POCO F9 Ultra and F9 Pro phones have arrived in the Czech Republic! They feature a 200MP camera, insane performance, and plenty of RAM at attractive prices

The POCO F8 series arrived in the Czech Republic on December 2, 2025. Nine months have passed since then, which is roughly the time it takes for a phone to get its first proper discount. Instead, Xiaomi is sending a successor to the market. The POCO F9 Ultra and F9 Pro are based on the Chinese Redmi K100 Pro Max and K100 Pro, bringing a 200Mpx sensor, an ultrasonic fingerprint reader, and for the top model, a battery that wouldn’t have fit in a phone last year. But the most interesting thing about the entire series is its timing.

Nine months per generation. POCO made it into the window before the new Snapdragon

The press release generally speaks of Qualcomm’s latest top-tier platforms and immediately adds the result: 4,165,108 points in AnTuTu, the highest score in the brand’s history. POCO measured it itself, in internal laboratories, in AnTuTu V11.1.1 at approximately 25 °C. And it belongs exclusively to the Ultra model.

The top model is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, precisely the chipset that last year’s F8 Ultra already had. The same goes for the second VisionBoost D8 chip, which appeared in the Ultra series just last year. In terms of performance, it’s a wash after nine months — but POCO had no choice. Qualcomm confirmed that it will introduce the newer Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 on September 22 at its annual summit in Hawaii, three weeks after the launch of this series. Gen 5 is simply the best available right now.

However, this is precisely the information you, as a buyer, should have. The POCO F9 Ultra arrives at the very end of its chip generation’s lifecycle. According to available information, the first phones with Gen 6 should arrive by the end of September, with the Xiaomi 18 series being mentioned first. However, they will be in a completely different price category, so it may not be a relevant alternative for POCO’s target audience. But shortening the generational cycle from the usual year to nine months makes sense in this light — POCO fit into a window that will close in a few weeks.

For the cheaper model, on the other hand, a real generational leap occurred. Last year, the POCO F8 Pro ran on an older Snapdragon 8 Elite and had no dedicated image chip at all. The F9 Pro received the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in the V Series variant (SM8850-1-AB) along with VisionBoost D8. The Oryon cores jumped from the second generation at 4.32 GHz to the third at 4.6 GHz, plus a second chip was added.

And now to what “V Series” means, because the name leads to a wrong conclusion. It’s not last year’s Snapdragon 8 Elite nor any older generation. It’s this year’s chip, for which Qualcomm disabled part of the graphics. According to its own product sheet, the Adreno 840 in the V Series version has two compute blocks instead of three and 12 MB of cache instead of 18 MB, while the processor, modem, image signal processor, and neural unit remain untouched. It debuted in the Chinese Redmi K100 Pro, precisely the model from which the F9 Pro is derived.

The rest is common to both models. VisionBoost D8 is manufactured using a 12nm process and simultaneously handles super resolution, frame interpolation, and Game HDR. It also features so-called Dual-core Visuals for image enhancement outside of games, but exclusively in YouTube and Netflix applications. Memory is handled by LPDDR5X with a throughput of 9,600 Mb/s and UFS 4.1 storage.

185 FPS sounds great, but…

The main marketing number for the entire series is 185 frames per second. Compared to the usual 120 FPS, this is an additional 65 frames; according to POCO, an individual frame is rendered 35% faster, and the interval between frames is shortened by 3 milliseconds. In competitive shooters, this theoretically means you’ll see your opponent a split second sooner.

The practical reach is narrower than it first appears. Natively, just over twenty games support this value, with another five reaching it via frame interpolation — namely PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty: Mobile, or Garena Delta Force. And the AI Super resolution feature is currently limited to five titles: Call of Duty, Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and PUBG Mobile.

The rest of the gaming features look solid. The instantaneous touch sampling rate reaches 4,800 Hz (activated in Game Turbo mode), the ten-point rate is 480 Hz, and the gyroscope handles 200 Hz. However, the latter feature will only arrive with an OTA update during September, and as with other figures, it applies to selected games. Heat is dissipated by a vapor chamber; in the Pro, it’s called POCO 3D IceLoop, while the Ultra features a dual-layer design.

Ten thousand nits in the headline, 850 in practice

Both models have made significant advancements here. Last year’s F8 series had 120 Hz panels, while the F9 goes up to 185 Hz. The displays are branded POCO HyperRGB and utilize a full RGB subpixel structure, which, according to the manufacturer, should deliver an image comparable to 2K resolution with lower power consumption. The F9 Ultra has a 6.9″ panel with a resolution of 2608 × 1200 pixels, the F9 Pro a 6.59″ panel with a resolution of 2510 × 1156.

A new feature is the M11 panel, which, according to POCO, has increased the efficiency of the green emitter by 20% compared to the previous generation. This leads to the marketing figures: 4,500 nits of peak brightness and 10,000 nits for HDR content.

However, it’s necessary to read further here, as the specifications also state values that were not mentioned in the press release. The first 4,500 nits apply at 25% APL, i.e., when a quarter of the display area is lit. Ten thousand nits correspond to one percent of the area — in practice, a brief highlight in an image. The truly important figures are different: a typical brightness of 850 nits and 2,200 nits in high brightness mode in direct sunlight. The panel’s contrast is 5,000,000:1, color depth is 12 bits, and Dolby Vision and HDR10+ are also present.

Eye protection is handled by the Xiaomi Vision Care suite with quadruple TÜV Rheinland certification — low blue light, flicker-free, circadian mode, and intelligent eye care. A minimum brightness of one nit will be appreciated for night reading.

The more expensive model has a plastic back, the cheaper one glass

The POCO F9 Ultra has a glass laminate back and a metal frame, while the F9 Pro combines a glass back with a metal mid-frame. For a pair where the Ultra is three thousand more expensive, this is an unconventional division of roles — although composite is lighter and more drop-resistant than glass, so it is justifiable.

The models also differ visually in their backs. The Ultra has a dynamic light on the camera module that reacts to calls, notifications, music, and gaming, and is sold in Dark Cherry and Black colors. The F9 Pro in the Aurora Green variant received a luminescent back cover that glows evenly in the dark after being exposed to sunlight or artificial light. You can draw your own patterns on it with a blue-violet laser pointer, but that is sold separately. Besides green, the Pro is available in white and black.

Dimensionally, the Ultra is a noticeably larger device: 163.5 × 77.9 × 8.74 mm and 235 grams compared to 157.5 × 75.3 × 8.79 mm and 206 grams for the Pro. Both models feature Gorilla Glass 7i, IP68 resistance, and — a welcome improvement over last year — an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint reader instead of an optical one. The system is Xiaomi HyperOS 3, and connectivity includes Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, and dual eSIM support.

8,050 mAh and fast charging

Here’s the biggest generational leap. The POCO F9 Ultra has a battery with a typical capacity of 8,050 mAh, the most in the history of the F series — last year’s F8 Ultra had 6,500 mAh. The increase is due to a 16% silicon and carbon content in the cell, which increases energy density without a corresponding increase in volume. POCO promises up to two days of operation, again based on its own simulated scenario. The F9 Pro manages with 6,330 mAh compared to 6,210 mAh in its predecessor, virtually unchanged, and offers all-day endurance.

Charging is identical for both models: 100 W wired and 50 W wireless, plus reverse charging at 27 W wired and 22.5 W wireless. POCO only provides specific times for the Pro — it reaches 50% in 19 minutes wired and 35 minutes on a wireless station, in both cases with the display off and fast mode manually activated. For the Ultra, with its significantly larger battery, we’ll await measurements in a review.

200Mpx twice, ultrawide lens only once properly

The camera, alongside the display, is the second area where a year-on-year shift truly occurred. Both last year’s F8 models had a 50Mpx main sensor, while the F9 deploys a 200Mpx chip with an f/1.68 aperture, optical stabilization, six-element optics, and 16:1 pixel binning to achieve a final two micrometers. This is a premiere for the POCO brand. A dedicated full-resolution mode allows for later cropping and recomposing of the image. The selfie camera in both cases is 32 Mpx.

Differences begin with the zoom. The F9 Ultra has a 50Mpx periscope telephoto lens with a 120mm equivalent, meaning 5x optical zoom, with stabilization and an f/3.0 aperture. Additionally, it offers 10x lossless and 20x AI Ultra Zoom. The F9 Pro offers a 50Mpx telephoto lens with a 60mm equivalent (2.5x), but with a brighter f/2.0 aperture and a floating lens design that allows focusing from as close as ten centimeters. In practice, it can also serve as a macro lens.

And then there’s the third lens, where the paths diverge the most. While the Ultra has a full-fledged 50Mpx ultrawide camera, the F9 Pro stuck with 8 Mpx with an f/2.25 aperture — exactly like last year. Ultrawide lenses are traditionally the weakest link in cheaper flagships, but eight megapixels is stingy even by that standard, especially for an eighteen-thousand-crown phone. Both setups support Live cinematography with automatic focus transitions.

Insane Bose speakers

The collaboration with Bose continues. The POCO F9 Ultra combines a pair of 1115D stereo speakers with a dedicated 1620 subwoofer, creating a true 2.1-channel system. The Pro relies on a pair of 1115F super-linear speakers in a sealed chamber. Both models feature a three-element microphone array, Dolby Atmos, and Hi-Res Audio certification.

Two software profiles are available — Dynamic with an emphasis on bass and Balanced with more balanced reproduction. A new feature is the Game audio mode, which enhances the sound of footsteps and separates individual layers of in-game sounds. This will also arrive with an update during September and is only supported by selected titles.

12 GB RAM as standard. This year, it’s not a given

On paper, a configuration of 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage for a flagship phone is boring. In 2026, it’s not so boring anymore. Mobile memory prices skyrocketed this year after data center operators reserved most of the manufacturing capacity for artificial intelligence. According to available analyses, LPDDR5X increased in price by tens of percent in the second quarter alone, and manufacturers are reacting in the simplest possible way — by cutting back.

The mid-range is returning to eight gigabytes, even though it was heading towards twelve last year. For flagships, 12 GB remains the standard, but sixteen-gigabyte variants are disappearing from offerings, and some brands are completely discontinuing the cheapest memory configurations. In this context, the fact that POCO hasn’t cut back anywhere and offers a 16 GB + 512 GB version for the Ultra (globally even 16 GB + 1 TB) is a competitive advantage. It just makes you pay for it elsewhere.

However, for the cheaper model, the ceiling is lower than expected. The F9 Pro is only produced with 12 GB of RAM, albeit in two storage variants — the manufacturer ultimately does not offer the sixteen-gigabyte version mentioned in the August leak. Furthermore, only the 12 GB + 256 GB configuration is coming to the Czech Republic.

Pro, or Ultra? Overview of Differences

	POCO F9 Pro	POCO F9 Ultra
Chipset	Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 V Series	Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
Display	6.59″, 2510 × 1156, 185 Hz	6.9″, 2608 × 1200, 185 Hz
Memory (CZ)	12 + 256 GB	12 + 256 GB, 16 + 512 GB
Main camera	200 Mpx, f/1.68, OIS	200 Mpx, f/1.68, OIS
Telephoto lens	50 Mpx, 60 mm (2.5×), floating	50 Mpx, 120 mm (5×), periscope
Ultrawide	8 Mpx, f/2.25	50 Mpx, f/2.4
Battery	6,330 mAh	8,050 mAh
Audio	stereo 1115F, Bose	stereo 1115D + subwoofer 1620, Bose
Back panel	glass	glass laminate
Dimensions and weight	157.5 × 75.3 × 8.79 mm, 206 g	163.5 × 77.9 × 8.74 mm, 235 g

Czech prices and the question of who will benefit from the upgrade

Sales of both models start today, September 1, 2026, at 2:45 PM. An introductory offer with a discount of up to CZK 2,500 is valid until September 20.

Model	Variant	Recommended price	Introductory price
POCO F9 Pro	12 GB + 256 GB	CZK 18,299	CZK 16,999
POCO F9 Ultra	12 GB + 256 GB	CZK 21,499	CZK 18,999
POCO F9 Ultra	16 GB + 512 GB	CZK 23,999	CZK 21,499

The year-on-year comparison is merciless. The POCO F8 Pro started last December at CZK 15,499 with an introductory price of CZK 12,799, so the F9 Pro has increased by CZK 2,800 in regular price and by a full CZK 4,200 in the introductory price. For the Ultra in the 16/512 GB configuration, it went from CZK 21,999 to CZK 23,999, and the introductory price rose from CZK 18,299 to CZK 21,499. Nine months, two to four thousand more.

The difference lies in what each model adds for the money. For an additional CZK 2,800, the F9 Pro received a newer processor generation, a second VisionBoost D8 chip, a display upgraded from 120 to 185 Hz, and the main sensor from 50 to 200 Mpx. This is a solid upgrade where the price jump justifies itself.

For the Ultra, the equation is tighter. The chipset and auxiliary image processor remain identical to last year’s, so there’s no performance shift. For an extra two thousand, you’re buying a battery that’s 1,550 mAh larger, four times the resolution on the main sensor, a faster panel, and an ultrasonic reader.

One comparison clearly favors POCO. An August leak spoke of starting prices of 799 and 999 euros, roughly CZK 19,700 and CZK 24,700. The actual Czech price of the F9 Pro is more than a thousand crowns lower than that prediction, and the Ultra with its introductory discount is also lower. The full European surcharge did not arrive this year — the price increase has a different reason, and it’s called DRAM.

With purchases through official Xiaomi channels, a three-month YouTube Premium, four-month Spotify Premium, three months of Google AI Pro, and one free display replacement during the first six months are included.

The remaining calculation is for everyone to make themselves. The outgoing POCO F8 Ultra can be bought on the Czech market today for under CZK 16,000 — with the same chipset as the new Ultra, just with a smaller battery, slower display, and a 50Mpx main sensor. Five thousand difference for a battery, camera, and an extra 65 frames per second. And if performance is your primary concern, it’s worth considering waiting until the end of September when the first phones with the new Snapdragon arrive — albeit at a significantly higher price point.

Would you rather take the new Ultra, or the discounted POCO F8?

Sources: POCO (press release and official specifications), Xiaomi CZ