While much of the focus of the M8 Power is centred around it is battery and display, the design sets it apart too

Just around the time I began to test the POCO M8 Power, I received two calls from work associates asking for recommendations on smartphones in the ₹20,000-30,000 price band. While the age profiles of both of the ultimate users were different, the request was the same – a vivid display and a robust battery. At a time when video content has become the preferred medium for everything from entertainment to news, it’s no surprise that both these callers were looking for a phone with a large display. The POCO M8 Power is aimed at this audience.

POCO from the Xiaomi stable splits its smartphone offering into four tiers. The M Series was envisioned as its budget line. The sharp increase in input costs that has sparked price increases by smartphone brands across the board has meant that the M Series now plays in the ₹20,000-30,000 lower mid-range to mid-range segment. The M8 Power plays to the strengths of this product line, focusing on media consumption and everyday usage. But there is one feature that sets this device apart, which is its battery.

Battery

Massive battery is the headline feature and the primary reason why we would recommend the POCO M8 Power. POCO calls it an EV-grade silicon-carbon (Si-C) battery. The M8 Power is a great example of how advances in smartphone battery tech over the past couple of years have allowed smartphone manufacturers to pack massive batteries without the extra heft. This is a welcome change from the early 2020s when a race for battery supremacy ended up transforming smartphones into unwieldy bricks in some cases. The 8000 mAh battery under the hood of the M8 Power walks the talk. It comfortably lasted two days despite extensive screen time and some camera usage.

I would put this down as a two-day battery for most users, and you could extend it into day three if you are disciplined about your screen time. With 22.5W reverse charging, this device can double as a power bank in case you need to charge accessories like Bluetooth earbuds on the go. POCO bundles a 45W charger in the box, which can take more than 100 minutes to go from 1 to 100%. A faster charger would have augmented the M8 Power’s credentials as a battery champion.

Design

Orange is the new black. While much of the focus of the M8 Power is centred around its battery and display, the design sets it apart too. The first thing you might notice is the rectangular camera module that adds a touch of elegance to the overall design, despite the all-plastic construction. The love for orange in the smartphone space that began in 2025 continues this year. The hero colourway for this POCO device is the striking blaze orange, the green variant is worth checking out too. The device does not feel clunky in your hand, despite the 225 g heft and is IP65-certified for basic splash and dust resistance.

Display

While we might like to think of this price segment as mid-range, spiralling costs have now blurred the lines between budget and lower mid-range phones. It is why an OLED panel at this price point in 2026 is great to have. Colours were punchy and blacks were deep as I watched the first episode of The Bombing of Pan Am 103 on Netflix with Full HD playback. There’s no HDR support though. The 6.9-inch (2396 x 1080 pixels) FHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate hits a peak brightness of 1800 nits and is one of the better displays in this segment. You’re better off with your headphones, as this device only comes with a single bottom-firing mono speaker.

Performance

The power suffix in this device does not seem to extend to raw performance. This is not a device aimed at power users or intense gamers, but it handles  everyday tasks without breaking a sweat. At its heart is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 4 chipset and the device comes in a choice of 6GB/128GB and 8GB/128GB storage variants. We put the higher-end variant to the test and it breached the 2300 mark in the Geekbench (multi-core) benchmark test. It is certainly not in the top tier, but performance is certainly not the M8 Power’s calling card.

The device is powered by Xiaomi’s Hyper OS3 (based on Android 16). While HyperOS comes with some handy photo editing tools and heaps of customisation options, the bloatware is a dampener. POCO is offering four years of Android OS updates and six years of security updates, which gives it an edge over many of its rivals in this price range.

Camera

The camera is an area where the POCO M8 Power keeps things simple. Camera duties are shared between a 50MP primary lens and an 8MP selfie shooter. The primary camera does a good job in optimal light and handles portraits surprisingly well. The lack of OIS (optical image stabilisation) means that it is not the best cam for shaky hands or lowlight photography. Video stabilisation is also a weak link, it’s not ideal for action photography. Both cameras can only shoot videos at 1080p at 30fps. The selfie camera is good for video calls but unlikely to please selfie fiends.

Verdict

The POCO M8 Power ticks the boxes it aims to. If an immersive display and battery life are your primary purchase drivers, the M8 Power is one of the best buys at this price segment. The four years of OS updates add to its longevity appeal. The big question is whether you can work with the other compromises.

POCO M8 Power

Price: ₹24,999 onwards.

Pros: Battery life, sleek design, vivid display, 4 years of Android OS updates.

Cons: Lowlight camera performance, bloatware.

Published on August 19, 2026