Realme 12 Pro vs Poco X6 Pro: Which One to Buy?

Realme 12 Pro (Review) is Realme’s latest mid-ranger to launch in India. However, it joined the party at a time when there were plenty of other alternatives to choose from. In January this year, we also saw new phones from Poco and Xiaomi that offer similar or better features than the Realme 12 Pro. Poco launched the Poco X6 series, whereas Xiaomi unveiled the Redmi Note 13 Pro lineup. Today, we’ll compare the Realme 12 Pro 5G with the Poco X6 Pro (Review) to find out which is better.

Realme 12 Pro vs Poco X6 Pro price in India

The Realme 12 Pro is available in two variants in India. The 8GB RAM + 128GB storage option is priced at Rs. 25,999, whereas the 8GB RAM + 256GB storage version is available at Rs. 26,999.

Meanwhile, the Poco X6 Pro starts at Rs. 26,999 for the variant with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. However, the Poco is also available in a 12GB RAM + 512GB storage option, costing you Rs. 28,999.

And already, the Poco X6 Pro seems like a better deal since you get double the storage on the base variant. The Realme 12 Pro also doesn’t offer expandable storage. In 2024, many consumers prefer having at least 256GB storage in the base variant, especially if there’s no expandable storage.

Realme 12 Pro vs Poco X6 Pro design and display

I’m not going to waste a lot of time here telling you which one does better in the design department. The Realme 12 Pro is the clear winner thanks to its beautiful vegan leather finish rear panel and the luxury watch-inspired camera module. The Poco X6 Pro by no means has a bad design, but it’s just not as good-looking as the Realme phone. However, both phones do look more expensive than they are despite using plastic for the frame and back panel.

The Realme 12 Pro is also more comfortable to hold in hand thanks to its dual curved design. The vegan leather finish on the phone helps keep the fingerprints and smudges off, which I can’t say for the Poco phone. Again, the Poco X6 Pro isn’t bad; honestly, I prefer the flat display on the Poco.

Coming to the display, this is where the tables turn. The Poco X6 Pro has a better display that is sharper and brighter. It has a 6.67-inch AMOLED flat panel with a 1.5K resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and a high brightness mode of 1,200 nits. The screen is also protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 5.

Meanwhile, the Realme 12 Pro, while it does boast a larger 6.7-inch AMOLED display, the panel offers full-HD+ resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, 500 nits HBM(high brightness mode), and HDR10 support. The Realme 12 Pro doesn’t get any Gorilla Glass protection, but the company claims that the phone features a 0.55mm double-reinforced glass over the panel.

Realme 12 Pro vs Poco X6 Pro performance and software

In terms of specifications, the Realme 12 Pro has a 4nm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 SoC and runs Android 14-based Realme UI 5.0 out-of-the-box. It gets a maximum of 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. The phone performs quite well in day-to-day tasks, but it’s not a performance beast. Yes, you can play games on the phone, but not on the highest settings, and you will notice some lag during long gaming sessions. On AnTuTu, the phone scores 5,90,047 points with the performance mode enabled. You can also add up to 8GB VRAM using the Dynamic RAM feature.

Poco X6 Pro is equipped with a MediaTek Dimensity 8300 Ultra SoC

Meanwhile, the Poco X6 Pro has an excellent price-to-performance ratio. It is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8300 Ultra SoC paired with up to 12GB RAM and 512GB storage. The phone runs Android 14-based HyperOS out-of-the-box. The phone received a score of 14,37,717 on AnTuTu, almost double the Realme phone. This can be experienced when you game and use the phone for daily tasks. It’s much smoother and faster compared to the Realme phone.

Both phones also feature an in-display fingerprint scanner, dual stereo speakers, and a USB Type-C port. However, the Poco X6 Pro also gets an Infrared blaster, and the speakers are louder with slightly more bass.

Now, coming to the software, both phones run Android 14-based UI’s but come with plenty of bloatware. Plenty of customisation options are available on the Realme 12 Pro and the Poco X6 Pro. The former gets two years of software and three years of security updates, whereas the latter will get three years of software and four years of security updates.

Realme 12 Pro vs Poco X6 Pro cameras

Cameras are an important part of smartphones, and for some, they’re the most important. With the Realme 12 Pro, you get a triple rear camera setup with a 50-megapixel Sony IMX882 primary sensor, a 32-megapixel Sony IMX702 telephoto sensor with 2x optical zoom, and an 8-megapixel ultrawide sensor.

The Poco X6 Pro also gets a triple rear camera setup, but the hardware isn’t as impressive. There’s a primary 64-megapixel OmniVision OV64B rear camera with OIS, an 8-megapixel OmniVision OV08D ultrawide unit, and a third 2-megapixel Macro sensor that could’ve been omitted.

In daylight, the main cameras on both phones produce similar results, however, the Poco X6 Pro did better in lowlight. The Realme 12 Pro has a dedicated telephoto sensor. Therefore, 2x shots and portrait photos are better here. Finally, the ultrawide performs better and has a wider field of view on the Poco X6 Pro. It performs better than the Realme phone in both day and lowlight scenarios. For camera samples, please check our full reviews of the phones. 

Both phones get a 16-megapixel front camera for selfies that performs very similarly. 

Realme 12 Pro vs Poco X6 Pro battery

The Realme 12 Pro and Poco X6 Pro pack a 5,000mAh battery and come with a 67W fast charger. I managed to charge the Realme phone from 10 to 100 percent in just around 43 mins, and the Poco took about 47 mins to charge from 6 to 100 percent.

Realme 12 Pro vs Poco X6 Pro verdict

The Realme 12 Pro has a design and a more versatile camera setup going for it. The design is better and unique, there’s a dedicated telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom, but on the other hand, you’ll get a lot more for your money if you get the Poco X6 Pro. A better display, double the performance, longer software support, and a good enough camera setup.

If it were me, I’d spend Rs. 26,999 and get myself the Poco X6 Pro.