POCO X8 Pro Max first impressions: you might want to wait for this one
The POCO X8 Pro Max has officially debuted in India, becoming the first smartphone to feature the Dimensity 9500s SoC. Alongside this flagship-grade chipset, the handset packs a massive 9,000mAh battery with 100W fast charging, a metallic build, and support for 120fps gaming, among other highlights. We will be taking a closer look at how all of those elements come together in our detailed analysis of the smartphone. But for now, here are my initial impressions after spending a short time with the POCO X8 Pro Max, which is priced in India starting at Rs 42,999.
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Manageable to hold despite the large battery
Our POCO X8 Pro Max unit comes in black, with a smooth, velvety texture on the rear panel. The feel appears to come from the fibreglass back, similar to what we saw on the OnePlus 15’s Sand Storm colour option, which was praised for its ability to resist minor scratches and wipe them away easily. Hopefully, the POCO handset offers similar resilience against everyday abrasions from coins, keys, and other metallic objects.
That said, the fibreglass treatment is limited to the back panel. The sides transition to a metallic frame with a matte finish, giving the device a more premium look and feel while also improving grip. Furthermore, the flat edges ensure the device is easy to manage despite its relatively thick, large form factor.
The POCO X8 Pro Max features a tall 6.83-inch display and measures 8.2mm in thickness. The handset weighs 220 grams, which is on the heavier side, though still reasonable considering the massive 9,000mAh battery packed inside. It will be interesting to see how comfortable the device feels as a daily driver over extended use. However, the in-display fingerprint scanner is positioned conveniently, right where your thumb naturally rests when holding the phone, making it easy to unlock without adjusting your grip.
Moving on, POCO has added a red accent around the power button, giving an otherwise straightforward design a subtle pop. Rather than going for something flashy, the X8 Pro Max sticks to a clean, minimal aesthetic, featuring a relatively small oblong-shaped camera module positioned in the top-left corner of the rear panel. The same design language carries across the other colour options as well, including white and blue.
It is worth highlighting that the rear camera sensors feature dynamic RGB lights for game lighting effects, notifications, incoming call reminders, rhythmic light effects, and more. Moreover, the latest X-series offering also comes with an IP69K rating for water and dust resistance, meaning it is built to withstand even high-pressure and high-temperature water jets.
Specs speak volumes about who it is meant for
The POCO X8 Pro Max ships with a 6.83-inch display that offers a 1.5K resolution, up to a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, 3,500 nits peak brightness, and HDR10+ support. The handset is rated to support ray tracing and 120fps gaming for smoother gameplay. To keep the lights on, the smartphone uses a 9,000mAh silicon-carbon battery, which can hold more juice than a traditional Lithium-ion battery without being bulky or heavy.
This is not the beefiest battery on a commercially available smartphone, but it comes close. It is backed by 100W wired charging, with the charger included in the box to ensure users are not tethered to a wall socket for long while charging the device.
Powering the device is the 3nm MediaTek Dimensity 9500s SoC. It is the latest chipset, offering capabilities similar to the flagship Dimensity 9500 SoC, and it competes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 for superior AI computation. The chipset is paired with 12GB of LPDDR5X Ultra RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 4.1 storage, ensuring the smartphone cannot only handle every task thrown at it but also do so in no time.
There is a 5,800 mm2 large vapour chamber cooling system and a 3D IceLoop to ensure thermals don’t run high during demanding activities such as gaming. To bind everything together, the POCO X8 Pro Max boots Android 16-based HyperOS 3.0 out of the box. It is the latest software from the brand, and it also allows the phone to be controlled via an iPhone with Home Screen+ features, among other things. The company promises to keep the smartphone up to date with four major OS upgrades and six years of security updates.
The cameras don’t look as appealing as the other aspects of the smartphone, but the dual 50MP + 8MP rear camera setup and the 20MP selfie camera get the job done. The smartphone is capable of recording up to 4K video at 60 frames per second. We will be testing that and more in the full POCO M8 Pro Max review, so stay tuned for that.
Other features of the smartphone include 27W reverse wired charging, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth v6, NFC, dual speakers, and Corning Gorilla Glass 7i.
To conclude
The POCO X8 Pro Max has been competitively priced in India for the specifications it offers. The handset is built to deliver top-tier performance and battery life in a package that remains surprisingly manageable. However, it won’t be an easy run, especially against rivals like the iQOO 15R, which is also a performance-oriented smartphone with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset, stable 144fps gaming support, and a sizeable 7,600mAh battery paired with 100W charging.
On paper, the POCO smartphone does appear to be the more compelling option. However, we’d recommend holding off on a purchase decision until our full review is out, where we’ll take a closer look at its real-world performance, camera capabilities, and long-term usability.
