POCO X8 Pro | Photo Credit: BIJOY GHOSH

POCO has been on a roll in recent years, consistently filling out its lineup of high-performance mid-rangers. Following the launch of the X8 series earlier this year with the Pro Max and Pro — I’ve been using the POCO X8 Pro as my primary device to see how it holds up. Here’s how it fared.

Design

The POCO X8 Pro adopts a clean, monolithic aesthetic. Built with an aluminum frame and a frosted glass rear, the device remains relatively pocketable despite its footprint, weighing in at 201.47g with a slim 8.38mm profile. That frosted finish provides a matte-like texture, offering a secure one-handed grip that avoids the slipperiness typical of high-gloss glass panels.

The review unit came in White, though Black and Green options are also available. This specific colorway is paired with red accents around the camera modules and the power button — a subtle touch of flair that breaks up the otherwise minimalist white finish.

Display

The POCO X8 Pro centres around a 6.59-inch AMOLED display, achieving a 94.1 per cent screen-to-body ratio with nearly invisible bezels. The 2756 × 1268 resolution and 460 PPI pixel density ensure sharp detail, while HDR10+ support and a peak brightness of 3500 nits (2000 nits in HBM) offer excellent outdoor legibility. For durability, the panel is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 7i.

The display delivers impressive colour fidelity. While streaming content like the Hindi series Glory on Netflix, the panel maintained natural skin tones without the aggressive oversaturation often found in this segment along with good contrast levels. Whether handling the high-contrast lighting of ringside fight scenes or the detailed set-pieces between characters, the visual experience remained balanced and immersive.

Sound

The POCO X8 Pro is equipped with dual stereo speakers featuring Dolby Atmos support. In testing, the audio profile remained well-balanced; tracks like Avicii’s The Nights and Naadan Parinde from Rockstar demonstrated a clear separation between vocals and instrumentals. Even at higher volumes, the output remained composed without distorting.

This tuning carries over effectively into gaming. Environmental cues, such as footsteps and gunshots, are rendered with enough clarity to provide a distinct sense of space, making the device a strong performer on the audio front.

Camera

The POCO X8 Pro uses a Sony IMX882 sensor for its main camera. The rear setup includes a 50MP main lens and an 8MP secondary lens, while the front has a 20MP camera for selfies. For video, you can shoot in 4K at 60fps from the back and 1080p at 60fps from the front.

Pictures from the dual camera setup turned out decent. Day time images aren’t too saturated, and the contrast is good enough to give the photos a nice natural look. Details were retained upto 2x while zooming, post which it does tend to get over sharpened or lose out on image details. Nighttime shots were clear with little noise, making them good enough to post straight to social media. The 20MP front camera also did a solid job, keeping a good amount of detail in selfies.

Performance

The POCO X8 Pro is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8500-Ultra chipset, built on a 4nm process. To keep thermals in check, it uses a 5300mm² 3D ICELOOP cooling system.

In AnTuTu benchmarks, the device delivered a score of 2,009,775. This places it as a very capable mid-ranger, sitting just slightly behind the Galaxy S25 FE (2,019,182).

Gaming on BGMI was a smooth experience, maintaining a steady 80+ FPS on balanced graphics. The heat dissipation worked well; while the phone started to feel a bit warm after an hour of play, there was no noticeable throttling or frame drops.

The device comes in two configurations — 8GB+256GB and 12GB+256GB — and runs on Android 16 with HyperOS 3.0. POCO has also promised four years of Android OS upgrades and six years of security updates.

On the software side, everything runs smoothly without any major hiccups. Besides Google Gemini and circle to search which are quite refined. AI features like AI writing, speech-to-text, translation all still need more refinement.

However, the amount of preinstalled bloatware — like Block puzzle game and Dropping Bubbles — is a bit high, with about four to six of these games appearing out of the box installed. While they are easy enough to uninstall, it’s an extra step for users who just want to get straight to downloading and playing their favourite AAA titles without having to search through many app screens.

Battery

The POCO X8 Pro is equipped with a 6,500mAh battery that supports 100W fast charging, with the brick included in the box. It also features 27W reverse charging and compatibility with 100W PPS/PD standards.

In daily use, the phone easily lasted a full day. It averaged 7.5 to 8 hours of screen-on time with a mix of calls, browsing, and occasional camera use. When it did run low, the 100W charger took the device from 0 to 100 per cent in roughly 50–55 minutes.

Verdict

At ₹32,999, the POCO X8 Pro is a well-positioned sibling to the Pro Max. It stands out as a strong gaming contender, though it’s held back by mid-range camera performance and preinstalled bloatware that litters the software experience.

While rivals such as the Realme 16 Pro 5G, iQOO Z10 5G, and OnePlus Nord 6 offer a more balanced all-round experience, the POCO X8 Pro remains a great choice if your priority is a good performance gaming smartphone.

Snapshot

Price: ₹32,999

Pros: Great performance, good display and decent battery life.

Cons: Average cameras, bloatware.

Published on May 6, 2026