and has support for 33W charging and a 33W charger in the box as well. The phone was initially released with MIUI 14 on top of Android 13, but rather impressively, it has been updated to Xiaomi’s much-talked-of HyperOS with Android 14 within a month of hitting the market. The absence of stereo speakers is a bit of a downer, but that apart, the Poco X6 Neo ticks all the spec boxes in its segment.

Poco X6 Neo Camera: Main sensor magic

As its specs indicate, the Poco X6 Neo’s camera performance really boils down to that main sensor on the back. The 108-megapixel camera not only delivers some very good images in terms of colors and details but also brings a very handy 3x lossless ‘in sensor’ zoom to the photography table.

The camera’s performance was a little inconsistent initially, but it has improved significantly ever since the phone got the HyperOS update. It lacks OIS but is still one of the best at its price point, especially when you consider how well it performs in low-light conditions.

Video quality is decent, too, but there is no support for 4K videos. The front camera clicks some good selfies and, unlike those seen on other devices in its price segment, does not go crazy smoothing and whitening your skin unless you turn on beauty features. You will notice that we have said nothing about the 2-megapixel macro camera. Well, that is because there is nothing really worth saying about it – it exists and has to be tolerated rather than used.

Poco X6 Neo gaming and performance: This beauty is not a gaming beast but is a super daily driver

It boasts a very good display, and its single speaker delivers impressively good sound, but that mid-segment chip means that the Poco X6 Neo is no gaming monster. It will handle casual games easily enough and even do a good job with something like Alto’s Odyssey, but get into the likes of Genshin Impact, Call of Duty, Asphalt, or EA Sports Soccer. You will need to start tweaking graphics settings and, even then, put up with the odd lag.

In other regards, though, the Poco X6 Neo sails through daily tasks with ease. Be it social networking, web browsing, mail, or messaging, the Poco X6 Neo handled them all without any problems whatsoever. The display is great for reading and viewing content, and there is plenty of RAM to ensure that we can run multiple apps without any trouble. We missed stereo speakers when we were watching shows, although the 3.5 mm audio jack compensated to a certain extent by letting us use wired headphones (yes, we have not given ours up yet). The fingerprint sensor on the power button on the side worked smoothly enough, and the call quality was very good. Xiaomi’s HyperOS works very smoothly on the phone, and although there is some bloatware, you can get rid of it easily enough. All said and done, the Poco X6 Neo is a classic daily driver for those who want strong smartphone basics.

Poco X6 Neo battery life and charging: Big battery and quick (but not crazy fast charging)

The Poco X6 Neo comes with a surprisingly large 5000 mAh battery, given its slim frame and relatively light weight. And while the battery performance initially was a little iffy, getting us through a day at the most, it has improved dramatically after the HyperOS/Android 14 update and now gives us a day and a half of usage quite regularly. The phone comes with support for 33W charging and a 33W adapter in the box. This charges the phone to about 55-60 percent in the first half an hour and gets it all the way up to 100 percent in a little more than an hour. It is not as insanely quick as some of the others in the segment, but it is certainly more than adequate for most users and is hardly a deal breaker.

Poco X6 Neo price: Floating in that Rs 14,000 – Rs 18,000 zone!

The Poco X6 Neo is available in these RAM and storage variants at these prices:

• 8 GB/ 128 GB: Rs 15,999
• 12 GB/ 256 GB: Rs 17,999

That is extremely competitive and significantly below the Rs 17,999 starting price tag of the Redmi Note 13, which it closely resembles in terms of specs. In fact, you can get a 12 GB/ 256 GB variant of the Poco X6 Neo for the price of a 6 GB/ 128 GB variant of the Redmi Note 13.

Those seeking a good-looking device with decent cameras and a clean interface might be tempted by the Moto G84, which comes with a 12 GB/ 256 GB variant for Rs 17,999 but runs on an old-ish Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chip. Those questing for good performance rather than design might also be swayed by the Samsung Galaxy M34, which remains an excellent option with very good cameras, a bright display, and a massive 6000 mAh battery, and starts at close to Rs 15,500.

However, there is no charger in the box. Perhaps its biggest challenger is the just released Moto G64, which starts at a lower Rs 14,999 and comes with a decent main sensor, a better MediaTek 7025 chip, and a larger 6000 mAh battery, but with a smaller display! You do get the more powerful iQOO Z9 and Poco’s own formidable X6, but those are closer to Rs 20,000 than to Rs 15,000.

Poco X6 Neo Review Verdict: Should you go for it?

At its price of Rs 15,999, the Poco X6 Neo does not face much competition and hits the middle ground between the sub-Rs 14,000 devices, which tend to compromise on display and cameras, the Rs 18,000 and above devices, which have better specs but come with higher price tags. The Poco X6 Neo brings elements like a very eye-catching design, Gorilla Glass 5 protection, and good camera and display from higher price points. While it does cut corners in terms of OIS, stereo speakers, and charging speed, it is perhaps the best phone for Rs 15,999 (lower if you can get the right offers) to buy in the market at the time of writing.

Buy Poco X6 Neo 5G