POCO F9 Pro Unboxing, First Look, Camera Samples - More than gaming?

POCO earlier confirmed that the F9 Series will launch on September 1, 2026, and we had the chance to take a look at it ahead of time.

Meet POCO F9 Pro

The new POCO F9 Pro is a sub-flagship device built for gaming and entertainment. The handset features a near top-of-the-line processor, an extra-smooth refresh rate display, bigger battery capacity, and improved camera numbers, making it a possible decent all-rounder despite being tagged as a gaming and entertainment powerhouse.

This is our first look at the new POCO F9 Pro.

Unboxing/Accessories

The box, the accessories

POCO kept it simple. The handset arrived in a slimmer black and yellow box containing the handset itself, a pre-installed screen protector, a fast-charging-ready Type-A to Type-C cable, and paper documentation.

The reason why the packaging is noticeably lighter is that POCO didn't include a charging brick.

POCO probably thought that you already have a charger lying around at home.

This is honestly such a bummer, as the phone supports up to 100W fast charging, and you will need to spend some cash just to experience its fast charging feature.

Build Quality/Design

The back design

The craftsmanship is top-notch and close to what users will see on the Xiaomi 17. My unit has a stunning metal and glass sandwich construction. 

True flagship build!

The back panel is available in Black, White, and Aurora Green and features a fingerprint-smudge-resistant frosted finish with a velvety feel.

Its upper portion is a large rectangular camera hump reminding us of the iPhone 17 Pro. This bump houses a triple camera configuration, LED flash, and the "Sound by Bose" branding.

The display

In front, it has a flat 6.59-inch AMOLED screen with near symmetrical bezels, which comes with 1.5mm top and side bezels and a 1.68mm bottom bezel. It also has a top-center punch-hole to house its selfie camera.

This is protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass 7i, a toughened protective layer engineered to resist scratches, drops, and everyday wear while keeping the display clear.

The frame is generally metal with a well-machined soft finish.

Top, bottom

Volume key, power key

The phone carries an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. While it falls short of the newer IP69/IP69K standard, it remains a dependable level of protection—and far better than having none at all.

On top, you'll see speaker holes. Below, you'll find the hole to access the SIM tray, a microphone, USB-C port, and the bottom speaker.

The left part is almost clear (only the antenna lines are visible). On the right, there is the volume rocker and power key.

At just 8.79 mm, the handset stays slim yet carries enough heft to feel premium—despite packing a hefty 6,330mAh battery.

Generally, the phone is beautiful, neat, minimalist, and feels premium.

The advertised speed

AnTuTu score of POCO F9 Pro

This phone has some of the smoothest displays on paper right now. I still have to intensively test it, but POCO claims that it has up to an 185Hz refresh rate. Aside from having a crisp 2510 x 1156 resolution, proper upper mid-range AMOLED colors, up to 10,000 nits peak brightness, and a smooth scrolling animation.

Inside, this has a dual-chip combo. First, the 4.61GHz 3nm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, V Series octa-core processor with Adreno GPU. This is a slightly toned-down version of the top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen, which still has ray tracing, mesh shading, and Unreal Engine 5 support

Second, it uses the VisionBoost D8 chip with WildBoost Engine.

Combined, POCO claims that it supports up to 185 FPS gaming, and we are excited to try this out.

The battery is also expected to be tough thanks to its 6,330mAh Si-C. 

First shots

Primary cam, 5x zoom

This phone also has a 200MP f/1.68 HP5 OIS main shooter, up from 50MP last year. Moreover, they also used an improved 50MP f/2.0 JN5 2.5x floating telephoto camera w/ OIS capable of 5x lossless zoom and 60x hybrid digital zoom. 

Surprisingly, good cameras!

The ultra-wide remains at 8MP, and the selfie camera is up from 20MP to 32MP.

2.5x zoom, 5x zoom

So far, shots using its primary camera have plenty of details with warm and rich colors. To my liking, colors are consistent across the ultra-wide, wide, and zoom lenses. Image post-processing loading time after taking the shots is also as quick as my other flagship phones.

24mm, 60mm dim

To some extent, this camera setup might be good enough to satisfy demanding creators who need an emergency backup camera.

We have yet to try its cameras for videos, but it has up to 4K 60fps at the back and 4K 30fps for selfies.

POCO F9 Pro Specs

Display: 6.59-inch Gorilla Glass 7i protected AMOLED screen w/ 185Hz refresh rate, 480Hz touch sampling rate,1.5K 2510 x 1156 resolution at 419 ppi

CPU: 4.61GHz 3nm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, V Series octa-core processor + VisionBoost D8

GPU: Adreno

RAM: 12GB

ROM: 256GB/512GB

Back Camera: 200MP f/1.68 HP5 w/ OIS + 8M f/2.2 8MP OV08F 120-degree ultra-wide camera + 50MP f/2.0 JN5 2.5x floating telephoto camera w/ OIS + LED flash

Selfie Camera: 32MP f/2.2

Battery: 6,330mAh Si-C w/ 100W HyperCharge, 50W Wireless HyperCharge

OS: Android 16 w/ HyperOS 3.1

Connectivity: WiFi 7, 5G, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, GPS (L1 + L5), dual SIM (eSIM support)

Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic

Others: Ultrasonic In-Display fingerprint sensor, face unlock, IP68 dust and water resistance, dual symmetrical 1115F speakers, cooling system, X-axis linear vibration motor, USB-C, Colors: Black, White, Aurora Green

Dimensions: 8.79 mm slim

Weight: 206 g

Price: TBC

Quick thoughts

This handset feels premium and well‑built with a slim metal‑glass design, Gorilla Glass 7i protection, and IP68 resistance.

So far, the 6.59‑inch AMOLED display is bright, smooth, and responsive, while the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 V Series chip paired with VisionBoost D8 promises serious gaming performance.

The 6,330mAh battery is hefty, though the missing 100W charger in the box is a letdown. 

Cameras look promising too, with a 200MP main shooter, improved telephoto, and upgraded selfie cam delivering detailed, vibrant shots.

Overall, it’s shaping up as a powerful all‑rounder with gaming at its core.

The POCO F9 Series will officially debut on September 1, 2026, with early registrants receiving 100 points and a PHP 1,000 coupon.

Buyers can also take advantage of exclusive launch offers, including three‑month trials of YouTube Premium and Google AI Pro, a one‑time screen replacement or repair service valid within 12 months, and a 10% coupon for new users.

On top of these, the package sweetens further with a Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Active worth PHP 1,549 and Redmi Buds 6 Play valued at PHP 600.

Watch out for our full review.