POCO F9 Ultra and F9 Pro confirmed for global launch — but with smaller batteries

By: Anton Kratiuk | today, 14:24

POCO's next flagship pair is heading to global markets, but buyers outside China will get noticeably smaller batteries. Firmware code analyzed by leaker Kacper Skrzypek confirms the POCO F9 Ultra and F9 Pro — global rebrands of the Redmi K100 Pro Max and K100 Pro — will ship with reduced battery capacities, continuing a pattern Xiaomi has repeated across multiple generations.

The battery cut

The numbers are stark. The F9 Ultra drops to 8,050 mAh versus the 9,070 mAh in the Redmi K100 Pro Max — a loss of more than 1,000 mAh. The F9 Pro fares worse: 6,330 mAh against the K100 Pro's 8,580 mAh, a reduction of over 2,200 mAh. Both models keep 100W wired charging, so top-up speeds stay the same; it's endurance that takes the hit. Gizmochina notes the reduced capacity appears to be a deliberate choice rather than a manufacturing constraint.

This isn't new behavior from Xiaomi. The F8 Ultra launched in November 2025 with a smaller battery than its Chinese twin, and reviewers noted the gap against rivals like the Samsung Galaxy A95. A repeat cut on the F9 could widen that competitive disadvantage, particularly for gaming and video use — the exact audience POCO targets with a 185Hz AMOLED display.

The rest of the spec sheet

Everything else is expected to carry over from the Redmi K100 series. Both phones run the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 V-series chip, up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and UFS 4.1 storage up to 1TB. Screens are 1.5K AMOLED panels — 6.9 inches on the F9 Ultra, 6.59 inches on the F9 Pro — both at 185Hz.

Camera hardware is identical on both models for the main shooter: a 200MP Samsung HP5 sensor. The F9 Ultra adds a 50MP ultrawide and a 50MP periscope telephoto with 5× optical zoom. The F9 Pro steps down to an 8MP ultrawide and a 50MP periscope with 2.5× optical zoom.

Price and availability

The phones have already cleared regulatory hurdles in Singapore (IMDA) and Indonesia (SDPPI), and per Baidu's K100 series entry, GSMA certification was granted July 24, 2026 — pointing to a Q3–Q4 2026 global window. Amazon UK pre-orders are plausible by October, putting the F9 directly in the path of the iPhone 17 launch.

Pricing will be higher than in China, where the Redmi K100 Pro starts at around $548 (CNY 3,699) per GizChina. Based on F8-generation markups, expect the F9 Pro around £480–520 and the F9 Ultra closer to £650–750 in the UK — territory shared with the OnePlus 13 Pro. The battery trade-off will need a strong price argument to make that competition comfortable.