Some devices are fated to be always discussed in the context of others. The Poco M6 Pro 5G is one of those. This is a review of the Poco M6 Pro 5G (henceforth referred to as the Poco M6 Pro, for simplicity), but it is almost impossible to talk of it without referring to the Redmi 12 5G. And with good reason.

Both phones hit the market within days of each other. Both claim to make 5G mainstream in India by giving the consumer a device that lets them access 5G at a decent speed without compromising on performance. They are priced within touching distance of each other. And in terms of spec sheets, they are like brothers from the same mother. Which they actually are – both have the same parent brand. But is Poco M6 Pro nothing but a rebranded Redmi 12 5G, and more importantly, is it worth a buy? Let us find out.

Poco M6 Pro 5G design: Looks like a Poco, and nothing like the Redmi 12 5G

There may be a number of similarities between the two phones, but in terms of appearance, there is absolutely NO similarity between the Poco M6 Pro and the Redmi 12 5G. While the Redmi 12 5G comes with an elegant Crystal Glass design, the Poco M6 Pro sticks to its Poco roots. Like many Poco devices, the Poco M6 Pro too comes with a very distinct, dark rectangular camera bar running along the top of a flat back, with Poco branding on it. We got the forest green variant with a black camera bar. You also get a jet-black variant of the phone which is relatively more sober, but if you want something that will stand out, we would go with the forest green variant. Curiously, there’s no Poco Yellow variant of the M6 Pro.

The front of the phone is routine – a 6.79-inch tall display with a punch hole notch, narrow bezels, but a rather pronounced chin. The sides are straight and contain the ports and buttons. The front is Gorilla Glass 3, the back is glass, and the sides are plastic, although with a metallic sheen. The phone comes with an IP53 rating.

The Poco M6 Pro is a smart-looking phone for its segment and very typically Poco, although it lacks the elegance of the Redmi 12 5G and does not look quite as premium. It is a bit on the large side, but not too heavy. The only time it reminds you of the Redmi 12 5G is when you actually look at its proportions and weight, which are almost the same as the Redmi 12 5G: 168.6 mm x 76.28 mm x 8.17 mm and 199 grams.

Poco M6 Pro 5G specs: Cloning the Redmi 12 5G?

The Poco M6 Pro might look nothing like the Redmi 12 5G but is specced pretty much everything like it. The display is a 6.79-inch FHD+ LCD display with 90 Hz refresh rate, the processor is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 (making this the second phone in India to sport the chip), the cameras 50-megapixel and 2-megapixel on the back and 8-megapixel in front, and the battery a 5000 mAh one with support for 18W fast charging, with a 22.5 W charger in the box. You also get MIUI 14 on top of Android 13, dual SIM 5G connectivity, expandable storage of up to 1 TB using one of the hybrid SIM slots, and an infrared port.

The only major spec difference between the two phones is in terms of RAM and storage variants – the Poco M6 Pro has a 4 GB/ 64 GB variant, which the Redmi 12 5G lacks. It also has a 6 GB / 128 GB variant but no 4 GB/ 128 GB one. Another difference is the fact that the Poco M6 Pro comes with an update commitment of 2 major Android updates and 3 years of security updates, which the Redmi 12 Pro 5G did not have at the time of writing.

Poco M6 Pro 5G performance: Just like the Redmi 12 Pro, which is good!

With an almost similar spec sheet, it is hardly surprising that the performance of the Poco M6 Pro is close to a carbon copy of the Redmi 12 5G. And that is just fine in our book, considering how well that phone works as a daily driver. The Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 is not meant for high-end gaming but breezes through regular tasks like browsing the web, social media, and messaging without any problems. It also multi-tasks smoothly, as long as you do not overburden it with too many apps.

The main camera will take decent shots in good light conditions but is not too good in low light ones. The selfie camera is similar. Both deliver acceptable rather than exceptional video, and the selfie camera is good for video calls. And yes, video calls are super smooth because this phone handles 5G very well indeed – it worked on both our Airtel and Jio SIMs without a hitch.

The display is great for watching and reading content, and the single speaker is impressive in terms of volume. Want more and better audio? There’s a 3.5 mm audio jack! That 5000 mAh battery will see out a day and a half of normal use and with a bit of care, will get you through 2 days. MIUI 14 comes with a number of features and apps, and while the stock Android crowd might hate this, a number of mainstream users like getting phones with plenty on them right out of the box. Poco’s commitment to software and security updates is definitely a big positive.

All of which sounds a lot like the Redmi 12 5G. But given how good that phone is, that is hardly a bad thing.

Poco M6 Pro 5G pricing: Undercutting the Redmi 12 5G by cutting the storage

The Poco M6 Pro comes with the following price tags:

• 4 GB/ 64 GB : Rs 10,999
• 6 GB / 128 GB: Rs 12,999

This is slightly lower than the starting price of the Redmi 12 5G, which starts at Rs 11,999. The difference is that the Redmi 12 5G starts with a 4GB/ 128 GB variant, so you get an extra 64 GB for the extra Rs 1,000. It gets interesting in the 6 GB /128 GB variant, which both phones have – with the Redmi 12 5G being Rs 500 more expensive than the Poco M6 Pro, and this time not having anything to show for it. Of course, the Redmi 12 5G also has an 8 GB/ 128 GB variant, which the Poco M6 Pro does not (at the time of writing). All said and done, the Poco M6 Pro is more affordable than the Redmi 12 5G.

Poco M6 Pro Review Verdict: Should you buy it?

If you are on a really tight budget and want a good 5G phone, then the Poco M6 Pro might be your best option right now. At Rs 10,999, it starts at a lower price than the Redmi 12 5G, although with lesser storage. It also comes with a slightly more edgy design, and well, those software update assurances are a handy bonus. There are some who would simply term this as a 4 GB/ 64 GB version of the Redmi 12 5G, and we can see where they are coming from.

We think it is a great option for consumers who find even the base Redmi 12 5G a little out of their reach or maybe just want more RAM and storage at a lower price – even the 6 GB/ 128 GB version of the Poco M6 Pro has a slightly lower price tag than its Redmi 12 5G counterpart. Yes, there are other phones in the mix, too, most notably the recently launched Samsung Galaxy F14, but we really think the budget 5G star wars right now is in the attack of the clone mode. We cannot see consumers complaining. We are not.

Buy Poco M6 Pro