POCO X8 Pro and Pro Max India launch timeline tipped
After seemingly confirming the POCO X8 Pro series launch in India, a tipster has narrowed down the timeline. Abhishek Yadav, who has a pretty decent record with leaks, claims the next-gen POCO X-series smartphones will break their covers by mid-March in the country. He confirms two models in the lineup, the POCO X8 Pro and the X8 Pro Max, which are in line with previous leaks and rumours. The POCO X8 Pro Max, which will be the first of its kind in the lineup, is expected to be the most powerful smartphone out of the two.
An alleged AnTuTu listing, from an ‘early testing unit’ of the X8 Pro Max, has also been shared by the tipster. It seems to be from the Chinese unit, which has racked up a massive score of 36,12,095. This is driven by a strong GPU performance, where it scores over 14 lakhs, followed by CPU, which achieves a roughly 9.5 lakh score. The CPU also confirms the name of the chipset – MediaTek Dimensity 9500s. This chipset has long been rumoured for the POCO X8 Pro Max.
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Announced earlier this year, the Dimensity 9500s SoC slots itself below the flagship Dimensity 9500 SoC with slightly inferior clock speed. The Dimensity 9500s SoC is aimed at lower-cost, high-performance devices, which is exactly what the POCO X8 Pro Max is going to be. While the pricing details remain under wraps, the handset could be an upper mid-range offering competing against the likes of the iQOO 15R. The latter is priced starting at Rs 44,999.
If the alleged AnTuTu score is anything to go by, the POCO X8 Pro Max definitely has an edge over the iQOO 15R, which was only able to score approximately 30 lakhs during our testing. However, leaks confirm slightly bigger dimensions for the POCO smartphone, with a 6.83-inch 1.5K OLED display that bears an inferior 120Hz refresh rate and up to 2,000 nits peak brightness. The phone is also rumoured to feature LPDDR5x RAM and UFS 4.1 storage to enable fast app launch and data transfer speeds, respectively.
On the camera side, the handset may sport a 50MP primary sensor with OIS, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, and a 20MP front camera. The phone is expected to rock a massive 8,500mAh battery – leaving behind the iQOO 15R’s 7,600mAh, which is the biggest yet for a sub-flagship. Moreover, the device is said to support 100W fast charging, 27W reverse charging, IP68/IP69 ratings, Wi-Fi 7, stereo speakers, and an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor.
On paper, the POCO M8 Pro Max appears tailor-made for gamers and power users, with hardware that prioritises raw performance above all else. If that’s what you’re after, it may be wise to wait for its official launch before making a decision.
The regular Pro model in the X8 lineup will be relatively compact, with a 6.59-inch 1.5K OLED display, and house the latest mid-range Dimensity 8500 Ultra processor. The handset may sport a 50MP Sony IMX882 main camera and an 8MP ultrawide lens in the dual rear camera setup, and a 20MP selfie camera on the front. A 6,500mAh battery with 100W charging is expected, along with IP ratings, NFC, an IR blaster, and Wi-Fi 6.
As for the POCO X8 Pro series design, it could be similar to its predecessor, X7 series. Per the alleged leaked renders, the handsets may sport a pill-shaped dual-camera module, with the Pro Max featuring a dual-LED flash. The X8 Pro could also come with a special Iron Man-themed edition, with a grey finish, gold accents, and a stylised graphic on the back.
