POCO M8x review: longevity at its core

• By Ramneek Singh
Published On: 21 September 2026 | 16:46 IST

The POCO M8x was recently introduced as a smartphone for budget-conscious buyers around Rs 20,000. The handset arrives in a fiercely competitive segment, competing against the iQOO Z11 Lite, Realme P4R, OnePlus N6x, and more. With a one-of-a-kind 6.9-inch display, a mega-large 7,900mAh battery, and support for up to four OS upgrades, we find out whether the POCO M8x is worth considering in this in-depth review.

Quick verdict

The POCO M8x stands out with a huge 6.9-inch screen, stereo speakers, days-long battery life, and four generations of Android updates. It is also one of the heaviest phones in this range, and its camera outputs underwhelming results in low light. That said, at Rs 20,999, the handset is a solid pick if battery life and software support matter most.

Design: bulky to carry around

The POCO M8x design feels more premium than it should for the price, at least the Leather Green colour variant, which we received for review. As the name suggests, this variant of the M8x flaunts a leather back panel that is not only smooth to the touch but also adds grip for long-term use without the bundled case.

On the contrary, the POCO M8x is considerably heavy at 232g and measures 8.8mm in thickness, making it heavier and thicker than both iQOO Z11 Lite (review) and Realme P4R. Add to that the large bezels and bottom chin, and the M8x may not be an ideal smartphone for users with short hands. The extremely rounded corners are a great addition that don’t dig into the palms during extended use.

Some worthy additions to the POCO M8x include a secondary speaker and a 3.5mm headphone jack at the top, giving users multiple audio output options. For durability, POCO has deployed an IP64 rating and Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection on the display.

Display: near tablet-sized display

The POCO M8x features one of the largest smartphone displays I’ve tested. Measuring 6.9 inches, this is an HD+ IPS LCD panel with up to a 120Hz refresh rate. Jumping straight into the real-world experience, as with most LCD displays, the panel outputs sufficient vibrancy, but the contrast levels and dark tones don’t look as rich as on AMOLED panels. But since most sub-Rs 25,000 phones in 2026 use LCD panels, there’s little to complain about here.

While the 720p resolution gets the job done, don’t expect sharp details when viewing text or video-based content. Speaking of which, on YouTube, the POCO M8x is limited to 1080p quality, which could be a processor limitation, since various phones with the MediaTek Dimensity 6300/6400 that we’ve tested previously offer the 1440p option on YouTube. The 120Hz refresh rate helps smooth daily performance, but you may notice instances where the screen doesn’t reach the peak refresh rate, such as in third-party apps.

The phone supports a standard brightness of 675 nits and a High Brightness Mode (HBM) peak brightness of 825 nits. Indoors, the screen is perfectly legible even at 60 to 70 per cent brightness, while outdoors, direct sunlight makes the screen hard to read.

Performance: gets you through basic to medium-level tasks

The POCO M8x uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 5 processor, the first smartphone in India to do so. Based on an octa-core architecture and a 4nm fabrication process, it carries up to 2.4GHz clock speeds and the Adreno 613 GPU. While our review unit has 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, the M8x is also available with a 4GB RAM and 128GB storage option, both featuring UFS 2.2 ROM speeds and LPDDR4X memory.

In benchmarks, the Snapdragon 4 Gen 5 scores better than the Dimensity 6400, while the Dimensity 7100 or Dimensity 7400 found in higher-priced phones perform significantly better.

On to the actual experience, since the POCO M8x runs a light version of HyperOS (more on this later), its day-to-day performance remains largely suitable for basic to medium-level tasks, such as calling, watching videos on YouTube, and playing casual games like Clash Royale at 120FPS. On social media apps like Instagram and X, you may notice occasional hiccups when scrolling through posts, but that could be attributed to the processor’s limited capabilities.

While our 6GB RAM variant of the POCO M8x held three to four apps in memory at a time, only time will tell how the 4GB RAM model fares over time. Overall, the smartphone will deliver sufficient performance for basic tasks; however, if you’re seeking a more capable device, you may need to raise your budget for higher-priced alternatives like the iQOO Z11x (review) or OnePlus Nord CE 6 Lite (review).

Battery: charge and forget

With a massive 7,900mAh cell, the battery life is easily the most impressive aspect of the POCO M8x. In our in-house PCMark Battery drain test, the phone clocked an incredible runtime of over 22 hours from 100 to 20 percent, the highest we’ve achieved so far this year on a sub-Rs 25,000 phone.

This test mimics tasks someone would regularly do on a smartphone, including playing videos, reading documents and presentations, browsing the internet, and even editing videos. So the test should give you an idea of how the POCO M8x performs in terms of battery life. But if that’s not enough for judgement, we also used the M8x with a SIM card installed as a secondary device, and the phone lasted around seven days on a single charge. Most of the tasks we did on the phone included using Instagram, taking photos, watching YouTube videos, and playing games.

Charging the phone from 20 to 100 percent remained a non-issue, as the 33W bundled adapter fully topped up the phone in around 70 minutes in our testing. Given the battery size, it charges impressively quickly.

Software: nerfed but carries nifty features

On the software side, the POCO M8x boots on HyperOS 3, which is based on Android 16. Just after a few minutes of use, it’s clear the software has been stripped of the advanced effects and details found on high-end HyperOS-based phones. This is likely to give the processor enough headroom to deliver smooth, flowing performance over time. For instance, there’s no blur in the quick settings panel, volume panel, or Recents app page, and the animations aren’t as seamless as on more powerful POCO phones like the X8 Power.

On the other hand, the software includes the usual nifty HyperOS 3 features, such as Xiaomi Hyperisland for displaying information or the current status of functions like the timer, stopwatch, devices connected to Hotspot, Xiaomi Interconnectivity features for easy file transfers, and more. You also get a certain selection of lockscreen clock styles, which you can customise. While it comes with several third-party apps and games pre-installed, you can remove most of them.

Lastly, the device is promised four years of major Android upgrades and six years of security patch updates, which is one of the longest software support in its price class.

Camera: above-average results, struggles in low light

The POCO M8x features a 50MP primary camera with an f/1.8 aperture and PDAF, plus an auxiliary rear lens, while the front features an 8MP selfie unit. Like previous POCO smartphones, it includes multiple camera modes, including Film Camera, Night mode, Auto night mode, Portrait mode, Time-lapse, and Dual Camera recording. Furthermore, video recording is capped at 1080p at 30FPS.

As for real-world performance, the camera delivers above-average results. In terms of detail and clarity, these aspects look fine on the phone’s 720p-only display, but on higher-resolution panels it becomes clear the output lacks high clarity, which is to be expected from a midrange smartphone. At times, darker areas of images may show noise and grain because the sensor can’t capture much light.

In terms of colour and vibrancy, the POCO M8x doesn’t go overboard with saturation and delivers eye-pleasing tones in daylight. While it can struggle to control whites, highlight control and dynamic range usually stay balanced. In low-light or night scenarios, the images turned out soft and lacked detail. Since it lacks OIS, you have to hold the phone very steady when taking photos; otherwise, the results will be blurry.

To determine how the cameras of the POCO M8x fare against the competing phones, we compared its camera results with those of the iQOO Z11 Lite in various scenarios:

Daylight

POCO M8x

iQOO Z11 Lite

In the daylight comparison above, the iQOO Z11 Lite completely changes the scene by adding heavy cool tones to the image, taking away the realism. The POCO M8x, on the other hand, delivers a more natural, accurate output with slightly better detail. In dynamic range, the iQOO Z11 Lite exposes the darker areas a bit better.

Portrait

POCO M8x

iQOO Z11 Lite

Both smartphones deliver different-looking images, with the POCO M8x retaining natural sunlight, while the iQOO Z11 Lite almost completely lets go of it. Once again, the detail levels remain the same, while the POCO M8x has noticeably better edge detection.

Selfie

POCO M8x

iQOO Z11 Lite

In selfies, the iQOO Z11 Lite delivers better detail and a more neutral, realistic colour balance. However, it fails to control excessive sunray highlights, making the POCO M8x’s image more appealing, even though it adds a slight red tint to the face.

Night mode

POCO M8x

iQOO Z11 Lite

In night mode, the iQOO Z11 Lite delivers a noticeably better image with sharper details, less blur, more contrast, and colours that match the actual scene more closely. The POCO M8x falls apart, with blurry output and blown-out colours.

Final verdict: should the POCO M8x be your pick under Rs 25,000?

The POCO M8x makes a statement with its humongous display. Even though the LCD panel is limited to 720p resolution, the large screen still gives you more real estate, something many people may prefer for watching content daily. The stereo speakers are a cherry on top, since competing phones like the iQOO Z11 Lite and Realme P4R do not have them. Then there is the exceptional battery endurance and long software support, the key highlights of the POCO M8x, ensuring the device lasts long on a single charge and keeps getting new Android upgrades for up to four generations.

On to the downsides, at 232g and 8.8mm thick, the POCO M8x is one of the bulkiest phones in its price class. A case further adds to the heft. In this regard, the iQOO Z11 Lite, Realme P4R, and OnePlus N6x fare better. They may not all pack a 7,900mAh battery, but they offer a more balanced weight with respectable battery capacities.

Moreover, as with most budget and mid-range phones, the POCO M8x’s low-light camera performance is underwhelming, while daylight shots are usable, with natural tones and just enough sharpness.

For Rs 20,999, the POCO M8x is a worthy buy if you prioritise software longevity and great battery life, while the display, performance, and software experience remain usable for most casual users.

Editor’s rating: 8.2/10

Reasons to buy

• A large display for watching content on the go.
• The battery lasts for days on a single charge with casual to medium use
• Extensive software support with up to four Android upgrades and six years of security patch updates.
• Stereo speakers, which rivalling smartphones miss out on.

Reasons to skip

• Bulky to carry around and put in pockets.
• Camera struggles to deliver decent results in low light.