Poco F6 Pro vs Google Pixel 8a: How do the mid-rangers compare?

May 23, 2024

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Xiaomi has just revealed its mid-range superstar, the Poco F6 Pro, but how does it compare to the popular Google Pixel 8a?

It’s easy to assume that, like much of the mid-range competition, the Google Pixel 8a will outshine the Poco F6 Pro with its AI-infused Tensor G3 chipset, advanced camera and editing features and clean approach to Android 14, but that’s not the case here.

In fact, Xiaomi has come out fighting with the Poco F6 Pro, sporting a specsheet you’d usually associate with a premium if not flagship-level, smartphone, including a 6.67-inch WQHD+ screen, Snapdragon 8-series power and rapid 125W HyperCharge capabilities.

With that said, here’s how the Poco F6 Pro and Google Pixel 8a compare on paper.

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The Poco F6 Pro has a larger, higher-res screen

When it comes to display tech, it seems like the Poco F6 Pro has the upper hand.

It’s not only larger than the Pixel 8a’s 6.1-inch screen at 6.67 inches, but it’s packed with premium tech like a pixel-packed WQHD+ (3200 x 1440) resolution, a smooth 120Hz refresh rate and support for 12-bit colour. It’s also pretty bright with a peak brightness of 4000nits, and with a 2160Hz touch sample rate, it should feel pretty responsive when gaming too.

The Pixel 8a’s screen is an improvement on that of its predecessor, offering upgrades in the form of a 120Hz refresh rate and the Actua screen tech from the Pixel 8 that delivers 2000nits peak brightness, but it’s not exactly a premium screen.

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The bezels are incredibly thick compared to the Poco F6 Pro, it caps out at an FHD+ resolution and its smaller size means it’s not quite as good for playing games or watching movies as the F6 Pro could be.

The Poco F6 Pro also comes with flagship-level features like 3840Hz PWM dimming that help it stand out not only compared to the Pixel 8a but much of the mid-range competition.

The Google Pixel 8a has an AI-infused operating system

One of the biggest draws of the Pixel 8a compared to much of the mid-range competition is its use of artificial intelligence, borrowing functionality from the flagship-level Pixel 8 range in the process.

That means that the Pixel 8a is capable of boosting camera performance with AI modes like Super Res Zoom and Night Sight, as well as providing advanced editing tools like Best Take that’ll try its best to make sure everyone’s smiling in a group photo, and it brings the generative-powered Magic Editor to more people too.

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It’s not just in the camera department either; the Android 14 OS as a whole is packed with AI-powered features, from the real-time transcription of voice notes in the Recorder app to Assistant-powered call screening and much more.

The Poco F6 Pro, on the other hand, only has limited AI capabilities at launch, limited to elements like the Ultra Night mode algorithm. It’s nowhere near as pervasive as Google’s implementation.

Both are fairly evenly matched in the performance department

When it comes to processing power, the Poco F6 Pro and Google Pixel 8a should be fairly evenly matched – and that’s saying something, considering the Pixel 8a shares the same Tensor G3 chipset as the flagship Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.

That’s because the Poco F6 Pro is one of few smartphones to sport the new Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset. It’s not quite as powerful as the regular Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the choice of chipset for 2024 flagships, but it’s not too far off either.

That’s an important distinction because the Tensor G3 chipset isn’t designed to be a performance beast like equivalent Snapdragon chipsets, meaning that even with a ‘proper’ flagship chip, the two should be on a par – though we’ll have to wait until we benchmark the Poco F6 Pro to say for sure.

The Poco F6 Pro also features more RAM, at 12- and 16GB, and offers storage options up to 1TB, while the Pixel 8a comes with just 8GB RAM and up to 256GB storage. This could further give the Poco F6 Pro an advantage in performance.

The Poco F6 Pro has 125W HyperCharge capabilities

Another area where the Poco F6 Pro pulls away from the Google Pixel 8a is in the charging department; despite the fact that the F6 Pro has a larger 5000mAh battery compared to the Pixel’s 4492mAh cell, the Poco F6 Pro can achieve much faster charge times.

That’s because it offers support for Xiaomi’s 125W HyperCharge tech, with a 125W charger in the box to take advantage of the speeds from day one. It’s claimed that the charging tech can deliver a full 100% charge in just 19 minutes, but we’ll have to double-check those claims once we fully review the phone.

The Pixel 8a, on the other hand, has relatively slow 18W charging that, in our review, we found would take just shy of two hours to regain a full charge. That’s 6x slower than the Poco, in theory at least.

Both cost the same price

You might assume that, given the impressive hardware from the Poco F6 Pro, it’s more expensive than the Pixel 8a, but that’s not actually the case. Instead, both the Poco F6 Pro and Pixel 8a start at the same £499, though you can currently pick up the F6 Pro for just £449 as part of Xiaomi’s Early Bird sale until 30 May.