Gaming is one, if not the most crucial factor when it comes to choosing a smartphone. The more that a phone can handle graphically demanding titles with no stutter or frame drops, the better. Right? However, top tier gaming performance usually comes at a cost.
So, it’s almost kind of a treat when brands introduce gaming-focused smartphones that are ALSO budget-friendly. And we actually have two of them to talk about: the newly released itel RS4 and the POCO M6 Pro.
Both are equipped with basically the same MediaTek Helio G99 chipset but stand quite significantly far from each other when it comes to price segment. One is on the budget entry-level and the other on the lower mid-range bracket.
With that, we are bound to expect some notable differences. So, without further ado, let’s have these two up for a comparison review.
Table of Contents
Straight away, both the itel RS4 and the POCO M6 Pro don’t exactly showcase any gaming-oriented design.
The itel RS4, with the Elegant Beige colorway that we have, opts for a sophisticated vegan leather finish, accented with zip-line stitches that extend across the phone’s back panel.
There’s the circular camera island too, which definitely gave away its uncanny resemblance to the realme 12 Series.
IN PHOTO: realme 12 5G (left) and itel RS4 (right)
As for other color options, they come with different finish and design accents. In which the Silvery White actually looks more like a gaming phone than the one we have at the studio.
Meanwhile, the POCO M6 Pro with its Purple variant showcases a two-tone, glossy and matte finish. The camera lenses have their own rings, including the dual tone flash, with their outlines matching the phone’s overall color.
Both the phones’ frames come with a plastic-looking material, but they do match their own colors as well. One thing to note about the M6 Pro’s build quality is it gets an IP54 rating for protection against water splashes and dust.
The itel RS4, unfortunately, doesn’t get any of that ingress protection or IP rating. While design is subjective, having a phone that offers a bit of extended protection is always a plus.
Flip to front, the itel RS4 sports a 6.56-inch HD+ IPS LCD. Yep, HD+ meaning it gets low resolution that maxes out at only 720p. Screen brightness also takes a hit, since this is an LCD panel, expect low screen visibility, especially on a sunny day.
It does run at 120Hz refresh rate, so you can still expect a smooth navigation using this phone.
On the other hand, the POCO M6 Pro fills these gaps with a 6.67-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display, also running at 120Hz. And it is able to reach up to a whopping 1,300 nits of peak brightness.
POCO M6 Pro uses an FHD+ AMOLED display
Adding to that is its Gorilla Glass 5 protection sandwiched on top making it relatively scratch resistant. Both units do come pre-installed with a screen protector film, which would actually be helpful in the long run for the itel RS4.
Another advantage of the M6 Pro is its thin bezels which look almost equal on all sides. The RS4, well, has significantly thicker borders and look at that monstrous chin! But considering its lower price, this wouldn’t be much of a big deal.
itel RS4 uses an HD+ IPS LCD panel
Thankfully, both phones also get dual stereo speakers and if audio quality isn’t satisfying enough, you’ll be glad to know that both of ‘em have 3.5mm audio jack. (Which is a rare sight to see nowadays.)
As for biometrics, both phones have fingerprint sensors but the itel RS4 opts for a side-mounted sensor while the M6 Pro uses an under-display one.
In this segment, the latter clearly dominates with its crisper, brighter AMOLED screen having a much higher pixel density as well as better-looking bezels. Not to mention, it also gets Dolby Atmos support for a more immersive sound quality.
As you may have known already, both phones feature the same MediaTek Helio G99 chipset. Albeit the itel RS4 adds an “Ultimate” wording, and the same treatment goes for the POCO M6 Pro but with the word “Ultra”.
I tried to research what the differences are between the so-called Helio G99 Ultimate and Helio G99 Ultra. But apparently, these are all just marketing bullsh*t.
Both chipsets have the same 6-nanometer process node and up to 2.2GHz clock speeds, at least according to itel’s and POCO’s respective websites. To add to the confusion, none of these chipset variants even appear on the official MediaTek website.
With that said, we can technically expect similar performance from both devices. In fact, our various benchmark results showed no drastic gap between the itel RS4 and POCO M6 Pro. Check out the numbers here:
| Benchmark | itel RS4 | POCO M6 Pro 4G |
| AnTuTu V10 | 423,702 | 427,772 |
| Geekbench 6 CPU (Single Core) | 746 | 728 |
| Geekbench 6 CPU (Multi Core) | 2,064 | 1,923 |
| Geekbench 6 GPU (OpenCL) | 1,329 | 1,273 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 performance | 10,962 | 10,557 |
As expected, we had no problem playing less-demanding games such as Mobile Legends: Bang Bang on both models.
However, you may have to set your expectations low when it comes to graphically intensive titles like Genshin Impact. The game is playable but only with graphics set to low. Any higher than that will end up in frame rate drops and will make the phones heat up pretty quickly.
For configs, the itel RS4 comes in either 8GB+128GB or 12GB+256GB options. While the POCO M6 Pro starts with 8GB+256GB and also offers a higher storage option of 12GB+512GB.
itel RS4 triple card slot for dual SIM + microSD
Both phones have expandable storage, but it seems the RS4 has the edge thanks to its dedicated microSD card slot. The M6 Pro is only left with a hybrid slot, so you have to choose whether to use a second SIM or sacrifice it for a microSD expansion.
Camera department is another aspect where the POCO M6 Pro shines. It boasts a triple camera system led by a 64-megapixel main shooter which supports optical image stabilization (OIS). Complementing this setup is an 8-megapixel ultrawide and a 2-megapixel macro lens. And the front sees a 16-megapixel selfie shooter.
Photos captured on the M6 Pro are generally good with sharp detail and vibrant colors. The phone also covers decent dynamic range. However, the phone sometimes struggles to focus in less-favorable lighting conditions.
As for videos, it can capture up to 1080p resolution at 60 frames per second through the main shooter. Video quality is nice, especially with that sweet OIS to boot.
Check out our sample shots from the POCO M6 Pro here.
The itel RS4 on the other hand, features a “dual camera setup” with a 50-megapixel main shooter paired with a secondary lens that itel claims to be an “AI camera”.
Photos are acceptable for the price. Colors are close to reality, sure, and clarity is decent, but it handles dynamic range pretty bad.
Interestingly, video recording can be maxed out at 2K, which is a bummer for the POCO M6 Pro considering they both practically have the same chipset.
The RS4 offers an “Ultra Steady mode” for stabilizing shaky footage, but this likely relies on electronic image stabilization (EIS) which isn’t always as effective as OIS.
You may see some of our sample shots from the itel RS4 here 16.
Moving on to the battery department, both phones offer the usual 5000mAh unit. With the same battery capacity along with the same chipset, we expect roughly the same battery life, right? But our testing says otherwise.
In our PCMark Work 3.0 battery test, the itel RS4 outlasted the POCO M6 Pro with a solid 17 hours and 39 minutes compared to the latter’s 12 hours and 39 minutes. The same trend holds true in our video loop test, where the itel RS4 clocked in at 20 hours and 55 minutes, versus the POCO M6 Pro’s 11 hours and 51 minutes.
The difference is quite significant, and my theory is that the itel RS4’s lower screen resolution plays a role here. Since it runs at only HD+ resolution, it’s inherently more power-efficient compared to powering a phone like the POCO M6 Pro with a higher Full HD+ resolution AMOLED screen.
POCO M6 Pro supports 67W charging
The catch is you get a faster 67W charging rate with the M6 Pro. It charges the phone from zero to full in just about 45 minutes.
The itel RS4 isn’t that far behind, though, with support for 45W charging that gets the phone up to 80% in just half an hour.
itel RS4 supports 45W charging
One major letdown for some of you is the absence of 5G and that applies for both phones. They’re only capped at 4G connectivity.
Software-wise, both run Android 13 out of the box. The M6 Pro runs MIUI 14 for POCO, which is upgradable to Xiaomi HyperOS. It will also receive two major OS updates and three years of security patches, although we haven’t got the update over-the-air just yet.
In comparison, itel hasn’t really disclosed any software pledges. If you consider longer software support, then the POCO M6 Pro waving at you. Additionally, the M6 Pro has the handy IR blaster that allows you to use it as a universal remote, so that’s definitely a plus for more utility.
Now, let’s answer the question: which one should you get? Well, that depends on your priorities and how much you’re willing to spend.
The itel RS4 is surprisingly a strong budget contender. For just PHP 6,299, it delivers decent performance for everyday tasks and even some casual gaming, all wrapped in a stylish (though slightly chinny) package. However, you might want to prepare yourselves to compromise on display quality and camera prowess.
Meanwhile, POCO M6 Pro absolutely takes things up a notch albeit at a higher cost. Coming in at PHP 11,999, it boasts a superior display, a more versatile camera system, and faster charging. It even throws in some bonus features like an IP rating and an IR blaster for good measure.
So, do you want a budget warrior that can handle the basics, or a more polished performer with a few extra bells and whistles? Ultimately, the choice is yours.
itel RS4 vs. POCO M6 Pro specs:
| itel RS4 | POCO M6 Pro 4G |
|---|---|
| 6.56-inch HD+ IPS LCD | 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display |
| 1612 x 720 pixels, 120Hz | 2400 x 1080 pixels, 120Hz, 1300 nits (peak) brightness |
| Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | |
| MediaTek Helio G99-Ultimate | MediaTek Helio G99-Ultra |
| 6nm, octa-core, up to 2.2GHz | 6nm, octa-core, up to 2.2GHz |
| 8GB, 12GB LPDDR4x RAM | 8GB, 12GB LPDDR4x RAM |
| 128GB, 256GB UFS 2.2 storage | 256GB, 512GB UFS 2.2 storage |
| Expandable via microSD (dedicated slot) | Expandable up to 1TB via microSD (hybrid slot) |
| Dual rear cameras: | Triple rear cameras: |
| - 50MP rear camera | - 64MP f/1.79 main, OIS |
| - AI lens | - 8MP f/2.2 ultrawide |
| - 2MP f/2.4 macro | |
| 8MP selfie shooter (hole punch notch) | 16MP f/2.45 selfie shooter (hole punch notch) |
| Dual SIM | Dual SIM |
| 4G LTE | 4G LTE |
| Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac | Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac |
| Bluetooth 5.2 | Bluetooth 5.2 |
| GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS, NAVIC | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Galileo |
| USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| 3.5mm audio jack | 3.5mm audio jack |
| NFC | NFC |
| Side-mounted fingerprint sensor, face unlock | In-screen fingerprint sensor, face unlock |
| IP54 splash and dust resistance | |
| Dual stereo speakers | Dual stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos, IR blaster |
| itel OS 13 (Android 13) | MIUI 14 for POCO (Android 13) |
| 5000mAh battery | 5000mAh battery |
| 45W charging | 67W charging |
| 163.69 x 75.69 x 8.15 mm | 161.1 x 74.95 x 7.98 mm |
| 198g | 179g |
| Lurex Black, Silvery White, Elegant Beige | Black, Blue, Purple |
| PHP 6,299 (8GB+128GB) PHP 7,499 (12GB+256GB) | PHP 11,999 (8GB+256GB) PHP 13,999 (12GB+512GB) |
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