Samsung Galaxy S26 FE vs Xiaomi Poco F9 Ultra
Overall: Xiaomi Poco F9 Ultra. Their chips, the Exynos 2500 (flagship) and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (flagship), are close in speed. The Poco F9 Ultra starts with more RAM (12 GB against 8 GB). The Poco F9 Ultra has the bigger battery (8,050 mAh against 4,900 mAh). The Poco F9 Ultra has faster wired charging (100 W against 45 W).
Samsung
Galaxy S26 FE
Exynos 2500
Xiaomi
Poco F9 Ultra
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5What matters to you?
Tap what you use your phone for. The overall pick then counts only those.
Overall: Xiaomi Poco F9 Ultra
Better for social media, work, study and ai. Score: Poco F9 Ultra 2, Galaxy S26 FE 0 (clear win 2, slight edge 1, same 0).
Backed by facts83% of areas
Pick this for…
Who wins for each way you use a phone. Tap a card for the evidence.
Social media
Chats, calls, lives and feeds
Slight edgePick Poco F9 UltraEstimateOfficialWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Social media
Chats, calls, lives and feeds
- Everyday speed: Exynos 2500 about 4.5 of 5 (estimate), Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 5 of 5.
- Memory: 8 GB against 12 GB, so more apps stay open when you switch between chats and feeds.
- Front camera video for calls and lives: not listed against 4K.
Gaming
Light games to heavy 3D, online and offline
Same in practiceEither oneEstimateOfficialWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Gaming
Light games to heavy 3D, online and offline
- Gaming power: Exynos 2500 about 5 of 5 (estimate), Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 5 of 5.
- Graphics: Xclipse 950 (3 nm) against Adreno 840 (3 nm).
- Screen: not listed against 185 Hz.
- Light games run well on both. The gap shows in heavy 3D games. How long a phone holds its speed when hot needs testing, so it is not judged.
Camera and content creation
Photos, video recording and editing
Not enough infoToo little listed to call itOfficialEstimateWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Camera and content creation
Photos, video recording and editing
- Video recording: not listed against 8K@30fps.
- Front camera video: not listed against 4K.
- Editing and export: Exynos 2500 about 4.5 of 5 (estimate), Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 5 of 5. Storage: not listed for either phone.
- Photo and video quality need side-by-side testing, so we do not judge them from megapixels.
Work, study and AI
Learning, research, writing and AI assistants
Slight edgePick Poco F9 UltraEstimateOfficialWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Work, study and AI
Learning, research, writing and AI assistants
- Heavy work: Exynos 2500 about 4.5 of 5 (estimate), Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 5 of 5.
- Memory: 8 GB against 12 GB. On-phone AI features need plenty of memory; most AI assistants run online and work on any phone.
- Screen: 6.7″ AMOLED against 6.9″ AMOLED.
Movies, music and streaming
YouTube, Netflix, sport, music and podcasts
Same in practiceEither oneOfficialEstimateWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Movies, music and streaming
YouTube, Netflix, sport, music and podcasts
- Screen: 6.7″ AMOLED against 6.9″ AMOLED.
- AV1 video decoding (smoother YouTube and Netflix, less battery): not listed against not listed.
- Sound: stereo speakers, against stereo speakers.
Everyday life
Maps, ride-hailing, payments and banking
Same in practiceEither oneOfficialPublic infoWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Everyday life
Maps, ride-hailing, payments and banking
- Tap to pay (NFC): yes against yes.
- Location: GPS bands not listed against dual-band GPS (L1 + L5). Dual-band GPS stays accurate between tall buildings.
- GPS bands aren’t listed for both phones, so we compared tap to pay only.
Phone basics
What every use depends on, side by side.
Battery life
Galaxy S26 FE4,900 mAh45 W charging
Poco F9 Ultra8,050 mAh100 W charging
Efficiency: Exynos 2500 about 5 of 5 (estimate), Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 5 of 5
Storage
Galaxy S26 FE128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GBType not published
Poco F9 Ultra256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TBType not published
UFS opens apps and files far faster than eMMC
Speed
Galaxy S26 FEExynos 25008 GB RAM
Poco F9 UltraSnapdragon 8 Elite Gen 512 GB / 16 GB RAM
Everyday speed: about 4.5 of 5 (estimate) against 5 of 5
Screen
Galaxy S26 FE6.7″ AMOLEDRefresh rate not published
Poco F9 Ultra6.9″ AMOLED185 Hz
Bigger is not better; pick the size you like
Toughness
Galaxy S26 FEIP68
Poco F9 UltraIP68
IP68 survives dust and a dunk in water
Years of updates
Galaxy S26 FEUntil about 20337 Android upgrades, 7 years of security updates
Poco F9 UltraUntil about 20304 Android upgrades, 4 years of security updates
From the maker’s written update promise
Side by side
Show differences only
| Spec | Galaxy S26 FE | Poco F9 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 6.7″ | 6.9″ |
| Type | AMOLED | AMOLED |
| Resolution | 1080 × 2340 | 2608 × 1200 |
| Refresh rate | — | 185 Hz |
| Peak brightness | — | 4500 nits |
| Spec | Galaxy S26 FE | Poco F9 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Exynos 2500 | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 |
| RAM | 8 GB | 12 GB / 16 GB |
| Storage | 128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB | 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB |
| Storage type | — | — |
| Spec | Galaxy S26 FE | Poco F9 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Main camera | 50 MP | 200 MP |
| Zoom | None | Telephoto |
| Video recording | — | 8K@30fps |
| Front camera | 12 MP | 32 MP |
| Front video | — | 4K |
| Spec | Galaxy S26 FE | Poco F9 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 4900 mAh | 8050 mAh |
| Wired charging | 45 W | 100 W |
| Wireless charging | 15 W | 50 W |
| Spec | Galaxy S26 FE | Poco F9 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Stereo speakers | Yes | Yes |
| Headphone jack | — | — |
| NFC (tap to pay) | Yes | Yes |
| Dual-band GPS | — | Yes |
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
| eSIM | — | Yes |
| Spec | Galaxy S26 FE | Poco F9 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 193 g | 235 g |
| Thickness | 7.4 mm | 8.74 mm |
| Water resistance | IP68 | IP68 |
| Spec | Galaxy S26 FE | Poco F9 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| At launch | Android 17 | Android 16 |
| OS upgrades | 7 years | 4 years |
| Security updates | Not stated | Not stated |
Quick answers
- Is the Galaxy S26 FE or the Poco F9 Ultra better for social media?
- The Poco F9 Ultra has a slight edge for social media. Everyday speed: Exynos 2500 about 4.5 of 5 (estimate), Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 5 of 5.
- Is the Galaxy S26 FE or the Poco F9 Ultra better for gaming?
- For gaming, there’s no real difference between them. Gaming power: Exynos 2500 about 5 of 5 (estimate), Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 5 of 5.
- Is the Galaxy S26 FE or the Poco F9 Ultra better for camera and content creation?
- Too little is listed to call it for camera and content creation yet. Video recording: not listed against 8K@30fps.
- Is the Galaxy S26 FE or the Poco F9 Ultra better for work, study and ai?
- The Poco F9 Ultra has a slight edge for work, study and ai. Heavy work: Exynos 2500 about 4.5 of 5 (estimate), Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 5 of 5.
- Is the Galaxy S26 FE or the Poco F9 Ultra better for movies, music and streaming?
- For movies, music and streaming, there’s no real difference between them. Screen: 6.7″ AMOLED against 6.9″ AMOLED.
- Is the Galaxy S26 FE or the Poco F9 Ultra better for everyday life?
- For everyday life, there’s no real difference between them. Tap to pay (NFC): yes against yes.
What we don’t judge on
Security patch level, charging watts, megapixels, benchmark scores and guessed values.
- Security patch level and other software settings change with every update, so one reading can’t judge a phone. We use the maker’s written update promise.
- Charging watts, megapixels, screen size and weight are shown, never scored as better: faster charging doesn’t make a battery last longer, and more megapixels don’t make better photos.
- Chip estimates (1 to 5) come from published design facts: core design and year, graphics, manufacturing and video features. Photo quality and how long a phone holds its speed when hot need testing, so they aren’t judged.
- Values with no source show “not published” and stay out of the verdict.
Samsung Galaxy S26 FE specsXiaomi Poco F9 Ultra specsCompare with another phone