The verdict from GSMArena’s weekly reader poll, published on September 13, 2026, is clear. Of Poco’s two new flagships, the Poco F9 Ultra is the one people actually want, and some readers said in the comments that they had already bought one. The Poco F9 Pro did respectably, but it sits firmly in its bigger sibling’s shadow. The poll’s other message is just as clear: voters think both phones cost too much.
Both models were announced on September 1, 2026. At launch, the F9 Ultra started at $799 for the 12/256GB version, or $729 at the early bird price. In Europe the same configuration was listed at €1,099.99, or €829.99 for early buyers. The F9 Pro started at $699 ($649 early bird), or €899.99 (€739.99 early bird). GSMArena noted that Poco’s F series regularly gets discounts and promotions, and it expects the F9 generation to follow suit.
Why the Ultra wins
One surprise in the results was how few people would pick last year’s Poco F8 Ultra instead. On paper the upgrade looks modest. Both the F8 Ultra and the F9 Ultra use the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, so raw performance should be the same. But the upgrades the newer phone does get clearly swayed voters:
- a bigger 8,050mAh battery, up from 6,500mAh
- a 200MP main camera instead of a 50MP one
- a 6.9-inch AMOLED display running at 185Hz
- 100W wired and 50W wireless charging
- a 50MP periscope telephoto and a 50MP ultrawide camera
The combination of a huge battery, a flagship chip and a 200MP main sensor makes the Ultra an easy phone to justify, even at its launch price.
The Pro’s weak spots
The F9 Pro’s $650/€740 early bird pricing made a poor first impression. Still, the poll suggests opinions will warm up quickly once discounts arrive. The Pro does get a real chipset upgrade in the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 V Series, which has one fewer GPU core than the full Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. It also shares the 200MP main camera and the 185Hz AMOLED panel, here measuring 6.6 inches.
According to GSMArena, two things hold it back: a relatively weak 2.5x/60mm 50MP telephoto camera and a smallish 6,330mAh battery. With the Ultra only a modest step up in price, many buyers will simply stretch their budget.
Competition from inside the family
Poco’s phones aren’t only competing with each other. GSMArena pointed out that the Xiaomi 17T and 17T Pro are an interesting alternative to their Poco cousins. That gives shoppers weighing the F9 series even more reason to wait for the first price cuts before deciding.
Earlier on GismoLand: Poco F9 Ultra. A 200MP flagship that plays hard and charges fast.
