The Poco M8 5G arrives as the successor to the M7 5G. Here are our first impressions.
The Poco M8 5G price in India begins at Rs. 18,999
Budget phones are witnessing a paradigm shift, where over the past couple of years, the need is no longer just about incorporating “gimmick” features but more about perfecting the basics, which are rather more critical in terms of practical usage in everyday life. It is against this backdrop that the new Poco M8 5G has been launched, targeted at customers who want a reliable and feature-packed smartphone that takes forward steps. Here are our first impressions
In terms of design, the Poco M8 5G features a curved frame with similarly shaped edges. The last two generations have seen drastically different designs, and the trend continues with the latest model as well. While the Poco M8 5G does not share much resemblance to last year's Poco M7 5G, its camera deco is nearly identical to the recently launched Redmi Note 15 5G, featuring a squircle-shaped island housing four distinct lens rings.
The Poco M8 5G has been launched in three colourways, and we have the black variant. The back panel comes with a two-tone finish, which gives a contrast to its look. A race-line pattern is etched on two glossy stripes running vertically on both sides, while the remaining back is matte. Not to forget, fingerprints tend to stick to the glossy portion more compared to the matte portion, which has remained relatively cleaner in my initial days of use.
The phone measures 164mm x 75.42mm x 7.35mm and weighs 178 grams, and it has quite good ergonomics despite its bulky footprint. The company claims it to be the thinnest Poco-branded phone to date, and it feels quite light in the hand.
The power and volume buttons are placed on the right side of the phone, along with the USB-C port, speaker grille, and microphone on the bottom side.
The front of the Poco M8 5G flaunts a dramatic transformation from its predecessor, which seems like the right move. Speaking of which, from our in-depth review of the Poco M7 5G, it was apparent that the previous device boasted a flat LCD screen with chunky bezels on the sides, in addition to the even thicker chin at the bottom.
On the other hand, the Poco M8 5G sports a 6.77-inch (1,080 x 2,392 pixels) 3D curved AMOLED display with a 387ppi screen density and peak brightness of 3,200 nits. Based on our initial impressions, it appears to be a significant step up from its M7 5G, featuring noticeably slimmer bezels, punchier colours, and sharp output. The waterdrop-style notch has also made way for a hole-punch selfie camera cutout, which looks more modern.
Stay tuned for our full review to know more about its day-to-day performance in terms of colour reproduction, touch response, and brightness levels.
The Poco M8 5G is powered by the 4nm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset and an Adreno GPU, coupled with up to 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and up to 256GB of UFS 4.1 onboard storage. On paper, this configuration seems suitable for everyday tasks such as calling, messaging, browsing through apps, and casual gaming. Its real-world performance, however, will be evaluated in the full review.
The phone runs Android 15-based HyperOS 2, which may be a slight letdown for some who were hoping to see Android 16. However, Poco's software strategy to provide four years of Android version updates and six years of security updates is definitely a positive.
In the optics department, the Xiaomi sub-brand has opted for a dual-camera setup at the back of the Poco M8 5G. This setup combines a 50-megapixel primary sensor with a 2-megapixel secondary sensor. The camera app has common options like the HDR mode, Night mode, Portrait mode, slow motion videos, and the time lapses. At the front is an 8-megapixel hole-punch camera for selfies. The actual image quality and consistency will only be evident after we put it through a few real-world scenarios, so stay tuned for our review.
The Poco M8 5G comes with a 5,520mAh battery with 45W wired fast charging support. It also supports 18W reverse wired charging, which seems like a good addition. We will discuss its battery life only after extended usage.
Based on our first impressions, the Poco M8 5G seems to be a thoughtfully planned successor to the disappointing M7 5G. On paper, there are indications that the phone is designed to address the needs of regular usage. But will it deliver on everything it claims to offer? Stay tuned for our full Poco M8 5G review, which drops on January 12, to find out.
Catch the latest from the Consumer Electronics Show on Gadgets 360, at our CES 2026 hub.