Poco, the Xiaomi spinoff brand, has unveiled its latest flagship smartphones, the F9 Pro and F9 Ultra, marking its second consecutive year of partnership with audio company Bose. The new devices are positioned for users who want high-performance hardware, with a particular emphasis on loud, high-quality sound and very bright screens. The F9 Ultra is the more feature-rich model, while the F9 Pro offers a similar experience with some downgrades.
The headline feature of the F9 Ultra is its Bose-branded 2.1 sound system, which returns from last year鈥檚 F8 Ultra model. While the two main speakers have been upgraded, the subwoofer itself carries over from the previous generation, though it now sits in a new mount that includes a white LED ring. This light can serve as a notification indicator and pulse in rhythm with music or games, a feature the source notes is more flexible than the limited lighting option found on the new Pixel 11 devices.
The source reporter described the F9 Ultra as the loudest phone they have ever tested, with audio quality that is impressive given the speaker鈥檚 size. While it does not match a dedicated Bluetooth speaker, they said it would suffice for playing music in a hotel room and offers a clear upgrade for gaming or watching video. The phone includes Bose-designed audio profiles, a customizable equalizer, and new support for a Bose game audio engine that can emphasize sounds like enemy footsteps.
The displays are a key selling point for both models. The F9 Ultra has a 6.9-inch OLED screen with a peak brightness of 10,000 nits and a 185Hz refresh rate, though that top speed is only available in compatible games; more than 20 titles, including Clash of Clans and GTA: Liberty City Stories, will support it at launch. The F9 Pro has a similar screen, just slightly smaller at 6.59 inches, with the same brightness and refresh rate specifications.
Under the hood, the F9 Ultra is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, paired with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. It also packs an 8,050mAh silicon-carbon battery with 100W charging. The camera system features a 200-megapixel main sensor, a 50-megapixel 5x periscope telephoto lens, and a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera, and the source noted that Xiaomi鈥檚 image processing should yield strong results.
The F9 Pro is a more stripped-down version, lacking the subwoofer and the notification LED from the Ultra鈥檚 speaker setup. It also has a smaller 6,330mAh battery and lower-spec telephoto and ultrawide cameras. Interestingly, the Pro is powered by the 8 Elite Gen 5 V Series, a binned version of the same chip with slightly reduced performance.
Pricing for the F9 Ultra starts at a flagship-level 1,099.90 euros, which is about $1,275, though an early bird price of 829.90 euros (around $960) is available. The F9 Pro is set at 899.90 euros, or about $1,040, with an initial offer of 739.90 euros, roughly $860. Both devices are promised four years of operating system updates and six years of security support.
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