Poco X8 Power review: Great battery life and striking design, but does it justify ₹35,999 price tag?
POCO has recently launched the X8 Power in India, marking the company’s first smartphone in the country to cross the massive 10,000mAh battery threshold. The phone is priced at ₹35,999 and is designed for people looking for long battery life but don’t wish to switch to a rugged or oversized phone. The X8 Power is also equipped with a 6.83-inch AMOLED screen, a Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 processor and a 50MP camera with IP69K waterproofing.
The big question is whether the massive battery is enough to make the X8 Power stand out in the crowded mid-range segment. For users, particularly those with long workdays or lots of travelling, the answer is mostly yes. The mobile phone can extend beyond a day and, on moderate use, has a two-day battery life. However, its cameras and performance leave some room for improvement.
Battery
The biggest attraction is obvious. The X8 Power sports a 10,000 mAh battery, eliminating most of the battery worries.
I discovered that the handset was able to hold approximately 40-45% of its battery charge after an average workday. With moderate use, it lasted about two days. It might be possible to extend it to three days for lighter users.
The phone scored 26 hours and 44 minutes in the PCMark battery test. It is also capable of 100W charging, but charging such a large battery is not necessarily fast. During testing, a full charge of the battery can be done in approximately 30-50 minutes. There is also 27W reverse charging. That makes the X8 Power a handy power source for another phone in an emergency.
Design
Poco has taken a different design pattern for the X8 Power. The yellow variant gets a vegan leather back, a contrasting black frame and a camera module. It looks more unique than standard mid-range phones made up of glass and metal.
At 8.65 mm thick and 223 grams, the X8 Power is not light. This is partially due to the large battery. However, it’s not so heavy that it feels excessively bulky, especially for a phone that has such a large battery. It is also dust and water-resistant with an IP69K rating. This is an extra security feature for people who spend a lot of time outside.
Display
The X8 Power is equipped with a 6.83-inch 120Hz refresh 1.5K AMOLED screen. The bezels are thin and uniform, and the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 is protected. Poco is claiming up to 3,500 nits of peak brightness. The outdoor visibility was good, as were the punchy colours, making it well-suited for video streaming.
The panel is capable of displaying the entire DCI-P3 colour gamut, HDR performance on Netflix and HDR on YouTube. There are stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos for enhanced entertainment.
Performance
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 chipset is used in the X8 Power. The POCO X8 Power is the first smartphone in India to feature this new processor. Performance is quite good for normal use. Apps launch in a timely fashion, and application switching is usually easy. However, occasional stutters can appear during heavier multitasking.
This isn’t a performance-first smartphone, though you can still play games. The game is able to support a max of 90 fps but can drop to lower frame rates during extended gameplay.
Geekbench 7 scored 915 points in single-core and 2,851 points in multi-core tests.
The variants have an important storage difference. The 256GB version receives faster UFS 4.1 storage, in addition to LPDDR5X RAM. The 128GB variant’s storage is based on UFS 2.2.
Poco has given the X8 Power a 50MP Sony IMX882 primary camera and an 8MP ultrawide camera. Selfies are taken with a 16MP camera.
Good light performance with the main camera. Colouring is fairly reliable, but may be over-coloured at times. Portrait shots also include some smoothing of the skin.
The ultrawide camera is adequate for occasional use but is not a major strength of the phone.
Video recording is more impressive on paper. The rear camera is able to shoot 4K video at 30 frames per second (fps) and is equipped with optical image stabilisation. The selfie camera also has 4K at 30 fps, and the ultrawide camera is capped at 1080p at 30 fps.
HyperOS features
The X8 Power is powered by HyperOS 3 running on Android 16. Users who have used Xiaomi or Poco phones will find the user interface familiar, as there are a few options to customise the launcher and lock screen.
There is some pre-installed software, although most of it can be removed. The Indus Appstore is a system app and cannot be uninstalled. By default, Glance is turned off.
Poco has guaranteed four years of OS updates and six years of security updates. This means the X8 Power has a longer software runway than other phones in the segment.
Verdict: Battery first, everything else second
The Poco X8 Power is an unusual phone because its biggest selling point changes the way you use it. A 10,000 mAh battery makes checking the battery percentage less significant.
The display, durability and design are a plus, and the cameras and Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 chipset are sufficient for the average user. However, those seeking the primary purpose of gaming or camera features could pursue better options.
The X8 Power is the clear choice for those who travel frequently, heavy chargers and those who just don’t want to carry a charger around. The 256GB model, at ₹38,999, is the more sensible choice, especially as it upgrades the storage from UFS 2.2 to UFS 4.1.
In short, the Poco X8 Power is not trying to be the fastest camera phone or the strongest gaming device in its price range. It is doing something simpler: making battery anxiety almost irrelevant.
I rate the Poco X8 Power 7.3/10.
