POCO is making another breakthrough in the upper middle class with the presence of the POCO X8 Pro in Indonesia. Since it was first announced, the X Series line has always been synonymous with high performance and aggressive prices. However, in this latest generation, POCO seems to want to go further, not just fast for gaming, but also more mature as a daily driver.
Indeed, one of POCO's ambitions is to make the X Series an "all-rounder" smartphone. However, consumer behavior makes it a gaming smartphone. This is because the specifications are reliable enough for heavy purposes such as gaming and multitasking.
This independent smartphone brand from Xiaomi claims that the POCO X8 Pro is a smartphone with flagship class performance and you can use it for playing heavy games and editing. The MediaTek 8500-Ultra is the reason why they are very confident in the performance of the POCO X8 Pro.
We have used this smartphone for several days to find out whether the POCO X8 Pro really has high performance and can be relied on for gaming. The following is a complete review of the POCO X8 Pro which will discuss all the features and other interesting specifications offered.
Design
Before getting into performance, it would be better if we discuss it in terms of design. So, we got the POCO X8 Pro unit in the black variant. In my opinion, the White variant is a very simple design, because they only cover the smartphone in white, and there are no accents.
The materials used are aluminum frame and glass, and the color used is white matte. Well, this is actually one of the advantages (in my opinion) because with the white color and combined with aluminum material, after holding the smartphone without a casing, it doesn't cause spots.
However, for the black variant that we tried, even though it was a global unit, there were spots or stains on the back of the smartphone. So, when you want to choose a color, it really comes down to your individual taste. However, to avoid spots or oil stains, you can choose white.
In terms of IP Rating, POCO X8 Pro already has IP68 which makes it water and dust resistant. So, you can still operate your smartphone even if it is exposed to rain or when you use it as a map while driving, especially on a motorbike. Yes, IP Rating 68 is the minimum benchmark for a class like the POCO X8 Pro.
The camera module is also quite simple. There are 2 lenses with a flashlight next to them, and the placement of this camera is a design that many smartphones from other brands have probably implemented, so it doesn't have any special value. Then, the buttons on this smartphone are also quite small. You only find it on the right, namely the volume or media button and the power button only.
This latest POCO smartphone is 8.2mm thick and weighs 201.5g. Well, these numbers make the X8 Pro quite light if you use it to play games or watch for long periods of time. You won't feel too sore even if you are intensely playing games or holding your smartphone to watch your favorite film.
The fingerprint is embedded in the screen, because the POCO X8 Pro uses 3D Ultra Sonic Fingerprint, so there is no additional space on the side or back of the smartphone. This is what makes the POCO X8 Pro a smartphone with few physical buttons, and is classified as a compact smartphone.
Screen
The POCO X8 Pro has a 6.59” 1.5K AMOLED 120Hz display, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+. The screen resolution reaches 1268 x 2756px, making the display clear and comfortable to use for various purposes. The peak brightness reaches 2000nits, and it's not as bright as other smartphones in its class, but it's enough to help you operate your smartphone even in direct sunlight.
With these screen specifications, I get a comfortable impression even when playing competitive games. I mostly play the Call of Duty Mobile game, and it is still quite comfortable because of the 120Hz screen response speed, so that enemy movements and personal movements can look quite smooth. Then, this relatively wide screen makes me comfortable when watching films.
The screen also has an Always-On-Display (AOD) feature, so this makes the smartphone look even more elegant, and when you wash the smartphone, you can still see the clock and various notifications. Looking at the conditions and consumer behavior, this feature is a feature that makes the smartphone look premium. Please remember, AOD itself is a feature that sometimes consumes battery, but because the POCO X8 Pro has a large battery, activating the AOD feature is not a problem.
Camera
Indeed, the POCO X8 Pro is not a smartphone that focuses on the camera. However, this smartphone has a camera that is quite "okay". Using a Sony IMX882 camera sensor with OIS, and a 50MP lens, the POCO X8 Pro has camera quality that is not classified as a "bad" camera.
You can use the main lens of the POCO X8 Pro to take simple photos, because the resulting quality is also quite good. Dynamic range and contrast and white balance also look accurate. Well, as a result the photos taken have bright, bright and sharp colors. Honestly, this is enough to amaze me personally, because for a smartphone that doesn't focus on the camera, POCO can produce great photos.
The resulting portrait itself is also quite natural, although there is enhancement, but it is not excessive. So, you can use the POCO X8 Pro camera to create light content or capture simple moments. Zoom can reach 2x and ultrawide 0.6x is also often used to get wider or closer photos.
The POCO X8 Pro front camera is also of sufficient quality. On the front camera they offer 20MP which makes the results quite clear and quite natural. In fact, POCO also includes various features such as Palm Shutter, Voice Shutter and Dynamic Shots.
How about for videos? You can take videos in 4K 60FPS quality. It is equipped with gyro-EIS and HDR10+. It can be seen that POCO also pays attention to camera quality even though performance is the favorite and priority of the X8 Pro.
Feature
The POCO X8 Pro operating system uses Xiaomi HyperOS 3 with Android 16, so you get various features that the latest OS has. Some of the features of HyperOS 3 are HyperIsland which allows you to get floating windows, and various latest versions of HyperAI.
Discussing HyperAI itself, it allows you to expand photos, delete objects, summarize writing from voice recordings, as well as AI Writing. Well, this feature is usually present on several flagship smartphone options, but POCO brings HyperOS 3 along with its complete features for this latest X Series.
Other features come from gaming. POCO brings Game Turbo which allows you to monitor in real time the condition of your smartphone when you are playing games. This is a feature that is quite helpful for knowing the condition of your smartphone, especially when you are playing heavy games, because playing heavy games usually requires optimal CPU performance.
As explained in the design section, the POCO X8 Pro has a 3D Ultrasonic finger pin to make it easier for you to open your smartphone and increase security. Apart from that, you can also register your face to unlock the smartphone, yes they have face-recognition.
Apart from that, the POCO X8 Pro feature that has managed to attract attention is Baclight Effects. Yes, this is a simple feature, but it helps users find out notifications without having to open the smartphone screen. Then, the presence of Backlight Effects also provides added aesthetic value because of the LED Light on the camera.
The speaker feature has also received Dolby Atmos quality, and features such as NFC have also been embedded to make it easier for users to top-up electronic money and carry out various transactions that support NFC. Well, one thing that I think is quite unfortunate is Dynamic RGB Lighting which is absent on the POCO X8 Pro, but is present on the POCO.
Performance
In terms of performance, the POCO X8 Pro prioritizes performance. We used AnTuTu v11 to assess the smartphone's performance. We also used Call of Duty: Mobile to get real-time performance insights.
Before that, the POCO X8 Pro uses a MediaTek 8500-Ultra Flagship processor, combined with a Mali-G720 GPU. On paper, this smartphone is specifically designed to deliver maximum performance for demanding tasks.
Apart from gaming, we mentioned earlier about the floating window feature. So, using an 8500-Ultra class processor makes it easier for you to do multitasking, so that when you run more than 1 or 2 applications, the smartphone is still relatively smooth to give you comfort.
Entering the testing section, we got an AnTuTu score of 2,100,856 and we tested without connecting the smartphone to a charger. So, when you play games without charging, you can still get maximum performance.
Then, when I played Call of Duty: Mobile, I got a stable average FPS of 60FPS. Well, this is what mobile gamers are looking for, it's not too high, but it's stable. So, when playing competitive games, gamers' performance will not be disturbed by FPS drops.
Even with stable FPS and maximum performance from the POCO X8 Pro, is the smartphone hot? So, in my experience of playing for 1 full hour with the Ultra preset and right alignment, the POCO X8 Pro produced a warm temperature. This temperature is still considered tolerable. This can be realized thanks to the POCO 3D Dual-Layer IceLoop Cooling System.
In simple terms, the POCO 3D Dual-Layer IceLoop Cooling System technology functions to cool various components, and plays a role so that working components can produce optimal performance. Therefore, the smartphone does not cause excessive heat.
Battery
Discussing the battery, apart from performance, this aspect is one that POCO pays attention to. The X8 Pro has a battery capacity of 6500mAh with 100W charging power. Apart from that, the type of battery used is a Silicon Carbon Battery. The fact is that this type of battery is a battery that is often used by various types of flagships, and will affect the health and durability of the battery.
The battery capacity is not the largest in its class, in my experience playing games can last 9 hours, and when you only use it for basic needs, the POCO X8 Pro has a battery that can last up to 20 hours.
POCO X8 Pro also has a Bypass Charging feature, and usually this feature will be very useful when you often play intense games. In short, this is a feature that allows you to play games while connecting your smartphone to a charger. However, the battery will not increase, because the POCO X8 Pro will intelligently allocate power to the processor and other components to support maximum performance.
Well, the presence of Bypass charging also affects battery health. So, you don't need to worry about problems such as overload charging or a leaking battery because you as a user charge it too often and this results in a charging cycle that is too high.
Apart from that, the POCO X8 Pro feature which is no less important also comes from the Reverse Charging feature. So, you can use Reverse Charging in an emergency and make it possible to charge other gadgets such as TWS or portable fans. Yes, you could say the POCO X8 Pro can be an emergency power bank.
POCO X8 Pro specifications:
- Type: Smartphones
- Screen size: 157.53mm x 75.19mm x 8.38mm
- OS version: Android 16
- CPU: Octa-core CPU, up to 3.4GHz
- GPU: Mali-G720 MC8 GPU
- RAM: 12GB
- Internal memory: 512GB
- User Interface: HyperOS 3
- Weight: 207 grams
- Design Features: IP68 dust and water resistance
- Batteries: 6500mAh (typ), 100W HyperCharge, USB Type-C charging port, Up to 27W reverse charging, Supports PD3.0/PD2.0, Smart charging
- Screen Type: AMOLED displays
- Features: TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light (Hardware Solution) Certified, TÜV Rheinland Flicker Free Certified, TÜV Rheinland Circadian Friendly Certified, Dolby Vision®, Corning Gorilla Glass 7i
- Network Frequency: 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G
- SIM: Dual nano SIM, dual standby
- Data Speed: HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps
- Multi Camera: Yes (Rear)
- Rear: 50 MP, f/1.5, 26mm (wide), 1/1.95", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS 8 MP, f/2.2, 15mm (ultrawide), 1/4.0", 1.12µm
- Camera front: 20 MP, f/2.2, (wide), 1/4"
- Flash: LED flash
- Videos: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240/960fps, gyro-EIS, HDR10+ | 1080p@30/60fps
- Camera Features: Dynamic shots, Motion capture, Docs mode, Motion tracking focus, Fashion portrait, Pro mode50MP mode, Shutter sounds, HDR, Panorama
- Other features: Bluetooth, USB Type-C 2.0, OTG, GPS, Wireless Charging, NFC, Infrared, Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, compass, proximity
- Price: $331 (depending on location and country)
Conclusion
In the end, the POCO X8 Pro succeeded in meeting expectations as a smartphone that prioritizes performance without completely sacrificing other aspects. The main focus is clearly in the engine sector, and it feels consistent from benchmark results to real use when playing games. FPS stability, multitasking capabilities, and support for features such as Game Turbo make the gaming experience feel solid and minimally interrupted.
On the other hand, POCO is still trying to maintain its identity as an all-rounder device. A comfortable screen, large battery with fast charging, and AI-based features in HyperOS 3 are added values that make it still relevant for daily use outside of gaming. The camera isn't the most outstanding, but it's still reliable enough for casual needs, so it doesn't feel like a big compromise.
However, that doesn't mean without notes. Designs that tend to be simple and easy to leave stains, as well as the absence of several aesthetic elements such as RGB lighting, can be a consideration for users who are looking for a more standout appearance. Even so, if your main priority is high performance with strong battery life in one package, the POCO X8 Pro remains a reasonable choice in its class.