The Poco X8 Pro Max brings a new design language coupled with some value-for-money specifications in this price segment. Check out the review to know more.
Poco X-series has always been the bridge between its F-series and M-series. But that was until the brand introduced the new Poco X8 Pro series. The newest series now carves a new identity, making it one of the most expensive X-series smartphones from the brand. Also, this is the first time the brand has introduced the Pro Max model, following the trend in the market. Yes, we are talking about the Poco X8 Pro Max. The latest smartphone from the brand offers an interesting set of features and specifications, but comes with a hefty price tag.
The Poco X8 Pro Max price in India starts at Rs. 42,999 for the 12GB + 256GB model, while the 12GB + 512GB model costs Rs. 46,999. I got the chance to spend some time with the device, and this is what you need to know.
Poco has made sure to make the latest X8 Pro Max stand out from the rest of the series available for the brand. The latest model from the brand does feel premium and well-built the moment you hold it in your hand. The design is subtle and elegant, and the brand has made sure to add things that make it sturdy.
The Poco X8 Pro Max is available in three colour options.
The device is available in three colour options: Black, White, and Blue. I got the White colour option for review, and it sure gives a more satin-silver-like finish rather than pure white. Interestingly, the rear panel features stripes running across it, while the other variants offer solid colours. This surely feels distinctive in its look and feel. The middle frame is made of metal, while the front and back panels come with a glass finish. The rear panel is made of fibreglass, while the front panel offers Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection.
The rear panel features a pill-shaped camera module, where you will see some innovation. Each camera sensor has a ring around it, which surely makes it different from the rest of the Poco phones. The RGB LEDs are customisable and can be used for various operations. The effects can be used for incoming call reminders, notifications, and a camera status indicator. You can customise the colours for incoming calls and app notifications as well.
The handset is loaded with a premium design, which makes it look unique yet comfortable.
Then there are rhythmic light effects, which basically light according to the track playing on Spotify or YouTube Music. Then there are Game Lighting effects, available in Call of Duty: Mobile and BGMI, for features like skydiving, combat, and dance emotes.
Interestingly, the phone also comes with IP66, IP68, and IP69 water- and dust-resistance ratings, making it a durable smartphone that can withstand minor drops and survive everyday wear and tear.
Coming to display, the Poco X8 Pro Max packs a punch. The handset comes equipped with a 6.83-inch 1.5K pOLED display with a 1280x2772 pixel resolution. The display comes with a 120Hz screen refresh rate, up to 3,200nits of peak brightness, up to 3840 Hz PWM dimming, and Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection. Moreover, you get Dolby Vision support, in addition to HDR10+, HDR 10, and Widevine L1 certification.
The handset is loaded with a vibrant display that offers crisp visuals and smooth scrolling experience.
The display does the job right here. You get punchy, vibrant visuals that deliver an impressive contrast ratio. This ensures you get deep levels of black and rich colour reproduction throughout the day.
The company gives the option to customise the colour profile of the display with three different modes: Original Colour Pro, Vivid, and Custom. The first one delivers close-to-source colour reproduction, though it slightly subdues the contrast. The Vivid profile brings out the punchiness and vibrancy a bit more than the Pro mode.
The phone also comes with a 120Hz screen refresh rate, making all animations much smoother and more fluid. You can feel this especially while scrolling through the browser or watching a movie with a higher fps count. The phone also features Dolby Vision and HDR10+ certifications, which let you watch HDR content on YouTube and Netflix with ease, in addition to Dolby Vision videos, making the whole experience delightful.
The Poco X8 Pro Max is loaded with the latest Xiaomi HyperOS 3, based on Android 16. Moreover, the company has promised four years of major OS updates and six years of security patches with the latest device. The latest HyperOS version can be polarising. For some, it might be one of the best UI, while others might find it a bit tacky. The user interface is now fluid compared to the previous versions of HyperOS.
The handset runs on HyperOS 3, which is based on Android 16 operating system.
You also get some Apple-inspired features, including the Super Island. Just like Apple's Dynamic Island, it basically displays contextual information and quick shortcuts to supported apps. So, you can see the active timer, incoming calls, or the current track playing on YouTube Music.
The user interface looks largely identical to the ones present in Xiaomi smartphones, sans the Poco-specific app icons. The interface comes with two separate panels to show the quick settings and notifications panel, which cannot be merged. There is also app drawer support and a variety of widgets.
The user interface also focuses on connectivity and AI features. You get the Xiaomi HyperAI, which brings Gemini and Xiaomi's own suite of AI. The usual AI kits are available, including AI writing, AI dynamic wallpapers, AI creativity assistant, AI recognition, AI translate, AI interpreter, and AI Subtitles. Then you have the interconnectivity features that let you use the smartphone on your Windows or Mac machine.
That said, the main problem with the user interface must be its bloatware. This is one area where people might find the user interface a bit tacky. You get more than 60 apps installed on the smartphone with a mix of Xiaomi's own first-party and third-party applications. Although you can still delete most of these applications, it can get quite irritating seeing those unwanted apps and games.
The Poco X8 Pro Max is powered by the recently introduced MediaTek Dimensity 9500s processor. The chipset is built using a 3nm process and features one big Cortex-X925 core, three Cortex X4 cores, and four efficiency Cortex A720 cores. Moreover, the brand has added up to 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 4.1 storage.
The smartphone is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9500s processor.
You might think the new Dimensity 9500s could be a toned-down version of the Dimensity 9500. On the contrary, it is closer to the Dimensity 9400 and Dimensity 9400+. I installed and ran some synthetic benchmarks, which you can see in the table below:
In terms of performance, the Poco X8 Pro Max slides effortlessly throughout the day. Whether it's scrolling mindlessly through Instagram Reels, reading articles in the browser, listening to music, or even multitasking, the phone feels smooth and fluid throughout the day.
The gaming performance will surely not disappoint you. You can easily play Call of Duty: Mobile or BGMI with ease on this smartphone. Moreover, with WildBoost optimisation, you can also increase the fps count up to 120fps on both of these games. That said, the phone does get hot during prolonged use, especially the metal frame, which makes it a bit difficult to hold while playing demanding titles for extended periods.
Coming to the cameras, the Poco X8 Pro Max features a similar camera setup compared to its predecessor. Both models feature a 50-megapixel Sony Light Fusion 600 primary sensor and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens. On the front as well, you get the same 20-megapixel front-facing camera.
Coming to the performance, the Poco X8 Pro Max camera performance is good in daylight conditions. The photos exhibit good dynamic range, vibrant colours, and plenty of contrast. The detailing is good, though in some cases it over-sharpenes the image. The 2x zoom works well, too. The details are good, and it doesn't feel overly digitally cropped.
However, it is the wide-angle lens that needs better optimisation. Although the overall output seems to be decent, the photos often came out soft and lacked the required details. Moreover, the dynamic range and contrast need more optimisation. That said, the colours were somewhat natural, which might be a blessing in disguise.
In low light, the primary sensor does a decent job of retaining colours. The shadows and highlights are decently balanced, while the light sources are not blown out of proportion. The 2x shots are also decent, with almost similar quality compared to the 1x shots.
The ultra-wide camera seems to lag behind the rest of the competition in low-light conditions. The photos usually came out to be soft, and noise was quite evident.
The selfie performance is decent on the Poco X8 Pro Max, though I felt the skin tone could be slightly better. The portraits were good, and the edge detection was on point. In low light, the selfie came out average, to be honest. So, might need to find a better light source between clicking selfies that are actually usable.
Another major highlight of the Poco X8 Pro Max is its impressive battery life. The large battery backup is reflected in daily usage. In the PCMark Work 3.0 battery test, the smartphone clocked 23 hours and 51 minutes.
The smartphone features a 9,200mAh battery, which lasts for more than two days,
In real-world use, the phone lasts up to 2 days on moderate to casual use. Moreover, it can still last more than one day with heavy usage. Coming to the charging speeds, the Poco X8 Pro Max charges from 0 percent to 100 percent in about 65 minutes.
The Poco X8 Pro Max is a well-rounded package with a few compromises. The smartphone features a premium design language that stands out from the competition. The battery is another impressive aspect of the Poco X8 Pro Max, delivering multiple days of backup on a single charge. Plus, the 100W fast charging support does help to quickly refill the juice.
Performance is another area where it excels. The Dimensity 9500s may not be a top-tier chipset, but it delivers a smooth, lag-free experience in real-world use. HyperOS 3 has improved, though the bloatware issue remains quite persistent. The cameras are capable to produce plenty of details in both day and night conditions. So, if you are considering a smartphone that delivers big on battery life, display, and performance, then you can surely consider the Poco X8 Pro Max. However, the competition is tough here as you have phones like
That said, if you are looking for a gaming-centric smartphone with all the latest features and future-proof specifications, then you can surely consider the Poco X8 Pro Max. Otherwise, there is a lot of competition here, including the OnePlus Nord 6, Nothing Phone 4a Pro, iQOO 15R, and more.
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